ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Investigating the suitability of hibiscus sabdariffa calyx extract as colouring agent for paediatric syrups

Effects of temperature, light and pH on formulated paediatric syrups: - Paracetamol, Chloroquine phosphate, Diphenhydramine and Paediatric cough linctus, using Hibiscus sabdariffa calyx extract as colouring agent, were investigated. Paediatric syrups formulated with amaranth as colouring agent, and used as a standard in the experiments, had comparable stabilities with Hibiscus sabdarffa at room temperature and at 370C Stabilities of the paediatric syrups on exposure to light showed that syrups. Chloroquine phosphate and Diphenhydramine were stable, whether coloured with amaranth or with Hibiscus sabdariffa calyx extract. Syrups Paracetamol and Paediatric Cough Linctus were unstable on exposure to light, hence the need to protect from light by use of amber bottles. pH stability for syrups coloured with Hibiscus sabdariffa extract was poor compared with those coloured with amaranth. Formulations buffered at pH 5.0 showed marked stability over the four month test period. Microbiological tests performed on Hibiscus sabdariffa calyx extract proved to have antimicrobial properties, but very little anti-fungal action. Methanolic extract of H. sabdariffa had better anti- microbial activity. The colour value of Hibiscus sabdariffa extract was determined and found to be within the BP range of not less than 0.25. The colour value for Hibicus sabdariffa being found to be 0.26, that of amaranth was 0.46. Hibiscus sabdariffa extract retained its colour value within BP standards for up to six months. The macroscopic, microscopic and physico-chemical properties of both test and standard colour agents were also investigated and found to have effects on colour stability. Colour extact from Hibiscus sabdamfa calyces was found to be a suitable colouring agent for the four paediatric syrups, at room temperature and at 37°C; and when stored in amber bottles, and buffered at pH 5.0

Source: KNUST
Investigating the solvency and sustainability of Social Security And National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) through the funding ratio and its determinants.

Government as part of its primary mandate is to make adequate provision of pension income to ensure post retirement consumption of goods and services for all citizens. Does SSNIT financial reports indicates its ability to fulfil Government mandate? The study therefore examines the solvency and sustainability of SSNIT by reviewing its Funding Ratio and the factors influencing the Funding Ratio. It also reviewed the Reserve Ratio to further assess the funding status of SSNIT. The study considered time series data for the period 1991 to 2016 and applied quantitative research techniques in the data analysis. Excel was used to present the trend analysis whiles STATA was mainly used in regression and diagnostic testing. The Funding Ratio was computed as the dependent variable. Annual percentage change in, contributions, income, total operating cost and accrued benefits obligation are predictor variables. Reforms in the year 2010 and Government fiscal stress were considered as dummy predictor variables. The trend of the Funding Ratio and the comparable reserve ratio have shown declining trend from 1991 to 2016. This shows diminishing ability of SSNIT to honour current and future obligations. The regression results were largely significant and indicated that SSNIT was severely affected by the reforms in 2010. The findings of the study indicated that SSNIT does not fully comply with international accounting standard 26 in reporting on its promised benefits obligation to stakeholders. It is recommended that SSNIT should diversify its investment portfolio to include “Akuafo Bonds” and the Government should institutionalize “Akuafo Bonds”. Pension funds in Ghana should comply with internal accounting standard 26 and The National Pension Authority Should Unify all Defined Pension Schemes in Ghana.

Source: KNUST
Investigating Training and Development Practices at KNUST: A Case Study of Senior Staff

Destinies of organisations now rest on the capacity of their staff in terms of competencies, skills, knowledge, understanding and insight. Training and development of the human capital has, therefore, become a critical tool for competitive advantage from both personal and corporate perspectives. This study investigated training and development practices at KNUST using senior staff as a case study. It was designed to investigate the availability of STD policy, staffs access to training opportunities, constraints and possible solutions emanating from the training and development culture. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were adopted, using primary data and secondary sources. Two research instruments, structured questionnaires (open and close ended), and an interview guide were adopted. The study showed the existence of STD policy, whose content 64% participants said, was not as widely shared as desired. 40% of respondents confirmed that the employer has no career development plan for staff, a source of great despondency among staff. The study revealed that more than a third (38%) of the sample believed induction training was given adequate importance. 66% of respondents view selection into training as unfair and subjective. 55% said they did not participate in the design of their own training. Again, 54% of the participants could not tell whether there was a performance appraisal in place. 47% of participants strongly agree as 44% agree that training is of high importance to them. Most members of staff were not satisfied with KNUST in terms of staff training and development: 65% were not satisfied with the general STD practice. The study recommends a comprehensive update training and development policies to reflect modern trends, and copies be given to staff; and conditions for effective training and development practice for all staff at all levels should be established.

