ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Assessing the Impact of Cfa Franc Currency On Local Businesses in Bawku Municipality, Ghana

The main objective of the study is to assess the effects of the exchange rate fluctuation between the Ghana Cedi and the CFA on the prices of goods and services in Bawku municipality in the Upper East Region of Ghana. This paper looks at the impact of CFA FRANC currency on local Businesses in Bawku Municipality, to examine how the CFA Franc affect prices of goods, the intention here is to ascertain whether information about exchange rates is widely and cheaply available to business owners who trade using the CFA Franc. Lastly, the paper looks at what coping measures are adopted by business owners during depreciation. In particular, it demonstrated that foreign exchange rate reform involves a tremendous amount of institutional and foreign exchange support, sound fiscal and monetary policies and judicious trade and price regimes. The Bawku study shows that the exchange rates of the Ghana Cedi and the CFA Franc is not regulated by any institution of state at both in Ghana, Togo and Burkina Faso borders hence the dominance of the Black Marketers who fix their own rates at their convenience. The findings revealed that Ghana’s over-dependence on importation erodes the country’s foreign currency reserves and these impacts on the value of the local currency, the Ghana Cedi. Currency fluctuations arise from the floating exchange rate system, which is followed by most major economies. The researcher recommended that the Bank of Ghana first of all should create a condition within the market which is favorable for all traders to have access and availability of forex for their business. Also, the Bank of Ghana, Ministry of Finance and the security forces should collaborate to launch a task force that would crack down on all black-market operators within the major business areas in the country.

Source: UCC
Assessing the Impact of Collapse of Microfinance Institutions on Its Customers in Ghana (a Case Study of Cape Coast Metropolis)

ABSTRACT The millennium development goals (MDGs) have brought the emphasis on people back to the center of development, whilst microfinance, by providing financial services to the less endowed people, has created an assurance that many people will be able to improve their economic condition. it was in the 1990‟s that the establishment of Microfinance Institutions was formalized. However recent collapse of microfinance institutions have been disturbing and does not auger well both for the industry and customers alike. The year 2013 alone recorded a collapse of over 30 microfinance institutions with customers loosing monies in the region of billions of Ghana Cedis. It is for this reason this study seeks to find out the impacts of such collapses on the customers of microfinance institutions. The study identifies types of clients that was affected by the collapse of Microfinance Institutions, the media through which clients got to know of the collapse of Microfinance Institutions and assess the effect of the microfinance collapse on clients. To enable this analysis, 150 respondents consisting of customers of collapsed MFIs use through questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used in the analyses; specifically pie charts, bar charts, tables, and cross tabulation using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The study reveals that most of the affected heard of the collapse of Microfinance Institution from the radio, and this reveals that the importance of radio in information dissemination in Ghana cannot be overemphasized. The Causes of the Collapse of MFI’s in Cape Coast were Overtrading, Poor Credit Appraisal, Diversion of Funds, Inadequate Monitoring of Loans, Willful Loan Default, Non-compliance with operational policy and Ineffective Board. it is therefore recommended that investigative measures by the media upon rumors of dangers of collapse of microfinance institutions will aid the Bank of Ghana, the clients of Microfinance Institutions and other stakeholders to be well informed about the actual state of affairs. This will go a long way to minimize the effect on the lives of clients.

Source: UCC
Assessing the impact of leadership styles on employee job performance and organizational citizenship behaviour in the public sector institutions in Ghana

The study examined the impact of Leadership styles on Employee job performance and Organizational Citizenship Behaviour. An empirical data was collected from 216 employees working in four selected MMDAs in the Ashanti region. The questionnaire was used as the main instrument do the data collection and the PLS-SEM techniques was employed for the data analysis using Smart PLS version 3.0. The research objectives specifically focused on examining the effects of (a) Democratic (b) autocratic (c) transformational and (c) transactional leadership styles on Employee job performance and Organisational Citizenship Behaviour in the public sector in Ghana. The findings from the study reveal that Autocratic Leadership, Democratic leadership, Transformational leadership have statistically significant and positive impacts of employee Job performance. However, the results further indicate that Transactional leadership has negative impact on employee Job performance. The findings moreover, demonstrate that, Democratic Leadership, Transactional leadership and Transformational Leadership have significant and positive impact on Organizational Citizenship Behaviour. Nevertheless, autocratic leadership style does not have statistically significant impact on Organizational Citizen behaviour. The study deepens the understanding and extend the knowledge on how leaders can improves employee job performance and organizations citizenship in the public sector within the developing countries such as Ghana. The findings have string implications of policy and management of the public sector organizations.

