ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Impact of Pit Latrines on Groundwater in Some Selected Towns in the Tano Districts

In resource-poor and low-population-density areas, on-site sanitation is preferred to off-site sanitation and groundwater is the main source of water for domestic uses. Groundwater pollution potential from on-site sanitation in such areas conflicts with Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) principles that advocate for sustainable use of water resources. Given the widespread use of groundwater for domestic purposes, maintaining groundwater quality is a critical livelihood intervention. This study assessed impacts of pit latrines on groundwater quality in some selected towns in the Tano districts, Ghana. Groundwater samples from 5 boreholes and 10 hand dug wells were analyzed during 4 sampling campaigns, in the latter part of March, 2011 and part of November, 2011. Parameters analyzed were total and faecal coliforms, E coli, Samonella, Enterococci, both for boreholes and hand dug wells. Depth from the ground surface to the water table for the seasons, dry and wet was determined for all sampling points using a tape measure. Soil from the monitoring wells was classified as clayey. The soil infiltration layer was taken as the layer between the pit latrine bottom and the water table. A questionnaire survey revealed the prevalence of diarrhoea .Results indicated that pit latrines were microbiologically impacting on groundwater quality even at 44.7m lateral distance. Salmonella were of no immediate threat to health. The shallow water table increased pollution potential from pit latrines. Raised and lined pit latrines and other low-cost technologies should be considered to minimize potential of groundwater pollution.

Source: KNUST
The impact of political liberalisation on foreign direct investment inflows in Ghana, 1975-2013

The study investigates the impact of political liberalisation on foreign direct investment inflows in Ghana for the period 1975-2013. The study adopts the autoregressive distributed lag bounds technique to cointegration to examine the possible long run relationship among the investigated variables and finds long run relationship. The empirical results show that political liberalisation has positive and significant impact on foreign direct investment inflows in both the long and the short run. It therefore provides evidence in support of the validity of the location hypothesis in the Ghanaian context. In the long run, economic growth and natural resources have positive and significant impacts on foreign direct investment inflows. Trade openness, infrastructural development and inflation have negative impacts on foreign direct investment inflows. Whereas trade openness’ impact is insignificant, those of infrastructural development and inflation are significant. In the short run, economic growth, trade openness and natural resources have positive and significant impacts on foreign direct investment inflows. However, infrastructural development and inflation have negative impacts. Whilst inflation is significant that of infrastructural development is insignificant. The forecast error variance decomposition of foreign direct investment inflows results indicated that within the ten year period, variations in foreign direct investment inflows were high as a result of its own shocks and in terms of innovations in the explanatory variables infrastructural development contributed highest. This is then followed sequentially by natural resources, trade openness, economic growth, inflation and political liberalisation over the specified time period. The study recommends to policy makers to deepen Ghana’s current democratic dispensation so to make her a preferred destination for foreign direct investment inflows.

Source: KNUST
The Impact of Post Merger and Acquisition Activities on the Performance of Banks: A Study of Société Générale - Social Security Bank, Ghana

This study was conducted to assess the impact of post-merger and acquisition activities on the performance of Banks in Ghana with reference to Société Générale-Social Security Bank (SG-SSB) of Ghana. Banks mergers and acquisitions (M&As) refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities to help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or a new field without creating a subsidiary or using a joint venture. M&A both the International and the National ones, are now strategic instruments favouring the increase of the product portfolios, the penetration of new markets and the purchase of new technologies. The objectives of the study were to identify and assess the strategies and policies of SG-SSB after the M&A; and to assess the qualitative impact of post M&A activities such as accounting reports, market valuations and key informant descriptions on the performance of SG-SSB after the M&A. Descriptive research design was employed for the study. The main instrument used was a questionnaire to implore the opinions of management and employees of SG-SSB and a sample size of 143 was used. Frequency tables, pie charts and bar graphs were used to discuss the responses to the questionnaire taking into consideration the objectives of the study. The findings indicated that strategies and policies in procedural, physical and socio-cultural contexts were very important factors in the post-merger and acquisition process of SG-SSB. In addition, the qualitative impacts of the post M&A activities such as accounting reports, market valuations and key informant descriptions are enormous and vital to improve the performance of the Bank and its capabilities. The study recommended that policies and strategies instituted by management, for instance the credit policy, should be re-visited in order to enhance internal and external operations, the logistical framework support should be improved; a more comprehensive approach to integrated marketing communications mix should be put in place in the promotion of the Bank’s existing and added products so as to gain more market share.