Source: KNUST
An investigation into age discrimination in the Ghanaian workplace

Age discrimination is where different treatment is given to different persons because they are too old or too young. In the Ghanaian society there is this culture or belief that the elderly person is always right, wiser and more respectable than the young, and this has been transferred to or manifested at the workplace. Age discrimination unlike the other forms of discrimination seems to be a worldwide problem both in the society and workplace. Johnson (2006), a British legal publisher has said age discrimination and ageism for that matter will affect more people at some stage in their lives than any other discrimination, since the laws of the land has allowed it to continue. The study examined the causes and effects of age discrimination in the Ghanaian workplace, the impact of this problem on the desired performance, productivity and growth in the Ghanaian workforce and suggests possible ways to reduce or minimize age discrimination at the Ghanaian workplace. The study also has the following specific objectives of identifying the categories of age discrimination at the Ghanaian workplace, the impact of age discrimination on productivity of employees in the Ghanaian workplace, the impact of age discrimination on commitment of employees and the role unions play in preventing age discrimination in the Ghanaian workplace. The method employed in conducting the study involved the use of questionnaires with close-ended questions followed by quantitative analysis, to find out the views of personnel on age discrimination in the Ghanaian workplace. The quantitative data analysis involved figures and numerical analysis with the help of statistical instruments specifically SPSS. After a thorough analysis of the data collected for the study, the researcher found that age discrimination is not quite an issue in organisations in Ghana as were indicated by the various banks (HFC, Barclays, Sinapi Aba and Noble Dream) and KMA even though it suggested some level of impact on productivity and commitment. The researcher concluded that although there is not much noise being made about age discrimination at the Ghanaian workplace, it is important to note that age discrimination is not good for business and ageist remarks can make work unbearable for the person at the receiving end. The recommendation here is that, from a practical perspective, improving ageism climates in the workplace could positively affect employee retention, commitment and productivity in the Ghanaian workplace.

Source: KNUST
An investigation into capital budgeting decisions: a case of Wadoma Royale Hotel in Ashanti Region

Capital investment decisions are expected to have significant impact on the future well being of a firm in term of its profitability and survival. This is because it involves long term commitment of firm's scarce funds often in the face of considerable uncertainty. There have been concerns among many (investors, shareholders, management as well as financial analysts) why a number of projects turned out to be unproductive at the end of the day. Is it because of non existence of systematic procedures and rules for generation and appraising the investment projects? This was what the research attempted to investigate. Generally, the approach adopted for this study was a case study research in which attempt was made to assess the respondent's capital budgeting procedures and rules for generating and ranking investment proposals and to find out whether or not post implementation audit or review is done after the project takeoff This was done using self administered questionnaire coupled with personal and telephone interviews with regular visits to the respondent's premise. In consonance with theoretical bases respondent's (Wadoma Royale Hotel, Abuakwa) practice does not differ significantly. However, it was found out that Wadoma Royale Hotel, Abuakwa do not include risk and uncertainty in its capital budgeting decisions. This is highly disastrous and might have catastrophic effects on the outcomes of the capital budgeting decisions arrived at. This is possible area of further research and study in the near future.

Source: KNUST
An Investigation into Labour-Management Relations at Agricare Limited, Kumasi

A good labour-management relation is a prerequisite for achieving an organization’s strategies and goals. Adversarial workplace relations are not in the interest of either employees or the enterprise. An investigation of the relationship between labour and management at Agricare Limited, Kumasi was carried out. Questionnaires which explored the open ended tool were administered and interviews conducted in addition. These activities were aimed at soliciting views on labour management relations at Agricare Limited. It was supplemented by literature from relevant sources. The study revealed that while watchful of their rights, both management and labour were actively adjusted to each other. Both management and labour were tolerant of each other and had learnt to live with each other even though the relationship was not always a happy one. The union challenge was somewhat moderate and management viewed the union as a channel of communication to employees rather than an obstacle to communication. It was also observed that a fair amount of comprise characterized the relationship between labour and management. The study made some recommendations to enhance labour-management relations as well as future studies on labour-management relations.

