@article{UzoMairAdewusi, author = {Uzo, Uchenna and Mair, Johanna and Adewusi, Adedeji}, title = {Relational activities and channel contracts: Insights from channel intermediaries in Nigeria}, series = {Journal of Strategic Contracting and Negotiation}, volume = {4}, journal = {Journal of Strategic Contracting and Negotiation}, number = {1-2}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1177/2055563619867341}, pages = {75 -- 97}, abstract = {This article explains how relational activities affect the design of seemingly paradoxical contractual arrangements among groups of channel intermediaries in Nigeria. The study used a grounded theory approach to investigate and analyze the contractual processes of three groups of channel intermediaries representing three diverse industries. Findings reveal that social relational activities trigger a higher prevalence of word-of-mouth agreements among channel intermediaries, whereas a blend of commercial and social relational activities trigger a higher prevalence of written agreements. Furthermore, we find that negotiation domains moderate the relationship between relational activities and the design of contractual arrangements. Insights from our work offer contributions to the literature on paradoxes, relational embeddedness, and international business.}, language = {en} } @article{UzoMairAdewusi, author = {Uzo, Uchenna and Mair, Johanna and Adewusi, Adedeji}, title = {How firms strategically navigate informal and formal copyright practices: insights from Nollywood}, series = {International Journal of Organizational Analysis}, volume = {ahead-of-print}, journal = {International Journal of Organizational Analysis}, number = {ahead-of-print}, issn = {1934-8835}, doi = {10.1108/IJOA-06-2020-2236}, abstract = {Purpose The purpose of this study is to explain how and why firms configure copyright practices when confronted with state-sanctioned laws and informal customs projected by local ethnic or religious communities. Design/methodology/approach A multi-case inductive study of four film-producing organizations within the Nigerian film industry (i.e. Nollywood) was conducted. Specifically considered were firms that started their operations around the same time with similar founding conditions, experiences, resources and technical competencies. Field observations and multiple rounds of in-depth interviews were conducted to achieve the research objectives. Findings The study found that firms adopted dominant or hybrid configurations when interacting with informality and formality. Dominant configurations represent the exclusive adoption of informal copyright practices while hybrid configurations refer to the blended use of informal and formal copyright practices. The second set of findings revealed that each firm's strategic intent affected the type of interactional configuration that unfolded in the firm. Specifically, firms with social intents tended to adopt dominant configurations, whereas firms with socio-economic intents tended to adopt hybrid configurations. Practical implications The study implies that firms may profit from strategically focusing on when and in what circumstances to adopt informality. Strategic intents that blend social and economic rationales may secure more positive interactive outcomes from internal and external stakeholders promoting formality and informality. Social implications This study highlights the fact that firms embedded in local religious and ethnic communities use organizational practices to solve social and institutional problems of their members. The copyright practices of these organizations encourage apprenticeship, youth empowerment and entrepreneurship in Nigeria. Originality/value To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that goes beyond macro-level analysis to investigate the interactional dynamics between formality and informality at the firm, community, and state levels. The study is also first of its kind to use copyright practices as an analytical lens to explore the interaction between informality and formality.}, language = {en} }