Source: KNUST
The impact of privatization on Ghanaian companies: Financial analysis of Ghana Oil Palm Development Company (GOPDC)

Ghana after independence engaged in a rigorous industrialization and set up a number of State Owned (Enterprises to create jobs and to mate the country self-reliant. At the overthrow of the Convention Peoples’ Party (CPP) government, policies to move the country towards a command system was halted and many of the industries were abandoned. In the 1980’s it became clear that many of tile State Owned Enterprises were mere waste on tire country’s resources. After discussions with tile IMF and the World Bank, a policy to divest most of tile enterprises was implemented: ‘This started the current privatization exercise going on in the country. At first, loss-rnaking enterprises were divested but later on even viable government enterprises were also divested. Controversies existed as to whether it was advisable for the government to divest state enterprises or not. The privatization exercise faced a lot of criticisms and it called for studies into the area to find out which of the opposing claims could be justified. This study therefore attempted to compare tile pre privatization period of Ghana Oil Palm Development Company (GOPDC) to the post privatization era of tile same company. The basic hypothesis underlying the study is that there is no significant difference in the performance of State Owned (Enterprises (SCIEs) in terms of Profitability, Efficiency, Output levels and rates and Employment pre and post privatization. GOPDC was selected for a case study. Using these indicators and subjecting them to time series as well as financial ratio analyses, it was revealed that even though GOPDC was not doing badly, it improved greatly after privatization. Judging from the improvement made within the few years that GOPDC was privatized it was apparent that privatization was better for the company. However, divestiture of State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) ought to be transparent and tile revenue generated from it must be used for the general development of the country. This way privatization will benefit tile whole country.

Source: KNUST
Impact of procurement selection criteria on procurement Performance

The selection of an appropriate procurement method to procure any given project is known to result in successful procurement performance (and vice versa), but very little is known about the nature of this relationship from literature. In view of this, the study aimed at assessing the impact of procurement selection criteria on procurement performance. The study adopted the quantitative research approach and employed the cross-sectional research design for the study. The purposive sampling technique was adopted for the study and the researcher used the survey questionnaire to collect data from 100 procurement experts and rectors of various public and private teachers training colleges. The study used and analysed the data using spss statistics and amos to generate a sem and linear regression model. The results of the study showed that procurement performance is significantly defined by time, cost, quality, value for money and industrial standards. A further result showed that all the overall procurement selection criteria has a positive impact on procurement performance. Lastly, the findings of the study showed that other factors that significantly influence procurement performance were procurement planning and staff competence. It is recommended that management should perform a meticulous assessment of their suppliers to determine their capacity in delivering cost-efficient products or services while maintaining outstanding quality measures, streamline acquisitions, capitalize on cost efficiencies, bargain for beneficial agreements, and investigate different vendors or resources. Also, management develops robust partnerships with suppliers to foster transparent communication and teamwork and participate in advance conversations to discover opportunities for reducing expenses and enhancing quality. Encourage a mentality of constant enhancement by creating an environment that motivates procurement employees to proactively search for novel approaches, pinpoint areas for decreased expenses, and facilitate persistent evolution.

Source: KNUST
Impact of procurement planning within Ghana Health Service: a study of Ridge Hospital-Accra

Procurement planning is very important because it provides the list of all requirements that an entity would procure over a period of time. From it, the procurement schedules are developed and the timelines for carrying out each step in the procurement process up to contract award and the fulfillment of the requirements are established. The plan allows for the consolidation of similar requirements under one contract or the division of a requirement into several contract packages for economies of scale. From the requirements on the procurement plan, the procuring entity can forecast any need for additional inputs. Procurement plan allows for the monitoring of the procurement process to determine how actual performance compares with planned activities, and thus alert the relevant departments to adjust their procurement plan accordingly for effective project implementation. The plan enhances transparency and predictability of the procurement process. This becomes even more important when it comes to the management of public funds and resources towards provision of inputs for healthcare delivery as well as meeting the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) and external donor’s requirements. The objective of this study was to find out the impact of Procurement Planning on Ridge Hospital, Accra. A sample size of thirty (30) from the sample frame of procurement practitioners was chosen for the study. The sample size was 30 due to the limited time available for the completion and submission of this work. The respondents were made up of Procurement Officers, Estate Managers, Finance Officers, Pharmacists and Health Services Administrators for whom questionnaires as research instruments were provided for data collection and analysis. The work looked at the challenges and benefits in procurement planning and management in the public procurement process, which included relevant theories on procurement types and procurement management as well as issue on value for money for public procurement. This research revealed that procurement planningexerts positive effect on public procurement and that proper planning enables the procuring entities to abide by the various time frames in the procurement process and prevent rush of procurement activities towards the end of the budget year. Also it has been found that funding for procurement is likely to be sufficient to meet all requirements when proper planning is done as well as allow the private sector to respond more effectively to requirements and specifications. However it has also been found that there are challenges and benefits in procurement planning and that an effective planning of public procurement creates value for stakeholders while improving performance.

