ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
A PROJECT REPORT IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, FACULTY OF BUSINESS EDUCATION, SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTERS IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MARKETING) DEGREE JULY, 2019

Innovation in a company’s products, in addition to product introduction, has been the main factor to differentiate product from competitors’ offerings, and has played an important role in marketing, whilst it is considered as the main selling factor. The main objective of the study is to examine the impact of innovation on sales of pharmaceutical products at Kinapharma Ghana Limited. The population for the study consisted of 400 staff members of Kinapharma Ghana Ltd. Two hundred (200) of the members were picked through the purposive sampling technique to represent the sample size. Questionnaire was the main data collection instrument used and the data gathered were analyzed quantitatively through mean, standard deviations and multiple regression analysis where results were presented in the form of tables. Key findings from the study include the following; the product innovation strategies used by Kinapharma Ghana Ltd. were found to include: entering a new market, creating customer value, increasing profitability and increasing market share through innovation. On the impact of innovation on sales at Kinapharma Ghana Ltd., the results showed that product, organizational and marketing innovation were positively related to sales at Kinapharma Ghana Ltd. But process innovation was found to be negatively associated to sales in this company. This indicates that there is a perfect linear relationship between overall organizational innovation and sales at Kinapharma Ghana Ltd. Also, the study revealed that some of the major challenges of innovation at Kinapharma Ghana Ltd. were that: more production methods have to be tried, innovation involves a lot of expensive researches, the pharmaceutical industry is too dynamic and the pharmaceutical industry is too complex. The study recommends that in order to help create and manage higher customer value, Kinapharma Ghana Ltd. and other pharmaceutical companies need to pay considerable attention to customers by creating a system of continuous assessment and evaluation of customer satisfaction as well as proper accountability to customer complaints. Also, employees in the pharmaceutical firms should be encouraged to keep looking anew at the way they approach innovation. Employees must be motivated to think creatively to spring up wonderful ideas that are worth implementing to bring success.

Source: UEW
Projecting two women set designers in Ghana, their philosophies and style

Some existing works in the field of technical theatre have not adequately been given enough attention as compared to dramatic literature in Ghana. However, a number of researches appear to dwell more on the history and development of Ghanaian theatre forms and Ghanaian plays. In light of that it seems very little has been said on technical theatre practice which are equally essential in stage performance. The creation of set designs among other technical areas has contributed immensely to the development of theatre in Ghana. The study therefore seeks to project two women set designers in Ghana through use of qualitative research methodology based on in depth interview with the designers in focus. With emphasis on philosophical contexts, each designer is examined on the areas of significance of work, motivations and philosophies behind their works. As a result, the narrative and descriptive inquiry designs, purposive and snowballing sampling techniques were employed to select participants for the study. Semi-structured interview and non-participant observation were used to obtain information from participants. The qualitative data gathered from the samples were transcribed from the digital format to the text format. Analysis were based on thematic analytical procedure and responses from participants were categorized into themes and themes linked cogently, and interpretations made finally to arrive at the findings. The research discovered that the two women set designers to an extent contributed their quota in the promotion of set design but did not have the opportunity to be projected through their works.

Source: UEW
Promoting corporate social responsibility via television content a study of Vodafone Health line Tv show

This study sought to investigate how television content is used to promote CSR in Ghana, using Vodafone Healthline television show as a case for detailed investigation. The Vodafone Healthline television show is a flagship television show produced and sponsored by the Vodafone Ghana foundation. This study explored how Vodafone Healthline is produced; the contribution of Healthline to the promotion of Vodafone’s CSR activities, and viewers’ perspectives of the Healthline television show. A multiple case study design was used for the study that involved the use of face-to face interviews and focus group discussion as techniques for data collection. Primary data for this study was obtained from purposively sampled members of the Vodafone Health-line production team and residents of the Oyibi and Ashaiman communities in the greater Accra region. It was realized that the Vodafone Healthline television show production process is elaborate and procedural involving formative research, consultation and collaboration with stakeholders. Also, the success of Vodafone health-line TV show has been leveraged by Vodafone Ghana as a launch pad for the development and promotion of other Vodafone CSR initiatives. In addition, viewers of Vodafone healthline TV show have a positive perception about Vodafone Healthline. The show is perceived as relevant and quality in terms of picture, sound and presentation style. The study concludes that the successful use of television content to promote CRS initiatives is the result of the popularity of television programming and the collaborative production style.

