ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Adopting a specific innovation type versus composition of different innovation types: Case study of a Ghanaian bank

Purpose: Although several types of innovation are identified in the extant literature, researchers have not resolved conflicting theoretical predictions about the implication of adopting innovation types. Following the conceptualization of Damanpour et al., this paper aims to distinguish between three innovation types (i.e. services, technological process, and administrative process) and make suggestions for banks on whether to focus their innovation efforts on a specific type or composition of different types in order to optimize the returns to innovation. Design/methodology/approach: Based on an empirical case study of a large multinational bank in Ghana (name withheld for anonymity), data were collected with questionnaire instruments from 51 bank managers. Two regression equations were estimated and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings: The paper finds evidence that focus on adopting a specific innovation type seems to contribute more to performance than adopting bundles of different types of innovation. As the bank focuses on adopting only administrative process innovation it enjoys higher growth in market share than when it adopts services innovation and technological process innovation in conjunction with administrative process innovation. Practical implications: It seems that even when resources are in abundance, and complementary changes or innovations are found to be necessary, there is less need to introduce different types of innovation with a more balanced rate simultaneously. Originality/value: The study proposes to resolve conflicting theoretical predictions and ongoing policy disputes about the effects on business performance (i.e. market share) of the adoption of a specific innovation type versus composition of different innovation types. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Source: UG
Adopting total quality management to enhance service delivery in medical records

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which total quality management (TQM) initiatives can improve the quality of services delivery at the medical records unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) to help meet the expectations and aspirations of patients and customers of the hospital. Design/methodology/approach – This research adopted the survey strategy as its research design. The total study population consisted of 114 medical records staff of the KBTH. Questionnaires and personal observations were employed as the data collection instruments. The study recorded a response rate of 98 per cent. Data gathered from respondents were analysed in qualitative terms. Findings – The overall finding of this study was that, although the medical records department of the KBTH had a fair degree of understanding on the benefits of TQM to records management service delivery, the exiting values for TQM did not meet the framework of good TQM practice, principles and standards. Research limitations/implications – Even though the subjects for the study were from the biggest hospital in Ghana, the findings of this study may not be generalised to the whole country. Practical implications – The study has demonstrated the need for the medical records department of the KBTH to have and develop good TQM standards to improve the quality of services to patients and varied customers of the hospital. Originality/value – The literature reviewed indicated that this study is a maiden attempt to examine how TQM initiatives including sensitivity, customer satisfaction, commitment of top management, team work, effective leadership and participatory management, people development and effective and open communication can improve the quality of medical records service delivery at theKBTHin Ghana.

Source: UG
Adopting total quality management to enhance service delivery in medical records: Exploring the case of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which total quality management (TQM) initiatives can improve the quality of services delivery at the medical records unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) to help meet the expectations and aspirations of patients and customers of the hospital. Design/methodology/approach This research adopted the survey strategy as its research design. The total study population consisted of 114 medical records staff of the KBTH. Questionnaires and personal observations were employed as the data collection instruments. The study recorded a response rate of 98 per cent. Data gathered from respondents were analysed in qualitative terms. Findings The overall finding of this study was that, although the medical records department of the KBTH had a fair degree of understanding on the benefits of TQM to records management service delivery, the exiting values for TQM did not meet the framework of good TQM practice, principles and standards. Research limitations/implications Even though the subjects for the study were from the biggest hospital in Ghana, the findings of this study may not be generalised to the whole country. Practical implications The study has demonstrated the need for the medical records department of the KBTH to have and develop good TQM standards to improve the quality of services to patients and varied customers of the hospital. Originality/value The literature reviewed indicated that this study is a maiden attempt to examine how TQM initiatives including sensitivity, customer satisfaction, commitment of top management, team work, effective leadership and participatory management, people development and effective and open communication can improve the quality of medical records service delivery at the KBTH in Ghana.

Source: UG
The adoption and use of Human Resource Information System (HRIS) in Ghana

The study looked at the adoption of Human Resource Information System (HRIS) among Ghanaian firms. A survey was conducted on 129 firms out of the 150 samples randomly selected from both the public and the private sectors in the country with a response rate of 86%. The findings first revealed that the adoption rate of HRIS in enterprises is not a common practice in Ghana since two-thirds of the organizations have never adopted HRIS use. Major general denominators for adoption and use of HRIS include firm size, organization type (i.e. profit making limited liability companies and profit making government organization) and age as well as the industry to which firms belong. Firms attributed the slow rate of adoption to reasons including the low numbers of employees, high cost of system installation, unawareness and low priority for such a system. Again, it was realized that the companies' readiness to adopt such a system was not encouraging. There were some technical, organizational and environmental factors that affect HRIS adoption which were unearthed. Copyright © 2015 SCITEPRESS Science and Technology Publications All rights reserved.

