ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Exploring non-bank financial institutions as an alternative means of financingmsmes in Ghana: a case study of Adum-Kumasi.

The aim of this study is to identify the type of non-banking financial institutions MSME's source loans to finance their businesses and the challenges they encountered. In order to investigate these, a conceptual framework of the study was designed. These guide the design of data collection instrument to suit the research. The study combined survey and case study method of data collection and analysis. The study revealed among other things that: Most of the micro, small and medium enterprises resort to savings and loans and micro finance institution as an alternative means of financing their businesses and the main challenges they encountered are high interest rate associated with the loans, not given the amount needed and low education on the loans from non-banking financial institutions. In view of these challenges, major recommendations proposed include, Government should regulate the interest rate policy of non-banking financial institutions to enable micro, small and medium scale enterprises have access to loans on low interest rate to grow their businesses. Secondly, micro, small and medium operators need to be given more educations on loans in other to use it effectively for the core objectives. The researcher also recommends National board for small scale industry (NBSSI), encourage the sector for the adoption of technology since the sector is characterized by low level of technology in their operations.

Source: KNUST
Exploring potential interventions for improving affordable housing for low income earners in Ghana

On the onus that Affordable housing includes not just the inert structure known as a house but then the gamut of some aspects of the environment which enhance living making it more acceptable and satisfactory. The study’s aim was therefore to identify prospective interventions for improving affordable housing deficits of low income earners in Ghana. An extensive literature review was conducted on accessibility to affordable housing; challenges in providing accessible housing; intervention for improving accessible hosing. The results obtained from the literature review provided the basis of the development of structured questionnaires and interview for the field survey. Philosophically, deductive reasoning to knowledge was adopted culminating into the adoption of quantitative methods in which information was elicite d from 150 and 10 respondents using questionnaires and interviews respectively. All distributed questionnaires were retrieved representing a 100% response rate. Successfully, the statistical analytical tools utilized in data analysis include Relative Importance Index and descriptive analysis. The key findings of this study led to establishing the fact that, most people in Ghana live in houses which do not belong to them and also considering the affordability of accommodation of respondents’ majority of the population considers their accommodation not affordable. Results from the study also shows that the two main challenges in providing affordable housing are Weak housing policies and Poorly developed housing institutions and Improved financing mechanisms to low income earners and Innovative financing to help housing developers are the two main strategies which aid in improving affordable housing in Ghana. The study recommended that government should come up with mechanisms to help people to afford housing, make available access to better security, water as well as sanitation of tenure in affordable housing units and strengthen its weak housing policies and poorly developed housing institutions. Finally, the study concluded that improved financing mechanisms to low income earners and Innovative financing to help housing developers are the two main strategies that are essential in improving affordable housing in Ghana

Source: KNUST
Exploring project risk management practices of Ghanaian building contractors.

Risk management concept has been on the top of current research in the construction industry lately. Project managers are mostly concerned and being tagged to manage risks on the construction site. Hence, the gap in literature led to the aim of this study which is to explore project risk management practices of Ghanaian building contractors. Adopting quantitative research approach and purposive sampling technique, the targeted audience was sampled. The data obtained was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel 2016. After sending 52 questionnaires out, 41 of them were retrieved representing 78.5% response rate. The variables were strategically analysed using Relative Importance Index and descriptive statistics. After analysis, it was identified that financial risks are the highest identified risk with construction projects in Ghana, while legal risk was the least identified risk in construction projects. Effects of risk on construction projects were also identified to encompass making better decisions based on accurate information and risk enables contracts to be fairly negotiated, bids to be submitted at the right price, and sensitivity to be appreciated. More so, the study also identified referring to previous and ongoing similar projects for accurate, producing a proper schedule by getting updated project information as the best strategies for managing risk on construction sites. The study recommended that there should be training of the stakeholders in the construction industry towards risk and its management and also contractors should look at integration of various expert risk management system with other schedules and systems they are already operating.

