Essentials Of General Management In Africa

This concise overview of the practice and processes of management in the African context is the first of its kind, and the introductory volume in the new Essentials of Business and Management in Africa short-form textbook series. This book covers the activities that all managers undertake regardless of their functional specialization and is organised around a model of management that consists of planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling. After introducing each topic, the authors discuss particular characteristics of Africa and African countries and how these influence the topic being covered; for example, relative levels of poverty, prevalence of small and informal businesses and the inadequacy of infrastructure will influence aspects of planning and decision-making, and motivation. Each chapter includes illustrative real-life examples and experiential exercises/short cases. The book begins with a general overview of the African continent and ends with discussions of ethical issues and corporate social responsibility including the management philosophy of Ubuntu. Undergraduate and postgraduate students in Africa and other parts of the world with an interest in the area will appreciate the focus on a region so little discussed in the business and management literature. Due to this dearth of material, this book will also appeal to current and future practicing managers in African countries.

With research into the lives of global families becoming an increasing focus worldwide, this Research Handbook is a timely compendium of contemporary scholarship. It aptly describes the work-family interface, delving into the unique dimensions of global family life.

Resolving the African Leadership Challenge: Insight From History examines leadership in pre-colonial, colonial and postcolonial modern Africa, exploring the origin of Africa’s leadership challenge, and providing lessons to enhance leadership effectiveness.

A concise textbook focusing on organisational behaviour in the African context, this book is featured in Routledge’s new Essentials of Business and Management in Africa shortform textbook series. This book covers organisational behaviour concepts applicable to the African continent and its varied cultures. Chapters thoroughly explore topics including personal and individual factors, motivation, decision making and communication, groups and teams, leadership and influence, conflict, and negotiation. Each chapter refers to aspects of the African context such as cultural values, Ubuntu, and the informal economy and relates these to the topics discussed. The book includes illustrative real-life examples, vignettes, mini-cases and exercises. Undergraduate and postgraduate students in Africa, and with an interest in the area, will appreciate the focus on a region so little discussed in the business and management literature. Filling a gap in the literature and including a dearth of material, this book will also appeal to current and future practicing managers in African countries, as well as those employed in government and by Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

The importance of entrepreneurship as an engine for innovation, economic growth, job creation and wealth especially in the context of Sub-Saharan Africa cannot be overemphasized. Entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa examines the socio-cultural, global, economic, financial, political, infrastructure and organizational contexts of entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa. Second, the book presents a strategic management approach for the management of entrepreneurial and small business ventures in the region. Written with a focus on theory and practice, the book is suitable for undergraduate and graduate courses in business and management studies and as a reference tool for practicing and prospective entrepreneurs, small business owners and economic change agents. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Small Business Management, Sub-Saharan Africa, Strategic Management, Marketing, Globalization, Business Plan, Socio-cultural, financial, political, institutional, infrastructure and organizational contexts. Number of pages: 684

This special issue of the Project Management Journal presents a collection of six articles on managing projects in Africa. Providing a window into the important project activity taking place there, these articles extend both the empirical and theoretical understanding of the African project context and contribute to improving practice. Each article makes a unique contribution to either our understanding of the African project context or project management in general, and sometimes to both. After an introduction to the African project context at the start of the 21st century, the articles explore: three different countries as well as multinational projects; for-profit, public sector, and development aid projects; infrastructure and information and communication technology; project governance as well as project management; and partnering challenges.

Access to approved scientific medical literature is vital in the context of providing standard, evidence-based health care. Despite the abundance of medical information, ensuring that it is available to health care professionals in the field remains a challenge. Remote areas in economically disadvantaged sub-Saharan Africa often lack internet facilities or reference libraries. At the same time, the long-term storage of books and other documents is a problem due to climatic factors such as humidity and heat, the presence of pests like insects and rodents, as well as environmental hazards and the lack of trained staff to adequately manage, maintain and distribute literary material. Against this background and based on practical experience, this book compiles a series of common disease management protocols adapted for minimal-resource facilities, formulas for national healthcare schemes (vaccination, antenatal, child care) and other useful documents that can facilitate effective hospital management in low-resource countries. Primarily intended for healthcare workers in The Gambia and other nations with a similar socio-economical background, the book is also a valuable resource for international students and healthcare workers from regions like Europe and the Americas intending to do internships in economically underprivileged geographic areas.