ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Accountability between parliamentarians and constituents. A case study of Bortianor Ngleshie Amanfro constituency in Ghana.

There is a wide disconnect between legislators and their constituents in Ghana. As such, this study sought to examine the forms of accountability and their impact on voting behaviour in the Bortianor Ngleshie Amanfro Constituency. The study reveals that constituents’ expectations of MPs are multifaceted and extend beyond legislative functions to include social amenities and personal assistance. Campaign promises of parliamentary candidates exacerbate these expectations. The study used the explorative case study design within the qualitative approach. The study purposively sampled 32 informants for interviews and focus group discussions using semistructured interview guide and focus group discussion guide respectively. Data were analysed through the thematic analysis procedure. The results demonstrate that campaign promises by parliamentary candidates have contributed to the largely unbearable accountability demands they receive from constituents in the constituency. Additionally, the study found that constituents’ expectations outweigh what parliamentarians could offer in the accountability relationship. The study also identifies strategies used by parliamentarians to make themselves accountable to constituents, including indirect accountability through local elites. This study establishes that parliamentary candidates in the constituency rather prefer to work through local party officials, chiefs and religious leaders in their accountability strategies. Crucially, the study finds that parliamentary candidates rely on these local vote brokers to secure their parliamentary office. The study also recommends that parliamentary candidates should capture issues within their legislative functions during campaign tours to reduce the accountability demands they fa

Source: UEW
Accounting information system and the growth of small and medium enterprises in the Kumasi metropolis

The study examined the accounting information system and the growth of small and medium scale enterprises (a study of SME’s in Kumasi metropolis). Four theories were used in the research to have a wide scope in the study, namely; the Contingency Theory and the Design of Accounting Information System and the Technology Acceptance model (TAM), the Expectation Confirmation Theory (ECT), and the Sales Growth Theory. The sample of the study comprised ten SME’s in Kumasi Metropolis, five from the Central Business District (CBD) of Kumasi and five from Suburbs of the city. Primary data was used in the study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect necessary data from the selected staff of the SME’s. The purposive sampling technique was used to select two hundred (200) staffs from ten (10) SME’s. In furtherance, twenty (20) staffs were selected per each enterprise selected. The data collected are subjected to the quantitative analysis of descriptive statistics and chi-square technique. Findings of the study showed that accounting information system has significant effect on the sales growth of SMEs in Kumasi Metropolis (value of chi-square is 11.55, and the critical value of chi-square is 9.49 at 5% level of significance and 4 degree of freedom); accounting information system has significant effect on the profit growth of SMEs in Kumasi Metropolis (value of chi-square is 10.05, and the critical value of chi-square is 9.49 at 5% level of significance and 5 degree of freedom;. accounting information system has significant effect on the asset growth of SMEs in Kumasi Metropolis (value of chi-square is 14.92, and the critical value of chi-square is 11.07 at 5% level of significance and 5 degree of freedom; accounting information system has significant effect on the Net cash flow growth of SMEs in Kumasi Metropolis (value of chi-square is 10.52, and the critical value of chi-square is 9.49 at 5% level of significance and 5 degree of freedom. The study concludes that accounting information system has significant impact on the sales, profit, asset and net cash flow growth of SMEs in Kumasi Metropolis. The study suggests amongst others that, SMEs should improve their accounting system in order to generate quality, reliable and timely accounting information, Owners of SMEs should integrate accounting information system in their decision processes, SMEs should endeavor to consult accountants regularly in order to be able to maintain high and generally acceptable accounting practices, Accounting training programmes for SMEs should be organized by the Ministry of Trade and Industry for those who do not know the importance of maintaining accounting records to come to grips with it, Government should stipulate the minimum number of books to be kept by all SMEs that meet certain criteria which certifies them to operate in Ghana, SMEs should ensure that the cost of acquiring AIS does not outweigh the benefits the company would gain from using them.

