Share:


Prevalence of copycat in Africa textile clusters: the blame game among stakeholders

    Lydia Asare-Kyire   Affiliation
    ; Zheng He   Affiliation
    ; Charles Hackman Essel   Affiliation
    ; Danish Junaid   Affiliation

Abstract

In this paper we investigate the reasons behind the pirated textiles and try to address the questions of why copycats are rampant on the African textile market, their impact on textile clusters and why it is ineffectively being controlled. Taking Ghana as a sample, this study employed grounded theory methodology to explore the key factors that account for copycat prevalence in African textile industry. This study reveals that economic foundations, political factors and stakeholder interactions in the textile ecosystem have influenced copycat popularity in Africa. More specifically, the blame game among stakeholders with no one accepting responsibility for copycat prevalence gave space for perpetrators of copycat textiles to breed. The study extends the stakeholder and cluster theories particularly within the confines of developing regions, the interplay of actors and how their actions promote or revert the fight against copycats. This article implores governments should proactively lead in collaborative inter-agency actions to fight the copycat menace by repackaging and designing strategies/approaches through the employment and increasing of stakeholder consultations.

Keyword : copycat problem, African textile clusters, blame game, grounded theory, stakeholder, government policy

How to Cite
Asare-Kyire, L., He, Z., Essel, C. H., & Junaid, D. (2018). Prevalence of copycat in Africa textile clusters: the blame game among stakeholders. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 19(6), 813-838. https://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2018.6811
Published in Issue
Dec 31, 2018
Abstract Views
2156
PDF Downloads
1011
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Abdallah, N. (2010). Inside Ghana’s collapsing textile industry. The Daily IIJ (p. 1). Retrieved from http://sundaytrust.com.ng/index.php/feature/3209-inside-ghanascollapsing-textile-industry

Abdulai, A. A. (2013). Pirated textiles: stop harassing the market women; find real causes. Ghana Web News (p. 1). Retrieved from http://ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/Pirated-Textiles-Stop-harassing-the-market-women-find-real-causes-294468

Abor, J., & Quartey, P. (2010). Issues in SME Development in Ghana and South Africa. International Research Journal of Finance and Economics, 39(39), 218-228.

Adinew, B. (2012). Textile effluent treatment and decolorization techniques – a review. Bulgarian Journal of Science Education, 21(3), 434-456.

Andersson, J. (2009). For the good of the net: the pirate bay as a strategic sovereign. Culture Machine, 10, 64-108.

Bankova, Y. (2015). Industrial clusters an incentive for a competitive regional development. A case study of selected Bulgarian industrial clusters. Trakia Journal of Science, 13(Suppl.1), 54-59. https://doi.org/10.15547/tjs.2015.s.01.011

Blackstone, E. A., Fuhr, J. P., & Pociask, S. (2014). The health and economic effects of counterfeit drugs. American health and drug benefits, 7(4), 216-224.

Branco, A., & Lopes, J. C. (2018). Cluster and business performance: historical evidence from the Portuguese cork industry. Investigaciones De Historia Economica, 14(1), 43-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ihe.2016.05.002

Bulawa, P. (2014). Adapting grounded theory in qualitative research: reflections from personal experience. International Research in Education, 2(1), 145-167. https://doi.org/10.5296/ire.v2i1.4921

Cesareo, L., & Pastore, A. (2015). Acting on luxury counterfeiting. Management of Luxury, (January 2014), 341-358. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274373046_Acting_on_luxury_counterfeiting

Che, J., Qiu, L., & Zhou, W. (2009). Intellectual property rights enforcement in imperfect markets. Levine’s Working Paper, Archive 814577 (pp.1-32). Retrieved from https://ideas.repec.org/p/cla/levarc/814577000000000242.html

Chen, C., Chen, C. & Yeh, C. (2010). Determinants of software piracy: evidence from Far East countries. Journal of International and Global Economic Studies, 3(12), 53-62.

DG. (2013). Stop seizure of pirated textiles – government tells taskforce. Daily Guide (p. 1). Retrieved from http://ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/Stop-seizure-of-pirated-textiles-Gov-t-tells-taskforce-294650

Dincer, B. (2011). Do the shareholders really care about corporate social responsibility? International Journal of Business and Social Science, 2(10), 71-77.

