ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Managerial capacity among district health managers and its association with district performance: A comparative descriptive study of six districts in the Eastern Region of Ghana

Introduction District health managers play a pivotal role in the delivery of basic health services in many countries, including Ghana, as they are responsible for converting inputs and resources such as, staff, supplies and equipment into effective services that are responsive to population needs. Weak management capacity among local health managers has been suggested as a major obstacle for responsive health service delivery. However, evidence on district health managers’ competencies and its association with health system performance is scarce. Aim To examine managerial capacity among district health managers and its association with health system performance in six districts in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Methods Fifty-nine district health managers’ in six different performing districts in the Eastern Region of Ghana completed a self-administered questionnaire measuring their management competencies and skills. In addition, the participants provided information on their socio-demographic background; previous management experience and training; the extent of available management support systems, and the dynamics within their district health management teams. A non-parametric one-way analysis was applied to test the association between management capacity and district performance, which was measured by 17 health indicators. Results Shortcomings within different aspects of district management were identified, however there were no significant differences observed in the availability of support systems, characteristics and qualifications of district health managers across the different performing districts. Overall management capacity among district health managers were significantly higher in high performing districts compared with lower performing districts (p = 0.02). Furthermore, district health managers in better performing districts reported a higher extent of teamwork (p = 0.02), communication within their teams (p<0.01) and organizational commitment (p<0.01) compared with lower performing districts. Conclusion The findings demonstrate individual and institutional capacity needs, and highlights the importance of developing management competencies and skills as well as positive team dynamics among health managers at district level.

Source: UG
Managerial competence and non-performance of small firms in a developing economy

Executives of small firms in developing economies have the competences to make their firms competitive. Their inability to use their competences to simultaneously attain efficiency and effectiveness in managing their workplaces render them noncompetitive. This observation is made following a study that examines the competence challenges of executives of small firms and their non-performance in the Ghanaian industrial environment. Data were collected by surveying 72 executives using questionnaires. The result shows that executives of small firms in Ghana possess the managerial competences and behaviors to enhance the performances of their firms. The executives show a high level of autonomy and influence on the work they manage by appreciably combining their operant competences and their organizational citizenship behaviors. Yet still, despite the executives exhibiting competence and organizational behavior attributes, these characteristics appear not to have positive impacts on their performances toward making their firms competitive. For the executives to be efficient, they should have the capability to use their managerial competences for conducting research optimally (i.e., without wastage) in order to achieve organizational goals. Also, for executives to be effective, they should have the capability to use their requisite competences in carrying out research to complement their other managerial competences toward attaining the firm’s set goals.

Source: UG
Managerial problems of hospitals under Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme

Purpose – Hospital and health system managers are facing several problems following the introduction of Ghana’s national health insurance policy. This study aims to investigate the opinions of health managers about the problems emanating from the national health insurance policy for hospital managers in regard to reimbursement, claims management, service delivery and waiting time. Design/methodology/approach – The study involved key informants from 12 National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) accredited district hospitals, which were purposively selected from five regions in Ghana. Data were collected using in-depth personal interviews with managers of pharmacy, supply/procurement, accounts and insurance scheme units of the hospitals. Data analysis was guided by the major themes that emerged during the interviews. A framework approach to analysis was used, grouping and incorporating themes and sub-themes that emerged from the interview data. Findings – The major findings identified by interviewees with regards to problems confronting hospital management were: cash flow delays from the health insurance authority; lack of capacity to procure essential drug and non-drug consumables; and the inability to take initiatives and carry on effective administrative work. Other problems identified by the interviewee included inadequate logistics and human resources, limited space within the hospitals to cope with the increasing number of service users and “moral hazard” on the part of policy holders. Originality/value – The NHIS has brought many organizational and service management challenges to hospitals. To overcome these challenges, services under the health insurance authority need to be streamlined to remove cash flow bottlenecks. Also, accredited hospitals need to adopt and use new technology, especially computerization and automation of the health insurance service delivery system. This would enable the authority to cope with the huge management problems confronting hospitals and the national insurance scheme. Above all, appropriate fund management systems would have to be established in the hospitals to reduce moral hazards.