Source: UEW
Promoting environmental sustainability through environmental management accounting practices the mediating role of stakeholder engagement

This study investigated the relationship between Environmental Management Accounting Practices (EMAP) and Environmental Sustainability while examining the mediating effects of Stakeholder Engagement. The study employed a quantitative research methodology, utilizing a structured questionnaire to collect data from a sample of 119 respondents from various SMEs. After analysing the data using SMART PLS 4, the study reveals that EMAP positively influences environmental sustainability, indicating that organizations implementing effective environmental management accounting practices are more likely to achieve higher levels of environmental sustainability. Moreover, the results demonstrate that Stakeholder Engagement mediate the relationship between EMAP and environmental sustainability. The study recommends that organizations aiming to enhance their environmental performance by implementing effective EMAP strategies and considering the mediating factor of stakeholder engagement. Additionally, the study indicates the need for further research to explore additional variables, extend the analysis to different contexts, and assess the long-term effects of EMAP on environmental sustainability.

Source: UEW
Promoting locally made fashion accessories in Ghana: A case in Nandom Municipal of Upper West Region

This dissertation sought to produce fashion accessories from Bamboo stalks and ‘Baagymie’ other than the use of existing fashion accessories. The fashion trend is dynamic and as such people’s preference for a variety in accessories keep revolving. The study used structured questionnaires and interview guide to collect data in Nandom Musicality. The sample size of 60 respondents was used and purposive sampling method was employed. Promoting locally made fashion accessories in the Nandom Municipality of the Upper West Region, many avenues were concluded in new technologies design detailing approach so as to ensuring ready market for the products. The research adopted both qualitative and quantitative research in the data collection. Generally, the study concluded that the fashion accessories designers’ knowledge based in the new computer technology was very low and therefore needed further training to improve the industry in the Municipality. Various stakeholders in the local material products and production whose opinions were sought included hats, handbags, baskets as well as necklace. The researcher recommends that other researchers should try Bamboo mats as sleeping materials and as well as curtains for summer huts and drinking spots decorations with available local bamboo plants.

Source: UEW
Promoting the use of hand embroidery for surface decoration of garments in Ashanti region

Textiles as a course and trade tend to be time and energy consuming as exhibited by both students and producers. The various existing textiles decorative techniques are mostly applied by machine to decorate local fabric wares. Such wares though look good tend not to meet all the requirements of consumers in terms of finesse and also not promoting hand embroidery. It is in this regard that the researcher has taken inspiration to promote the use of hand embroidery techniques to decorate fabric wares. Some literature relevant to this research was reviewed in relation to how other scholars express their views and producers talk about their works. Relevant data on fabric embroidering were gathered by the employment of experimental and descriptive methods of qualitative research mainly through observation by the researcher herself on tools, materials and especially the techniques which was the bone of contention. Administration of questionnaires was also employed to collect data from respondents to ascertain their level of knowledge in hand embroidering. Major research findings were revealed during the course of the processes: The large needles tend to create big perforation to distort the beauty of the work and also designs that were too dense could literally carve out the design in the fabric. The chronological grading of applying several stitches posed problems when using the hand to embroider. On the other hand candlewick technique however needed a constant twisting motion of the thread and equal thickness to create a design. In each case diligence was the order. With regards to the benefits that this innovation would bring to the development of human power and the nation as a whole, it is recommended that fashion designers should employ hand embroidery design techniques into the design of fabric wares, moreover; the methodology of transfer adopted is useful for unique productivity.