Duggan, D. E., Farnsworth, K. D., & Kraak, S. B. M. (2013). Identifying functional stakeholder clusters to maximise communication for the ecosystem approach to fisheries management. Marine Policy, 42, 56-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2013.01.023

Ebers, M., & Leon O. (2016). The variety of governance structures beyond market and hierarchy. Journal of Management, 42, 1491-1529. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206313506938

Egu, F. K. (2009). The textile industry in Ghana and trade liberalization. Ghana Web (p. 1). Retrieved from http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/artikel.php?ID=157543

El-Gohary, N. M., Osman, H., & El-Diraby, T. E. (2006). Stakeholder management for public private partnerships. International Journal of Project Management, 24(7), 595-604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2006.07.009

Esmaeili, G., & Noori, M. (2016). The effect of consumer’s mind set on copycatting strategy, moderating with the consideration of the moderating role certainty and uncertainty conditions. Journal of Administrative Management, 12(1), 105-114.

Evans, G. L. (2013). A novice researcher’s first walk through the maze of grounded theory: rationalization for classical grounded theory. The Grounded Theory Review, 12(1), 37-55.

Fornahl, D., Hassink, R., & Menzel, M. P. (2015). Broadening our knowledge on cluster evolution. European Planning Studies, 23(10), 1921-1931. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2015.1016654

Freeman, R. E., & McVea, J. (2001). A stakeholder approach to strategic management. In The Blackwell Handbook of Strategic Management (pp.189-207). Malden: Mass: Blackwell Publishers.

Gaur, R. K., & Tripathi, K. K. (2012). Similar biologics regulation: current status. International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 4(Suppl.3), 12-16.

Gavetti, G., & Warglien, M. (2015). A model of collective interpretation. Organization Science, 26(5), 1263-1283. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2015.0987

Gereffi, G., & Lee, J. (2016). Economic and social upgrading in global value chains and industrial clusters: why governance matters. Journal of Business Ethics, 133(1), 25-38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2373-7

Gilbert, D. U., & Rasche, A. (2008). Opportunities and problems of standardized ethics initiatives – a stakeholder theory perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 82(3), 755-773. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9591-1

GNA. (2010a). AMA to stop pirated Ghanaian textiles. Ghana News Agency (p. 1). Retrieved from http://ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/AMA-to-stop-pirated-Ghanaian-textiles-187974

GNA. (2010b). Ministry of Trade inaugurates task force on pirated textiles. Ghana News Agency (p. 1). Retrieved from http://ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/Minister-of-Trade-inaugurates-task-force-on-pirated-textiles-188033

Greer, C. R., Lusch, R. F., & Vargo, S. L. (2016). A service perspective: key managerial insights from service-dominant (S-D) logic. Organizational Dynamics, 45(1), 28-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2015.12.004

Halse, L. L. (2017). The evolution and transformation of industrial clusters: a conceptual model. International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management, 31(1), 176-188. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMTM.2017.082013

Harrison, J. S., & Weaver G. (2013). Stakeholder theory, value, and firm performance. Business Ethics Quarterly, 23(1), 97-124.

He, Z., & Rayman-Bacchus, L. (2010). Cluster network and innovation under transitional economies: an empirical study of the Shaxi garment cluster. Chinese Management Studies, 4(4), 360-384. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506141011094145

He, Z., Rayman-Bacchus, L., & Wu, Y. (2011). Self-organization of industrial clustering in a transition economy: a proposed framework and case study evidence from China. Research Policy, 40(9), 1280-1294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2011.07.008

Herazo, B., & Lizarralde, G. (2016). Understanding stakeholders approaches to sustainability in building projects. Sustainable Cities and Society, 26, 240-254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2016.05.019

Ingstrup, M. B., Jensen, S., & Christensen, P. R. (2017). Cluster evolution and the change of knowledge bases: the development of a design cluster. European Planning Studies, 25(2), 202-220. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2016.1276885

Jamali, D. (2008). A stakeholder approach to corporate social responsibility: a fresh perspective into theory and practice. Journal of Business Ethics, 82(1), 213-231. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9572-4

Jayaraman, K. (2010). Doing business in China: a risk analysis. Journal of Emerging Knowledge on Emerging Markets, 1(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.7885/1946-651X.1006

Jo, H., Song, M. H., & Tsang, A. (2016). Corporate social responsibility and stakeholder governance around the world. Global Finance Journal, 29, 42-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfj.2015.04.003

Kirankabeş, M. C., & Arik, M. (2014). Industrial clustering approach in regional development: the case of Turkey. Journal of Applied Business and Economics, 16(3), 135-151.

Kriger, C. (1993). textile production and gender in the Sokoto Caliphate. The Journal of African History, 34(3), 361-401. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021853700033727

Krishnamurthy, S., & Pria, S. (2011). Factors Influencing CSR Initiatives of the banks in Oman: a study based on stakeholders’ perspective. Journal of Management Research, 3(2), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.5296/jmr.v3i2.609

Kurniawan, Y., Abdullah, W. M. W., Som, H. M., & Parasuraman, B. (2013). Employing industrial cluster concept as a strategy to improve small industries in Kelantan, Malaysia. International Refereed Research Journal, 4(19), 19-24.