Source: UG
Adoption and Use of Indigenous Knowledge to Promote Education for Sustainable Development in Africa

The achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) requires every individual to be an active participates and not just a passive observer and this also requires a change of mindset and behaviour towards the environment and fellow human beings which education is believed to be key. Yet, having a “global proposal” without taking into consideration the context within which the actions are taking place cast doubt as to whether the goals will be achieved by 2030. This is especially true with indigenous communities where the western type of education has led to a constant mismatch between the skills possessed by graduates and what is required in the job market as well as solving the problems of their communities. This chapter posits that the achievement of ESD must be through integration of indigenous knowledge as core in the educational system of indigenous communities. A typical example is the belief and philosophy of Ubuntu which was shared among indigenous people in Africa. Thus, through the recognition of the efficacy of indigenous knowledge, the chapter recommends that custodians of indigenous knowledge must be consulted and relevant knowledge be incorporated into the educational curriculum. The chapter further claims that instructors and students should be allowed to evaluate multiple perspectives and adopt appropriate content to promote confidence for transformative action. Moreover, indigenous people must overcome the major challenge of eradicating the root of western education, culture, and eastern religious beliefs to pave way for the complete integration of indigenous knowledge

Source: UG
Adoption and Utilisation of Integrated Library Management Systems in Ghanaian Academic Libraries

Academic libraries in Ghana have adopted integrated library management systems (ILMS) to enhance efficiency and to deliver electronic service, which is the current trend in the 21st Century. This study investigated the extent of use of ILMS using a qualitative approach in nine academic libraries in Ghana. Findings revealed that all the libraries studied adopted ILMS as individual libraries but are not making optimal use of the ILMS and also there is a general shift towards open-source ILMS with Koha as the preferred choice. The study recommended collaborative approach in the adoption of ILMS with adequate attention to training

Source: UG
Adoption And Utilisation Of Learning /Course Management Systems: The Study Of University Of Professional Studies, Accra

Technological changes are having a great impact on teaching and learning all over the world. Students in Ghana at the various levels, especially, the tertiary level are also becoming more technologically inclined with most of them owning computers and having access to the world wide web. Access to smart phones is even making this easier. Oblinger and Oblinger, (2005) describe net generation students as highly literate, preferring to learn by doing experiential and also at ease with image-rich environments than text. For these and many other reasons, many universities (and even some senior secondary schools) around the world have course materials, lectures and discussions online in addition to classroom-based learning. Once online, students can access the latest information at any time and make copies of materials or download course materials and even partake in discussion forums, quizzes and turn in assignments online. Students can also communicate with instructors and other students whenever their schedules permit. This study sought to find out of the level of acceptance of the system and whether it is helping students get more from their courses. It also tested the some of the assumptions of the technology acceptance model (TAM) on which the study was based.

Source: UG
Adoption of contactless technologies for remote work in Ghana post-Covid-19: Insights from technology-organisation-environment framework

The Covid-19 outbreak in early 2020 has changed people's way of life, work and access to information. This has led to the growth of contactless digital technologies for customers' and organisations' benefit. In this context, one specific area of interest is the remote work environment, especially the introduction of remote work systems (RWS) in organizations. Notwithstanding its growing importance, RWS implementation in developing countries has experienced several challenges. Thus, the purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the antecedents of RWS adoption in organisations among different industries in a developing country context. Using the technology, organisation and environment (TOE) framework, the study unearths the RWS antecedents through a quantitative method design (353 participants) in Ghana. Relative advantage, complexity, organisational readiness and competitive advantage had a significant impact on contactless digital technologies adoption while compatibility, top management support, competitionand regulatory support were insignificant antecedents in a developing country context. Our study highlights the important role of RWS adoption factors in propelling users' interest in future innovations and new technologies. A successful convergence of the validated TOE factors would advance organizations's services and change traditional business models and transform business operations and social lives.