Source: UCC
Assessing the impact of mergers and acquisitions in rural banking industry in Ghana: a case of Gomoa Community Bank Limited

Merger is where two or more companies decide to combine their activities and to organize a common control of the assets. This study focused on investigating whether mergers are viable options for raising capital for banks to finance their operations, improve their performance and expand their capacity into new areas. The main objective of this study is to assess merger as a financing option to develop the Rural and Community Banking industry, with specific emphasis on the newly merged Gomoa Community Bank Ltd. The study took place among staff of the Gomoa Community Bank (a merger product of three Rural Banks within the Gomoa District in the Central Region of Ghana: Gomoa Rural Bank, Apam; Gomoa Ajumako Rural Bank; Afransi and Eastern Gomoa Assin Rural Bank; Gomoa Dominase). Seventy employees submitted their responses for analysis; 50 males and 20 females. The modal age range was 26-35 years. Majority of the employees were diploma and first degree holders. 54.29% and 51.43% of respondents indicated that, there are no change in advances to Gross Advances and earning asset to total asset ratio respectively. However, 48.58% of the employee stated that the merger led to increase in paid up capital. The main challenges to the merger were fear of staff retrenchment, membership of the board and appointment of General Manager. Based on the responses received, it became evident that the quality of human resource at Gomoa Community Bank Ltd has improved. Recommendations: A holistic involvement of stakeholders through education. Gomoa Community Bank Ltd. is to put in place proper policies and strategies to ensure proper external, internal control and regulatory compliance in order to stay in business.

Source: UCC
Assessing The Impact Of Preharvest And Postharvest Factors On Cocoa Bean Quality Using Standard Methods And Novel Handheld Nir Spectrometer Coupled With Chemometics

Cocoa bean quality is influenced by preharvest and postharvest factors. Rapid evaluation is therefore required to aid in decision-making. In this study, four experiments were performed separately using a completely randomized design with age class, pollination type, production method, cocoa-producing region and geographical location as the main factors. The novel handheld NIR spectrometer combined with multivariate qualitative algorithms gave a 100 % classification rate for cocoa beans; from the seven cocoa-growing regions in Ghana, four geographical locations in Africa, fennented against unfermented, and organic against conventional. Quantitatively, the perfonnance of the regression models for simultaneous prediction of fennentation index, pH, fat, polyphenols, flavonoids , and antioxidant capacity was in the range of: 0.87 < R2 cal < 0.99 and 0.88 < R2pr~ < 0.99 in calibration and prediction sets respectively. Cocoa beans' physical, chemical and mineral propelties were significantly impacted by age of the cocoa tree and pollination type. Calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium were found in the range of 111.44 - 125.23, 238.79 - 249.05, 528.24 - 541.40 and 473 .05 - 631.34 mgllOOg, respectively whereas sodium, iron, copper and zinc were found in the range of 7.08 - 11.54,5.80 - 8.83,1.34 -3 .33 and 2.36 - 5.14 mg/l00 g, respectively for cocoa bean categories examined. Generally, the NIR spectroscopic technique developed cOlTelated well with the wet chemistry method (R2 = 0.93). The outcome of the study reveals that the handheld NIR spectroscopic technique can be used for rapid, non-destructive and on-site measurement of cocoa beans quality parameters qualitatively and quantitatively.

Source: UCC
Assessing the Impact of Preharvest and Postharvest Factors on Cocoa Bean Quality Using Standard Methods and Novel Handheld Nir Spectrometer Coupled with Chemometrics

Cocoa bean quality is influenced by preharvest and postharvest factors. Rapid evaluation is therefore required to aid in decision-making. In this study, four experiments were performed separately using a completely randomized design with age class, pollination type, production method, cocoa-producing region and geographical location as the main factors. The novel handheld NIR spectrometer combined with multivariate qualitative algorithms gave a 100 % classification rate for cocoa beans; from the seven cocoa-growing regions in Ghana, four geographical locations in Africa, fermented against unfermented, and organic against conventional. Quantitatively, the performance of the regression models for simultaneous prediction of fermentation index, pH, fat, polyphenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity was in the range of: 0.87≤R2cal≤0.99 and 0.88≤R2pre≤0.99 in calibration and prediction sets respectively. Cocoa beans' physical, chemical and mineral properties were significantly impacted by age of the cocoa tree and pollination type. Calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium were found in the range of 111.44 - 125.23, 238.79 - 249.05, 528.24 - 541.40 and 473.05 - 631.34 mg/100g, respectively whereas sodium, iron, copper and zinc were found in the range of 7.08 - 11.54, 5.80 - 8.83, 1.34 -3.33 and 2.36 - 5.14 mg/100 g, respectively for cocoa bean categories examined. Generally, the NIR spectroscopic technique developed correlated well with the wet chemistry method (R2 = 0.93). The outcome of the study reveals that the handheld NIR spectroscopic technique can be used for rapid, non-destructive and on-site measurement of cocoa beans quality parameters qualitatively and quantitatively.