Source: UEW
Properties of Coconut, Oil Palm and Bagasse Fibres: As Potential Building Materials

The use of natural fibres in composite materials is attracting research interest worldwide due to the fibres ability to increase the strength, reduce environmental impact and reduce cost of the material. In this study the properties of coconut husk fibre, oil palm fruit fibre and sugarcane bagasse fibre have been investigated. Experiments on length and diameter, specific weight, tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, moisture content and water absorption tests on the fibres have been conducted to determine their properties for possible use as reinforcement in composite. It was found that different fibres have different properties and behave similarly in wet and damp conditions. The study concludes that all the fibres possess properties that are acceptable as natural fibres to be used as reinforcement in soil blocks. � 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Source: UEW
A proposed design of a global system for mobile (GSM) communication-based energy meter

The present systems of energy billing are error prone, time and labour consuming. This project present a design of GSM–based metering system for electricity utilities; to remotely connect/disconnect power supply through meter, to provide utilities access through a network application and to provide a display unit remotely from the meter itself. To implement this system an ARM controller or PLC based board is used. The energy meter has a LED which blinks for a specific number of times to indicate the energy consumed. These pulses are fed to the ARM base system which is programmed to count these pulses. The proposed system is only for single phase users which provides information to both the service provider and the consumer, bill payment through online or through mobile automatically using E-billing techniques.

Source: UEW
Proposed design of solar operated blender for use in upper east region of Ghana case study of Yorogo, Yipaala and Vea communities of Bolgatanga municipality

This report outlines systematic design of a solar operated blender for use in three communities (Yorogo, Yipaala and Vea) in the Bolgatanga municipality of Ghana that has no electricity and presents the results of calculations of the design parameters as well as the final design of the solar operated blender. The base of the blender is the housing which contains the D.C motor as well as the switch. The individual components of the blender are assembled together and then connected to the solar panel. When the sun rays fall on the solar module it produces a direct current which causes the D.C motor to operate thereby turning the blade of the blender, for the blender to work. The hourly variations of the temperature in these communities is between 11.00 and 15.00 hours local time and this was considered as a good sun hours for the blender since the blender has the ability to grind about 5 grams of tomatoes and other ingredients reasonably and rapidly for almost 2 hours in a day. Also the materials used for the design are readily available in the local market and at a reasonable price,thereby making the design affordable for the people since most of them are low income earners.

Source: UEW
Prospects and challenges of prison libraries in Ghana: A case study of the Nsawam medium security prisons

The study explored the provision of library services at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison in Ghana. Incarcerated people are confronted with isolation and are often faced with limitations of personal choices and quality decision making. Library services remain an important service in every society that values freedom. The prison library is one of the few places that offer solace and escape in the extremely regulated lives of prisoners. The report is the result of a study into the information needs of prisoners and the resources and services that are available for this special population. A total of 100 male and female prisoners sampled purposively were selected for the study. The study discovered that literate prisoners of all categories desire library and information services for academic, recreational and rehabilitative purposes. The study however suggests the Ghana Prison Service does not engage professional librarians to manage library services for prisoners of the Nsawam Medium Security Prison. It is also discovered that prisoners and officers alike believe information use could be an effective tool to ensure the restoration of inmates to a socially acceptable life outside of the prison walls. Suggestions made for effective and efficient library and information services for prisoners include development of a general academic collection, provision of civic and legal education for prisoners, engagement of professional librarians to manage prison library, reading promotion and collaboration with public library services to offer standard prison library services in a bid to achieve the rehabilitation goal of the prison. � 2012, University of Idaho Library.

Source: UEW
Prospects and challenges of senior high school computerized school selection and placement system (cssps) in the Ghanaian education system

The introduction of the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) was in line with the government’s long-term objective of universal basic education, through the expansion and increasing of access to senior high and tertiary education. However, since the implementation of the CSSPS, not much studies have been done on the prospects and challenges of the CSSPS in Ghana. Based on this research gap, the purpose of the study was to examine the prospects and challenges of the CSSPS in Ghana. The population of the study included students, teachers, parents, Head Masters and Municipal Education Directors particularly within the Greater Kumasi. A sample size of 50 participants were selected through purposive sampling. A qualitative study was thus conducted on prospects and challenges of the CSSPS in the Greater Kumasi of Ghana involving multiple stakeholders such students, teachers, parents, Head Masters and Municipal Education Directors. Data were collected using interview guides and were analysed by employing thematic analytical framework. The study revealed that participants’ perception for the implementation of the CSSPS were fast track placement of students, fair distribution of students, reduced tendencies for bribery and corruption, reduced pressure on parents (in terms of cost and time) and minimizing human errors. The study revealed that the prospects of the implementation of the Senior High School CSSPS were easy placement of qualified students, equal opportunities to all students and reduced cost of placement. The study found that the challenges of the implementation of the CSSPS were low probability of securing one's preferred schools, refusal to accept placement into some schools, under declaration of the carrying capacity in Schools, errors in placement of students, inadequate boarding infrastructure and rejection of some Students by the CSSPS. The study revealed that the strategies to address the challenges associated with the CSSPS were provision of infrastructure, avenue for reposting in rare cases, avenue to select a school as a day student and resit for students who could not get placement in any school. The identified prospects and challenges thus are imperative in informing stakeholders on actions and steps that must be taken to improve upon the efficiency of the CSSPS.Based on the findings, the study recommended for continuous Stakeholder Orientation on the CSSPS, improvement of the system to minimize errors, improved monitoring and supervision of CSSPS and expansion in infrastructure

