ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Exploring Digital Opportunities for Retailers in the Construction Industry: The Case of Atala Limited

Atala Limited is a Limited Liability company founded by Mr. Kwaku Atala Asante as a sole enterprise in 1986 before it was later converted to a limited liability company in 1998. It aims to provide the public with quality building materials at affordable prices and to contribute to the overall development of the real estate industry by collaborating with public and private developers on projects. Atala envisions to become the leading supplier of quality steel products and building materials in Ghana. A thorough study of the market and a needs assessment conducted revealed that, Atala Limited operates in a fiercely competitive market that sells comparable products at comparable prices. The organization is faced with fierce competition from existing competitors and new entrants. Therefore, to remain competitive and profitable, it is crucial for Atala Limited to pursue a differentiation strategy that would set it apart from competition. Research conducted and literature reviews studied revealed that, consumers in the industry are highly price sensitive. They are drawn by complementary services such as free delivery of products, bonuses etc. and good customer service. At the end of this study, the writers propose as a solution, the creation of a multipurpose website (to increase market reach and revenue) and a social media strategy (enhancing customer experience and increasing brand awareness). This report covers the company and industrial analysis, needs assessment, business case, solutions and implementation plan and ends with the conclusion and recommendations.

Source: Ashesi
Exploring herding behaviour in mutual fund investor in Ghana

According to the classical economic theory, it is assumed that human beings make rational decisions by evaluating available information and evidence before making choices which will result in maximization of utility. This theory builds on the Efficient Market Hypothesis that suggests that stock prices are a true and fair reflection of market information. However, in practicality, studies have shown that humans do not make rational decisions instead, make decisions based on some behavioural influences like herding, anchoring and known as behavioural biases. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of herding behaviour on investment decisions of individual investors of mutual funds in Ghana. In recent history, Ghana has experienced and suffered a series of large-scale financial scam. The study collected primary data through a structured questionnaire among 70 mutual fund investors. Evidence of herding amongst mutual fund investors was tested using the chi-square test and the t-test. The results of the study show that there is the presence of herding behaviour when mutual fund investors are making investment choices. The study also concluded that gender does not influence the propensity of an investor to herd when investing. The results of this study will help investors understand how cognitive biases come to play in investor decision making.

Source: Ashesi
Exploring Nurse Attrition Rate in Korle-bu Teaching Hospital for Effective Patient Care

This study investigates the factors that cause nurse attrition rates in Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Extant literature reveals a high nurse attrition rate in Ghana, including Korle-bu Teaching Hospital, which creates a quality healthcare gap. It has become crucial to find out why nurses leave the country and the strategies to be implemented to retain them to ensure high-quality healthcare services and the safety of patients in Ghana. We chose Korle-bu Teaching Hospital for this study because it is a top-notch teaching hospital that attends to referrals nationwide. We employ a qualitative research methods approach using structured interviews to collect data from 10 health staff at the hospital. We analyzed the data using thematic analysis to develop themes from the responses collated from the structured interviews. We also employed high-performance work systems, Herzberg's two-factor theory, and McClelland's need theory to shed more light on the results obtained from the data. The results show that nurses leave Korle-bu Teaching Hospital because of a lack of strategies that promote development opportunities, good interpersonal relations between them and their superiors, effective communication, and resources for patient care. Other findings include heavy workload, lack of management support, and inadequate employee benefits. The limitation of this study is the small sample size of ten health staff, which makes it impossible to generalize to all Ghanaian nurses. The study concludes with suggestions for hospitals implementing strategies to retain nurses' improved healthcare services.

Source: Ashesi
Exploring organizational leadership in informal apprenticeship sector in Ghana: A focus on auto mechanics, carpenters, dressmakers and hairdressers

This study explores organizational leadership in Ghana’s informal apprenticeship sector to determine whether it creates an environment for the growth of apprentices in the trade. The study focuses on four apprenticeship trades: auto mechanics, carpentry, dressmaking, and hairdressing in the Madina Municipality in Greater Accra Region, Ghana. The research questions that this study addresses include: a) Does the organizational leadership in the informal apprenticeship sector transform apprentices to become effective masters by developing their potential as leaders? b) Whether the nature of the relationship between the master and apprentice is of dominance or servitude? c) What factors influence organizational leadership in the apprenticeship sector? To address these questions, 17 individuals were interviewed from 8 apprenticeship businesses. The findings suggest that, organizational leadership in informal apprenticeship trades create an environment for growth and learning. The findings revealed that, masters have vision and motive, the two major elements established by literature. In addition, masters serve apprentices and intently provide support to make them grow. Finally, the study showed that leadership of masters is greatly influenced by the number of apprentices in the trade, and the traits masters adopted from their own masters when they were apprentices.

