ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Relationship marketing and customer loyalty, does information communication technology (ict) matter (a case study of Zenith Bank Ghana)

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of relationship marketing (RM) on customer loyalty moderated by information communication technology (ICT). The study examines a comprehensive set of variables providing a deeper understanding of the association between relationship marketing and loyalty. The study delves into the moderating role of ICT in the association of relationship marketing and customer loyalty. The study employed descriptive survey design and questionnaire was used in gathering data from 200 staff made up of branch managers and relationship staff of Zenith Bank in Central and Greater Accra Regions. The results indicate among others that banks in Ghana show high levels of competence, communicate more often with their customers, avoid manifest conflicts situations and are committed to customer needs and maintain a high level of trust with their customers. The results show that banks pay the greatest attention to trust in RM practices, followed by conflict handling. Also, the results show that ICT has a direct positive association with RM and customer loyalty. The findings let the researcher to conclude among others that RM practices jointly have a significant influence on customer loyalty. Marketers aiming at building and maintaining long term beneficial relationships with their customers hoping to win their loyalty must give special attention particularly to ICT, competence, commitment and communication. This can be done through training and development programmes for staff at all levels.

Source: UEW
The relevance of auditing and assurance service to public institutions in Ghana, case study of Sekyere south district assembly and Ghana Education Service

The aim of this study was to find out the relevance of auditing and assurance services to the public institutions in Ghana. The objective of the study was to examine the relevance of auditing and assurance services in the public institutions in Ghana. The research instrument used to collect data was questionnaires. The questionnaires was administered to three (3) public institutions where 100 employees were given questionnaires. A sample of 100 respondents was selected randomly from a population of 150 public officials. Data was analyzed using statistical package for social scientist (SPSS). From the study, the researcher found out that, public sector managers do not support audit due to the fact that the sector managers are not aware of the exact role of the auditors due to the evolution of the audit activities. Also, public sector officials do not see the relevance of the audit activities in the public sector institutions. The study revealed that one’s perception of the auditor was influenced by how they perceive their roles in the sector. The auditors find it difficult to perform their specific responsibilities of preventing, detecting fraud, errors, irregularities, misappropriation and misuse of public resources. This is because they do not have the needed logistics to enable them to carry out their statutory duties. The staff was not well motivated in terms of remuneration, offices and regional accommodation. The researcher therefore recommends that government should motivate auditors by providing them with higher incentives, training and necessary resources such as offices.

Source: UEW
Religion and the fight against illegal small-scale mining in Ghana a case of Abuakwa North District

Successive governments in Ghana since independence have adopted various measures to end illegal small-scale mining in the country. Yet all these measures over the years have proved futile. This study sought to examine various ways by which religious beliefs can be used to assist the fight against small-scale mining. To achieve the set objective, the study adopted qualitative approach to research for the gathering and analysis of the data. In all, fifteen participants were interviewed for the study. It was discovered that religious beliefs can be an effective tool if religious leaders use their pulpit to educate their members regularly, suspend members who do galamsey, and also name and shame those of their members who engage in illegal small-scale mining in their meeting places. It was therefore recommended that, the use of religious beliefs to assist the fight against illegal small-scale mining can only be effective if it is used together with other political measures that have been used over the years for the fight.

Source: UEW
Religion, Law, and Politics in Ghana: Duab (Imprecation) as Spiritual Justice in the Public Sphere

This paper examines the reasons for and consequences of the resort to traditional spiritual justice in spite of increasing awareness of state civil law structures. The paper helps us theorise on how economic disputes resulting from lack of effective legal enforcement yields itself easily to the deployment of spiritual justice. The significance of this study is that it contributes perspectives into issues of law and political modernisation and their interrelationships with religious imaginations. It departs from previous accounts that focus on the pervasiveness of religion in the contemporary Ghanaian public sphere. Instead, the current study devotes attention to the conditions that occasion the deployment of religion in the public domain. Copyright � 2021 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.