Source: UEW
Achievement of high achieving Senior High School students in the Central–Tongu District of Ghana

The aim of the study was to explore the empirical evidence involving the role of parental involvement in academic achievement of high achieving students in the Central – Tongu District of the Volta Region of Ghana. The study was qualitative research with a case study design conducted in the Central-Tongu District of the Volta Region involving Adidome Senior High and Mafi-Kumase Senior High Technical Schools.Twelve (12) respondents comprising six (6) parents of high achievers and six (6) high achieving students were selected using extreme case purposeful sampling technique. To collect data, interview guides (one for parents and the other for students) were developed containing semi-structured items. The analysis of data collected was done manually using tables and detailed descriptions. The study revealed that parents of high achieving students were deeply involved in the educational process of their children (high achievers) in the home, in the school and in expectation. They do the involvement through: controlling their children, motivating them to learn, advising and encouraging them to learn and also paying their children‟s extra classes teaching at home. In the school, they pay the bills of their children, attend PTA meetings and communicate with school authorities and discuss the performance of their wards‟ with their children‟s teachers. They also set goals for their children which they support with resources to materialize.Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made: Firstly, parents ought to create enabling or conducive learning environment for their children to learn at home and motivate them (children) to learn. To ensure that children stay in school without being sacked, parents must pay the bills of their wards. They (parents) must never avoid attending PTA meetings organized by their wards‟ schools since most critical decisions are taken there. Secondly, the heads of the two institutions (ADISEC and MAKSETECH) need to devise other ways of communicating either the progress of their students or policies and programmes of the school to parents apart from report cards. Lastly, parents need to be counseled about their roles in the education of their children. Again, for children to excel academically, parents must set goals for them and clearly communicate such goals (expectations) to them (children) and the school authorities.

Source: UEW
Achieving equity and accessibility in the free Senior High School programme; the case of Twifo Atti – Morkwa district

This study sought to examine how to achieve equity and accessibility in the free senior high school programme in Ghana using the Twifo-Atti Morkwa district as a case. The qualitative approach to research with an exploratory case study design was adopted. Twenty-five (25) participants were sampled using the principle of saturation with purposive sampling technique. The participants includes students, teachers and headteachers of the selected senior high schools and the Director of Education of the district. A semi-structured interview guide was used as the main instrument for collecting data. Data was analysed thematically using the thematic analysis method. The study revealed that, there was no equity in the free senior high school programme in terms of resource distribution in the district. The research concluded that though the free senior high school program is free to students entering secondary institutions, students in the Twifo Atti Morkwa district are not able to access some category “A” schools because of poor grade. The study therefore recommended that the placement system should consider rural folks in the category ‘A’ schools since these students are vulnerable to many educational challenges.

Source: UEW
Acidity and Aluminum Speciation in Biochar Amended Tropical Soils

Soil acidification in the tropics has become a more pressing issue due to its associated aluminum (Al) phytotoxicity. The chemical reactive nature of biochar can alter Al speciation in soils. The study assessed the chemical properties and Al speciation in a Ultisol and an Oxisol amended with corn cob (CC) and rice husk (RH) biochars charred at 300, 450 and 650�C in an incubation study for 120 d. pH was determined periodically while organic carbon (OC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), exchangeable base cations, exchangeable acidity, and exchangeable Al3+ were measured at the end of the incubation period. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and pH were also determined in soil solution from each treatment. Throughout the incubation period CC and RH biochars significantly increased soil pH, with CC biochar showing a greater effect. Similar effects were also observed for OC, CEC, and exchangeable base cations (Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+). Soil exchangeable Al3+ and exchangeable acidity, soluble Al and Al3+ activity in soil solution decreased significantly upon biochar application; it was more significant at the 650�C. Biochars at 300�450�C exhibited a more notable increase in soil DOC. At pH ? 5.8, Al-DOC and free Al3+ dominated in soil solution while at pH &gt; 5.8, Al species was mainly Al-OH ions (i.e. Al(OH)2+, Al(OH)2+, Al(OH)3, and Al(OH)4?). Biochars at 300�450�C promoted the large formation of Al-DOC while Al-OH ions dominated in 650�C-biochar treatments. Biochar can be used to ameliorate Al phytotoxicity in tropical acid soils, particularly at 300�450�C. � 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Source: UEW
Acoustic analyses of the oral vowels of Gbe

The study aims at establishing the phonetic identity of each of the vowels of Gbe by determining the underlying phonetic parameters that characterize the vowel system. It also aims at comparing the vowel spaces of the Ewe and Gen dialects to state their similarities or differences. Finally, the study seeks to investigate the durational properties of the oral vowels of Gbe. The Kay Elemetrics Computerized Speech Lab (CSL-4500) and the SPSS software packages were used to analyse the oral vowels uttered by 120 purposively sampled native speakers. The CSL-4500 was used to generate the formant frequency and durational values of the vowels while the SPSS software was used to conduct tests of Analysis of Variance to determine the within-groups and between-groups differences. The study finds out that the vowel space of Ewe is slightly wider than the vowel space of the Gen dialect and that while there is significant variability between the comparable front vowels of Ewe and Gen, the back vowels of the two dialects are similar. The study further finds out that [a] in Gbe is a low central unrounded vowel and, therefore, there is no back unrounded vowel in Gbe. The study concludes that the rounding feature and the backness feature are redundant in Gbe. Hence, it is not necessary to specify both features in describing the Gbe vowels. In terms of duration, Gbe vowels are longer in the environment of voiceless consonants than the voiced ones and also in high-tone syllables than in low-tone ones.

