ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Investment in human capital and the skills needs of companies: a case study of pz cussons Ghana limited

This research studied the effects of investment in human capital on labour performance at PZ Cussons Ghana Limited. It had the main objective of trying to ascertain the relationship between investment in training and development of labour and labour performance. Specifically it sought to find out the kind of training programmes that were organised and examined their relevance to the needs of the employees and the organization. Literature on conceptual framework and empirical evidence were reviewed. In terms of methodology, the researcher used the case-study method. The study population was all employees of the company. Purposive sampling was used to select the respondents. The research instrument used to collect the data was questionnaires. In processing and analyzing the data, Microsoft Excel and Statistical Product Service Solutions (SPSS) version 15.0 were used. Frequency tables, bar graphs and pie charts were also used. In the findings, it was revealed that PZ Cussons Ghana Limited actually organizes and pays for both general and firm-specific training and development. Technological changes and gaps in performance were the major reasons why employees participate in training programmes. Training actually improves skills and abilities of the participants. This contributes to labour productivity and improves organizational performance. It was recommended that PZ Cussons must understand employees’ expectations about their human capital development, the company must develop a comprehensive and documented training and development policy with all employees being aware, and mode of selection of trainees should be reconsidered.

Source: UCC
Investment Literacy of Teachers in Ekumfi District

The utmost aim of this research was to assess the level of Investment literacy among teachers in the Ekumfi District. The key objectives of the study were to determine the level of personal investment literacy among teachers, to determine whether the demographic characteristics of the teachers have an influence on their level of investment literacy and finally, to determine if the programme of teaching by the teacher has an influence on his/her level of investment literacy. Descriptive research design was adopted for the study. The target population for this study was six hundred and seven (607) teachers in the district. Out of that a sample of one hundred and twenty-two (122) teachers was selected using convenience sampling. Questionnaire was the research instrument employed in this survey. On the grounds to determine whether the demographic characteristics of the teachers have an influence on the investment literacy of teachers, it was evident enough that respondents who were males and again in the married group were seen to be more knowledgeable in investment compared to their counterpart who are singles and this is accruing to the fact that the married group were seen to have various responsibilities at hand which needs attention, financially, hence, the need for investment. In conclusion, the findings of this work brought to light that some section of teachers in the Ekumfi District do lack knowledge in the field of investment and this behoves on the Ghana Education Service to organize investment programs for teachers which will eventually help the teachers in the long run to become financially sound and make informed investment decisions.

Source: UCC
Investment Readiness, Access to External Finance and Performance of Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises in the Accra Metropolis, Ghana

There is growing recognition of the important role Small and Medium- Scale Enterprises (SMEs) play in economic development. SMEs are often described as efficient and prolific job creators, the seeds of big businesses and the fuel of national economic engines. This study set out to examine the investment readiness, access to external finance and performance of SMEs in the Accra Metropolis in Ghana. A mixed method approach employing both quantitative and qualitative research methodology was utilized. Face-to-face interviews using questionnaires were employed to collect data from 500 owner/managers of SMEs in the metropolis. In addition, eight groups of 14 members each were organised for focus group discussions. Structural equation modeling using partial least squares and the Ordinary Least Square were employed to examine the relationships. The results of the study revealed that access to external finance has a positive and significant effect on the performance of SMEs. Secondly, the investment readiness variables such as owner/manager^ age, financial leverage and financial information were found to have positive and significant relationship with access to external finance of SMEs. Also, owner/manager9 s age, years of experience and financial information were found to have positive and significant relationship with SME performance. The study implies that, in addition to increasing the supply of finance to the SME sector, governments can enhance the ability of SMEs to access the available funds by ensuring they are investment ready. It was recommended that government should support SMEs and also develop programmes to enhance investment readiness amongst SMEs.

Source: UCC
Investment readiness, access to external finance and performance of small and medium-scale enterprises in The Accra metropolis, Ghana

There is growing recognition of the important role Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs) play in economic development. SMEs are often described as efficient and prolific job creators, the seeds of big businesses and the fuel of national economic engines. This study set out to examine the investment readiness, access to external finance and performance of SMEs in the Accra Metropolis in Ghana. A mixed method approach employing both quantitative and qualitative research methodology was utilized. Face-to-face interviews using questionnaires were employed to collect data from 500owner/managers of SMEs in the metropolis. In addition, eight groups of 14 members each were organised for focus group discussions. Structural equation modelling using partial least squares and the Ordinary Least Square were employed to examine the relationships. The results of the study revealed that access to external finance has a positive and significant effect on the performance of SMEs. Secondly, the investment readiness variables such as owner/manager's age, financial leverage and financial information were found to have positive and significant relationship with access to external finance of SMEs. Also, owner/manager's age, years of experience and financial information were found to have positive and significant relationship with SME performance. The study implies that, in addition to increasing the supply of finance to the SME sector, governments can enhance the ability of SMEs to access the available funds by ensuring they are investment ready. It was recommended that government should support SMEs and also develop programmes to enhance investment readiness amongst SMEs.