Source: UG
Managerial role in organizational CSR: Empirical lessons from Ghana

Purpose ‐ The purpose of this paper is to examine the managerial role in the practices of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in developing economies. Design/methodology/approach ‐ The paper takes the form of an empirical analysis of employees' opinions based on a quantitative survey of 100 middle and senior level managers from four organisations chosen from relatively high impact industry sectors. Findings ‐ Managerial role in the practice of CSR is limited and ineffective in Ghana. Difficulties of effective CSR implementation mainly stem from leadership weak spots in the form of mismanagement and corruption, lack of leadership commitment and unwillingness to allocate monies due for CSR activities. Organisations can do better in the practice of CSR if management's attitude to CSR, corruption, and work behaviors are positive. Practical implications ‐ The paper provides valuable information on managerial activities with regards to organisational CSR, and how these can be improved. Originality/value ‐ Empirical literature on CSR in developing countries is limited. This paper identifies the roles that management and organisational leadership can play in the practice of CSR in developing countries. The paper proposes a universal approach which aims to address the need for adequate and effective enforcement of CSR.

Source: UG
Managerial self-efficacy and discretionary behaviour improving work environment for small firm performance

This study explores the self-efficacies and discretionary behaviours exhibited by managers of small Ghanaian firms with the purpose of understanding how the interplay of these two attributes impacted on employee motivation and performances. The selection of participants was guided by the snowballing technique. Data was collected by distributing self-completion questionnaires entailing managerial self-efficacy and discretionary behavior items to 100 study participants who were managers of small firms in two Ghanaian metropolises. The collected data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially using the statistical package for the Social Sciences software. The results show that the managers had strong senses of affective attachment to their firms due to the use of their self-efficacies to generate dynamic influences on their firms’ performances. They also exhibit discretionary behaviours that motivate their employees to work together to achieve organizational goals. The study concludes that the absence of interplay between the managers’ self-efficacies and their discretionary behaviours constrains the efficient and effective performances of their firms.

Source: UG
Managing and Preserving Records and Archives that Guard against Collective Amnesia

The article discusses the critical role of records and archives management in protecting the collective memory and safeguarding collective amnesia of institutions and societies. The article touches on some key factors responsible for “collective memory loss” and cites instances of memory loss from the West African region in general and Ghana in particular. The article proposes the following as the way forward: improvement in information culture; development of strong infrastructure of laws, policies and systems; new breed of information professionals, stronger professional collaboration and the revamping of the curricula of training institutions.

Source: UG
Managing authorship in (socio)linguistic collaborations

This article examines the issue of joint authorship in (socio)linguistic publications. On the assumption that research work in the humanities has traditionally been performed on a “lone scholar” basis, discussion of authorship attribution has not dominated conversations in the arts and humanities as compared to the natural, health and engineering sciences. However, considering the increasing occurrence of collaboration in (socio)linguistics and its resultant joint publications, this article considers author trends in the humanities generally and linguistics in particular, who qualifies to be an author and how authorship ordering and assigning should be addressed in both an ethical and a fair manner. Considering the rise of collaborations in sociolinguistic research, varied sources of data used, and the growth of multi-site projects, authorship discussions in arts and humanities disciplines can no longer be muted.

Source: UG
Managing financial records for accountability in metropolitan assemblies in Ghana

The study sought to find out the implications of managing financial records in three metropolitan assemblies in Ghana with the aim of finding out how the effective and efficient management of financial records can affect accountability. The study was guided by the records life cycle and the records continuum principles. A concurrent mixed method was adopted as the design for the study. The total population of the study was 68. Data used for the analysis were obtained from respondents with the use of questionnaires, interviews and observations. The key finding of the study was that, even though the metropolitan assemblies had laws mandating the proper management of financial records, these laws did not indicate how the records should be managed. Thus, amongst other recommendations, the researcher recommends that the laws governing records management be revisited and amended to clearly describe how the financial records in the metropolitan assemblies should be managed. Finally, the study was limited to metropolitan assemblies in only three out of the six metropolitan assemblies in Ghana and as such the findings of this study may not be generalised to all metropolitan assemblies in Ghana.