Source: UEW
Religion, law, politics and the state in Africa: Applying legal pluralism in Ghana

Applying a legal pluralist framework, this study examines the complex interrelationships between religion, law and politics in contemporary Ghana, a professedly secular State characterised by high levels of religiosity. It aims to explore legal, cultural and moral tensions created by overlapping loci of authority (state actors, traditional leaders and religious functionaries). It contends that religion can function as an impediment to Ghana's secularity and also serve as an integral tool for realising the State's legal ideals and meeting international human rights standards. Using three case studies - legal tensions, child witchcraft accusations and same-sex partnerships - the study illustrates the ways that the entangled and complicated connections between religion and law compound Ghana's secular orientation. It suggests that legal pluralism is not a mere analytical framework for describing tensions, but ought to be seen as part of the solution. The study contributes to advancing knowledge in the area of the interrelationships between religion and law in contemporary African public domain. This book will be a valuable resource for those working in the areas of Law and Religion, Religious Studies, African Studies, Political Science, Legal Anthropology and Socio-legal Studies. � 2020 Seth Tweneboah.

Source: UEW
Religiosity and safety performance: mediating role of safety behaviour

Purpose: Safety science research has largely focused on areas such as oil and gas, mining and construction, with a paucity of research in the agricultural sector which constitutes over 60% of the workforce in Ghana. This paper investigated the extent to which religiosity of rice farm workers predicts their safety performance through safety behaviour. Design/methodology/approach: The authors collected data from 469 respondents, comprising 347 males and 122 females from three large rice irrigation schemes in southern Ghana in a cross-sectional survey, and analysed the data with partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings: Religiosity had a moderate positive direct relationship with safety behaviour, while safety behaviour had a very weak relationship with safety performance. Also, safety behaviour played a competitive partial mediating role in the relationship between religiosity and safety performance. Practical implications: The findings led to the conclusion that religiosity is an essential direct antecedent of safety behaviour at work and an indirect antecedent of safety performance. Accordingly, the authors recommend that safety practitioners, managers and supervisors put mechanisms in place to cautiously encourage optional religious programmes that would enable organisational members to get a deeper understanding and knowledge of their religion and promote religious freedom and diversity at the workplace. Originality/value: This paper has contributed to the debate on the relevance of religiosity at work and occupational safety and health promotion in the African context. This seems to be the only study in Ghana that has investigated how religiosity relates to safety behaviour in production agriculture, specifically, rice farming. Another contribution of this study is the evidence supporting the mediating role of safety behaviour in the relationship between religiosity and safety performance. � 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Source: UEW
Remedial teaching in English reading comprehension the case of students of Presbyterian College of Education

The study investigated the impact of remedial lessons in English reading comprehension on students’ reading comprehension achievement among students of Presbyterian College of Education in Ghana. The study specifically sought to examine the specific reading comprehension problems of the students, the causes of the problems and the impact remedial lessons have on the English reading comprehension achievement of the students. To achieve the objectives of the study, mixed method research approach was used. The participants of this study were students who offer the English Language Studies Course which had reading comprehension as a component and teachers who teach this course to the students. In all 441 Level 200 students, and 5 English Language teachers participated in the study. The analysis of the data was carried out using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The descriptive statistics used for the analysis of the data include frequency and percentages, while the inferential statistics used for the analysis of the data is the Ordinary Simple Linear Regression Analysis. An alpha level of 5% was used as the threshold for statistical significance. The findings of the study revealed that students’ inadequate knowledge of grammar, students’ inadequate background knowledge, students’ ineffective reading skills, students’ inability to understand complex sentences, and students’ inadequate vocabulary knowledge are the main specific difficulties faced by the students in English reading comprehension. The results of the study also indicated that the major causes of these problems are students’ poor language processing abilities, students’ weak executive functioning skills, students’ underdeveloped word decoding skills, and students’ weak oral language skills. The results of the Ordinary Simple Linear Regression Analysis revealed that remedial lessons had a significant positive impact on the achievement of the students. The results of the coefficient of determination indicated that students’ participation in remedial lessons accounted for at least 30% of the variation in dependent variables. In conclusion, based on the study it is recommended that authorities at the Presbyterian College of Education should pay attention to the methodological and pedagogical approach in the teaching of remedial lessons in English reading comprehension at the institution.

