Corporate sustainability in Africa: A review, trends and future direction

ABSTRACTThis paper considers the applicability and implications of intellectual property rights (IPRs) for open science practices in the context of genomic-related health research and innovation in Africa. The first part provides a brief background of the gaps in genomics and health research in Africa, highlighting the possible role of open science in facilitating collaborative research to address the peculiar health needs of the continent. The second part examines intellectual property protection in genomic-related health research and innovation in Africa, outlining some of the existing legal instruments and policies guiding the application of IPRs, focusing on patents and copyrights. Thereafter, the paper examined how intellectual property standards could impact the adoption of open science in genomics health research in Africa. In doing this, the paper considers the role they could play as enablers of open science practices in genomics health research and innovation and the potential challenges they pose. The paper concludes with recommendations regarding aspects of the intellectual property policies and legal frameworks in Africa that could be calibrated to overcome potential challenges and, thereby, stimulate the adoption of an open science model and promote open, collaborative genomics health research and innovation in the continent.

In Africa, urbanization and urban growth are dramatically restructuring the nature of cities. The growing majority of urban dwellers now live in informal conditions that, without access to basic services or public amenities, expose residents to greater health risk, and health-care systems are unable to provide affordable or comprehensive cover. The differential exposure to these urban conditions is compounded by social and economic vulnerability, resulting in health inequities. Yet despite pressing needs driven by Africa’s considerable and complex burden of disease and high levels of health inequity, urban health and urban health equity have not yet emerged as major research and policy priorities in Africa, and as such South Africa, like many other African countries, lags behind in addressing these issues. This commentary presents a conceptual framework, using a public health approach, for interdisciplinary research aimed at contributing to the understanding and mitigation of urban health issues and challenges in Africa (Fig. 1). This approach identifies downstream and upstream factors, based on published literature, associated with key determinants in each theme. In other words, in addition to the individual level risk factors, the figure summarizes factors associated with each theme at the community, experiential, environmental, and structural policy levels. It represents a collective effort by interdisciplinary academics from public health; anthropology; civil engineering; architecture, planning and geomatics; human biology; psychiatry and mental health; medicine; pathology; and paediatrics, from the Research Initiative for Cities and Health (RICHE), University of Cape Town (UCT), to generate African perspectives on urban health and urban health equity. A workshop to tackle the urban health research agenda in August 2015 was attended by 40 RICHE members with extensive global and local urban health experience. In line with the co-production philosophy advocated for African urban contexts 1, additional contributions came from representatives from the Western Cape Department of Health. The process of identifying themes and gaps was as follows: First existing urban health research in Africa was presented. The workshop participants, who have a wide range of experience in urban health in Africa presented what work was ongoing or planned. Through this iterative process, the key components of research questions identified were then thematically classified into six distinct focus areas. Using a public health, socio-ecological model, these themes were then classified into different levels from the individual to policy levels. Gaps in research were then identified qualitatively by the same iterative process from which unanswered priority research questions were identified. Three cross-cutting principles for African urban health research were also identified in the process, based on methodological and technical requirements for the successful conduct of the proposed research themes (Table ​(Table11). FIG. 1 Conceptual framework of public health approach to urban health research themes in Africa. TABLE 1 Urban health research focus areas and priority research questions Six Focus Area Themes Urban Context as a Tool for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention The health and well-being of urban residents is intricately linked to the natural, built, and institutional elements of the urban context. As such, all dimensions of urbanization and urban living, including socio-environmental determinants of health need to be considered 2. The Commission on the Social Determinants of Health 3 and the Hidden Cities4 reports identify addressing urban health as a key priority in the global South. Thus, investigation of the interaction between health and the urban determinants of health (social and policy environments, health services, the built, physical housing and recreational environments, food systems, crime/security, access to potable water, air quality, transport, vector and pest management, community resilience, psycho-social support structures) is essential 5. Understanding these interactions could facilitate developing, implementing, and evaluating interventions that aim to harness these aspects of the urban context as tools for health promotion and prevention of infectious and vector-borne diseases, non-communicable diseases, and injuries, which in South African cities account for 20 % more mortality than in rural areas 6. This understanding could be gained via research paired with “natural experiments” and randomized evaluations, such as urban upgrades, housing developments, and integrated transport system routes, to assess the impact on health behaviors and health outcomes.