Li, Z., Xin, Y., & Cheng, C. (2009). Understanding the value of project management from a stakeholder’s perspective: case study of mega- project management. Project Management Journal, 40(1), 99-109. https://doi.org/10.1002/pmj.20099

Lindberg, M., & Säll, L. (2013). The contested cluster concept: paradoxical pathways to Nordic innovations. International Journal of Innovation Science, 5(1), 11-20. https://doi.org/10.1260/1757-2223.5.1.11

Mahmood, K., Ahmed, R., & Bilgrami-jafferi, N. (2016). Urban development and industrial clustering in Pakistan: a study based on geographical perspective. Journal of Basic and Applied Science, 12, 32-40. https://doi.org/10.6000/1927-5129.2016.12.05

Martin, R., Sunley, P., & Tyler, P. (2015). Local growth evolutions: recession, resilience and recovery. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 8(2), 141-148. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsv012

Mawardi, M. K., Choi, T., & Perera, N. (2011). The Factors of SME cluster developments in a developing country: the case of Indonesian clusters. November 2011 ICSB World Conference Proceedings, Stockholm, Sweden (pp. 408-436).

McCormick, D. (1998). Enterprise clusters in Africa: on the way to industrialisation. Institute of Development Studies (Discussion Paper 366) (pp. 1-52).

Meng, T., & Forman, A. M. (2016). Strategy of cluster innovation in the economic transformation of resource cities of China: experiences of Britain and Germany. International Journal of Business and Economics Research, 5(5) 176-182. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijber.20160505.16

Miceli, G. N., & Pieters, R. (2010). Looking more or less alike: determinants of perceived visual similarity between copycat and leading brands. Journal of Business Research, 63(11), 1121-1128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2009.10.007

Mok, K.Y., Shen, G. Q., Yang, R. J., & Li, C. Z. (2017). Investigating key challenges in major public engineering projects by a network-theory based analysis of stakeholder concerns: a case study. International Journal of Project Management, 35(1), 78-94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2016.10.017

Montenegro, L. M., & Sergio B. (2014). Reflections on actor-network theory, governance networks, and strategic outcomes. BAR - Brazilian Administration Review, 11(1), 107-124. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1807-76922014000100007

Mortensen, M. (2014). Constructing the team: the antecedents and effects of membership model divergence. Organization Science, 25(3), 909-931. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2013.0881

MOTI. (2002). A report prepared by Brucks and Associates for MOTI (Ministry of Trade and Industry), November, 2002 (pp. 1-19). Study of the Textile Sub-Sector, Ghana.

Newman, C., Page, J., Rand, J., Shimeles, A., Söderbom, M., & Tarp, F. (2016). Manufacturing transformation: comparative studies of industrial development in Africa and emerging Asia. Published to Oxford Scholarship Online (pp. 1-26). https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198776987.001.0001

Østergaard, C. R., & Park, E. (2015). What makes clusters decline? A study on disruption and evolution of a high-tech cluster in Denmark. Regional Studies, 49(5), 834-849. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2015.1015975

Partington, D. (2000). Building grounded theories of management action. British Journal of Management, 11(2), 91-102. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.00153

Patel, V. K., Manley, S. C., Hair, J. F., Ferrell, O. C., & Pieper, T. M. (2016). Is stakeholder orientation relevant for European firms? European Management Journal, 34(6), 650-660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2016.07.001

Porter, M. E. (1998). Clusters and the new economics of competition. Harvard business review, 76(6), 77-90.

Porter, M. E. (2000). Location, competition, and economic development: local clusters in a global economy. Economic Development Quarterly, 14(1), 15-34. https://doi.org/10.1177/089124240001400105

Prim, A. L., Amal, M., & Carvalho, L. (2016). Regional cluster, innovation and export performance: an empirical study. BAR –Brazilian Administration Review, 13(2), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-7692bar2016160028

Purwanto, U. S., Kamaruddin, S., & Mohamad, N. (2015). The role of industrial clustering and manufacturing flexibility in achieving high innovation capability and operational performance in Indonesian manufacturing SMEs. Industrial Engineering and Management Systems, 14(3), 236-247. https://doi.org/10.7232/iems.2015.14.3.236

Quartey, P. (2006). The textiles and clothing industry in Ghana. In J. Herbert, & R. Traub-Merz (Eds.), The Future of the Textile and Clothing Industry in Sub-Saharan Africa (pp.133-146). Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Accra-Ghana.

