ARC Publishers

ARC Publishers is a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to publishing rigorous, relevant, and impactful research in the business and management field, with a particular emphasis on phenomena that shape practices in African and Asian economies while maintaining global scholarly standards. The journal serves as a platform for high-quality research that deepens the understanding of business practices, institutional contexts, and managerial challenges in emerging, transitional, and developing markets. ARC Publishers welcomes scholarly articles covering a broad range of topics related to business, management, and organizational studies, and its scope extends beyond traditional boundaries to include context-specific and comparative research that situates Afro-Asian issues within broader global frameworks

ARC publishes high-quality, theoretically grounded, and empirically rigorous research in business, management, and international business, with particular focus on African and Asian contexts. The journal welcomes interdisciplinary and policy-relevant studies using quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, conceptual, and review approaches. AABR publishes original research, reviews, case studies, and practitioner-oriented contributions that demonstrate methodological rigor, theoretical relevance, and meaningful scholarly impact. All submissions undergo a rigorous peer-review process guided by publication ethics and academic integrity standards.

Tracks covered by ARC, but not limited to: 

• Strategic management and competitive advantage
• International business and cross-border trade
• Entrepreneurship and small business development
• Corporate governance and business ethics
• Organizational behavior and human resource management
• Marketing strategy and consumer behavior
• Innovation, technology adoption, and digital transformation
• Supply chain management and operations
• Family businesses and informal sector enterprises
• Sustainability, ESG, and responsible business practices
• Institutional environments and regulatory frameworks
• Emerging market multinationals
• Public–private partnerships and development-oriented business models
• Editorial Team
• Advisory Board
• Journal Information (Publication Frequency, ISSN)

To create a world where knowledge and opportunity know no boundaries.

To advance knowledge, develop human potential, and create pathways to opportunity through publishing, learning, collaboration, and sustainable reinvestment.

Authors

Author Responsibilities

Authors submitting manuscripts to ARC Publishers are expected to:

• Ensure that their work is original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere.
• Properly acknowledge all sources, data, and prior research through accurate citation.
• Present research findings honestly, without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation.
• Clearly disclose any conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, that may influence the research or its interpretation.
• Ensure that all listed authors have made a substantial scholarly contribution to the manuscript and have approved the final version.
• Confirm compliance with ethical standards for research involving human participants, organizations, or sensitive data, where applicable.
• Manuscripts that violate these principles may be rejected at any stage of the editorial process.

ARC considers the following manuscript categories:

• Original Research Articles (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods)
• Conceptual and Theoretical Papers
• Systematic Literature Reviews and Meta-Analyses
• Policy and Practice-Oriented Papers
• Case Studies (with clear analytical contribution)
• Bibliometric Review

Purely descriptive studies, consultancy reports, or manuscripts lacking scholarly contribution will not be considered.

Pre-Submission Requirements

Before submitting a manuscript, authors must ensure that:

• The manuscript fits within the aims and scope of ARC
• All authors meet the journal’s authorship criteria and agree to submission
• Ethical approvals (where applicable) have been obtained and documented
• The manuscript complies with the journal’s ethical, COI, and data policies
• The manuscript is formatted using the appropriate ARC manuscript template
• Authors are strongly advised to complete the Manuscript Preparation Checklist prior to submission.

 Files Required for Submission

Each submission must include the following files:

1.Mandatory Files

Main Manuscript File (Anonymized)

• No author names or affiliations
• Includes text, tables, and figures
• Prepared using the appropriate manuscript template

2.Title Page

• Full manuscript title
• Author names and affiliations
• Corresponding author contact details
• ORCID IDs (if available)

3.Cover Letter

Prepared using the official AABR Cover Letter Template

4.Conditional / Additional Files (if applicable)

• Response-to-Reviewers document (for revised submissions)
• Ethical approval documentation
• Data availability statement or supplementary files
• Funding disclosure statement

• Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word (.docx) format
• Language: English
• Referencing style: APA (latest edition)
• Tables and figures must be embedded in the manuscript and clearly labeled
• Figures must be high resolution (minimum 300 dpi) and meet the journal’s technical specifications.
• Detailed formatting instructions are provided in the Manuscript Templates.