Source: UEW
Prospects and challenges of the national health insurance scheme in Central Tongu District of Ghana

The health status of a nation goes a long way to determine its level of productivity and growth. The objective of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is to ensure equitable universal access for all residents of Ghana to an acceptable quality package of health services. The objectives of the study was to analyze the challenges involved in accessing the National Health Insurance Scheme by subscribers in the Central Tongu District, evaluate the prospects of the National Health Insurance Scheme in the District and the factors that affect NHIS usage in accessing health care. To achieve these objectives, a combination of case study and survey research designs were used. The study employed descriptive statistics and probit regression analysis in presenting the results obtained on the factors that prevent people from accessing the National Health Insurance Scheme in the Central Tongu District and the challenges faced in accessing National Health Insurance Scheme. The findings of the study showed that, the introduction of NHIS in Central Tongu District has helped improve individuals‟ access to primary health care. That is, irrespective of one‟s education, employment status, distance and affordability, one can subscribe to NHIS in order to access basic health care within the district. The study found out that, NHIS subscription has the tendency of improving the health lives of people and it has also helped reduced the cash and carry system of obtaining basic health care in the country, precisely, in the Central Tongu District. Nevertheless, the above independent variables affect individuals within the Central Tongu District in accessing primary health care. However, NHIS subscription within the District has helped and brought some relief to individuals who obtain basic health care in the district at an affordable cost. It is recommended that, the government of Ghana through the ministry of health should collaborate with telecommunication companies to extend their services to remote areas to allow easy access for registration and renewal of the NHIS cards. In addition, the government of Ghana in collaboration with other health agencies should bring out policies in order to bring back on track some health workers who do not pay attention to individuals who comes to the health centers with the NHIS to access basic health care. This will help them keep the workers on their toes to enhance efficiency. Again, the ministry of health can collaborate with some private health centers who accept the NHIS card in accessing basic health care to build more health centers in the Central Tongu District in order to help individuals who find it difficult to access health care due to distance problem.

Source: UEW
Providing Abortion on Demand: Exploring the Use of Induced Abortion as a Family Planning Option in Two Urban Cities of Ghana

The Ghanaian abortion law was amended in 1985 to ensure more availability and accessibility of safe abortion services as permitted by law. Contrary to the legal provision for abortion in Ghana, anecdotal evidence suggest the use of abortion as a family planning option in Ghana hence this exploratory study. Using a crosssectional and descriptive design, data was obtained from 50 health facilities comprising private (42) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) (8). Ten indepth interviews were also held with midwife providers (6) and medical officers (4) between January 2010 and December 2017 in Accra and Kumasi Metropolises. Findings show that patronage of abortion services in health facilities within Accra and Kumasi Metropolises increase steadily each year. Abortion services in NGO facilities were however reported as target driven and providers’ performances/ bonuses were tied to meeting set targets thereby encouraging abortion on demand. Whereas NGO facilities provide both abortion and full contraception method mix, majority (38 out of 42) of private facilities provide only abortion services. Those providing contraception focus mainly on short term methods (pills and injections) due to lack of interest and/or trained providers. There is more midwife lead abortion providing facilities in Accra (40) than in Kumasi (10). Where midwives provided abortion services, contraceptives were readily available and clients encouraged to take a method following abortion. This practice was very common in NGO facilities as post abortion contraception was reported to be a mandatory package. Increasing numbers of abortions in the study area coupled with reported target setting for abortion services suggest abortion on demand and its being used as a family planning option. A nationwide facility based assessment of abortion and contraception service delivery is recommended to inform policy.

Source: UEW