Source: KNUST
Exploring project management practices in the construction industry of Ghana

Performance of projects cannot be compromised and hence the right project management practices should be adopted. There exists a relationship between project performance and project management practices. While some practices adopted do impact positively on projects, others do not. The aim of this research is to explore project management practices adopted in the construction industry. In order to achieve the research aim, the following objectives were set: to evaluate project management practices adopted in the construction industry; to identify the causes of non-conformance to project management practices in the construction industry; and to assess the effects of project management practices in the construction industry. Literature review was conducted. Quantitative research method was adopted for this study. Questionnaires were distributed to the relevant stakeholders who were consultants and contractors. Simple random and purposive sampling techniques were adopted. Data collected was fed into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Data analytical tools mainly consisted of descriptive statistics and mean score ranking for ranking the various factors. Preparing clear term of references for tendering documents; Conformance to contract requirements; Practising health and safety management; Managing risks effectively; Outline project scope and requirements were the most significant project management practices adopted in the construction industry. Unclear organizational goals or requirements; Project managers lacking necessary training and knowledge; Insufficient time dedicated to planning; Unrealistic project scope; Inadequate project funding were the most severe causes of nonconformance to project management practices. Ensures project aligns with organization’s strategic vision; Provides platform for Project Managers to succeed; Helps to steer a project back on course before it is too late; Saves more effort and time on projects; Useful for qualityiii control were the most important effects of project management practices in the construction industry on cost and time. It is recommended that adequate implementation for projects must exist.

Source: KNUST
Exploring religious influences on the performance of public construction projects in Ghana

The religiousness of Africans is evident in every aspect of life and its impact on their choices is even undeniable. The introduction of project management practices and identification of factors for measuring construction project performance in Ghana has enlightened many practitioners in the field to encourage and improve upon public construction project performances, yet little has been done to fully understand the influences one’s beliefs has on these performance factors in Ghana. In this perspective, the following aims were set; to identify factors for measuring project performance in public construction projects in Ghana, to identify religious elements in the Ghanaian society, and to establish and identify the relationship between the factors of public construction project performance measurement and religion (elements of the various religions) in the Ghanaian society. To achieve the research aim and objectives, desk survey and closed-ended questionnaire were designed and used to elicit needed information from practitioners in the construction fields of public construction projects. A total of sixty (60) questionnaires were administered to the three religious bodies relevant to the study. The analysis of the collected data was done using descriptive statistics, mean score ranking, one-way Anova, Tukey Post Hoc analysis, and regression analysis. Findings from the analysis revealed that most of the religious bodies were aware of the presence of the seven factors identified for measuring construction project performance and acknowledged their significance in achieving project success. The six (6) elements of religion identified were all significant and there exist a statistical significance among their individual means. Finally, the findings uncovered that there exists a significant relationship between religion (elements of religion) in Ghana and the factors for measuring construction project performance.

Source: KNUST
Exploring research support activities by academic librarians to faculty members in selected faculties at University of Ghana

This article explored the availability and relevance of research support offered by academic librarians to faculty members within the Colleges of Health Sciences and Basic and Applied Sciences at the University of Ghana, with the background that current technological changes in librarianship have made research support a critical function of academic libraries. Mixed methods research design was adopted for the study. Data was collected from faculty members and academic librarians through self-designed questionnaires and semi-structured interviews respectively. The study concluded that research support activities by academic librarians existed and is seen as very relevant to faculty members. However, in as much as there is an upsurge in technological advancement in academic library services, only the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) was mostly utilised for research support whereas Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI) by academic librarians to faculty, news alerts and list of new arrivals were the least utilised services. It was observed that academic librarians had not utilised the use of social media in communicating research support to faculty members although they had a positive mind-set about its use. Other ways of communicating research support to faculty members were through “ask the librarian” system on university websites, presentations by academic librarians at workshops for faculty members, notices on notice boards and one-on-one interactions. Identified research support needed by faculty members were article request services; training in reference management software such as Mendeley and Endnote; Faculty Research Commons for faculty members alone; effective maintenance and update of the institutional repository and training on the use of electronic databases. The study recommended the need for academic librarians to periodically update their knowledge on current trends of research support as well as ascertain the research needs of faculty members which keep on changing because of technological advancements