Source: UCC
Investment Strategies of Rural Households in Small-Scale Mining Communities in Wassa Amenfi West Municipality

This study investigated the investment strategies of rural households in small-scale mining communities in the Wassa Amenfi West Municipality of Ghana. It aimed to analyse investment strategies used by households, determine their involvement, identify factors affecting investment, compare investment levels among age groups, and analyse the impact of age, family size, and income. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design and used multistage sampling to select 314 household heads from three rural small-scale mining communities. With positivism as the research philosophy, questionnaires and structured interview schedules were used to collect data, which was analysed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, and multiple logistic regression analysis. The results showed that the main forms of investment used by rural households were savings, and real estate. The study also found that most households were not fully involved in investment due to low-income levels and large family sizes. The study found out that age, income, and family size significantly affect households' investment engagement, whereas risk tolerance, investing knowledge, and service accessibility have a substantial impact. It was suggested that enhancing financial literacy, offering accessible investment services, and implementing income-boosting policies could boost investment in rural small-scale mining communities. The study recommended promoting financial literacy, assisting rural communities in informed investment decisions, encouraging diversified investments, budgeting practices, and integrating practical financial planning modules into Home Economics curricula.

Source: UCC
Investments in corporate social responsibilities, disclosure practices and financial performance of international oil companies with investments in Africa

The objective of this research is to provide empirical evidence, from the perspective of the developing world, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities and practices of Oil Companies with investments in Africa and how investment in CSR and disclosure of CSR influences the financial performance of Oil Companies with investments in Africa using accounting based measures. The study employed a mixed quantitative and qualitative research approach and descriptive research design. Panel data set on CSR investments, financial performance represented by return on assets (ROA), disclosures of CSR activities and company size (total assets) from the year 2007 to 2017 was analysed using random effects panel data analysis to test the research hypotheses. Content analysis is performed on the annual reports and other publications of the oil companies to determine their CSR activities and practices. The findings showed that multinational oil firms with interest in Africa take all aspects of CSR serious and are at the forefront of CSR as they adhere and comply with international standards and best practices in the area of CSR practices, activities and reporting. This study has also shown that there is a significant positive relationship between investment in CSR and financial performance of multinational oil companies with interests in Africa, but no significant relationship between CSR disclosure and financial performance. The positive influence of CSR on financial performance of multinational oil companies with interests in Africa is the result of the diligence and consistency that they have attached to CSR over the period of the study which is yielding dividends in terms of financial performance.

Source: UCC
Involvement of school management committees In school-based management: Experiences from two districts of ghana

In this study, School Management Committees in Akatsi South and Upper Manya Krobo of Ghana to examine their involvement and participation in school based management practices. A phenomenological approach was used to unearth four variables that links to school-based management that is carried out by SMC members. The findings of the study showed that the current state of stakeholder involvement and participation in school-based management within selected communities in these two districts are not well coordinated. Besides, school governance structures were not fully operational at their best. The work of the School Management Committees was usually left to the Chairman and in some cases to the Parent Teachers Association chair. There was a limited collaboration between the entire SMC membership and the schools they serve. Additionally, committee planning and implementation issues were significant concerns. The study recommended that SMCs be revitalised and their roles and responsibilities are unpacked for better targeting. The study also suggests changing the management activities to transform the face of activities of SMCs to improve educational provision and administration in the localities they operate.