Source: UG
Managing foreign exchange risk among Ghanaian firms

Purpose – This paper reports on the foreign exchange risk-management practices among Ghanaian firms involved in international trade. The study focuses on how Ghanaian firms manage their foreign exchange risk and the problems involved in managing exchange rate exposure. It also seeks to ascertain the extent to which these firms use foreign exchange risk management techniques. Design/methodology/approach – Descriptive statistics were used in the presentation and analysis of empirical results. Findings – The results indicate that close to one-half of the firms do not have any well-functioning risk-management system. Foreign exchange risk is mainly managed by adjusting prices to reflect changes in import prices resulting from currency fluctuation, and also by buying and saving foreign currency in advance. The main problems the firms face are the frequent appreciation of foreign currencies against the local currency and the difficulty in retaining local customers because of the high prices of imported inputs, which tend to affect the prices of their final products sold locally. The results also show that Ghanaian firms involved in international trade exhibit a low level use of hedging techniques. Originality/value – The main value of this paper is the analysis of foreign exchange exposure management from the Ghanaian perspective. Relevant recommendations aimed at enhancing the foreign exchange risk-management practices among Ghanaian firms are made. The paper is useful not only to firms involved in international trade, but also to financial institutions interested in providing hedging products to these firms. © 2005, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Source: UG
Managing healthcare quality in Ghana: a necessity of patient satisfaction

Purpose – The study aims to examine how communication, provider courtesy, support/care, environment of the facility and waiting time significantly predict patients’ satisfaction with quality of healthcare in two hospitals located in northern Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory study of which 324 respondents were selected using stratified and convenient sampling techniques. Results are presented using a multiple regression model. Findings – The results revealed that of the five-factor model, support/care, environment of the facility and waiting time determines patients’ satisfaction with quality of healthcare delivery. The explanatory power of the dependent variable was explained by 51 percent. Originality/value – The findings suggest that internal and external health sector stakeholders may possibly use this study as a precursor to improve service quality in the two hospitals in particular and others in general.

Source: UG
Managing healthcare quality in ghana: A necessity of patient satisfaction

Purpose – The study aims to examine how communication, provider courtesy, support/care, environment of the facility and waiting time significantly predict patients’ satisfaction with quality of healthcare in two hospitals located in northern Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory study of which 324 respondents were selected using stratified and convenient sampling techniques. Results are presented using a multiple regression model. Findings – The results revealed that of the five-factor model, support/care, environment of the facility and waiting time determine patients’ satisfaction with quality of healthcare delivery. The explanatory power of the dependent variable was explained by 51 percent. Originality/value – The findings suggest that internal and external health sector stakeholders may possibly use this study.

Source: UG
Managing healthcare quality in ghana: A necessity of patient satisfaction.

Purpose – The study aims to examine how communication, provider courtesy, support/care, environment of the facility and waiting time significantly predict patients’ satisfaction with quality of healthcare in two hospitals located in northern Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory study of which 324 respondents were selected using stratified and convenient sampling techniques. Results are presented using a multiple regression model. Findings – The results revealed that of the five-factor model, support/care, environment of the facility and waiting time determine patients’ satisfaction with quality of healthcare delivery. The explanatory power of the dependent variable was explained by 51 percent. Originality/value – The findings suggest that internal and external health sector stakeholders may possibly use this study as a precursor to improve service quality in the two hospitals in particular and others in general.

Source: UG
Managing Healthcare Waste in Ghana: A Comparative Study of Public and Private Hospitals

PURPOSE: The paper aims to examine the healthcare waste management practices of selected hospitals in Ghana. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The study adopted a multiple case approach, using two public and two private hospitals. FINDINGS: Findings indicate that both public hospitals and one private hospital have a waste management policy. Public and private hospitals have waste management plans and waste management teams. Public hospitals were found to generate more waste than the private hospitals. One private hospital and the public hospitals segregate their waste into different categories. This is done by first identifying the waste type and then separating non-infectious or general waste from infectious waste. Both public and private hospitals have internal storage facilities for temporarily storing the waste before they are finally disposed off-site. On-site transportation in the public hospitals is done by using wheelbarrows, while covered bins with wheels are used to transport waste on-site in the private hospitals. In public and private hospitals, off-site transportation of the hospital waste is undertaken by Municipal Assemblies with the use of trucks. Both public and private hospitals employ standard methods for disposing of healthcare waste. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The article provides insights into healthcare waste management from a Ghanaian perspective.