Source: UCC
Assessing the Impact of Retirement Experience on the Psychological and Social Well-Being of Retirees in the Techiman Municipality

The study investigated the impact of retirement experience on the psychological and social well-being of formal sector retirees in the Techiman Municipality. As a quantitative study, the descriptive survey design was adopted. Using purposive and convenient sampling techniques, a sample of 446 formal sector retirees were used for the study. The study used three (3) adopted scales on retirement experience (SPANE, 12-items, CA=.89), psychological well-being (Flourishing, 8-items, CA=.85) and social wellbeing (MSPSS, 12-iems, CA=.87) to collect data. The data was analyzed using frequencies, means, Simple Linear Regression and Independent Samples t-test. The study revealed that retirees experienced positive retirement period, possessed higher psychological well-being (mean score was between high score range of 25-32 above criterion mean of 25.00) and moderate social wellbeing (mean score was between moderate score range of 25-36 above criterion mean of 34.65). The study also revealed that retirement experience positively predicted retirees‟ psychological well-being (β =.164, p=006) and social wellbeing (β =.242, p=008). Again, the study revealed that male retirees possessed higher psychological well-being than female retirees but they never differed in both retirement experience and social well-being. It was concluded that positive retirement experience, high level of psychological well-being and moderate social well-being could be attributed to the fact that most of the retirees made proper choices and prepared adequately for their retirements. Therefore, it was recommended that agencies/departments of the formal sector should consider organising workshops for potential retirees in their set-ups so that they can continue to be abreast with the retirement process and to know what it takes to maintain and improve upon this good trend during retirement.

Source: UCC
Assessing the impact of social media use on Christian evangelism: Case study of the Kumasi diocese of the Methodist Church, Ghana

Regardless of the importance of social media in enhancing christian evangelism, its utilization is still far stretched for many churches. In regards to this, the study assesses the impact of social media uses on Christian evangelism, looking specifically at the positive influences on evangelism in the Methodist Church of Ghana with Kumasi Diocese as a case study. In designing the study, the researcher used a quantitative (descriptive) research design in assessing the impact of social media on Christian evangelism. Data were collected from some selected leading Circuits within the Kumasi Diocese of the Methodist church Ghana in Ashanti Region. A variety of measurements including purposive and convenience sampling techniques were used in selecting the participants for the study. The questionnaire was the main instrument for gathering data for the study. Then, the Computer statistical package for social scientists (SPSS version 20) was used to process all the quantitative responses from the questionnaire. The results reflect a positive relationship between social media and Christian evangelism. The study found that illiteracy, high cost of accessing the internet, inadequate power supply and low pastoral desires on the part of the people are hindrances to the successful use of social media in communicating pastoral messages especially in the Kumasi Diocese of the Methodist Church Ghana. By applying the empirical and theoretical evidence from the study, the creation of websites, blogs and virtual communities is recommended to the Methodist Church Ghana and others churches to maximise the positive potential of social media in Christian evangelism.

Source: UCC
Assessing the impact of tax incentives on the growth of small and medium enterprises in Techiman municipal assembly

The primary goal of this research was to evaluate the impact of tax incentives on the growth of SMEs in the Techiman municipality. The study was conducted using a quantitative survey approach and a descriptive survey design. A convenience sampling technique was used to select 200 employees from a population of 400 small business operators in the Techiman community. The demographics of respondents and the data from study were quantitatively analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The study's findings revealed SMEs received some form of corporate income tax incentives and reduced tax obligations during a specific time period. In addition, the study's findings revealed that SMEs over the years have experienced increased in sales revenue, market share, profit, operational branches, and asset growth. Finally, the study recommended that the government should formulate policies to provide more tax incentives to SMEs to aid their growth, survival and sustainability. Also, there should be capacity building and training for owners of SMEs on how to make good use of tax incentives towards the growth of their businesses.