Source: KNUST
Investigation of the antimycobacterial activity ofAfrican medicinal plants combined with chemometric analysis to identify potential leads

The emergence of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains is a threat to global health necessitating the discovery of novel chemotherapeutic agents. Natural products drug discovery, which previously led to the discovery of rifamycins, is a valuable approach in this endeavor. Against this backdrop, we set out to investigate the in vitro antimycobacterial properties of medicinal plants from Ghana and South Africa, evaluating 36 extracts and their 252 corresponding solid phase extraction (SPE) generated fractions primarily against the non-pathogenic Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium aurum species. The most potent fraction was further evaluated in vitro against infectious M. tuberculosis strain. Crinum asiaticum (bulb) (Amaryllidaceae) emerged as the most potent plant species with specifc fractions showing exceptional, near equipotent activity against the non pathogenic Mycobacterium species (0.39 µg/ml ≤MIC≤ 25 µg/ml) with one fraction being moderately active (MIC= 32.6 µg/ml) against M. tuberculosis. Metabolomic analysis led to the identifcation of eight compounds predicted to be active against M. smegmatis and M. aurum. In conclusion, from our comprehensive study, we generated data which provided an insight into the antimycobacterial properties of Ghanaian and South African plants. Future work will be focused on the isolation and evaluation of the compounds predicted to be active.

Source: KNUST
An investigation into change management necessitated by the collegiate system at KNUST

In every business there are bound to be changes, if the business wishes to develop. Likewise institutions that think of development cannot do without change. They recognize the need for timely adjustment to external forces to enable them stay in business. However change is characterized with many uncertainties, resistance and other challenges. To enable an institution overcome these challenges, there is the need to effectively manage the change. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), like every other institution, introduced some changes to its governance structures under the “collegiate system”. This research investigated how the change to collegiate system was managed with regard to the challenges and successes. The study also made some recommendations. A Descriptive research approach was adopted and relevant literature was reviewed. Open and close ended questionnaires were administered to 150 teaching and non-teaching staff of the University to obtain the primary data for the study. The data obtained was anlysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel computer software. The research found out the governance structures had changed, however, the change was partial and gradual. It was found out that there was no clear specific strategy or action plan for managing the implementation of the collegiate system. This was a setback to the implementation of the change and has the potential of leading to inefficiencies and conflicts. It was, therefore recommended that KNUST should as a matter of urgency provide defined change management strategy and action plan for the continuous implementation of collegiate system since the change has not fully been implemented.

Source: KNUST
An investigation into compensation scheme as a retention strategy at Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly.

Human resource is one of the most important assets of every company and government institutions are not exception. Highly competent employees are migrating from public organizations to private companies for better paid jobs. Given the significance of motivation in the public sector, the issue becomes what motivates public employees to exert more effort in their jobs and for employers to retain them. This analysis is necessary to understand to what extent compensation may be successful as a motivational tool when applied in public sector organizations in Ghana. The present study is therefore aimed at identifying and establishing the correct retention strategy for the public service using Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) as a case study. The general objective of this study is to determine how compensation scheme could be used as a retention strategy at KMA. One hundred and fifty of both management and other staff of KMA were used as the population for the study. The study relied on both primary and secondary data. Data were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively using Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS) and Microsoft Excel. The study revealed that, the following compensation schemes are being used at KMA: bonuses, travelling allowance, fuel allowance, overtime allowance, risk allowance, salaries/wages. It was also noted that the compensation scheme that can best retain workers on their job is the financial rewards type which consist of base salary and other financial rewards. Notable among all the schemes, 40 workers representing (27.6%) said wages/salaries is the scheme that has best retained them. 125(86.2%) of KMA 4 workers were not satisfied with their current compensation scheme and that 130(89.7%) of respondents have the intention to leave. The study has revealed that financial rewards constitute the mostimportant retention strategy. Therefore the study recommends that effort should be put in place to maintain this motivational factor in order to retain staff of KMA.

Source: KNUST
An Investigation into compensation scheme as a retention strategy at Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly.

