Determinants of International Standards in sub-Saharan Africa: The role of institutional pressure from different stakeholders

International environmental and quality standards in Africa are seen as being driven by pressure from international markets and importers. This study presents a conceptual framework where other stakeholders and plant resources are included in the argument for standards. We argue that among other stakeholders, international banks as creditors are important determinants. International banks, most of which are committed to sustainable practices, facilitate the diffusion of standards; they also perform sustainability-related risk-analysis urging customers to demonstrate corporate social responsibility. Our results also suggest that foreign ownership, plant size and business communications through company website are important for the adoption of standards in Africa.