ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
An investigation into the challenges of recruitment and selection practices of the African mining services and their effects on organizational performance

This present study sought to examine the challenges of recruitment and selection of staff in the African Mining Services (AMS) and their effects on organizational performance. The type of research design for this study was exploratory and it relied on primary and secondary sources of data. The researcher applied the qualitative approach. A questionnaire was chosen as the most appropriate design, with judgmental or purposive sampling being used to select respondents which ranged from top management to lower level employees. A sample of hundred 100 was used for the study. The data was analyz ed using SPSS and Excel was used to present the findings in the form of the figures and tables. Elicited responses from the questionnaire point to the fact that the recruitment and selection process is characterized with challenges. The issue of the use of “connections” which is the greatest challenge seems to place unfair advantage over others, as more often than not, they are favoured compared to those who use the official application channels. The findings also indicated that the African Mining Services company uses advertisements, mainly newspapers and company websites to publicize job vacancies. The study also revealed that the methods used in the recruiting and selecting process were very effective and helped to improve employee performance. After conducting the research, the researcher suggests a link between recruitment and selection and organizational performance. Among the recommendations made were that potential employees should all be treated fairly in the recruitment and selection process. Also, proper job description and analysis should be conducted before vacancies are advertised. The transfer of findings of this study will be beneficial to Ghana’s economy as regulations governing HR are crafted for the mining company.

Source: KNUST
An Investigation into the Drivers of Household’s Electricity Conservation in the Kumasi Metropolis.

This study investigates into the main determinants of household electricity conservation pattern in the Kumasi Metropolis. This study was limited to selected communities within the Kumasi metropolis which included Ayigya, Amakom, Ayeduase and Bomso one hundred household units were selected for interview. In the empirical analysis, household energy conserving choices model is employed, using a discrete and a latent trait variable respectively as a dependent variable. The results show that socioeconomic variables such as household’s monthly income and awareness on electricity conservation policies had an impact on the differences in household’s conservation choices. In addition, the results showed that variables such as age, level of education, monthly expenditure and household size had no significant relationship with electricity conservation The assessment of households on their general understanding and awareness on the energy conservation and efficiency regulations were poor as majority of respondents interviewed show to have little or no enlightenment on the benefits of conserving electricity and investing into the usage of efficient appliances. Based on the results the study suggested further education to be made on the benefits of conserving electricity and the use of efficient home appliance to the households which can motivate them to take actions to conserve electricity in their home which is the predominant source of power for most households in the Kumasi Metropolis. Also policy makers and stakeholders should focus on the income of households when designing policies to model an electricity conserving behaviour as income appears to significantly influence electricity conservation.

Source: KNUST
An Investigation into the Effect of Management Development on Performance: A Case Study of Offinso Municipal Assembly

An organisation’s managers are its direct link to employees-they have a strong influential role and impact on performance and morale. It is important therefore that organisation’s take steps to identify strong leaders and provide the appropriate development opportunities for them. This study therefore investigated management development and its effect on performance using the Offinso Municipal Assembly as a case study. The study used questionnaire and interview as data gathering tools using a sample size of 160 respondents made up of both junior and senior staff. Data presentation and discussion were supported with graphs and tables. The respondents gave a strong indication that the assembly has management development programmes. However, further investigation revealed that to a large extent employees are not motivated towards training programmes. It also came to light that most training programmes were not job oriented therefore making their impact on performance insignificant. It was found that the organisational culture of the assembly does not support training and development programmes for staff. 60.1% of respondents did not believe that managers become more result oriented after training. 80% of respondents indicated lack of support from central government as one major challenge to the assembly’s implementation of MDPs. Lack of interest by managers was also identified as another challenge to the implementation of MDPs. The study recommended that central government should be in the capacity building of management at the district and municipal assemblies. Again, training and development programmes should address prevailing challenges at the assemblies. In addition, effective training methods should be used to make the desired impact. This is consistent with the finding which revealed that most respondents do not identify significant change in the leadership in the leadership and managerial effectiveness of trained managers.

