ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Impact of public procurement ACT, 2003 (ACT 663) on public procurment practice in Korle Bu Teaching Hospital

The Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) was introduced in Ghana to streamline the anomalies in public procurement. The objective of the law is to ensure cost effectiveness and efficiency and promote fairness, transparency and ensure that public procurement is non-discriminatory. The implementation of Act 663 has been quite challenging. The reactions to Act 663 from key stakeholders since its enactment about a decade ago have been both positive and negative. Some view it as a universal remedy to the numerous problems that bedevil public procurement in Ghana. On the other hand, others see it as an instrument that over rely on competition and is therefore inadequate and lack the needed strength to curb the various moral concerns that characterize public procurement practice. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of the Public Procurement Act after exactly a decade of its enforcement in order to establish the extent to which the objectives of the law have been achieved. Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KTH) was selected as a case study. The research relied on both primary and secondary data. Structured questionnaire and face-to-face interviews were used to obtain data for this study. The targeted population was 72 procurement staff of KTH which included the 3top executives, 12 middle level personnel and 57 junior level staff. A sample size of 60 was chosen with the purposive and quota sampling technique and with the aid of a published table. The findings show that some benefits achieved from using Act 663 include reduction in rework, transparency, accountability, and non-discrimination all of which work together to reduce corruption and save some cost. The findings revealed that giving the checks and balances provided by the Act there is achievement of value for money. Also, it can be affirmed that with Act 663, there is uniformity in performing procurement activities, economic and efficient use of state resources and also greater efficiency in the procurement process at the KTH. The study confirmed that Act 663 is offering some solutions but there exist some challenges such as lack of usage flexibility, the lack of independent procurement, difficulties in applying and implementing the Act due to political interference and uncooperative cultural attitudes to change, lack of proper record keeping and auditing function, and too small threshold for entities like KTH. In conclusion, the Act has been largely beneficial and effective. However, it needs to be amended to include provisions for electronic procurement and sustainable procurement issues. This will improve transparency, accountability, and compliance respectively, as well as ensure sustainable best practice in our public procurement system. The thresholds contained in the Act needs to be increased. Some level of decentralization of the procurement system is also necessary to ensure swift procurement. These concerns in fact call for an amendment to the current Act.

Source: KNUST
The impact of quality customer care on customer satisfaction in restaurants in the Kumasi Metropolis

The study sought to find out the impact of quality customer care on satisfaction in restaurants in Kumasi with the general objective of analysing restaurant operators’ quality customer care and how it impacts on customer satisfaction. Sample size of 2O4 customers from 17 restaurants formed the sample study of the research. The study revealed that though customers were satisfied with the service being offered them, yet customers complained over delay in service and waiting time. However, customer satisfaction was drawn from the taste of the food and the care that was offered by the restaurant operators. Communication between the customer and the restaurant operators was one of the factors that were affecting most customers because they were not given reason when delays do happen. This was affecting customer satisfaction and the study recommended a proactive and effective communication system to check it.

Source: KNUST
Impact of public procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) on procurment of goods in public second cycle institutions in Agona West Municipal and Agona East District Assemblies in the Central Region of Ghana

There have been many failures in procurement activities because of bad practices that result from a lack of knowledge of the required procurement procedures to ensure effectiveness and efficiency. The Act among other things seeks to harmonize procurement processes by ensuring a fair, transparent and judicious use of state funds. Despite the passage of the Act 663 there have been series of challenges with its implementation. Lacks of funds and bureaucracy have been reported to affect the operations of government institutions including those in the educational sector. The study sought to assess the impact on procurement of goods activities in public second cycle institutions. The objectives of the study are: establish the requirements of the PPA and their significance to the procurement of goods in second cycle institutions, To ascertain whether the requirements of the Act 663are comply with, examine the benefits, the challenges and the impact of compliance with the requirements of the Act 663 and finally recommend ways of ensuring efficient and effective procurement activities. The study used a descriptive or survey research design. The respondents were headmasters/headmistresses, accounts officers, procurement officers, supply officers, and store keepers in the five second cycle institutions. Questionnaires were administered to the entire population of 25 respondents with 100% response rate. The data collected was analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS version 20). The results revealed some benefits of complying with the Act 663 such as promotes competitions, reduces fraud and corruptions and increases accountability. Challenges such as the bureaucratic nature of the Act which results in delays in the award of contract, Lack of qualified procurement personnel and lack of training avenues and institutions to train procurement staffs are faced in all the institutions. Recommendations were subsequently made in the light of the findings; such as establishment of a professional procurement agencies or body and training avenues or vi institutions to train more procurement personnel to handle public procurement effective and efficient to ensure the achievement of best value for money in all procurement activities in the country.

