ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Assessing the Effect of Vaccination on Child Mortality in Rural Southern Ghana

Research in northern Ghana has shown that vaccination indeed reduces childhood mortality (Nyarko et al., 2001). This dissertation seeks to assess the vaccination status of children aged 12 to 71 months at death and that of children who are alive and the effect of incomplete/partial vaccination on mortality in Dangme West District of Ghana. The data are from the death registration and vaccination status forms. Death registration forms are updated bi-annual and vaccination status are updated yearly for children two(2) years and below at the Dodowa HDSS site. Descriptive statistics was used to study the progress of vaccination status of children born from 2005 to 2009. Bivariate analysis was employed to ascertain difference between vaccination status of children who were dead and that of those who are alive. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was also used to investigate immunisation as a predictor of child mortality after controlling for sex and age of a child and household wealth index. Fully immunised is defined by GSS et al., 2009 as a child who received a BCG, measles and three doses each of DPT and Polio vaccines (excluding polio vaccine given at birth). Partially Immunized is a child who did not receive all the 8 basic vaccines. Included in this analysis were only children whose vaccination cards were seen by the data collectors. The analysis revealed that about half (54.8%) of children aged 12 -71 months who died were fully immunised compared to 67.8% of children aged 12-71 months who were alive. Children who were partially immunised were 1.7 times more likely to die compared to those who were fully immunised (OR=1.73, 95% CI: 1.15, 2.61). The likelihood of partially immunised child dying was 1.1 times, after controlling for child’s gender and age and household wealth index (quintiles) (OR=1.12, 95% CI: 0.71, 1.77). To achieve MDGs goal 4 there is a need for intense public education or house to house education by the policy makers and programme planners on the need for people to complete their vaccination.

Source: KNUST
Assessing the effect of training and development on employee performance at Anglogold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine

Employee training and development is an important tool that equips workers of an organization with various skills and knowledge for effective execution of tasks. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of training and development on employee performance at AngloGold Ashanti (AGA), Obuasi Mine. The approach in terms of data collection involved mainly the use of questionnaires. In all, a total of 200 questionnaireswere administered by the researcher. A total number of 160 questionnaires were retrieved from respondents and they were valid for the analysis. These 160 responses were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and the final results then presented in tables, bar graphs and pie charts. The study revealed that training and development have positive impact on employees’ performance. The employees agreed that they are able to transfer the knowledge and skills acquired to their working environment. Though effectiveness of the training and development is high, the study revealed that there is inconsistency in the application of training and development policies and procedures. Based on the findings of the study it is recommended that management should have well planned; systematic and coordinated training and development programmes throughout the organization and also ensure that there is adequate budget allocation to finance the implementation of training and development programs in the company.

Source: KNUST
Assessing the effect of strategic planning on organisational performance in Ghanaian public universities

Strategic planning consists of a set of underlying processes that are intended to create or manipulate a situation to create a more favourable outcome for a company. This is quite different from traditional tactical planning that is more defensive based and depends on the move of competition to drive the company. This study sought to assess the effect of strategic planning on organisational performance in selected Ghanaian public universities. The study adopted a quantitative research design. Purposive and convenience sampling technique were used to select the senior administrators and other staff respectively. Structured questionnaire was administered to 200 respondents. Data was analysed with the aid of SPSS. The study discovered that strategic management had been adopted, to a greater extent, by all the participating institutions selected for the study. The study further found that organizational performances of the public universities selected for the study are averagely encouraging. All the institutions studied maintained that performance saw steady increase. In particular performance of the universities were seen in the following area: Investment in Research & Development, International collaborations, Introduction of new programmes, Technology adoption, Growth in student enrollment, Community services, Online and distance programmes and Student internship programmes. The study revealed that there is a strong positive and significant relationship between strategic management practices and the performance of the selected universities. This study also found out that strategic management practices and organizational performance have strong association between them. The study finally revealed that strategic management had been adopted to a greater extent by all the participating institutions selected for the study. It is therefore recommended that due diligence should be followed to ensure that the goals and objectives of such strategies are followed to the later.