PurposeToday, corporate sustainability is at a tipping point. With average lifespan of organizations shrinking, striving for corporate longevity and sustainability has become indispensable in this fast-paced world. Despite the growing interest in this domain, companies are struggling to define sustainability in a way that is relevant to their business. This article attempts to synthesize the extant literature and provide a conceptual perspective on corporate sustainability and sustainable business models.Design/methodology/approachThematic literature review was done to gain an understanding of the extant literature and the ongoing debates on organizational sustainability. As the literature in context of corporate sustainability was found to be in a fluid state, a thematic review was found suitable to systematize and disclose valuable insights that open avenues for addressing sustainability concerns.FindingsThe paper attempts to throw light on the journey of organizations towards sustainability and how the context of sustainability has changed for the organizations over time. The paper discusses how companies embarked on their sustainability revolution by shifting their focus from mere compliance and philanthropy to attaining a sustainability edge and also explicates the transformation from traditional business models to sustainable business models. Finally, the research gaps are identified to pave the way for future research in the domain of corporate sustainability.Originality/valueThe extant literature on corporate sustainability is in a shambolic state. This creates a need to investigate what has been done and how the context of corporate sustainability is being shaped. This paper contributes to the emerging literature on sustainability by providing a conceptual perspective and highlighting the research gaps which pave the way for future research on sustainability paradigm.

Education and research are two fundamental pillars to ensure progress. Without an appropriate education, quality research is not feasible. In the case of developing countries, these issues become more challenging since literacy and access to information are still unsolved. In this regard, numerous initiatives around the world have been launched for promoting education by applying Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). However, introducing such technologies without considering the actual needs and idiosyncratic issues of target countries usually leads to failure since problems are different in developed countries than in developing ones. In this paper we present the studies carried out within the framework of the AFRICA BUILD project aimed to identify how Cloud computing technologies might contribute to alleviate the existing educational and training gaps in health research in Africa.

Enhancing the role of human resource management in corporate sustainability and social responsibility: A multi-stakeholder, multidimensional approach to HRM

e13778 Background: While Africa makes up 17% of the total world population, it has 24% of the global disease burden. Furthermore, although Africa is rich in genomic diversity, Africans make up <4% of the patients in global pharma studies and 1% of the global genomic database. In 2020 there were only 63 African patients in Roche global clinical trials. The Africa AIR Site Alliance model was undertaken to address the growing importance of interventional clinical trials with advanced diagnostics and therapies in Africa, as well as the lack of representation of the African population in global datasets, which contribute to continued health disparities, poor outcomes and existing inequities. Methods: In countries with a legal research framework, no clinical trial holds and who have conducted at least 1 Roche clinical trial during the last 5 years potential Centers of Excellence for the Africa AIR Site Alliance were identified. For patients, sites had invoiceable services to ensure they were supported and could potentially include education about clinical trial participation, reasonable travel and accommodation, or covering the cost of missed work or childcare. Sites participated in training on how to conduct clinical trials, including opportunities to share best practices across sites. Results: Four pilot countries were selected and had Centers of Excellence identified to work as partners with Roche for global clinical trials: Morocco (Marrakech University Hospital Center), Nigeria (University College Hospital Ibadan), Kenya (University of Nairobi Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases) and South Africa (Limpopo Cancer Research Institute). After entering the Africa AIR Site Alliance, sites reported consistent application of standard operating procedures and manuals, trained and empowered staff, increased organization and appropriate patient support, plus knowledge and experience with industry trials. Sites are successfully participating in an increased number of global clinical trials in various therapeutic areas with 23 patients enrolled at the Africa AIR Site Alliance sites in oncology and ophthalmology studies. Conclusions: The Africa AIR Site Alliance model is a groundbreaking initiative that has the potential to revolutionize clinical research in Africa with a positive long-term impact on the African healthcare ecosystem and clinical care delivery. Limited diversity and representation in genomic, safety and efficacy data have hampered scientific and medical progress on the continent. The Africa AIR Site Alliance provides critical support, knowledge and skills for conducting clinical trials and assists in removing barriers for underrepresented patients to participate in these trials. Future work will focus on expanding to additional countries in Africa and creating a robust network of Centers of Excellence for innovative research.