Source: Ashesi
Exploring the Benefits of Acceleration Programs Among Early-stage Tech Start-ups In Ghana.

This research explores the impact of start-ups business models on the benefits derived from accelerator programs in Ghana's early-stage tech ecosystem. It investigates the interplay between program elements( Networking, Mentorship, Office Space, and Workshops) and the resulting program benefits, such as Valuable Networks, Idea Validation, Technical Support, Team Growth, and Investor Readiness. Utilizing qualitative data from interviews with accelerator program managers and start-up founders, the study identifies critical factors influencing the effectiveness of these programs. The findings reveal that alignment between a start-up's business model and the focus of accelerator offerings significantly enhances the benefits received. For instance, start-ups with well-defined revenue models and a focus on operational efficiency can better leverage program resources, resulting in improved financial outcomes and operational scalability. The study also highlights the importance of program customization to cater to diverse business models, suggesting that tailored support can maximize the potential benefits. This research contributes to the understanding of how accelerator programs can optimize their impact on start-ups and offers actionable recommendations for both founders and program managers. Future research should explore the customization of program elements to further enhance support for varied business models.

Source: Ashesi
Exploring the business models of private health care providers in an emerging African market context

A review of the private health sector of some economies shows the growing use of business models, by health care providers in the sector, to improve health care provision whilst simultaneously increasing financial performance. This growing use has been based on the ability of business models to engage the resource-based and market-based principles, which have been shown to provide a sustainable competitive advantage for firms in diverse industries. Emerging African economies like Ghana could leverage business models to improve the performance of their private health sectors. However, the application of business models is still unclear in these countries. This study thus sought to investigate how Ghanaian private hospitals apply business models, with reference to Alex Osterwalder's business model canvas. Findings were analyzed using the directed content analysis method. The results of the study showed the evidence of resource-based and market-based principles in Ghanaian private hospitals’ application of business models. The study also showed the existence of different business models within the Ghanaian private sector based on observed differences in the elements being utilized by each hospital. There were peculiar findings such as the reliance of private hospitals on the public sector for the provision of more advanced medical services, training and research; even as private hospitals are expected to be more efficient resource managers From the findings, further research is directed at investigating value flows between various blocks of the business model canvas and their impact on the Ghanaian private health sector.

Source: Ashesi
Exploring the Effect of E-levy on Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Greater Accra: Challenges and Solutions

This research explores the challenges brought upon micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) through the introduction of e-levy. This research starts by contextualizing the reasons for the e-levy, which is primarily due to the economic challenges facing Ghana. As a result, the e-levy was introduced as a means of generating revenue. Through an in-depth literature review, the psychological and economic effects of the e-levy are discussed in this paper to help the readers understand the current situation. The main objective of the research is to identify challenges MSMEs in Accra face due to the e-levy. The research is also interested in identifying and proposing potential solutions that policymakers can adopt to help mitigate the challenges. Qualitative research methodology was utilized to conduct the research. The research primarily utilized the interpretivism philosophy. Selective sampling was used to ensure a diverse pool of participants and perspectives. The research selected a sample size of 10 MSMEs from different industries. Thematic analysis was used to make meaning of and analyze the data that was collected to come up with findings and conclusions. Results from this research show that e-levy has caused operational inefficiencies for businesses, and it eats into their profit margins. Another key result is the growing skepticism among businesses in terms of the government’s usage of e-levy funds for the intended purpose. It is recommended that policymakers make significant adjustments to make the e-levy less burdensome for businesses. It is also recommended that the government create platforms that will update the business community on the usage of the e-levy revenue to create trust and confidence in the public.