Source: KNUST
Assessing the effect of warehouse practices on material management in the oil and gas industry. The moderating role of transportation capacity. A case study of Tullow Ghana limited

Many organizations recently face challenges in managing the efficient flow of their materials, both physical supply and physical distribution. Today's business environment requires implementing innovative solutions to effectively manage increasingly complex warehouse management activities while simultaneously reducing operational expenses. This study examined the effect of warehouse practices and transportation capacity on materials management in the oil and gas sector using Tullow Ghana Ltd as a case in the Takoradi Municipal. A sample of 100 management and non-management staffs were selected for the study. Questionnaires were used as the main instrument of data collection. The study revealed an overall mean score of 3.92, which shows that the respondents agreed that Tullow Ghana Ltd address the warehousing practice in material management of the organization such as warehouses are well-organised and the layout supports efficient material handling regular management and inspection of warehouse equipment and infrastructure are conducted, advanced technology is used for tracking and managing inventory within warehouses, effective safety measures and protocols are in place to prevent accidents in the warehouses. Also, with an overall mean score of 3.86, these findings show that the respondents agreed that Tullow Ghana Ltd address the transportation capacity of the organization in material management such as the transportation resources (e.g., vehicles, vessels) are readily available when need. Comparatively, the findings of this study show that warehousing practice (Beta=0.518, p-value=0.000) has the highest effect on the material management of Tullow Ghana Ltd than transportation capacity (Beta= 0.466, p-value= 0.000). Tullow Ghana Ltd should create a standard operating procedure to govern all of the operations inside of its warehouse as the first and most immediate action. The execution of it would require staff training, and it should be strictly enforced.

Source: KNUST
Assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of the internal control system at the Ghana revenue authority. A Case Study of the Kumasi Metropolis

Every organisation in whatever form or size must design its own framework of controls so as to attain its targets. The aim of the study was to examine the effectiveness and efficiency of internal control system in Ghana Revenue Authority in Kumasi. The study looked a number of related literature which propound various models of the internal control system. Even though there were a few diversionary views, all the scholars converge at a point that the aim of every internal control system is to enhance the operations of the organisation to achieve their set objectives. The population for this study comprises all the offices of GRA in Kumasi. In choosing the branches of offices of GRA for this study, convenience sampling technique was used to select offices branches which are nearer to the researcher as well as easy access to information. Both primary and secondary data were used with questionnaires as the main instrument used for the collection of primary data. Data were analysed using inferential analysis including mean, standard deviation, charts, tables and percentages. It was found that the information and communication component of the internal control framework was the most effective. Risk assessment component followed as next effective part of the internal control system of GRA. The monitoring component of the internal control framework was third in the order of effectiveness followed by control environment. The study recommended that staff of Ghana Revenue Authority especially staff at the internal audit unit must be trained regularly to acquaint themselves with new forms of risk which are complex and difficult to prevent or detect.

Source: KNUST
Assessing the effectiveness and impact of buyer-supplier relationship on the performance of small and medium enterprises: a case study of Kumasi Metropolis

The study aimed at assessing the effectiveness and impact of buyer-supplier relationship on the performance of small and medium enterprises, and has identified the existing buyer-supplier relationship, assessed the efficiency of suppliers in rendering services to buyers, the perception of buyers on buyer-supplier relationship and its performance as well as the effect of the existing buyer-supplier relationship on the performance of SME’s. The simple random sampling technique was used to select a total of 100 respondents for the study which included various people dealing in the sale of different products. Descriptive statistics, a five-point likert scale and the perception index were used to address the objectives. The study has revealed that majority of the buyers are females (61%) and fall between the ages of 20-40 years with a mean age of 39.2 years and are married. Most of the SME operators have attained secondary education and have been in business for between 1-10 years. The study has also revealed that majority of the SME operators receive the products they sell from suppliers and the most common and predominant existing relationship between buyers and their suppliers is transactional. The study revealed that suppliers were most efficient at supplying goods ofvery good quality to the various operators of SME’s as well as delivery of the required quantities of products to the buyers. Also, SMEs generally have a positive perception concerning the buyer-supplier relationship. Again, the study has established that buyer-supplier relationship between the operators of SMEs and their suppliers is satisfactory and this has improved their performance significantly. It is recommended that suppliers should carry on with the good work to help in preserving the relationship they have with their buyers and should improve on delivering the exact quantity of goods in time. It is also recommended that operators of SMEs should restructure their relationship with their suppliers in terms of timeliness of making the produce available based on trust and information sharing as this will improve their performance significantly.