Source: KNUST
Exploring project risk management practices of Ghanaian building contractors

The Construction Industry is embedded with risky situations that affect construction projects and therefore requires systematic processing to achieve project objectives and ensure business sustainability. In achieving project and business objectives, Contractors usually experiment many techniques and management practices in addressing construction risk. This study aims to assess the risk management practices of Ghanaian Contractors towards typical construction project risk factors. The risk factors (RF) were identified and their severity on construction projects assessed. The study investigated the relative use of various risk management practices and the popularity of available analysis techniques. The objectives of this research have been achieved through a questionnaire survey, which was used for data collection and the SPSS and relative importance index were employed for analysis. The results of analyzing the 41 questionnaires that were received from contractor respondents concluded that 41 out of the 42 listed risk factors were overwhelmingly identified as risk factors that significantly affect construction projects in Ghana, with the exception being ‘Lower work quality in presence of time constraints’. The most important risk factors that affect construction projects based on the assessed severity are: Inflation, Delayed payments on contract, Difference in actual quantities and the executed quantities, Defective design and Poor safety procedures. The study findings show that contractors mostly refer to previous and ongoing similar projects for accurate program as the most effective used method for risk prevention. Close supervision of subordinates have also been found to be the most used remedial method in addressing risk factors in construction. The results however discovered that Contractors do not utilize risk analysis techniques but resort to the use of comparison of projects for the purposes of analysis. The results of this study recommended that there should be a compensation mechanism in place to mitigate or offset the impact of this risk on the financial wellbeing of the Contractor. The payment regime for executed contracts should be streamlined to offer financial stability to Contractors. The Contractor should be involved with a competent designer in the design process of projects to prevent situations where defective designs are passed to the Contractor. Contracting firms should utilize computerized approaches used for risk analysis and evaluation. Contractors should work on training their personnel to properly apply risk management principles.

Source: KNUST
Exploring stakeholders’ participation in project monitoring and control practices on project performance: A case study in Ketu North Municipal

Project monitoring and control is ensuring that the project advances as its activities has been planned. This ensures that the development of the understanding on project progress which is helping in taking the appropriate actions in order to control the failures that appears in the project. The aim of the research was to examine project monitoring and control practices of project stakeholders, using Ketu North Municipality a case study. The objectives of the study are: to determine the extent of stakeholder involvement in project monitoring and control of projects of Ketu North Municipality, to determine the effects of stakeholder involvement in monitoring and control on performance of projects of Ketu North Municipality and lastly, to identify the project monitoring and control challenges of project stakeholders in Ketu North Municipality. A sample size of 100 was estimated where a response rate of 80% was derived after the questionnaires were sent out to be answered by Ketu North Municipality. The purposive sampling technique was used to select the sample from the population whereas descriptive statistics presented by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel and the data was further analyzed using the Mean score ranking and Relative importance index (RII). It was found that monitoring and control of project, spending execution, plan execution and quality execution pressed extended achievement in project delivery. It was seen that overseeing partners, collaboration among individuals and monitoring and control practices of the task work were portion of the key procedures used to deal with the venture work. The outcome showed that most technical experts and project users from the survey training needs were not regularly assessed at Ketu North Municipality with regard to monitoring and control practices and the training conducted in the Ketu North Municipality was usually not evaluated to permit revision of programs. The research recommends frequent training programs should be organized for technical experts and project users within the municipality. Project management training should be given to employees in charge of projects. This would increase the knowledge of employees about different Project Management tools and techniques available for appropriate choice

Source: KNUST
Exploring Service Quality in the Cocoa Industry; a Case Study of Cocoa Marketing Company, Takoradi Port