Source: UEW
Remediating students’ misconceptions in some integrated science topics through the conceptual change model

This study investigated students' misconceptions regarding the concepts of force, motion, and pressure at Wesley Girls' High School and evaluated how well these misconceptions might be corrected through the use of a conceptual change model teaching strategy. The conceptual change theory served as the foundation for the study's framework. For the study, an action research design was used. Eighty students were selected for the study from two Form 2 General Art classes at Wesley Girls' High School using a purposeful sampling strategy. Students' misconceptions were investigated using the Students Misconception Diagnostic Test (SMDT). Over the course of a month, the students were instructed utilising the conceptual change model. In order to distinguish between the variations in the students' academic achievements, the SMDTs were then carefully structured and administered to the students as the Science Performance Test (SPT). The SMDT results showed that students lacked understanding and had serious misconceptions regarding the concepts of force, motion, and pressure. A quantitative analysis (t-test) was done to determine students mean scores between the SMDT and SPT. Results from the analysis revealed that the Conceptual Change Model strategy is a strong strategy to remediate students’ misconceptions. Students mean scores from the SPT was significantly higher (m = 1.42, SD = 0.497) than the mean scores from the SMDT (m = 1.00, SD = 0.00, t = -2.054, p < 0.001). Eight students from each class made up the group of 16 were interviewed to find out how they felt about the conceptual change model as an intervention. A qualitative analysis of the data was performed. The interview segment also demonstrated that after using the CCM approach, the majority of students' misconceptions about force, motion, and pressure were cleared up. It is therefore recommended that before beginning lessons, science teachers are advised to ascertain their students' preconceptions in order to correct any misconceptions regarding the concepts of force, motion, and pressure utilising the conceptual change model approach.

Source: UEW
Remote monitoring of a distribution transformer

The main objective of this project is to develop a simple low cost microcontroller based remote distribution transformer monitoring system using wireless technology which acquires key transformer parameters like temperature, voltage and load current using various sensors to display the real-time values on LCD and forwards them to a cell phone in a remote location by SMS. This project was developed by using Arduino board with ATMEGA328 Microcontroller, SIM 900 GSM Module, LCD display, voltage sensor (PT), current transformer (CT), a thermistor as temperature sensor and a GSM based communication network which covered almost every nook and cranny of the country. The preliminary level of fault or abnormality details was reported to the pre-assigned operator through an SMS service. The circuit model was set up and has been working satisfactorily. This embedded system can be very useful to the electricity supply authorities to monitor their transformers at remote locations without being physically present there.

Source: UEW
Renewable energy technology transition among small-and-medium scale firms in Ghana

Renewable energy transition has become popular in the wake of rapid climate change and energy volatility. National governments and global stakeholders have instituted several policy mechanisms to enhance cleaner energy transitions. However, extant literature has indicated the inadequacy of mere supportive policies in the transition process. Herein, we integrate intuitions from different academic traditions to develop a framework to investigate entrepreneurs� solar energy adoption in Ghana. Overall, two constructs from the innovation-diffusion model (relative advantage and observability), two from environmental psychology (personal and social norms), and a policy incentives factor constituted the research model. Cross sectional survey response from small-and-medium scale entrepreneurs (N = 320) was obtained. By employing the structural equation modelling technique, pro-environmental norms showed relatively stronger association with solar adoption. The integration of hypotheses from different research traditions offers higher insights than the value of each model tested independently. The findings can be useful to both researchers and policymakers towards the fight against climate change. � 2021 Elsevier Ltd

Source: UEW
Rent income tax compliance in Ghana a case study of some selected Mmdas

The overarching aim of this study was to find out the various factors that influence rent income tax compliance decisions of landlords/landladies in the Gomoa West, Gomoa East Districts and Ga-South Municipality. A sample of 360 landlords/landladies with a response rate of 342 (95%) was drawn from Gomoa East, Gomoa West Districts and Ga-South Municipality using a stratified random sampling technique. The study employed a descriptive and inferential research designs and a quantitative approach premised on the positivists paradigm to achieve its objectives. The results indicated that majority of the landlords/landladies do not have knowledge about the existence of rent income tax laws as majority of them indicated that there was no difference between the rent income tax and property tax. Institutional mechanisms laid down to encourage compliance was also assessed and it was revealed that a number of measures have been put in place to encourage compliance except that they yielded no positive results. It was also found that there is a culture of high non-compliance of rent income tax in the Gomoa West, Gomoa East Districts and Ga-South Municipality. It was further revealed that factors such as fairness in tax administration, deterrence sanctions, cost of living, peer influence and rent income tax knowledge are the major factors influencing rent income tax compliance. This is therefore a clarion call on government and tax authorities to intensify their game by embarking on massive rent income tax awareness and education campaigns, reviving confidence and trust in government, enforcing much harsher non-compliance punitive measures, and ensuring conscientization of the taxpayers to increase their intrinsic motivation to be able to honour their tax obligations.