Source: KNUST
The impact of poor stakeholders involvement in the planning and implementation of construction projects case study: Accra Metropolis, Ghana

The aim of the study is to identify the impact of poor inclusion of stakeholders in projects scheduling and execution. Three objectives were set for this research work: To identify the impact of poor inclusion of stakeholders in projects scheduling and execution; To identify the approaches that would help to effectively involve stakeholders in projects scheduling and execution; and to recommend strategies for dealing effectively with stakeholders’ pressures and claims in projects scheduling and execution in Ghana. Structured questionnaire was used to gather information from the respondents in order to obtain data for analysis of their views. The respondents were made up of professionals from the following group stakeholders involve in projects scheduling and execution. The study revealed that changes in the scope of work, poor communication, slow decision making, rejected projects by end-users/community, additional works, inadequate resources assigned to the project, struggle to clearly define the project objectives, delays and cost overruns, slow information flow between parties and abandoned projects in that order were the major impact of poor inclusion of stakeholders. It is recommended that effective communication and information flow, early involvement in decision-making and design stage, stakeholders’ management plan/registration and regular workshops will effectively result in the inclusion of stakeholders in the planning and implementation of construction projects.

Source: KNUST
The impact of project management on sustainable construction in Ghana

The construction industry has been evolving considerably over the years with an increase in creative structures which require higher technological methods for their construction. It has also however become necessary to develop sustainable means of constructing these structures to enable them fit into the ecological, social and economic needs of the communities in which the structures are situated which forms the basis of this study to search into the sustainable development concepts adopted by construction companies in the Greater Accra region of Ghana during the first three phases of the project management life-cycle, namely; the Initiating Phase, the Planning Phase and the Execution Phase. The general methodology of this submission is relied largely on survey questionnaire which were received from professionals within the construction industry. A thorough literature review was initially conducted to identify the various concepts of sustainable development. A total of 28 questionnaire was distributed to construction professionals such as Project Managers, Quantity Surveyors, Structural Engineers and Site Supervisors which received a hundred percent response rate. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 16.0) together with Microsoft Excel was used for the analyzing the data. From the study, it is discovered that although there is a lot of consideration given to sustainable development during the Initiating phase of projects, these considerations tend to reduce as the projects progresses through the Planning and Execution phases. The study recommends that a proper assessment of sustainable development needs be carried out for each project and the need to include all stakeholders during the planning of the projects.

Source: KNUST
Impact of productivity improvement and employment generation fund on Household income and Food security of beneficiaries in the West Mamprusi District of Ghana

The study employed the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) technique to examine the impact of the Productivity Improvement and Employment Generation Fund (PIEGF) on household income and food security in five farming communities in the West Mamprusi District of the Northern region of Ghana. The study communities were:Walewale, Wulugu, Wungu,Nasia and Tinguri. A sample size of 300 respondents was used in the study. The descriptive results indicated that the fund had contributed positively to improving the food security and income levels of about ninety percent (90%) of the respondents. The results revealed that more of the females (74.09%) than the male (67.50%) headed households were aware of the existence of the fund. It was observed that ninety eight percent (98%) of beneficiaries and thirty one percent (31%) of non - beneficiaries had access to credit from other sources respectively. The empirical results generally show that the Productivity Improvement and Employment Generation Fund had positive and robust impact on food security status and income levels of the beneficiary households. With regards to food security, there was an observed mean difference of 346 kg of food with participants recording higher food stock of 1.154 tonnes comparable to non-participants who recorded 0.808 tonnes of food stock. This was observed at a statistical significant level of 1% indicating the presence of heterogeneous effects. The results also showed an observed mean difference of GH₵ 370.00 of household income with participants recording mean household income of GH₵ 1200.00 and GH₵ 830.00 for the non-participants which was also statistically significant at 1% indicating that there is presence of heterogeneous effects.