Source: UCC
Assessing the impact of training on job performance: a Case of Ameen Sangari LTD.

This study was conducted in the Cape-Coast metropolis to investigate the impact training has on job performance. A manufacturing business entity named Ameen Sangari Limited was chosen for the study. An appropriate research design (an interview guide) was used, thus workers were grouped based on their qualifications which allowed for observations and interviews with questions. It was found that generally the employees held the impression that their job performance has increased following the training programmes they experienced. Most of them have realised increases in their output and the majority rated their quality and quantity of work as very good after having gone through training. They also held positive opinions of their supervisors’ ratings of their job performance. Thus to improve productivity, the organisation should put more resources into training programmes to make them more attractive to employees since training is highly associated with employee job performance ratings. Also to sustain employee satisfaction from the training policy in the organisation, management must make the effort to address the few limitations raised by the employees such as lack of training equipment and Professional Trainers.

Source: UCC
Assessing the impact of training on staff performance in audit service of Ghana-a case of selected districts in the Central Region of Ghana

The study assessed the impact of training on staff performance in the Audit Service of Ghana in some selected Districts in the Central Region of Ghana. The descriptive and cross-sectional designs were adopted in the study and representative sample sizes of 100 employees were selected from the study. Self-developed questionnaire was used as a data collection tool. The descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data including means, standard deviations, frequencies and percentages. The results revealed that the respondents had received some type of training necessary to have impact on their job performance. Also the study revealed that the employees were satisfied with their job. Furthermore, the results revealed that the staff never had regular training programmes to enable them improve upon their performance. Again, it is recommended that in-service training, refresher courses, and on the job training should be orgainsed regularly by Ghana Audit Service to help upgrade staff to improve upon their professional and personal skills. Training programmes should be conducted regularly for staff of Audit Service in the selected districts in the Central Region of Ghana to enable them improved upon their performance.

Source: UCC
Assessing the impact of training on the performance of healthcare professionals: a case study at the Holy Family Hospital, Nkawkaw

Training of health professional has evidently impacted positively on the skills and knowledge of health professional. One key area of improving professional’s knowledge and patient’s outcome has been through continuing training. The study conducted at Holy Family Hospital, was to assess the impact of training on the performance of healthcare professionals. Specifically it sought to assess the different kinds of training the hospital and other stakeholders organize for the health professionals, to determine whether the training given improve the knowledge and skills of the professionals. A survey design was conducted for a target population of about three hundred and fifty staff (350). About one hundred and fifty (150) of this population was sampled and interviewed through convenience sampling technique. The study found that majority of the staff has attended training within the past one year prior to this research. Moreover, it was no doubt that clinical care was the main focus on the type of training the facility organized for its staff members. The study concludes that training of health staff has improved the knowledge and skills of the staff interviewed and this may be as a result of the mode of delivery during training which focus on patient centeredness. Further conclusion can be drawn that the training has resulted in change of ideas and with this; improvement in clinical care specialty and reduction in maternal mortality are paramount. In making recommendation for future policy direction, the study suggested that staff should cooperate with management and consider in-service training as a package for higher performance. Again budget allocation for in-service training should be effectively apportioned irrespective of financial constraints.

Source: UCC
Assessing the importance of benchmarking as a useful tool in performance management at the local administration level: A case study of Old Tafo municipal assembly

Benchmarking is indicated of having the potential to assist a corporation in understanding performance. This study sought to assess the impact of benchmarking on the performance management of the local administrative level in Ghana using the Tafo Municipal Assembly as case. Both open-ended and closed-ended questions were included in the survey. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used in testing the hypothesis arising from the theoretical model. The study observed and accepted that there is a significant positive relationship between benchmarking intensity and local administrative performance and also observed and accepted that there is a significant positive relationship between benchmarking diversity and local administrative performance. The study recommends utilization of benchmarking as it supports a cycle of opportunity recognition and strategic mobilization of resources to act on opportunities to transform them into new or enhanced goods, processes, and services that result in performance improvements Future research should include a multidistrict, multi-metropolitan, multi municipal and multi-regional survey across Ghana. This would lead to a better knowledge and pattern in multi-group or regional analyses of how benchmarking intensity and benchmarking diversity interact to influence local administrative performance in Ghana.

Source: UCC