Source: UEW
Repatriation of refugees in post conflict societies in Africa. A case study of Liberian Refugees in Ghana.

The Repatriation of refugees into post-conflict societies in Africa presents a profound challenge, with many individuals encountering significant barriers to rebuilding their lives. This qualitative case study investigates the lived experiences of Liberian refugees in Ghana, with a focus on identifying the complex factors that hinder their reintegration, the coping mechanisms they employ, and the prospects for their successful repatriation into Liberian society. Employing a snowball sampling technique to identify the study population, the research reveals that Liberian refugees remain in Ghana due to a range of push and pull factors, including employment opportunities, marriage, loss of social networks, fear of victimization, political retribution, and traumatic memories. To navigate these challenges, refugees adopt various coping strategies, such as religious practices, communal living, and reliance on social support networks. The study underscores the critical need for comprehensive Repatriation programs that address the multifaceted needs of refugees, including economic empowerment and social support. The findings offer valuable insights for the development of effective Repatriation policies and programs in post-conflict Africa, thereby facilitating the successful Repatriation of refugees into their home countries and promoting sustainable peace and development.

Source: UEW
Repeated Use of Cyperus esculentus Tubers, Towards Sustainable Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles

For green synthesis to be a sustainable approach for preparing nanoparticles, efforts must go into the search of methods that can guarantee effective and efficient use of bio resources. Most conventional approaches require fresh bio-reducing and stabilizing agents for every synthesis cycle. This study demonstrates that Cyperus esculentus tubers can serve as efficient bio-reducing and stabilizing agents� source for multiple syntheses of silver nanoparticles. The simple approach for extracting reducing agent from Cyperus esculentus tubers reported in this study offers the possibility to reuse the tubers for multiple syntheses. Reductants from Cyperus esculentus were obtained by soaking the tubers in deionized water for 24�hours, without the need of crushing. Addition of silver ions to the extract resulted in a rapid formation of silver nanoparticles. Effects of sunlight exposure, temperature, and pH on the formation of silver nanoparticles were studied. Silver nanoparticles were obtained in seconds under sunlight exposure, minutes at basic conditions, and hours under room and elevated temperatures. In addition, the Cyperus esculentus tubers could be used multiple times for the preparation of silver nanoparticles, thus serving as a sustainable bio reducing and stabilizing agents� source for the preparation of silver nanoparticles. The results from this study offers a simple, convenient, and economical approach for sustainable green synthesis of silver nanoparticles. � 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Source: UEW
Residential and industrial compatibility the case of Accra new town printing business

Rising incidents of printing business establishment amidst residential settlement is a growing phenomenon in Accra New Town. Ideally, in a residential settlement, houses should predominate as opposed to industrial and commercial activities, but in Accra New Town, the situation differs. Printing businesses are overshadowing residential activities and has become part of the general livelihood of the inhabitant of the town; but has not been documented. This study which emanated from a pure interest in printing and design as a component of graphic design sought to trace the origin and nature of printing business in Accra New Town, and also identify the impact of printing business on the residential livelihood of the people of Accra New Town and vice versa. By this means, factors contributing to continuous and present co-existence” of residential and printing business activities were investigated through interview, observation and documentary review. The respondents gathered for the study were sampled purposively, put in strata and later sampled by means of simple random sampling technique in this category; one (1) graphic designer, one (1) machine operator, three (3) press owners, three (3) landlords, one (1) Assemblyman and one (1) elder of the land. In all ten (10) participants were selected from the entire Accra New Town population for the study. Using a thematic analysis approach, this study analysed the incidence of printing business and the residential livelihood of the people of Accra New Town. It was deduced that, the trending and lucrative nature of printing business, low prices in purchasing a piece of land for printing business establishment, and easy access to cheap labour and resources are the main factors contributing to the continuous and present “co-existence” of residential and printing business activities in Accra New Town. The researcher based on the findings concluded that the continuous and present blend of residential and printing business activities is as a result of the easy access to items needed for printing business establishment and the huge profit gained after less investment. The study therefore recommends institutions of regulatory bodies in the town to ensure that the continuous growth of industrial and residential activities in Accra New Town takes place in a way that promote safe and environmentally friendly livelihood.

Source: UEW