Source: KNUST
The impact of project risk factors on the selection of public works procurement methods in Ghana: A focus on NCT

The procurement of public works through National Competitive Tendering (NCT) has witnessed a significant improvement and adherence to the provisions of the public procurement Act of Ghana (Act 663). Act 663 mandates all public procurement entities to procure works contracts through NCT as a default method of procurement. However, the choice of a procurement method is a critical decision that must be taken into considerstion in the procurement of infrastructure projects. Projects risks can be mitigated or exacerbated depending on the method of procurement...............................

Source: KNUST
Impact of project management practices on Schedule Performance: a case study of Takoradi Mall Project

Completion of projects on time is having a heavy toll on several construction organisations. Even though it is the contractor’s utmost desire as well as the project owners to complete projects on time, it does not usually happen as expected. Several factors influence the untimely completion of projects. Here in Ghana, time overrun is no new thing. Most projects especially public-sector projects usually experience time overrun and hence face the accompanying effects. This study outlines the factors that contributed to schedule performance as well as the project management practices adopted during the Takoradi mall construction to investigate the impact of these practices on the schedule performance. It is an undeniable fact that project management practices vary from one organisation to the other due to the nature and purpose of the project and in particular, the degree of performance required. Nonetheless, the performance of the results is what that makes a practice ideal. The quantitative and qualitative approaches were adopted in this study. A questionnaire was distributed to personnel from owners, consultants, and contractors as well as subcontractors involved in the project. Besides, five project managers were interviewed to identify the project management practices implemented.in all, fifty (50) questionnaires were received from the respondents and then analysed. The data obtained for the study were subjected to analysis using SPSS which adopted both the descriptive and correlational analysis. The result of the analyses indicates that the project management practices implemented had a major influence on schedule performance. The study recommends further research into the investigation on how the project management practices identified impacted the cost and scope of the project.

Source: KNUST
The Impact of Product Quality on Consumer Acceptance: Case Study of Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited (GGBL) Malta Guinness Quench

The marketing philosophy of the 1950s and 1960s was product orientation whereby organisations laid emphasis on production process and increased production. At that time, marketing focus was on the product. In the 1980s, sales orientation replaced product orientation because of the shift in the equilibrium between demand and supply. The emphasis was put more on advertising and selling to push goods to consumers. The period 1990s up to the 21st Century was marked by market orientation. Every organisation had to put the consumer at the top of its operations. Consumer's needs became a priority. Consumers continue to construct identities for themselves by associating themselves with a particular brand, which they perceive as being quality. This is why organisations should have the understanding of consumer's needs and wants because it is critical in the organisation's success. Therefore failure to react to the outcomes can have catastrophic implications in the future. But in most cases, organisations fail to put consumer preferential choice and taste into consideration when introducing a new product into the market. They do not produce the right product for consumers but rather produce to sell to make profit. For this reason, many organisations impose product on consumers and the consequence is that, the product may not meet consumer expectation and therefore, the consumer may reject it. Employing quantitative (structured questionnaire) methods, four hundred customers of Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited in Kumasi were sampled. Out of the four hundred respondents, 180 per cent were males and 220 per cent were females. This is underpinned by available statistics indicating that female population is more than male population in the study area. The study sought to find out how quality affects consumer acceptance. The research took the form of a case study. As a result, a product of Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited (GGBL) was sampled as a basis for discussion and conclusions. The results revealed that, now, organisations cannot dictate to consumers. For this reason organisations should place more emphasis on marketing research to identify and anticipate consumer needs to produce the right goods for them so that consumers will not reject products they introduce but rather accept the product. The study further identified the main problem with the MGQ as too much sugar content in the drink with its associated health implication and recommended that, Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited (GGBL) should continue « « producing Malta Guinness Quench and maintain the taste of the drink but the sugar content should be reduced so more people can patronise the drink. Also organisations should make production of quality products their top priority because consumers will not accept anything less than good quality and products that offer value for money.

Source: KNUST