Source: KNUST
An investigation into the effect of employee involvement practice on decision making process: a case study of Kumasi Anglican Senior High School

Employee involvement in decision making is claimed to enhance effectiveness and efficiency in organizations but the absence of employees involved in decision-making process could result in job dissatisfaction which probably could lead to confrontation. Therefore the purpose of the study was to examine the effect of employee involvement practices on decision-making process. The study is descriptive and exploratory in approach. Primary and secondary data were the sources of data collection. Questionnaires were sent to ninety-six (96) teaching staff of Kumasi Anglican Senior High School and seventy-four (74) representing a response rate of 78% was retrieved. An interview with the headmaster was also conducted to find out the forms, reasons and consequences of employee involvement practice in the organization. The results showed that there was a weak relationship between employee involvement and decision making at KASS. The research findings also suggest that low employee involvement is as a result of poor implementation of employee involvement practices, fear of changing from the autocratic way to democratic way of decision-making, management inability to acknowledge employee efforts, lack of recognition for employees who are involved in the decision-making process and lack of trust for employees ability to make good decisions. The findings of the study also showed that loyalty, pride and job satisfaction had a weak relationship with employee involvement. The recommendations of this study include the need for Kumasi Anglican Senior High School (KASS) management to demonstrate a high level of commitment to employee involvement in decision-making and trust among management and staff which could be achieved through fair, impartial and effective communication. Moreover management’s ability to encourage and accept employee’s views can also be achieved through the organization of management training programmes. This will lead to better decision-making, effective implementation of decisions and superior employee performance.

Source: KNUST
An investigation into the effectiveness of managerial interventions on substance abusing employees: A case of selected institutions within Kumasi Metropolis

The economic impact of substance abuse to businesses in Ghana has been traditionally difficult to measure. In developed countries like the USA, drug abuse in the workplace is reported to cost American Businesses nearly $100 billion a year in lost productivity, high absenteeism and turnover rates, on and off-the-job accidents, excessive use of medical benefits, theft and property damage. Even though there is little statistical information on the effect of substance abuse in the Ghanaian perspective, the Ghana Statistical Service has often hinted of the low trend of productivity in many sectors particularly among public sector workers. This study therefore sought to examine managerial interventions and its effects on substance abusing employees using selected institutions in the Ashanti Region. This study adopted a descriptive research design. The population for the study comprised management and staff of Tafo Government Hospital, Ghana Prisons Service (Kumasi Central) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Kumasi. A sample of 275 was chosen from an estimated population of 665. The main sampling techniques included purposive and convenience sampling techniques. Data was drawn from primary and secondary sources. Both questionnaires and interviews were the main instruments used for the data collection. Using regression analysis, the study found that employee outcomes such as performance and productivity are likely to be enhanced if managerial interventions in addressing substance abuse are effective. There was a moderate correlation between employee outcomes (dependent variable) and managerial intervention (independent variable). This was statistically significant at (0.000<0.05). The value was also positive which indicates that when the independent variables increase, employee outcomes (productivity and performance) also increase and vice versa. It is therefore recommended that management give much priority to interventions such as work-life balance policies and further adopt effective ways of managing substance abuse.

Source: KNUST
An investigation into the effect of managerial social capital on organization citizenship behaviour in selected service organizations

Social Capital is the connections between individuals in an organization which is built on trust, cooperation and team work. This connection enables individuals to solve collective action problems. The study sought to investigate into the effect of Managerial Social Capital on Organizational Citizenship Behaviour in selected service organization. Both primary and secondary data were used. Questionnaires enabled the researcher to obtain the primary data. Both stratified sampling techniques and purposive sampling techniques were also used to sample the fifty-four (54) respondents. The findings of the study showed that, there is a high level of social capital in the selected service organizations. The high level of social capital is depicted by high level of trust among staff, shared vision and ideas for achieving organizational goals, observance of organizational ethics and respect for each other. The findings further showed that the relationship between management and staff in the selected service organizations was not strong. The study also revealed that, organizations do not reward staff who performs extra roles. On the basis of the findings, it was recommended that, to encourage staff to exhibit Organizational Citizenship Behaviour and to improve the relationship between management and staff, organizations should have reward packages in the form of recognition for staff who exhibit extra roles. It was also recommended that management and staff should build and improve upon their trust for each other. Again, civic virtue and altruism should be encouraged to enable staff to be committed to their organization and help each other when one is having a problem.