Manuscripts must be submitted through the journal’s designated online submission system or official submission channel. An automated acknowledgment of receipt will be issued upon submission.The manuscript undergoes initial editorial screening for:

• Scope alignment
• Ethical compliance
• Formatting and completeness
• Plagiarism and any misconduct
• Manuscripts failing initial screening may face desk rejection.

• The main manuscript file must be fully anonymized.
• Author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, and self-identifying references must be removed.
• A separate Title Page must include authors and corresponding authors details, affiliations, and declarations.

• A typical manuscript should include:
• Title
• Abstract (150–250 words) 
• Keywords (4-6)
• Introduction
• Literature Review / Theoretical Framework
• Methodology
• Results / Analysis
• Discussion
• Implications (theoretical, managerial, or policy)
• Limitations and Future Research
• References
• List of abbreviations
• Declarations

Note: manuscripts must contain the following sections under the heading Declarations 

• Funding
• Conflict of Interest
• Availability of Data and Materials
• Ethics Approval (if applicable)

If any of the sections are not relevant to your manuscript, please include the heading and write ‘Not applicable’ for that section. Specific formatting instructions are provided in the Manuscript Templates.

Referencing Style

• AABR follows the APA referencing style (latest edition).
• Authors must ensure that citations and references are accurate, complete, and consistent.
• In cases where volume, issue, or page numbers are not available for a reference, authors must provide the DOI

Afro-Asian Business Review (AABR) accepts original scholarly manuscripts that fall within the journal’s stated aims and scope. Submissions must not be previously published or simultaneously under consideration by another journal.

1. Submission Requirements

• Submissions must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere.
• All submissions undergo plagiarism screening and ethical compliance checks before peer review.
• The journal follows a double-blind peer review process.
• Manuscripts must be submitted in English and written in clear, academic language.
• Authors are responsible for compliance with the journal’s ethical, authorship, and conflict-of-interest policies.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submissions comply with the journal’s ethical, authorship, and conflict-of-interest policies

Authors must ensure that:

• The manuscript conforms to the journal’s scope and article categories.
• All authors have approved the submission and the final manuscript.
• The work is original and appropriately cited.
• The work must comply with all the standard journal guidelines, including word count limits, citation and referencing style, formatting requirements, and other submission specifications. 
• Required declarations (authorship, conflicts of interest, funding, and ethical compliance) are complete and accurate.

Non-Compliance policy 

• Submissions that fail to meet requirements (clauses 1–3) may be rejected without external review.
• Submission will proceed through the technical check for clauses 4 and 5 and shall return to the authors for revision before external peer review.

Reviewers

Reviewers contributing to Arc Publishers are expected to:

• Conduct reviews in a timely, objective, and constructive manner.
• Maintain strict confidentiality regarding the manuscript and review process.
• Declare any potential conflicts of interest and decline review when such conflicts exist.
• Provide clear, reasoned, and respectful feedback aimed at improving scholarly quality.
• Refrain from using unpublished material for personal or professional advantage.
• Reviewers are expected to complete and submit their review within 14 days of accepting the invitation. 
• A reviewer unable to meet the timeframe must notify the Editorial Office promptly to request an extension
• In exceptional circumstances, the editor has the right to grant an extension at the reviewer’s request, provided the reviewer informs the Editorial Office before the original deadline expires. 
• Reviewers who fail to submit their review within the dedicated timeline without prior notification shall receive a reminder email from the Editorial Office. 
• No response or submission following reminders may be interpreted as an indication of disinterest or inability to complete the review. In such cases, the review assignment may be reassigned to another reviewer to ensure timely processing of the manuscript.

• Minimum of two independent reviewers per manuscript
• Editors and reviewers must not share current institutional affiliation with authors
• Reviewers must not have recent co-authorship with the authors

• Certificates of service for each completed review
• Annual public acknowledgment on journal’s website
• Professional academic service credit
• Recognition as part of the journal’s international reviewer community

Reviewer roles are voluntary and non-remunerated, in accordance with international academic publishing norms.