Source: UG
The Adoption of Information and Communications Technology in the Administration of Health Insurance Schemes in Ghana

This study evaluated the level of information and communications technologies (ICTs) adoption in the administration of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Ghana within the context of the Activity Theory. The study used the mixed methods which involved the survey of 104 staff using questionnaires and an interview with the Regional ICT Coordinator of the NHIS in Accra. The study revealed that the NHIS’ in the Region did not have an ICT policy of their own derived from the national ICT policy. Also, the level of adoption in ICTs was not satisfactory as essential processes in the schemes administration were still being done manually. ICT usage in the schemes was not adequate and effective. The majority of the staff had basic-intermediate ICT skills; and trainings in ICTs for staff were not adequate. The study concluded that even though ICTs hold great potential for health insurance scheme administration, these benefits for now remains an illusion in Ghana’s NHIS setup. A policy driven and training led strategies were recommended.

Source: UG
Adoption of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Distance Education: A Retrospective Analysis

The main aim of the study was to assess the accessibility, adequacy and use of ICT in Distance Education (DE) programme of the University of Ghana (UG), Legon distance learning students. Information Communication Technology (ICT) plays a critical role in enhancing the teaching and learning processes of the DE programme. Both interview and questionnaires were used as instruments for collecting data from the management staff and distance learning students respectively. The main findings of the study were that the inaccessibility and inadequacy of ICT facilities had affected students’ academic work especially in the area of research, learning and even library services. Moreover, the findings confirmed that a strong relationship exist between ‘adequacy of ICT facilities’ and teaching, learning and research’. A regression test found out that there is a positive, very strong and significant relationship (r= 0. 814, p < 0.01) between adequacy of the facilities/resources and academic performance.

Source: UG
Adoption of mobile payments in Ghana: A merchant perspective

Despite the potential benefits of merchant adoption of mobile payment, merchants still hesitate to employ it in their transactions, making the penetration of merchant adoption of mobile payment relatively low compared to other recent modes of cashless, noncontact payment. Therefore, this study seeks to theoretically discover the drivers and barriers of mobile payment adoption by merchants and to provide a theoretical explanation of how the adoption of mobile payment enhances the payment experience of merchants. The study adopted an exploratory approach by strategically using the case study of two merchants in the retail sector in Ghana. The findings demonstrate that, in Ghana, the business model and nature of the business, contextual factors and technology type as well as competition and cost serve as drivers of merchant adoption of mobile payment. On the other hand, factors such as risk, legal challenges, lack of trust in the expertise of the telecom industry in financial service delivery and lack of skills on the part of some merchants to comprehend mobile payment application were classified as barriers to mobile payment adoption in Ghana.

Source: UG
Adoption of mobile pedigree as an anticounterfeiting technology for pharmaceuticals in developing countries

One major challenge facing the pharmaceutical industry is counterfeiting, which is more prevalent in developing countries. Combating counterfeiting requires various technological approaches, and the most hailed technologies, including RFID-based ePedigrees, are too expensive for developing economies. However, mobile pedigree, which utilizes mobile phones and SMS communication, is a highly affordable, readily available, and user-friendly alternative technological approach. This research seeks to explore factors that influence the adoption of the mobile pedigree in the pharmaceutical industry in developing countries and offers a case study of four companies in Ghana using the Technology-Organization-Environmental (TOE) framework. The findings establish influencing factors as relative advantage, complexity, and compatibility; strategic direction and management support; pressures from partners, competitors, associations, and regulator; and legal framework and counterfeiting threat. These factors provide guidelines for research, practice, and policy, while the study could be extended to include consumer views, other industry types and developing countries.

Source: UG
Adoption of social networking sites for educational use

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the views of university students on social networking sites (SNSs) adoption for educational purposes and investigate the factors that motivate students to use SNSs for academic purposes. Design/methodology/approach A survey method of research was adopted and questionnaires were administered to the respondent group. A total of 522 valid responses from the University of Ghana Business School Students were used in the empirical analysis. Regression analysis was used to examine the relationship among the key constructs of the study. Findings The results of this study suggest that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, the existence of facilitating conditions and the purposes of SNSs are the key factors that motivate students to adopt SNSs for academic purposes. However, the influence of other people in society and the desire to be identified with social groups were found not to be important predictors of SNSs use by students for educational purposes. Research limitations/implications The data examined in this study are based on sample responses from only one university, which may limit the extent of generalization of the findings. Originality/value This paper provides some useful insights into the key predictors of SNSs adoption for educational use by university students from the perspective of a developing country.