Source: UCC
inwater harvesting potential of University of Cape Coast campus: a GIS approach

This study accesses the potential of rainwater harvesting as an alternative to conventional water supply scheme in University of Cape Coast. The study involves estimating the surface area of rooftops on the University of Cape Coast campus by using Geographical Information System (GIS), obtaining the mean annual rainfall from the meteorological survey department and determining the quantity of rainwater that can be harvested on UCC campus. Satellite imagery of the whole campus is obtained with Google Earth. Thematic Maps are generated for 2008 to 2012. The volume of rainwater is then calculated for each year. From the calculation, it is realized that an average volume of 178,441m 3 of rainwater can be harvested each year. The average water demand of the university during peak seasons is estimated to be 548.1m 3 per day. This implies that, the rainwater can serve the University for about 325 days

Source: UCC
Irrigation and bradyrhizobium japonicum inoculation effects on performance of soybean production in tropical guinea savanna zone of Ghana

A field experiment was conducted to assess the effect of irrigation regimes and Brady rhizobium japonicum strains on the performance of soybean cultivar TGX1440-IE. The study was carried out for two consecutive years during the dry season (February-May) at Tono Irrigation Project site in a Guinea Savannah zone of Ghana. Three irrigation regimes based on soybean crop water requirements (full or normal (W0), half (W1) and one and a half (W2) crop water requirements) and two strains of B. japonicum (LS-50 and TAL-120) along with one uninoculated treatments with three replications were laid out in a split-plot randomized complete block design. The LS-50 strain inoculated soybean (I2) had the highest value in the number of nodulations, growth, yield and WUE, followed by the uninoculated (I0) and the TAL-120 (I1) had the least. The LS-50 strain significantly (P<0.01) increased the number of nodulations, growth, yield and WUE by 15 %, 14 %, 10 % and 12 % respectively over the uninoculated soybean. The one and a half irrigation regime (W2) also had the highest values for all crop parameters determined except WUE followed by the full irrigation regime (W0) and the half irrigation (W1) had the least. W1 however, had the highest WUE, followed by W0 and then W2. The one and a half irrigation regime significantly (P<0.01) increased the number of nodulations, growth and yield by 23%, 28% and 10 % respectively but decreased WUE by 65%, over the full irrigation regime. However, the half irrigation increased the WUE by 36 % over the full irrigation regime. The interaction of LS 50 strain and the one and a half irrigation regime (W2I2) had significant (P<0.05) increase in the growth by 45 %, decrease in WUE by 27 % and insignificant increase in yield over the interaction of uninoculated and full irrigation regime (W0I0). However, the interaction of LS 50 strain and half irrigation regime (W1I2) increased the WUE by 95 % over the interaction of uninoculated and full irrigation regime (W0I0)

Source: UCC
Is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie a Reading of Postcolonial Theory? A Re-reading of Purple Hibiscus and Americanah

The study examines two of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel – Purple Hibiscus and Americanah within the context of postcolonial theory. The overall research purpose stressed on whether or not the two works (Purple Hibiscus and Americanah) are readings of postcolonial theory. This was because, Adichie herself, through her comments seems to reject the postcolonial theory. However, researchers and other academician argue that her novels fall within the purview of postcolonial theory. Therefore, the study sought to assess, how her works support or differ from the postcolonial theory. Additionally, the study examine how Adichie’s feminism stance and TED talks are opposed to postcolonial theory The study, adopted the interpretivists approach where the content of Adichie’s works were qualitatively analysed in comparison with postcolonial theory. The findings from re-reading of her works revealed that, Adichie does not pursue a postcolonial theoretical objective but one of women emancipation and gender parity. Furthermore, concerning Adichies’ stance on feminism, the study revealed that the historical rifts between postcolonialism and (liberal) feminism gives rise to gender blindness of postcolonialism due to its unfettered anti-colonial focus and lack of attention to internal injustices. Adichie therefore believes that postcolonialism’s suspicion of feminism implicate it in the activities of imperialism; hence Adichie’s aversion to the postcolonial theory gains meaning. To help create clarity the study recommended that further studies should examine the inherent stylistic devices used in the Purple Hibiscus and Americanah.

Source: UCC
Is Iron Status Related to Psychosocial Wellbeing During Pregnancy?