Source: KNUST
Assessing the Effectiveness of Budget and Budgetary Control on the Financial Performance of Public Sector Organization in Ghana. (A Case Study of Bawku West District Assembly)

Budgeting preparation, implementation, monitoring, and control are some of the most important activities that have great importance in the techniques used for planning and monitoring activities and all the administrative and financial functions of the organization. The study aimed at evaluating the role of budgeting in Public Sector Organizations in Ghana. It intended to achieve the following objectives to evaluate the budget preparation and planning activities to determine how the process affects the financial performance of the Bawku West District Assembly, to analyze the budget implementation process to determine how it affects the financial performance of the Bawku West District Assembly, to examine how budget monitoring and control is done and its influence on financial performance of the Bawku West District Assembly, to investigate challenges affecting effective budget and budgetary control systems on financial performance in Bawku West District Assembly The study used a case study design and data were collected using interviews and questionnaires through which primary data were collected from a total of 41 employees of Bawku West District Assembly. Data were analyzed using quantitative methods. The content analysis method was used to analyze collected data for research questions. The study found that budget preparation plays a significant role in ensuring that an organization's financial and other resources are protected. Budget implementation is also another important aspect of budgeting which is interlinked with budget preparation to ensure the effective performance of budgets in Public Sector Organizations. Timely implementation of budget helped Public Sector Organizations to meet targets efficiently and effectively. Moreover, the effective usage of monitoring and control systems was found to be satisfactorily performed in tracking the budget-planned activities about organizational goals and targets. However, some challenges are still faced in the budget and budgetary process slowing the organization's performance. The study concluded that budgeting plays a very significant role in influencing the financial performance of Public Sector Organizations. Finally, the study recommended that Public Sector Organizations should prepare, implement, and control budgets timely, information relevant to budgeting should be shared with all people responsible for the budgeting process, and compliance with laws, guidelines, rules, and procedures.

Source: KNUST
Assessing the effectiveness of contract management in achieving value for money in the Procurement of works in the public sector: The perspective of GhIS, GIE & GIOC

Over the years, the government has lost millions of the tax payer's money through poor service or poor product delivery, corruption and extended contract periods, unfinished projects and cancelled contracts. Managing contracts in the past had little emphasis on its involvement in the achievement of value for money. This has triggered the need to assess the area of contract management in the procurement cycle on achieving value for money. This study focuses on identifying the gaps and providing more knowledge on how procurement contracts are formulated, implemented and administered in order to achieve value for money in the public procurement of works. To achieve this, professionals from three institutions (GhIS, GIE and GIOC) who had over ten years of experience were purposively chosen to take part in a semi- structured interview to ascertain how some practices were adopted in contract management to achieve value for money in the public procurement of works. From the interviews, it was noticed that procurement proceedings and processes were adequately followed although there was still room for improvement. The results also highlighted some practices that were implemented and enforced to ensure value for money such as the retention fund, regular site meetings, the use of certificates, the defects liability period and the Liquidated Damages etc. The results also revealed the role of the Quantity Surveyor as an enforcer and verifier of the works done to attain value for money. As recommendations, procurement procedures and guidelines should be effectively followed to ensure that there is value for money. Clients should also liaise with the appropriate personnel to ensure that works are completed according to specifications before certificates are honoured. Also, clients must release funds on timely basis and frequent variations to works should be minimized. Contractors must comply with specifications given by the client, and must also engage only skilled personnel in the works. These suggestions and more are emphasized in this study in an attempt to educate all in the procurement and construction fields on the attainment of value for money in the procurement of works

Source: KNUST
ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS AND IMPACT OF CREDIT RISK MANAGEMENT PRACTICES OF CAL BANK

Credit risk management in banks has become more important not only because of the financial crisis sometimes the industry find itself but a crucial concept that determines bank's profitability, liquidity, survival and growth. The purpose of this study is to have a clearer picture of how banks manage their credit risk with special reference to CAL Bank limited, Ghana. Indisputably, CAL Bank originate most of its interest incomes from loans and advances, however, not all loans granted to beneficiaries perform well and earn the expected returns and this tend to have unfavorable effect on the profitability of CAL Bank. In the light of key role that CAL Bank has assumed in the national economy, the study was conducted to establish credit risk management practices and its impact on profitability of CAL Bank. The study specifically focused to identify tools and techniques used to mitigate CRM, loan portfolio sector with highest rate of NPLs, CRM practices and the impact of CRM on profitability of CAL Bank. In terms of data, primary and secondary data were used for the study. The study found out that credit mitigation techniques and tools of the bank includes collateral, termination clauses, re-set clauses and portfolio management, commerce and finance recorded the highest incidence of NPLs because of high cost of trading resulting from depreciation of the cedi over some years now, a substantial degree of standardization of process and documentation is required in terms of character, capacity, collateral, capital and conditions of borrower as a CRM practices of CAL Bank. The impact examination also revealed that credit risk management indicators (GNPL and TL/TD) used, have significant inverse relationship on the profitability (ROE) of CAL Bank limited, Ghana. Credit derivatives, credit database and CRM integration among all departments are highly recommended for CAL Bank to address the menace of NPLs. International payments through letters of credit or financing programs are also suggested for further studies.