Source: KNUST
An investigation into the effects of career development on employee retention at Anglogold Ashanti Limited, Obuasi Mine

The purpose of the study was to seek the views and perceptions of selected employees on the effects of career development on employee retention at AngloGold Ashanti Company, Obuasi Mine. The main objective of the work was to measure the effects of career development on employee retention at AGA. The specific objectives were to assess the career development practices at AGA, to assess the performance of career development programs on employee retention of the company, to investigate the perception of employees on the existing career development practices and to assess the effects of career development on employee retention of the company. The sample size used for the work was one hundred and seventy (170) and the sampling method was purposive sampling and convenience sampling. The data was analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Considering the main objective of the study which was the effects of career development on employee retention, the major finding was that about 55.8% of the population sampled fell into the category of the young people on the mine. The young people constituted the majority as well as the backbone of the mine who would need enough career development programs to equip them as well as used as a strategy to retain them for a long period of time. The recommendation given was that since the young professionals who formed the majority of the population sampled on the mine were ambitious and desired to climb their career ladders to the utmost height through any organisation that equipped them. The management of the company were to introduce competitive training programs in order to retain them to gain value.

Source: KNUST
An investigation into the effects of retention strategies on employee turnover at Akate Farms and Trading Limited, Kumasi

Employee retention is a vital challenge in all organisations. Among the reasons people leave their jobs is the offer of higher salaries, recognition, authority and more knowledge. The general objective of this study was to investigate the effects of retention strategies on employee turnover at AkateFarms and Trading Company Limited, Kumasi. The researcher used the descriptive type of research design for this study. Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. The population of this study was 150 people and they included 5 management staff, 20 senior staff and 125 junior staff of Akate Farms and Trading Company Limited, Kumasi.The simple random sampling technique was used to select the sample from the company’s sampling frame. A sample size of 130 people was used for the study and they included 5 management staff, 10 senior staff and 115 junior staff of the company.The instruments used to collect data for the study were questionnaires and interviews. The data were organised into frequency tables, pie-charts and bar charts using The Predictive Analytics Software Statistics (PASW Statistics), formerly The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).Among the main findings of the study was that the major contributory factor of employee turnover in the company is the low wages or salaries paid to the workers. The company’s output had dwindled due to the fact the workers left the company. The rate of employee turnover was always increasing. The major findings of the study reveal that the retention strategies used by Akate Farms and Trading Company Limited had a negative effect on employee turnover in the company.The study therefore recommends among others that management should consider the use of financial and non-financial benefits in a bid to retain their workers. They should also organise training and development programmes to sharpen the skills iv and improve the knowledge of the workers. They should also create an environment that enables employees to realise their potential.

Source: KNUST
An Investigation into the Effects of Non-Financial Rewards on Employee Performance in the Health Sector: A Case Study of Toase Medical Centre (TMC)