Source: KNUST
The impact of quality customer service on the performance of some selected banks in Kumasi Metropolis

Recently, Service quality has gained much attention in the Ghanaian banking industry due to keen competition resulting from the influx of new banks. The competition, however, warranted a research into how quality customer service can impact on the performance of banks. Data on the research was collected through desk and primary research. The data was analysed through the use of SPSS. The research unraveled that customers define quality in terms of the characteristics of services that bears on its ability to satisfy sated and implied needs. The study discovered quality service as a major source of differentiation in the banking sector. It was also discovered that quality customer service leads to customer satisfaction and retention which impacts on the profitability of banks. Fees, commissions and interest income of banks are always assured if banks are able to recruit and retain their clients. The research also portrayed that satisfied customers play a major role in assisting banks recruit and retain potential clients. However dissatisfied customer can also increase customer attrition in banks which can negatively impact on profit margins. Internet banking which is gaining popularity in the banking sector has the potential of giving bank cost advantage since it reduces transactional cost. To maximise market share, banks can create innovative products which gives customer convenience to transact business. Rewarding the loyalty of the customers through good interest on products as well as offering prizes through promos enhances the welfare of the client. To enhance service quality in order to impact positively on the profitability of banks it was recommended that, efforts should be made to train staff and make service quality cultural issue in financial institutions. It was also recommended that automation of services should be encouraged since it maintains service standards. Moreover having structures in place to handle service issues is the surest means of giving customers value for their money.

Source: KNUST
The Impact of Quality Customer Service Delivery on Customer Retention in Ghanaian Insurance Industry: A Case Study of SIC Life Insurance Company Limited-Kumasi

The Insurance industry is beginning to assert itself in Ghana’s economy, but it is faced with the problem of quality service provision. There is the general perception that insurance companies especially life insurance providers are only interested in the money (that is premium ) that clients pay and are reluctant to fulfil their obligations when it comes to payment of claims. This negative perception has affected the image of the insurance industry. However, there has not been any scientific research to either confirm or reject this assertion. It is against this backdrop that this study assessed the impact of quality service delivery on customer retention of SicLife Insurance; to determine the extent to which Quality service delivery impact on the operations of SicLife. A survey was conducted using the servqual survey instrument on quality dimensions among customers and staff of Sic life. The study covered 150 customers and 30 members of staff of SicLife Insurance Company Ltd. Both primary and secondary data were used. Issues relating to turn-around time, Staff participation in decision making, management response to staff concerns, training needs for frontline staff, customers satisfaction and retention levels as well as why customers surrender their policies were investigated from the perspectives of the staff and customers SicLife. It was discovered that customers were satisfied with the services received from Sic life on four dimensions of quality but the levels vary. This according to the survey has led to the high customer retention of 99.7%.The study revealed a weak correlation between customers expectation and perception of service quality as depicted by the Paired Samples Correlation in the Hypothesis. The study also revealed that, SicLife is doing well on four dimensions of quality, except the reliability dimension. The quality gap in the reliability dimension is attributed to the frequent break in the network and technical software ‘Cebas’ as well as frequent power outages which causes delays leading to customers dissatisfaction. Non delivery of policy documents by some of the Sales representatives and issue on mis-representation of the policy terms and benefits given to customers by some of the Sales representatives were identified as a major problem which causes customers to surrender their policies. The study recommended that management of SicLife as a matter of urgency upgrade or improved its IT software or if possible find a much improved version of the ‘‘Cebas’’ software to avert the frequent breakdowns. It is further suggested that the technicians or the experts who management the software, should be decentralized to the branch for quick restoration of the system for smooth operation and service delivery.