Following the publication of the first human genome, OMICs research, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metagenomics, has been on the rise. OMICs studies revealed the complex genetic diversity among human populations and challenged our understandings of genotype-phenotype correlations. Africa, being the cradle of the first modern humans, is distinguished by a large genetic diversity within its populations and rich ethnolinguistic history. However, the available human OMICs tools and databases are not representative of this diversity, therefore creating significant gaps in biomedical research. African scientists, students, and publics are among the key contributors to OMICs systems science. This expert review examines the pressing issues in human OMICs research, education, and development in Africa, as seen through a lens of computational biology, public health relevant technology innovation, critically-informed science governance, and how best to harness OMICs data to benefit health and societies in Africa and beyond. We underscore the disparities between North and Sub-Saharan Africa at different levels. A harmonized African ethnolinguistic classification would help address annotation challenges associated with population diversity. Finally, building on the existing strategic research initiatives, such as the H3Africa and H3ABioNet Consortia, we highly recommend addressing large-scale multidisciplinary research challenges, strengthening research collaborations and knowledge transfer, and enhancing the ability of African researchers to influence and shape national and international research, policy, and funding agendas. This article and analysis contribute to a deeper understanding of past and current challenges in the African OMICs innovation ecosystem, while also offering foresight on future innovation trajectories.

During the last decade, there has been increasing research on Corporate Sustainability, whereby most of such research was undertaken in the Western world. This paper is aimed at analysing the contribution of Japanese Business terms to Corporate Sustainability. The paper analyses, using Grounded Theory, 28 Japanese business terms through a Corporate Sustainability framework based on the four dimensions of sustainability (economic, environmental, social, and time), the company system (operations and processes, strategy and management, organisational systems, procurement and marketing, and assessment and communication), and stakeholders (internal, interconnecting, and external). The underpinning principles of the Japanese business terms provide complementary approaches to Western views on corporate sustainability by offering a more holistic perspective by linking the company system and its stakeholders to the four dimensions of sustainability. The paper proposes that Corporate Sustainability can learn from Japanese business approaches through: (1) the interaction and alignment of the factory, the firm, and inter-firm network; (2) the relationships between management and employees; (3) the inter-linkages between the company system elements; and (4) how Japanese companies remained competitive, even under the stress of a long-term major economic crisis. However, the analysis indicates that the relationship with external stakeholders and communicating with them through assessment and reporting is lacking in Japanese business management practice. Japanese businesses and their management can also learn from the Corporate Sustainability of the West by: (1) considering the four dimensions of sustainability and how they interact; (2) taking a holistic and systemic approach to Corporate Sustainability; (3) engaging in more Corporate Sustainability research; and (4) making Corporate Sustainability part of a company’s culture and activities. Businesses in the East and the West need to recognise that they can both contribute to making the world more sustainable by learning from each other’s approaches on Corporate Sustainability and adapting them to their own contexts.