Human resource is one of the most important assets of every company and government institutions are not exception. Highly competent employees are migrating from public organizations to private companies for better paid jobs. Given the significance of motivation in the public sector, the issue becomes what motivates public employees to exert more effort in their jobs and for employers to retain them. This analysis is necessary to understand to what extent compensation may be successful as a motivational tool when applied in public sector organizations in Ghana. The present study is therefore aimed at identifying and establishing the correct retention strategy for the public service using Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) as a case study. The general objective of this study is to determine how compensation scheme could be used as a retention strategy at KMA. One hundred and fifty of both management and other staff of KMA were used as the population for the study. The study relied on both primary and secondary data. Data were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively using Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS) and Microsoft Excel. The study revealed that, the following compensation schemes are being used at KMA: bonuses, travelling allowance, fuel allowance, overtime allowance, risk allowance, salaries/wages. It was also noted that the compensation scheme that can best retain workers on their job is the financial rewards type which consist of base salary and other financial rewards. Notable among all the schemes, 40 workers representing (27.6%) said wages/salaries is the scheme that has best retained them. 125(86.2%) of KMA

Source: KNUST
An investigation into construction-related foreign direct investment and technology spillovers

Technology Spillovers are externalities of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) where firms mostly multinationals investing in a particular country uses certain technologies and management practices which are inadvertently transferred to the local firms without any formal transaction or agreement taking place. This research investigated Technology Spillovers from FDI within the construction industry in Ghana. Scholarly works on Technology Spillovers from FDI have thus focused on the manufacturing industry whiles studies into the construction industry which is major contributed to GDP in Ghana in the industrial sector has been scanty. Through the critical review of extant literature, the study identified the channels of Technology Spillovers, potential barriers as well as enabling. Secondary data on FDI over the last decade within the construction industry was obtained from GIPC and analysed using exploratory data analysis. The result of the analysis shows fluctuating trends of FDI, an average of 30 FDI over the last decade majority of which are in the real estate subsector and a wholly foreign-owned dominated industry. The implication of these findings is that there is less joint ownership of firms in FDI relationship hence less TT agreement. Survey-based questionnaires were distributed to 130 construction professionals with at least ten (10) years’ working experience and are in senior management position. Out of the 130 professionals reached, 75 responded with the completed questionnaires representing 56.69% and were used for the analysis. The mean score and the relative importance index were used to analyse the field data. The results of the analysis revealed that the best channel of Technology Spillovers applicable to the construction Industry is through Demonstration where local firms imitate new technologies through learning by doing, ahead of the Competition, Labour Mobility, and Forward Linkages channels. Nine (9) severe barriers were identified with low absorption capacity of the domestic firms due to lack of internal research and development (R&D) by the domestic firms, inadequate policies and regulations, high capacity gap and the organisation culture of the domestic firms as the most severe barriers. The results identified ten (10) critical success factors with top management strategic decision, unique standards and regulatory framework, capacity building and benchmarking as the most critical. The results of Man-Whitney U and the Kruskal-Wallis H inferential tests revealed that there is generally no statistical significance differences in the responses of professionals in relation to their background information. The findings are expected to enhance policy decision on Foreign Direct Investment and Technology Spillovers, provide new ways to deal with competition from foreign firms and a platform for further research into specific FDI projects.

Source: KNUST
An Investigation into Continuous Professional Development Practices among Biomedical Scientists: A Case Study of Selected Laboratory and Health Facilities in the Ashanti Region

Continuous professional development (CPD) is the means by which members of professional associations maintain, improve and broaden their knowledge and skills and develop the personal qualities required in their professional lives. Participation in CPD matches up the lab scientist to the ever changing challenges in the health sector. The objective of this study is to investigate CPD activities and practices among laboratory scientists in the Ashanti region, Ghana. Seventy-eight (78) medical laboratory professionals participated in the study. Questionnaires were administered to the participants and the continuous data were analyzed using the t-test, while categorical data were analyzed using the Fisher’s exact test or X2 for trend. The study showed, 80.8% had participated in CPD activity in the last 12 months of work while 19.2%, had not. The study also showed 84% and 71% incidence participation in CPD activities for males and females respectively. The lack of a policy guideline (35%), lack of adequate funding (30%) and the neglect of laboratory profession (17%) were identified as barriers for implementation of CPD activities being barriers to bringing CPD activities to fruition. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that human resource (HR) managers adopt less expensive routes for CPD program to enable wider coverage for CPD participation for its members. The HR department should ensure the provision of logistics for CPD, like computes to enable online CPD programs which are easy and cheaper to develop the professionals. The study recognized the role of professional and regulatory bodies of some association and recommends the lab association to be involved similarly.

Source: KNUST