Source: UG
Managing HIV-positive sero-status in Ghana’s most HIV concentrated district: self-perceived explanations and theoretical discourse

As of December 2015 there were 37 million persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs), 70% of whom are in sub-Saharan Africa. Ghana, which contributes a relatively small number to Africa’s HIV burden, has a generalised HIV epidemic. The current national prevalence is 1.47%. Agormanya, one of the HIV sentinel sites in the county and where this study was conducted, has current prevalence of 11.6%. This makes it critical to explore how persons infected with HIV manage their lives, especially in the midst of entrenched stigma and discrimination. However, available information on how PLWHAs in sub-Saharan Africa handle their day-to-day lives mostly dwell on food and nutrition. Thus, there is dearth of information on how PLWHAs in Ghana particularly handle the circumstances of their daily lives which are mostly coloured by their HIV-positive statuses, given their stigmatised identity. We explore how PLWHAs respond to the experiences and challenges of living with HIV/AIDS in Lower Manya Krobo, consistently most HIV-infected district in Ghana. Data were collected from 38 combined purposive and randomly selected HIV-positive persons in two leading hospitals (St Martins Depores Agormanya and Atua Government hospitals which provide specialised HIV care in the district. Using in-depth interviews, we studied how PLWHAs managed their routine livelihoods in the midst of extreme stigma. We combined the social capital and resilience theoretical frameworks to show that our respondents were mostly resilient and strategically mostly drew upon extended family social support to cope with their livelihood challenges. We recommend that community opinion leaders and other stakeholders sensitise community members in Lower Manya Krobo to better understand the mode of HIV infection and encourage/strengthen family and community cohesion and social support.

Source: UG
Managing institutional characteristics and client information for sustainability of microfinance institutions in Ghana

The purpose of this study is to find out the impact of institutional characteristics and client information on sustainability of microfinance institutions (MFI) in Ghana. These factors are ownership, propensity to lend, motivation for setting up, clientele type, source of funding and quality of information on clients. The methodological approach adopted for the study was a mix of interviews and questionnaire involving 14 CEOs and 116 MFIs. The findings indicate that even though all the institutional factors studied tend to impact on sustainability much emphasis is placed on motivation for setting up, clientele type and good quality information on clients. Urban traders, the study discovered were the preferred clientele just as quality information on their clientele ensured that the MFI minimizes the risks involved in lending. A planned, focused and sustained effort to grow is a sine qua non if an MFI is to survive. Recommendations on how the MFIs can exploit their institutional characteristics and client information to enhance their sustainability have been made.

Source: UG
Managing large classes in virtual teaching: experiences of university teachers in Ghana during COVID‑19

This research used a qualitative multiple-case study and phenomenological designs to explore how, without training, university teachers in Ghana managed large student numbers in the virtual environment during COVID-19. The study examined further the challenges the teachers faced in their virtual instructional delivery. Twelve participants, drawn randomly from four large Ghanaian universities, participated in individual interviews and follow-up virtual class observations. The findings revealed that the participants employed two management techniques in their virtual teaching—regulating the behaviour of learners and controlling instructional content. The research further uncovered that, although the teachers’ complaints generally centred on environmental constraints and inadequate institutional support, those whose difficulties included using virtual tools did not have virtual teaching experience before the COVID period. The study supports the clarion call for university teachers involved in virtual teaching to personally seek a continual update of skills and competency in virtual delivery because it is an approach hinged on evolving technology.

Source: UG
Managing non-revenue water in Mwanza, Tanzania: A fast-growing sub-Saharan African city

High non-revenue water (NRW) and unreliable water supply services are major challenges in operations of the water infrastructure of most fast-growing cities in developing countries. In this study, an analysis of the existing distribution network was carried out to investigate its performance concerning water loss reduction and system improvement. A high percentage of NRW (50%) was found in a selected district metering area (DMA) compared to the city's entire network (37%). About 87% of the NRW was contributed by real losses in the DMA, while about 52% of the nodal junctions had pressure above the recommended thresholds. The high pressure was responsible for the observed leakages and pipe bursts in the DMA. Optimization of pressure by using pressure-reducing valves as well as changing the network topology minimized the potential leakages to 46%. Also, flow velocities in about 83% of the pipes were found inadequate leading to poor water quality due to water stagnation. Low velocities were due to oversized indicating incidence of unplanned spatial and temporal expansion of the distribution network. This study, therefore, revealed that a comprehensive zone by zone assessment of water distribution network can improve the management of non-revenue in unplanned urban areas which is in line with ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Source: UG