Reichertz, J. (2009). Abduction: the logic of discovery of grounded theory. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung, 11(1), 214-228.

Renne, E. P. (2015). The changing contexts of Chinese-Nigerian textile production and trade, 1900-2015. The Journal of Cloth and Culture, 13(3), 212-233. https://doi.org/10.1080/14759756.2015.1054105

Rodriguez, M. A., Ricart, J. E., & Sanchez, P. (2002). Sustainable development and the sustainability of competitive advantage: a dynamic and sustainable view of the firm. Creativity and Innovation Management, 11(3), 135-146. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8691.00246

Satomura, T., Wedel, M., & Pieters, R. (2014). Copy alert: a method and metric to detect visual copycat brands. Journal of Marketing Research, 51(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmr.11.0467

Scandelius, C., & Cohen, G. (2016). Achieving collaboration with diverse stakeholders: the role of strategic ambiguity in CSR communication. Journal of Business Research, 69(9), 3487-3499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.01.037

Shing, K., Chung, K., & Crawford, L. (2016). The role of social networks theory and methodology for project stakeholder management. Procedia – Social and Behavioural Sciences, 226(October), 372-380.

Spencer, S., Vinodral, T., Gertler, M., & Wolfe, D. (2010). Do clusters make a difference? Defining and assessing their economic performance. Regional Studies, 44(6), 697-715. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343400903107736

Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1994). Grounded theory methodology: handbook of qualitative research (pp. 273-285). SAGE Publications, Inc.

Thakur, V. P. S., & Ramacha, S. (2012). Pharmaceutical business strategy: a generics perspective. Journal of Intellectual Property Rights, 17(5), 484-496.

Toor, S. R., & Ogunlana, S. O. (2010). Beyond the “iron triangle”: stakeholder perception of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for large-scale public sector development projects. International Journal of Project Management, 28(3), 228-236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2009.05.005

Toverud, E.-L., Hartmann, K., & Håkonsen, H. (2015). A systematic review of physicians’ and pharmacists’ perspectives on generic drug use: what are the global challenges? Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, 13(1), 35-45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40258-014-0145-2

Tsai, K. H., & Yang, S. Y. (2013). Firm innovativeness and business performance: the joint moderating effects of market turbulence and competition. Industrial Marketing Management, 42(8), 1279-1294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2013.06.001

Valdaliso, J. M., Elola, A., & Franco, S. (2016). Do clusters follow the industry life cycle? Diversity of cluster evolution in old industrial regions. Competitiveness Review, 26(1), 66-86. https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-02-2015-0006

Vego, M. (2009). Counter-piracy: an operational perspective definition of the term. Tidskrift i Sjöväsendet, (3), 169-180.

Vracheva, V., & Mason, R. (2015). Creating firm value through stakeholder management and regulation. Journal of Managerial Issues, 27(1-4), 120-140.

Wang, H. M. D., & Sengupta, S. (2016). Stakeholder relationships, brand equity, firm performance: a resource-based perspective. Journal of Business Research, 69(12), 5561-5568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.05.009

Warlop, L., & Alba, J.W. (2004). sincere flattery: trade-dress imitation and consumer choice. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 14(1-2), 21-27. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327663jcp1401&2_4

Weisburd, S. I., Albert, D. R., & Kudowitz, B. M. (2009). The design piracy prohibition act. New York Law Journal, January, 20, 1-8. Retrieved from https://www.law.com/almlD/1202427496861/

Weng, X. (2016). The research of logistics industrial cluster: concept, characteristic and function. International Journal of Business and Economics Research, 5(3), 55-60. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijber.20160503.14

Wu, M. (2012). Managing stakeholders: an integrative perspective on the source of competitive advantage. Asian Social Science, 8(10), 161-172. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v8n10p160

Yang, X., & Rivers, C. (2009). Antecedents of CSR practices in MNCs’ subsidiaries: a stakeholder and institutional perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 86(2), 155-169. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0191-0

Yao, V. W. (2006). An economic analysis of counterfeit goods: the case of China. Journal of the Washington Institute of China Studies, 1(1), 1-6.

Yin, J., Rothlin, S., Li, X., & Caccamo, M. (2013). Stakeholder Perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of multinational companies in China. Journal of International Business Ethics, 6(1), 57-72.

Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research: design and methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Yoo, B., & Lee, S.-H. (2004). The buyers of counterfeit products in South Korea. Journal of International Business and Law, 3(1), 94-112.

Zheliazkov, G., Zaimova, D., Genchev, E., Toneva, K., & Cvijanovic, D. (2015). Cluster development in rural areas. Economics of Agriculture, 62(1), 73-93.