Rewards are an ever-present and controversial feature of organizational life. Some people see their jobs as the source of a pay cheque. Others derive pleasure from their jobs and association with co-workers. While motivation is determined by both monetary and non-monetary factors, money has come to play an overly important role in our thinking about the causes of behaviour. This is the situation that most organizations, including Ghana Health Service, experience as they seek to satisfy employees’ extrinsic need. The organization’s inability to adequately satisfy this need has led to frequent industrial actions. It is for this reason that the study was conducted to investigate the role that non-financial rewards can play in motivating workers to improve the level of their performance. The study used both qualitative and quantitative methods to collect data from respondents. The study revealed that financial rewards are necessary, but they are only short term motivators and non-financial rewards are needed to complete the motivation process. Factors such as better approach to performance management, identifying intrinsic needs of employees and providing them were found to be important in using non-financial rewards. The study identified eleven issues that workers identified as the most valuable non-financial rewards in their motivation process. From this, it was concluded that, non-financial rewards are necessary to motivate employees to achieve improvement in job performance. Among others, it was recommended that organizations should make conscious efforts to adopt non-financial rewards in their compensation policies. Universities and Professional Management Training Organizations should also include non-financial rewards in their curriculum for the training and development of managers.

Source: KNUST
An investigation into the effects of foreign exchange rate risk on stock prices: evidence from Ghana Stock Exchange

The long-standing argument on the relationship between foreign exchange rates and share prices has permeated through literature in most economies. This study investigates the relationship between share prices and foreign exchange rate using monthly time series data from the Ghana Stock Exchange for the period 2002 to 2010. The objectives were to assess the long-run and short-run impact of foreign exchange rate on share prices on Ghana Stock Exchange. Secondary data on exchange rates and GSE-All share index were gathered from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2010. The results report a stable long run and a negative short run relationship between the exchange rate and share prices for the period under study. Therefore, it is recommended that Securities and Exchange Commission should employ effective risk management measures that will efficiently help monitor and minimize foreign exchange rate risk in both the case of the firms and the investors respectively.

Source: KNUST
An investigation into the impact of employee retention strategies at the Bawku Municipal Health Service

Health Employee retention strategies have become necessary in a developing country such as Ghana, owing to some identifiable push and pull factor operating between the developed and developing countries. The developed countries have always/ being the destination, (especially the United State of America and nations o’ European Union), of the majority of the health workers from the developing countries. The main objective of the research was to determine the retention strategies of the Bawku municipal health directorate with the view of analyzing the strategies and their impact on retaining employees. To achieve this objective a stratified sampling method was used to identify the various groups of the workers and subsequently a sample of 60 respondents were selected to represent the population. The survey data shows that two broad groups of retention policies were available: financial and non-financial retention strategies for the various categories of health workers in the Bawku Municipal health directorate. The research also reveals that the retention policies were more skewed towards retaining doctors and nurses than the other health workers. Despite its discriminatory nature the policy has achieved a turnover rate of 1 .7% over the last five years and importantly have retained all five doctors in the last five years. On the other hand, lack of conducive working environment, unsatisfactory salary and lack of recognition were the main findings that could increase turnover in the Bawku municipal health directorate. However, a further study into the cost of retaining each of the categories of the health workers of the Bawku municipal health directorate could compliment the study and make it more applicable to other health institutions.

Source: KNUST
An investigation into the effects of training and development on employee’s performance. A case study of agricultural extension services, Kumasi Metropolis

This study investigated into the effects of training and development on employee performance at Agricultural Extension Services, Kumasi. In all one hundred (100) questionnaires were administered to employees of the organization both male and female with a return rate of 60%. In addition, an unstructured interview was conducted for the management to ascertain views on the effects of training and development on employees’ performance. The study has revealed that training and development has positive effects on employees’ performance. It also revealed that some supervisors feel reluctant to evaluate training and development programmes. The study also revealed that the training needs analysis is done to identify specific training needs of the employees. The study revealed that training enhances employees’ performance. Furthermore, it revealed that training and development motivates employees to work effectively. In addition to that, the study revealed that training increases efficiency and quality of work in the organization. The researcher has established that training increases efficiency and quality of work in the organization. Moreover, it revealed that employee training and development reduces employees’ turnover in the organization. It is recommended that management provides the necessary logistics such as protective clothing and transport to arouse employees morale; sponsor off-the-job training and evaluate employees’ performance before and after training to enable employees contribute meaningfully to the attainment of organizational goals and objectives.

Source: KNUST