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Purpose -The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has witnessed a resurgence in the management literature in recent years. This might be due to a renewed focus on corporate governance and ethical practices of companies the world over. This current study seeks to focus on how banks operating in Ghana communicate their CSR programmes and intentions via their corporate websites. Design/methodology/approach -A conceptual framework was adapted from the extant literature and was used as the basis of a content analysis of 16 banks in Ghana. This paper adopts a qualitative research approach drawing upon available information from the websites of these 16 banks. Findings -One of the banks that had won the most CSR awards at the Ghana banking awards had the poorest CSR communication content on its corporate website. It was also noted that banks that had never won a CSR award previously seemed to have a better organised structure in respect of their CSR activities on their websites. These findings clearly demonstrate the challenges that sometimes exist in transferring bricks-and-mortar organisational capabilities to online environments. Originality/value -Studies focussing on online CSR communications in emerging market contexts are almost non-existent and this study makes an important contribution in not only addressing this imbalance, but more importantly in improving bank marketing practices in Ghana.

Utilizing case studies of farmers and fishermen in Ghana, we investigated the mobile commerce (m-commerce) idiosyncrasies of two rural businesses. We specifically examined the investment cost associated with m-commerce, and the m-commerce adoption practices of farmers and fishermen in selected rural districts in Ghana. We adopted a qualitative research approach and conducted in-depth interviews with management and operational personnel, in our target respondent firms. We found that m-commerce facilitates cost reduction for farmers and fishermen, and affords them opportunities for deepening internal and external business relationships. M-commerce also facilitates the delivery of time-sensitive information, which enhances decision-making in transactions. Whilst m-commerce clearly enhances various value delivery propositions for the farming and fishing companies we profiled, it cannot entirely replace their business value chains. The originality of this study lies in the fact that, it is one of the few scholarly investigations focusing on m-commerce from the perspective of a sub-Saharan country.

This paper explores the influence of mobile phones on the micro-trading activities of women traders in Nigeria. This exploratory study adopts a qualitative research approach. A theoretical model based on the Technology Acceptance Model is used to analyse two case studies of the micro-trading activities of Nigerian market women. The findings suggest that, first, the benefits obtained by market women tend to be partly influenced by the extent of mobile access and usage by trading partners in their value chain. Second, the knowledge of the trader plays a critical role in determining the type of mobile functionality used. Market women who innovatively integrate mobile services, like mobile banking, stand to reform their market structural processes and become more economically empowered. In micro-trading activities, enhancing communication and trading processes through mobile phones improves revenue acquisition and enhances decision making and control. The research concludes with an emphasis for research and practice to increase the mobile capabilities of those at the ‘bottom of the pyramid’ to beyond voice calls and text messaging. Research propositions and lessons for future research are also outlined. This paper generates new insights about the usage of mobile telephony for the enhancement of economic effectiveness of micro-traders.