Source: Ashesi
Exploring the effect of economic growth on income inequality in West African countries

This thesis addresses two major issues: first, the effect of economic growth on income inequality in West African countries; and second, the impact of some macroeconomic factors on income inequality in West African countries. For the period 1990 to 2019, panel data for fourteen members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is examined. In order to answer the questions, the analysis employs a fixed-effects model. The findings of diagnostic experiments, such as cross-sectional dependency, heteroskedasticity, serial correlation, and Hausman, are used to choose the fixed effects model. The fixed-effects model confirms the effect on income inequality. Consequently, a conclusion that economic growth in West African countries has a negative and negligible effect on income inequality is drawn. In West African nations, the rate of inflation has a positive and significant effect on income inequality. On the other hand, unemployment and literacy rates have a negative and significant effect on income inequality. The thesis proposes that policymakers focus on raising literacy rates by investing in public schools and adult education services and reducing the impact of inflation by enacting economic policies that minimise inflation and income inequality.

Source: Ashesi
Exploring the Effect of Foreign Aid on Economic Growth in Ghana

Developing countries, including Ghana, rely on foreign aid to assist in the development of their economy. However, despite the substantial increase in the foreign aid inflows, the country experiences unsatisfactory economic growth. This study employs an updated and wider range of data to assess the effect of foreign aid on the economic growth in Ghana. This study used the Ordinary Least Squares Regression model , using data from the World Bank's World Development Indicators spanning from the year 1979 to the year 2021. This study found foreign aid (Net ODA) to be insignificant to the economic growth (GDP) in Ghana. However, the other kinds of cash inflows FDI and RI were significant and had a positive relationship on the economic growth in Ghana. Although control variables such as General Government Final Consumption Expenditure (GXP) and External Debt Stocks (ED) were not significant to the model, Fixed Capital Formation (CAP) had a positive effect on the economic growth in Ghana and was also found to be statistically significant. With regards to the findings, the government should limit the amount of foreign aid received into the country as it has no significance on the economic growth. Policies that will increase savings and investment in the country should be enforced and finally make the resources available to the citizens create jobs, which will increase Gross Domestic Product(GDP), leading to an increase in economic growth.

Source: Ashesi
Exploring the Factors Influencing the Selective Adoption and Non-Adoption of Sustainability Practices among MSMEs.

Environmental sustainability has gained attention over the years due to the effects of climate change and preservation. Existing studies on MSME adoption of sustainability practices have been documented, especially in regard to large corporation practices. However, most studies on behavioural influence of adoption and non-adoption of sustainability practices have focused on how significant or important various behavioural factors or variables are in the adoption of sustainability while little focus has been given to how these behavioural factors influence the adoption and non-adoption of sustainability practices. Therefore, this paper sought to understand the behavioural factors influencing the selective adoption of environmental sustainability practices. The study employed the use of thematic on primary data gathered from over 11 MSME owner in Accra. Findings from this study indicate that background, knowledge of the practices, consumer preference, industry and competitor influence, as well as external influence and environmental scan are the factors that influence MSMEs behaviour to choose a particular practice over others. The paper is limited such that interview data constituted the sole source of information. Also, since much of communication was non-physical, conducting interviews via phone call presented a significant limitation. This research is important because it sheds light on the complexities surrounding the adoption decision of MSMEs. This research also provides insights to the underlying motivations and barriers influencing the decision-making process. Future studies can focus on identifying the most dominant behavioral factors in the literature and explore in-depth why those particular factors influence the adoption of environmental sustainability (ES) practices.

Source: Ashesi
Exploring the Factors that Influence the Adoption of Big Data Analytics for Ghanaian SMEs.

In the global business landscape, the integration of big data analytics is rapidly transforming industries and businesses that embrace its implementation. However, the pace of adoption varies especially among Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. Despite the major contributions of these businesses to the global and Ghanaian economy, they continue to face considerable challenges in their life cycles. Evidence in the literature has shown that large firms have been able to leverage big data analytics to surmount these challenges, whereas smaller firms have not. This study aims to investigate the factors influencing the adoption of big data analytics for Ghanaian SMEs. Data was collected from 15 respondents in the city of Accra, including 10 SMEs, and 5 big data analytics experts. A thematic analysis underscored by an inductive reasoning approach revealed findings that were reflective of the Technological Organizational Environmental framework theory. The most prevalent factor that emerged as influencing adoption was knowledge of the potential benefits, which all the SMEs sampled were already reaping. Additionally, staff skillset emerged as a crucial factor to the implementation of big data analytics, which was reflective of the organizational aspect of the TOE framework. Cost implications were another key factor in the decision to adopt. Furthermore, the study revealed that financing and marketing decisions were the most prevalent decision areas in which these small businesses were applying big data analytics, which corroborated findings in the literature on some of the challenges SMEs faced. This study addresses the literary gap by providing insight into the factors that would influence SMEs to big data analytics adoption in Ghana. These findings also provide plausible justification for government initiatives such as sensitizing SMEs on the benefits and incentivizing firms who use big data analytics to enhance Ghana’s Digitalization Agenda.