Source: UG
Adsorbents for water decontamination: A recycling alternative for fiber precursors and textile fiber wastes

The exponential growth in textile fiber production and commensurate release of textile waste-based effluents into the environment has significant impacts on human wellbeing and the long-term planetary health. To abate these negative impacts and promote resource circularity, efforts are being made to recycle these waste materials via conversion into adsorbents for water decontamination. This review critically examines plant- and regenerated cellulose-based fibers for removing water pollutants such as heavy metals, dyes, pharmaceutical and petro chemical wastes. The review reveals that chemical modification reactions such as grafting, sulfonation, car boxymethylation, amination, amidoximation, xanthation, carbon activation, and surface coating are normally employed, and the adsorption mechanisms often involve Van der Waals attraction, electrostatic interaction, complexation, chelation, ion exchange, and precipitation. Furthermore, the adsorption processes and thus the adsorption mechanisms are influenced by factors such as surface properties of adsorbents, pollutant characteristics including composition, porosity/pore size distribution, specific surface area, hydrophobicity/ hydrophobicity, and molecular interactions. Besides, feasibility of the approaches in terms of handling and reuse, environmental fate, and economic impact was evaluated, in addition to the performances of the adsorbents, the prospects, and challenges. As current cost analysis is non-exhaustive, it is recommended that researchers focus on extensive cost analysis to fully appreciate the true cost effectiveness of employing these waste materials. In addition, more attention must be paid to potential chemical leaching, post-adsorption handling, and disposal. Based on the review, fiber precursors and textile fiber wastes are viable alternative adsorbents for sustainable water treatment and environmental management, and government entities must leverage on these locally accessible materials to promote recyclability and circularity.

Source: UG
Adsorption of CO and CO2 Interaction With (7,0) AlN Nanotubes To Enhance Sensing Capabilities: A DFT Approach.

We performed atomic and electronic structure calculations to examine the adsorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) gases on single-wall (7,0) aluminum nitrides nanotubes (AlNNTs) as gas sensor nanomaterials. We employed local density approximation (LDA) in the frame of density functional theory to elucidate the sensory parameters such as adsorption energy, detection sensitivity and recovery times to evaluate the molecular interactions on the metal oxide surface and their potential applications for gas sensing. The findings suggest that CO2 showed strong adsorption on pristine (7,0) AlNNTs with an adsorption energy of ~ – 23.58 kcal/mol. Although a detection capacity of 96.6 % could be achieved, its recovery time was protracted to about 1.35 days, limiting its ability for rapid sensing material. However, silicon-doped (7,0) AlNNTs displayed moderate CO2 adsorption energy of – 17.56 kcal/mol with sensing potential of 80.2 % and fast recovery time in less than 5.13 s. CO adsorption on pristine (7,0) showed strong interaction but with poor detection and recovery times. Nevertheless, the Si-doped (7,0) showed adsorption energy of ~ – 18.67 kcal/mol and high sensing ca pacity of about 80.4 % with relatively fast recovery times of approximately 32.64 s, making it promising candidate for CO detector material compared with the pristine nanotubes. In all calculations, the basis set su perposition error correction factor (BSSE) gave low values for the adsorption energies.

Source: UG
Adult education and entrepreneurship: getting young adults involved

This paper reflects on adult education and the fostering of an entrepreneurial mindset. It solicits roles adult education, especially the non-formal education (NFE), could play in fostering entrepreneurial mindset of young adults. It examines short-to-medium, and long-term plans of young adults in nurturing growth and enterprising mindsets through involvement in NFE endeavours. It probes into entrepreneurial opportunities and challenges in the communities that young adults could recognise and create enterprises for themselves. This is a narrative case study which purposively selected, as the unit of analysis, an adult learner who was operating a micro-enterprise and pursuing a degree programme at Accra Learning Centre. An in-depth telephone interview was conducted to garner stories and experiences young adult have had innovating with an entrepreneurial mindset. Thematic, analytical, narrative and interpretivist approaches were adapted in presenting the results. The participant had a good experience in his start up, he learned lessons, and worked hard to grow his micro-enterprises. The savings culture he built allowed him to cope with difficulties posed by Covid-19 pandemic to his micro-enterprises. Governments and stakeholders in entrepreneurship should via policy, advisory and financial support motivate young adults to invest in entrepreneurship and create sustainable jobs for themselves.

Source: UG