Service quality is an important antecedent of consumer assessments of value in an attempt to establish a competitive advantage marketing practitioners often seek to differentiate their service offering upon service quality. In today's world of intense competition, the key to sustainable competitive advantage lies in delivery high quality service that will in turn result in satisfied customers. The service quality and customer satisfaction are the core concepts that form the crux of marketing theory and practice. The study therefore is to identify and access the key determinants of service quality usins; "SERVQUAL" dimensions and its application by Cocoa Marketing Company. To achieve the objective of the study, a sample size of 78 was selected from the clients. Questionnaires, couple with personal interview were used as the main research instrument. Both purposive and quota sampling techniques were also used. The primary data collected was analyzed by the use of tables and charts. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize the information. The study revealed that the service quality dimensions, reliability, tangibility, responsiveness and empathy were not fully utilized at Cocoa Marketing Company, Takoradi, except the assurance dimension. The study recommends that C.M.C. should adopt marketing oriented approach, by identifying and satisfying customer needs profitably in its operations.

Source: KNUST
Exploring strategic influences underpinning foreign direct investment (FDI) projects and international subcontracting

Foreign Direct Investment and International Subcontracting are one of the mainly steady and efficiently significant streams of global finance to a nation. Despite governments’ efforts to entice FDI and international subcontracting, Ghana has attracted relatively small inflows. The main aim of this research is to thoroughly investigate strategic influences underpinning FDI and international subcontracting. A literature review was undertaken and it delved into the benefits, challenges and strategic influences underpinning FDI and international subcontracting. Arising from this, questionnaires were used to gather data from respondents in the Accra metropolis. Quantitative approach was adopted. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were employed. Fifty nine questionnaires were retrieved out of seventy distributed representing an eighty four percent response rate. The data were analyzed and presented using descriptive statistics and Relative Importance Index only. The results of this study pointed out that level of trade policy of host country; specific incentive policies by host country’s government; political stability; technological gap between host and foreign countries and number of bilateral investment treaties signed by host countries were the most important strategic influences underpinning FDI. Furthermore, the findings also pointed out that degree of competition, economic development; experience in similar projects, government policies and inflation were the most important strategic influences underpinning international subcontracting. The findings from the study are useful for construction stakeholders, helping them to know the factors influencing FDI and international subcontracting and their impact on the construction industry. In spite of the significance of these findings, there are unavoidable limitations and shortcomings due to the scope and manner in which it was undertaken. It is recommended that government policies should focus on maintaining open oriented policies to continue to attract increased FDI and international subcontracting.

Source: KNUST
Exploring strategies for effective communication management in construction projects a case study of Ghana Armed Forces

The study aimed at exploring strategies to effective communication management in construction projects. In making the study a success, the following objectives were identified; the challenges of communication, the causes of communication challenges among construction professionals and also to explore strategies to effective communication management in construction projects. The research adopted quantitative strategy. Data was obtained using questionnaire based on the purposive sampling technique. Construction professionals were selected from thirty (30) D1K1-D4K4 construction firms. Three (3) questionnaires were distributed to each of these firms. In all ninety (90) questionnaires were distributed to these entire firm and sixty-five (65) were received. The study was conducted using the sixty-five collected data. The data was analyzed and presented using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel software’s and the data was further analyzed using the Mean score ranking and the Relative Importance Index. Results from the first objective came out as follows: Inadequate co-operation and coordination among project team members, the use of jargons hinders effective team communication, and ineffective information flow among project teams, grammar. And these were the highest ranked causes of communication. The study was also able to achieve its second objective by identifying the causes of communication challenges in the construction industry. The following factors were ranked high as causes of communication challenges; Workers having a different perception about the information given, unclear objectives can lead to ineffective communication and language barriers. In respect of strategies to ensure effective communication in the construction industry, it was identified that; All team members must have an idea and also know the main goal of the project, which can lead to effective flow of communication, team members must have a full concentration when receiving information, the use of information technologies in the process of communication and both the sender and receiver must have the same understanding of the information. It was concluded that management of construction firms must adopt these and other strategies that would ensure effective communication in order to improve work output.

Source: KNUST