Applicants should normally:

• Hold a PhD/Mphil or equivalent qualification
• Have a relevant publication record in reputable journals
• Be affiliated with a recognized academic or research institution

Interested scholars may apply by emailing at: [official journal email]

Please include:

• A brief CV (inclding publication list)
• Areas of expertise
• Institutional affiliation 
• ORCID iD (optional)

Full Name *

Email Address *

Phone Number *

ORCID ID

Institution *

Country *

Department *

Current Position *

Highest Qualification *

Editors

Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) is responsible for the overall academic direction, editorial standards, and ethical compliance. Key responsibilities include:

• Defining, safeguarding, and periodically reviewing the journal’s aims, scope, and quality benchmarks.
• Making final and independent publication decisions on submitted manuscripts
• Appointing, mentoring, and overseeing Associate Editors and Editorial Board members
• Ensuring compliance with ethical, peer review, and conflict of interest policies
• Acting as the final authority in cases of ethical disputes and appeals
• Representing the journal in academic and indexing-related matters

Mentoring Responsibilities include: 

• Provides structured guidance and training to Associate Editors and Editorial Board members on peer review standards, editorial judgment, and ethical publishing practices.
• Mentors Associate Editors and Editorial Board members through scheduled editorial meetings to review timelines, assess journal performance, set strategic direction, and evaluate the feasibility of special issues.
• In cases requiring urgent action, the EiC may convene immediate editorial meetings, and mentored editorial team members are expected to actively participate in deliberations and decisions regarding the journal’s continuity or direction.
• Guiding balanced judgment to Associate Editors in complex cases, including borderline acceptances, reviewer disagreements, ethical concerns, and appeals.
• Providing guidance on reviewer recruitment and journal promotion strategies (optional)

Arc Publishers has one editor-in-chief appointed for a fixed term of three (03) years. The term is renewable based on journal performance and mutual agreement.

Associate Editors support the EiC by managing manuscripts within their areas of expertise. Their responsibilities include:

• Overseeing the double-blind review process
• Conducting initial manuscript assessment within their specialization
• Selecting and assigning unbiased and qualified reviewers
• Evaluating reviewer reports and providing reasoned recommendations to EiC
• Ensuring timely, respectful, and constructive communication with authors and reviewers
• Upholding confidentiality and ethical standards

The Editorial Advisory Board provides strategic and academic guidance to the journal. Board members are expected to:

• Advise on journal policy, scope refinement, and thematic directions
• Support long-term strategic planning
• Promote the journal within international academic  and professional networks
• Occasionally review manuscripts within their expertise when requested
• Advisory Board members do not routinely manage manuscripts unless explicitly assigned by the EiC

Editorial decisions at Arc Publishers are based solely on 

• Scholarly merit
• Originality and contribution to knowledge
• Relevance to the journal’s scope
• Adherence to ethical standards

The journal maintains full editorial independence and does not permit commercial, institutional, or personal interests to influence editorial outcomes.

While detailed workflow procedures are documented separately, the standard editorial process includes:

• Initial editorial screening (scope, quality and ethics)
• Assignment to Associate Editor
• Double-blind peer review
• Editorial evaluation of reviewer reports
• Final decision by EiC
• Transparent communication of the decision and feedback to authors

This framework ensures consistency, fairness, and academic rigor across all submissions.

All manuscripts and associated communications are treated as strictly confidential. Editors and reviewers must not disclose manuscript content and use unpublished material for personal or professional advantage.

Editors are responsible for identifying and addressing ethical concerns, including 

• Suspected misconduct 
• Conflicts of interest
• Breaches of publication ethics

All cases are handled in accordance with internationally established ethical guidelines and journal policies, including COPE procedures. Suspected misconduct includes any breach of publication ethics such as plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, duplicate or redundant publication, inappropriate authorship

The editorial team periodically reviews: 

• Editorial processes, efficiency, and decision timeliness
• Reviewer performance and engagement
• Publication and citation outcomes and quality, ensuring alignment with international publishing standards.

• Indexing & Abstracting
• Submit an Article
• Contact

For questions relating to AABR, please contact the appropriate office below.

Editorial Office

For editorial matters, peer review, editorial board matters, and publication ethics:

• Email: [TO BE CONFIRMED]
• Address: [TO BE CONFIRMED]

Submission Support

For technical questions concerning manuscript submission and the online submission system:

• Email: [TO BE CONFIRMED]

General Enquiries

For general questions concerning AABR, publishing, partnerships, and other matters: Email: [TO BE CONFIRMED]

Reviewer Applications

Scholars interested in joining the reviewer community may contact: Email: [TO BE CONFIRMED]

Full Name *

Email Address *

Phone Number *

ORCID ID *

Institution *

Country *

Department *

Current Position *

Highest Qualification *