Source: UEW
An acoustic analysis of Ewe nasal consonant sounds

This study was conducted on the acoustic analysis of nasal consonant sounds in the Ewe language spoken in Ghana. Three major dialects were selected; Tɔŋu, Aŋlɔ and Eʋedome, with the purposes of investigating the acoustic properties of the Ewe nasal consonants, how the nasal consonants occurred at word positions in these dialects and identify similarities and differences existing at the dialectal levels. The analysis was made with the structure NV, VNV, NVN, CVN and NCV using mono and disyllabic words within the formula: N=[m, n, ɲ and ŋ]. V=[a, ə, i, or ɔ]. C=[k or g]. The average F1 and F2 value measurements calculated in Hertz for the speakers of each dialect were used to draw tables and charts. The results confirmed the existing literature on the four nasal consonants [m, n, ɲ, ŋ] at word-initial and word-medial positions. However, at word-final position, only the bilabial nasal /m/ and the velar nasal /ŋ/ occurred. No records have been found on the alveolar nasal /n/ and the palatal nasal /ɲ/ occurring at word-final position in any of the three dialects. There were also similarities and differences in the nasal consonants at the dialectal and gender levels in terms of formant frequency values. Most of the highest formant frequency values measured were recorded for /n/, /ɲ/,/ɲ/ and the lowest were measured for /m/. There should also be a further research into the acoustic analysis of Ewe oral stops to contribute to the description of the Ewe sound systems.

Source: UEW
Acoustic characteristics of fricatives in Asante, Bono and Denkyira Dialects of Akan

This study investigated the fricatives of Asante, Bono and Denkyira with the aim of establishing the acoustic properties of the fricatives. Three fricatives [f], [s] and [ç] of Asante, Bono and Denkyira were examined in [a, ɛ, ɪ] vowel contexts. Fifteen (15) male and fifteen (15) female speakers between the ages of 20-35 years were recruited for the study. All the fricative consonants were within the scope of prevocalic and intervocalic using CV and CVC syllables respectively. Three parameters were used: Spectral peak location, duration and F2 transition. Various statistical analyses were also carried out to determine the differences and similarities that existed among the fricatives as well as the dialects. The results indicated that the spectral peak location and F2 transition were able to differentiate all the fricatives at their various places of articulation. [f] had the highest spectral peak location frequency, followed by [s] and [ç] respectively. For F2 transition, [f] had the lowest F2 value, followed by [s] and [ç] respectively. Also, the duration of [f] was significantly different from both [s] and [ç] but [s] and [ç] were not significantly different. Duration was not robust in differentiating the fricatives. However, the duration of [f] was significantly different from both [s] and [ç] but [s] and [ç] were not significantly different. The study also discovered that, whenever [s] and [ҫ] occurred at word-initial position, the Asante speakers produced them with shorter durations than Bono and Denkyira speakers. Again, it was discovered that only the duration of [ç] at word initial position differs in term of gender. Another finding of the study is that males and females differ significantly in the production of the fricatives with females having higher spectral peak location frequency values than their male counterparts.

Source: UEW
Acoustically-aided osmo-dehydration pretreatments under pulsed vacuum dryer for apple slices: drying kinetics, thermodynamics, and quality attributes

Abstract: The research work investigates the effect of different pretreatment conditions (osmotic dehydration [OD], ultrasound [US], and ultrasound-assisted osmotic dehydration [UOD]) on the drying kinetics modeling, thermodynamics, weight reduction, degradation kinetics of vitamin C, and color of apple slices under pulsed vacuum dryer (PVD). The findings showed that UOD pretreatment significantly improved drying time and increased weight reduction comparative to OD, US, and the control sample. Drying kinetics modeling revealed that the Hii model better described the drying kinetic behavior of the apple slices than the other nine mathematical models based on higher coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), and reduced chi-square (?2). Analysis of vitamin C content revealed a 46.05%, 31.28%, and 25.95% retention for UOD, US, and OD, respectively, after drying. Second-order kinetics could accurately predict the degradation kinetics of vitamin C compared to first-order kinetics. Vitamin C degradation kinetics showed lower k-value, higher D-value (time required for 90% degradation), and half-life indicating a higher retention of vitamin C content for UOD pretreatment compared to OD and US during drying. L*, b*, and chroma values of UOD were significantly (P &lt;�0.05) higher compared to US, OD, and the control sample. Practical Application: The findings of this study revealed that ultrasonic-aided osmotic dehydration is a unique and novel pretreatment technique prior to drying, which significantly shortens drying time as a result of faster moisture/mass transfer, improves processing efficiency thereby reducing processing cost, improves quality parameters, and preserve phytochemicals. This makes the business operations of food processors competitive and as well provide value for customers. � 2020 Institute of Food Technologists�

Source: UEW
Action et problématique de l’existence dans les conquérants d’André Malraux et vol de nuit d’Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

In this thesis entitled "Action et problématique de l’existence dans Les Conquérants d’André Malraux et Vol de nuit d’Antoine de Saint-Exupéry", it is about defining and establishing the similarities and differences of the conception of action in the novels of these two authors. Based on the methods of thematic and comparative analysis, this study sought the similarities and differences in the conception of action in these two novels within the context of the interwar period plagued by absurdity. Indeed, Malraux and Saint-Exupéry, as pre-existentialist authors, seek new values through adventure. Thus, action as human activity presents itself in these novels as the ultimate way for adventurous heroes to escape the absurdity of their existence that results from Western civilization. However, based on the aspects of comparison, we found that action with Malraux is an individual revolutionary adventure which seeks a form of "power" which can give meaning to existence. With Saint-Exupéry, on the other hand, it is a collective professional adventure which aims at surpassing oneself in order to be self-actualized. In addition, both novels in terms of their foundations, means and purposes, the adventurous action presents similarities and differences to the point that Vol de nuit appears to be a reaction to Les Conquérants. RESUME Dans ce mémoire intitulé «Action et problématique de l’existence dans Les Conquérants d’André Malraux et Vol de nuit d’Antoine de Saint-Exupéry», il a été question de définir et d’établir les similitudes et différences de conception de l’action dans les romans de ces deux auteurs. En se basant sur les méthodes d’analyse thématique et comparative, cette étude a recherché les similitudes et différences de conception de l’action dans ces deux romans dans un contexte de l’entre-deux-guerres en proie à l’absurdité. En effet, Malraux et Saint-Exupéry, auteurs pré-existentialistes, cherchent des valeurs nouvelles à travers l’aventure. Ainsi, l’action comme activité humaine se présente dans ces romans comme l’ultime voie pour les héros aventuriers d’échapper à l’absurdité de leur existence qui résulte de la civilisation occidentale. Cependant, en se basant sur les aspects de comparaison, nous avons trouvé que l’action chez Malraux est une aventure révolutionnaire individuelle qui recherche une forme de « puissance » qui puisse donner un sens à l’existence. Chez Saint-Exupéry, par contre, elle est une aventure professionnelle collective qui vise le dépassement de soi pour se réaliser. En outre, tant au niveau de ses fondements, de ses moyens et de ses finalités, l’action aventurière présente des similitudes et des différences à tel point que Vol de nuit apparait comme une réaction contre Les Conquérants.

Source: UEW
Activity-based costing practices in selected food manufacturing firms in Tema metropolis

Adherents of ABC systems claimed traditional management accounting systems generated misleading costs in a contemporary, tumultuous, often changing business environment and implementing ABC would remedy this. That is why activity-based costing (ABC) represents the symbol of improved competitiveness and efficiency in every organization. The purpose of this study analyzing the existing literature in the field – is to emphasize that new cost system such as ABC could be a strong couple that assures competitiveness and efficiency for each company. Another objective is to present that, besides its disadvantages, firms implement the ABC system because it permits better tracing of costs to objects, superior allocation of overheads to cost objects, financial and non-financial analysis and measures useful to managers and management accountants in the decision making process. The objective of the study it to access activity-based costing practices in selected food manufacturing firms in Tema metropolis. Data collection presents the type of data, source of data, instrument for data collection, instrument validity, and instrument structure to meet the research objectives and procedure for data collection. Thereafter, data collected was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) to help in explaining further the responses of the respondents in relation to the study. In summary the analysis of data from respondents, it revealed that even though Activity- Based Costing is of great benefit to its implementers, it also has its own difficulties as well. The most important motive for implementing or considering ABC as well as its benefits are that it provides insight into cost causation which helps in cost reduction and control. The benefits of Activity- Based Costing should be made known to other firms to encourage them to use it too.

Source: UEW