Source: KNUST
Assessing the effectiveness of communication in construction projects in Ghana: A case study of the affordable housing projects by Government in the Greater Accra Region

Various media reports and existing writings demonstrate that Ghanaian government ventures/projects have seen various disappointments – extending from several infrastructure projects to services projects because of the importance of communication in the administration of tasks/projects. The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of communication in construction projects in Ghana. This study has been executed using a quantitative research approach based on survey implemented by way of questionnaires. The population for the study included managers/professionals and other stakeholders within the construction industry such as contractors, subcontractors, suppliers etc. The study used a sample size of thirty (30). Convenience sampling was used as the sampling technique. Statistical analysis such as mean, standard deviation, rank score and frequency distribution tables were employed to analyze the data collected. It was found that the communication channels utilized by project managers/professionals in the execution of projects were e-mail tool and press release tool, periodic reports, budget spreadsheet, project status meetings, communication plan, project presentations and daily progress reports. The findings clearly revealed that strong presentation skills were essential for effective communication for project progress. The data revealed that emotional obstacles and prohibitions, poor audience engagement, variations in perception and standpoint, poor or absent communication with team members, bad interpersonal relationships, etc. were the problems related with effective communication on projects. It is recommended that holding consistent gatherings will dispense with some communication hindrances and help project supervisors to determine conceivable stresses.

Source: KNUST
Assessing the effectiveness of Ghana’s efforts at addressing child labour in Cocoa Growing Communities (a case study of Wassa Amenfi West District of the Western Region)

Child labour in the cocoa sector in some West African countries including Ghana has come under scrutiny in both the foreign and local media since late 2000 and early 2001. In response, a significant step towards addressing child labour in the cocoa sector in Ghana was taken in 2006 when the Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment (MMYE) established the National Programme for the Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour in Cocoa (NPECLC) in collaboration with other development partners to comprehensively work towards the elimination of child labour in all cocoa growing districts in Ghana. This research work therefore seeks to assess the effectiveness of Ghana’s effort at addressing child labour in cocoa growing communities in the Wassa Amenfi West (WAW) District. The study adopted five indicators, as the basis for assessing the effectiveness of the efforts at addressing child labour in cocoa growing communities in the WAW District. They include: Indicator 1: Awareness is raised and farmers understand the concept of a child, child labour and WFCL. Indicator 2: Labour burdens on children lessen and farmers tap into alternative labour sources for their production to ensure that children are protected or removed from CL/WFCL. Indicator 3: Children’s access to education is improved (positive impact on enrolment, attendance and retention). Indicator 4: Alternative livelihood projects introduced and have positive impact on household income Indicator 5: Interventions to build local capacity to ensure ownership and long term sustainability of initiatives at addressing the child labour issue. Community leaders, cocoa farmers and other stakeholders interviewed demonstrated high level of awareness and understanding of the child labour concept. The people believe awareness creation has helped in reducing the number of children who are involved in hazardous cocoa farming activities. However, despite these notable reductions in the magnitude of the menace, it cannot yet be said that child labour is a thing of the past in the study area. There remains a minority of particularly vulnerable children mostly residing in the remote hamlets of cocoa growing communities requiring specific strategies to ensure that they are protected and nurtured. Again the knowledge base of the non-permissible activities regarding children’s involvement in cocoa production and their possible health effects was low. On the basis of the findings, the study has made some recommendations for strengthening existing policies and to inform additional ones to eliminate child labour in cocoa growing areas. These include: sustaining awareness creation; need for local action and empowering community based structures; funding of child labour projects and sustainability; government action and collaboration; improving the quality of basic education; and improving access to basic services.

Source: KNUST