Objectives: To examine the associations between iron status, depressive symptoms, anxiety and quality of life (QoL) in 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters (TT) of pregnancy Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted among pregnant women in Central Region of Ghana. Women were recruited in their 1st TT (<13 weeks; n = 118) and followed at their 2nd (n = 73) and 3rd (n = 72) TTs. Sociodemographic variables, food security (8-item version of US Household Food Security Survey Module), anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory; BAI), depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Inventory; CESD) and QoL (RAND SF- 36), were collected. We determine hemoglobin (Hb) concentrations via Hemocue; ferritin (Ft) via ELISA; serum iron and total iron binding capacity via colorimetric methods and calculated transferrin saturation (TSAT). Stepwise regressions were run to determine predictors of psychosocial wellbeing and ANCOVA’s for differences between iron status (ID = iron deficient; IS = iron sufficient) groups at each time point. Results: Participants were 27.1 ± 5.2 years old. Prevalence of anemia (Hb < 11.0 g/dL) was 36%, 66%, 55%; ID (Ft < 12 mg/L) 12%, 18%, 28%; ID anemia 5%, 12%, 20%; depressive symptoms (CESD ≥16) 49%, 36%, 28%; anxiety symptoms (BAI ≥16) 35%, 11%, 2% and low QoL (SF-36<50) 31%, 14%, 35% for 1st, 2nd and 3rd TTs, respectively. In the 1st TT, an association between Ft and BAI scores (b = 3.38) and between Hb and CESD scores (b = -0.98) was found but no iron biomarkers were related to SF-36 scores. ID women (by Ft) had lower anxiety scores (P < 0.01) but higher depressive symptom scores (P = 0.05) than IS women; anemic women had higher depressive symptom scores than non anemic women (P = 0.06). At the 2nd TT, no iron biomarkers were related to BAI or CESD scores. Those who were ID (TSAT < 16%) had higher QoL scores than those who were IS (P = 0.01) although the n in the ID group was very small (n = 6). Conclusions: ID is related to higher depressive symptoms but lower anxiety symptoms during the 1st TT. It may also be related to higher QoL during the 2nd TT although this finding should be interpreted with caution. Iron biomarkers did not relate to psychosocial wellbeing during the 3rd TT.

Source: UCC
Is Kumasi still a garden city? Land use analysis between 1980-2010

Preserving natural environment in the physical landscape of cities is an important component of the garden city model. It helps to maintain ecological balance between nature and human activities. This paper sought to assess the garden city status of Kumasi (Ghana) from the perspective of available green vegetation (green spaces). Using a case study research strategy, archival records (such as Landsat satellite images), documentary data and personal observations constituted the sources of data for the study. It was found out that Kumasi has lost most of its green vegetation to housing developments and commercial activities. The city’s preserved green belts have become vacant, most of the parks and gardens are no more with many of the remaining parks converted into commercial centres. Urban sprawl was also very prevalent causing excessive loss of green vegetation at the fringes of the city. Kumasi now lacks enough green vegetation which is contrary to the garden city model that the city was built on. It is therefore recommended that conservation of the green vegetation should be made a priority by the city authorities with appropriate green space strategy put in place to guide the development of the city’s green spaces

Source: UCC
Is Performance Appraisal System Anachronistic in Tertiary Institutions in Ghana? Evidence from the University of Cape

Until recently, performance appraisal (PA) has been admired by many organizations due to its relevance. However, in recent times, there has been a controversy over the use of PA systems. Many employees have come to believe that PA’s purposes are out of date and as such cannot play any meaningful roles for most organizations. This study therefore, examined the extent to which PA system has been anachronistic in terms of its purposes as perceived by employees in the University of Cape Coast. A quantitative method with random sampling technique was used. The sample size was 233. The results of the study revealed that PA system is still perceived to be useful although the perceptions amongst respondents in terms of its purposes varied. While some employees perceived the purposes to be administrative, others consider its purposes to be more of developmental. However, most senior staff considered the current PA exercise as mere formality, which is there to reflect on the institutional culture of assessment. To them PA system is a waste of time and therefore anachronistic. Thus the University should reconsider and redesign its PA system to be in line with the aspirations of its employees by including them in its execution.

Source: UCC
Is the underdevelopment of northern Ghana a case of environmental determinism or governance crisis?

Since the late 1990s, the arguably most problematic regions in Ghana—the three northern regions, accounting for half of the country’s landscape yet the least developed—have come under increased academic scrutiny. This article seeks to interrogate some conventional arguments which attempt to attribute the region’s underdevelopment to its physical and climatic challenges, which are no more serious than other West Africa Sahelian countries where greater economic development is visible. Tracing the region’s past policy trajectories, we argue that adopting a rather ubiquitous deterministic lens oversimplifies or overlooks not only the flawed vestiges of colonial and post-colonial administrations but also the policy inconsistencies pursued and still pursued in the Fourth Republic. We conclude that the colonial policy biases, coupled with successive rounds of post-independence policy (dis)continuities, tend to gloss over fundamental problems underpinning the region’s low productivity and underdevelopment. These tendencies conceptually legitimize and constitute a key strategy in explaining the region’s developmental problems. Within such a configuration, a successive blend of failures and limitations in development policy has tended to be (re)inscribed in the region’s governance, ignoring long-established local values and preferences and thereby perpetuating underdevelopment in the region

Source: UCC