Corporate Sustainability in Africa

Organizational Culture and Corporate Sustainability in Africa

The percentage of urban dwellers has been on a steady rise since 1950. Currently estimated at 55% using a population threshold of 300,000 people, the percentage of urban dwellers is projected to hit 68% by the year 2050 with cities in Africa recording higher proportions. Despite a lack of consensus on a universally accepted population threshold for, and variations in country-specific definition of urbanity, an incontrovertible issue, around which all urban stakeholders share a common position is the health effects of living in an urban settlement. Given the higher rate of urbanization in Africa and the poor urban health outcomes on the continent that are likely to worsen with increased urban population, this chapter reviews the urban health dimensions of demographic research in Africa with a view to identifying areas covered and gaps for future research to improve health outcomes on the continent, particularly those of urban residents. The review covered the urban health content, the demographic cohort studied, and the temporal shifts in the urban health focus of the studies.

BackgroundThe role of the human microbiome in health and disease is an emerging and important area of research; however, there is a concern that African populations are under-represented in human microbiome studies. We, therefore, conducted a systematic survey of African human microbiome studies to provide an overview and identify research gaps. Our secondary objectives were: (i) to determine the number of peer-reviewed publications; (ii) to identify the extent to which the researches focused on diseases identified by the World Health Organization [WHO] State of Health in the African Region Report as being the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in 2018; (iii) to describe the extent and pattern of collaborations between researchers in Africa and the rest of the world; and (iv) to identify leadership and funders of the studies.MethodologyWe systematically searched Medline via PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Academic Search Premier, Africa-Wide Information through EBSCOhost, and Web of Science from inception through to 1st April 2020. We included studies that characterized samples from African populations using next-generation sequencing approaches. Two reviewers independently conducted the literature search, title and abstract, and full-text screening, as well as data extraction.ResultsWe included 168 studies out of 5515 records retrieved. Most studies were published in PLoS One (13%; 22/168), and samples were collected from 33 of the 54 African countries. The country where most studies were conducted was South Africa (27/168), followed by Kenya (23/168) and Uganda (18/168). 26.8% (45/168) focused on diseases of significant public health concern in Africa. Collaboration between scientists from the United States of America and Africa was most common (96/168). The first and/or last authors of 79.8% of studies were not affiliated with institutions in Africa. Major funders were the United States of America National Institutes of Health (45.2%; 76/168), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (17.8%; 30/168), and the European Union (11.9%; 20/168).ConclusionsThere are significant gaps in microbiome research in Africa, especially those focusing on diseases of public health importance. There is a need for local leadership, capacity building, intra-continental collaboration, and national government investment in microbiome research within Africa.-p-9t9CgT8xQHC5cjmG_wiVideo

Chaos as opportunity

SMIs are an extraordinary industrial sector because they are able to absorb a larger sales force than large industries, and provide the most significant contribution to the national gross domestic product (GDP). Within the framework of national economic performance, the MSME sector has a large contribution to the Indonesian economy, which has more than 64.2 million business units, contributing 61.9% to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and absorbing 97% of the workforce (Kemenparekraf, 2023). SMEs as drivers of the creative economy are able to produce the concept of collaboration between creativity, culture, economy, and technology in the contemporary world accompanied by the most dynamic innovation, and provide new opportunities for economic growth. This study aims to explore a new conceptual model that can fill the limitations of previous studies and research gaps that focus on the concept of radical innovation maslahah with risk handling mediation to achieve corporate sustainability. The concept of radical innovation maslahah is expected to improve risk handling and encourage the achievement of corporate sustainability in batik SMEs in Central Java province. The results of this study indicate that if radical halal innovation in products increases, it will trigger an increase in risk handling, supported by empirical data. Changes that occur as a result of radical innovation in products, have consequences for the existence of risks that require handling by batik SMEs. The conclusion of this study is that if radical humanist innovation in the process increases, it will trigger an increase in corporate sustainability, not supported by empirical data. This indicates that radical humanist innovation in the process is less able to encourage the achievement of corporate sustainability. If risk handling increases, it will trigger an increase in corporate sustainability, supported by empirical data. With increased risk handling in batik SMEs, it encourages the achievement of corporate sustainability.

Grand challenges in developing countries: Context, relationships, and logics