Source: Ashesi
Exploring the human factor in decision making: Anchoring bias and investor behavior

The objective of this study was to explore how anchoring affects the dynamics of investor decision making with regard to mutual funds and how this bias differs amongst genders and level of financial knowledge. The study adds to the body of knowledge on the influences of behavioural biases in the sub-region to make investors aware of their biases in order to minimise the influence of these biases on their investment decisions. An experimental research design was adopted to uncover the relationship between the variables under study; this involved the use of a questionnaire with an embedded experiment. Data obtained from the study were analysed using Pearson’s chi-square test and two-way analysis of variance. The objectives were to investigate the extent to which Ghanaian investors are affected by the anchoring bias as well as explore the degree to which differences in gender and expertise affect the levels of influence from the anchoring bias. The results showed an association between participants’ susceptibility to anchor with both gender and the level of financial knowledge of participants. However, this result is not statistically significant and thus cannot be generalized to the entire population. Females were observed to be more likely to anchor than their male counterpart. Also, a higher level of financial knowledge did not help to reduce the possibility of anchoring but rather increased it.

Source: Ashesi
Exploring the impact of foreign aid on governance in Ghana

This thesis is a contribution to the body of knowledge on aid and governance. African countries depend on official development assistance to conduct primary governmental functions. However, few countries are well governed or show signs of aid efficacy. Also, various accounts of the impact of aid on development are divergent in their conclusions but regardless of this, there is an influx of aid to solve Africa’s problems. On the other hand, the crucial role of governance quality in establishing development is rather apparent. With the continuous flow of aid in the face of deteriorate governance, there is the apparent question: Is aid dependency deteriorating governance? Mainstream theory suggest that the two variables are related. Therefore, this thesis sought to explore if indeed the relationship between foreign aid and governance holds for Ghana, the flagship country for IFI programs and a country known for its stable governance. With the use of OLS regression on time series data (1984 – 2018), it was found that aid rather promotes governance in Ghana. Governance is measured using the International Country Risk Guide Quality of Governance index and aid dependence is measured by aid percentage of GDP. This finding should be used to spearhead further research into deriving lessons for Africa from the mechanisms that contribute to the aid-governance efficacy in Ghana. Also, since Ghana, through the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda is bent on reducing foreign aid, it is important to consider the performance capacity of both Ghana and Africa with less foreign aid.

Source: Ashesi
Exploring the impact of migrating online of higher education in Ghana: The case of Ashesi University

According to Bao (2020), five high-impact principles exist in order for online education for be sustainable, namely: (a) high relevance between online instructional design and student learning, (b) effective delivery on online instructional information, (c) adequate support provided by faculty and teaching assistants to students, (d) high-quality participation to improve the breadth and depth of student's learning, and (e) contingency plan to deal with unexpected incidents of online education platforms. (Bao, 2020, p.115) The objective of this thesis is to understand how and why Ashesi University was able to migrate online faster than other Ghanaian universities, as well as investigating the impacts of this migration on the teaching quality, student experience and operations of the institution. A sequential exploratory research was conducted using a purposive non-probability sampling method to select the respondents to be engaged for the purpose of this study. The findings from this research were obtained from students, faculty and staff from Ashesi University by way of interviews and online questionnaires. All the targeted respondents were from Ashesi University’s community. The findings show that teaching quality since the online migration has not dwindled, but students’ own motivation towards learning has decreased. Also, the findings showed that Ashesi managed to migrate online quickly due to having contingency plans in place as well as already having most of its operations online. The main problems with the online migration are the breaks in communication between all groups (i.e. staff, students and faculty) as well as Zoom fatigue with showed major effects on all groups based on their responses. Also, student experience was shown to have been hanging in a bittersweet balance; there was a tight-knit network between students regarding feedback and emotional support, but there was also a sense of nostalgia due to the sudden campus closure and online migration.

Source: Ashesi