Source: KNUST
Impact of rainfall pattern on cocoa yield in Mampong Cocoa District in the Ashanti Region

This study sought to examine the impact of rainfall pattern on cocoa yield in Mampong Cocoa District covering total land area (hectres) of 782km2 with 69 settlements in the Ashanti Region. Longitudinal research design was adopted for the study’s data collection and analysis. Time series secondary data was employed to engage in quantitative analysis. The study adopted Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) models to examine both short run (S-RN) and long run (L-RN) impact of rainfall and temperature patterns on cocoa yield over a period of 13 years (from 2003 to 2016). Pixel values for temperature were obtained from Landsat 7 Thermal Band, while rainfall values were gathered from CHIRPS. In addition, data on cocoa yield were gathered from Ghana COCOBOD’s (2018) annual reports. The data were grouped in Microsoft Excel 2013, while Stata version 14 was used for the data analysis. The study found a significant L-RN (positive) relationship among change in cocoa yield and change in anRF and change in annual temperature (ΔanTmP) in the Mampong Cocoa District over time. However, both change in annual rainfall (ΔanRF) and change in anTmP have insignificant effect on change in annual cocoa yield in the S-RN period. It was therefore recommended that policies, programmes and interventions of the government and other stakeholder in the cocoa sector that would rely on rainfall and temperature pattern should be targeted for long term periods instead of short term. This is so because L-RN impact of rainfall and temperature on cocoa yield is highly significant; while the S-RN impact of rainfall and temperature cocoa yield is insignificant.

Source: KNUST
The impact of relationship management on customer loyalty in the non- banking financial institutions: a case study of cedi Trust Financial Services Limited

Customer loyalty is critical to the conduct of business in today's competitive marketplace and non- banking institutions are no exception. Non- banking institutions have, thus, embarked on different management strategies as ways to promote customer loyalty.In the quest for business survival many non-banking financial institutions are channeling most of their of their scarce resources and energies towards customers and perhaps this is considerd as one of the most important constructs in services marketing. Indeed, loyal customers that indulge in repetitive purchases are the bedrock of any business. Customer Relationship Management is an effective weapon for institutions/organization to build and develop good relationship with customers. Under current circumstance, new customers are hard to acquire by most banks in the country and Cedi Trust is no exception because of the prevailing competition among the banks in an attempt to mobilize customers. Although customer loyalty and relationship management are entirely different concepts, the current research illustrates their association and in the current study, trust of the service and reliability of service explain 41.8% as shown in table 4.6 emerged the most important determinant of overall customer loyalty of Cedi Trust Financial Service Limited. This was followed by satisfaction of the service which had 30.6% and thirdly level of commitment features 27.6% In addition, there were positive relationship between the variables (Trust Commitment and Satisfaction) and the overall customer loyalty Level of Cedi Trust Financial Services. Questionnaire was developed to capture this information. The questionnaire was developed for both customers and management The questionnaire for the management was used to ascertain the relationship management strategies adopted and that of the customers was also used to assess what aspect of relationship marketing makes them loyal to the company. The researcher recommended that customers of Cedi Trust Financial Service Ltd put much premium on reliability of service delivery in determining their loyalty with the overall service and more attention should be placed on the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately if they intend to increase overall customer loyalty through Quality service delivery.

Source: KNUST
The Impact of regular physical activity on the general well-being of physically disabled adults in the Kumasi Metropolis

This study was to investigate the impact of regular physical activity on the general life of persons with physical disability in the Kumasi Metropolis. It was a descriptive survey using both qualitative and quantitative research approaches in analyzing data. The main problem of the study was that persons with disabilities, especially those who are physically disabled appear to face numerous barriers to becoming physically active. Five research questions and two hypotheses were raised to guide the study. The significance of the study was that the results of the study will expose the vulnerability of persons with physical disability to physical inactivity and the consequences to their health. The population of the study was 520 registered members of the Association of Physically Challenged Persons in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. The purposive sampling technique was used in selecting 50 physically disabled individuals to participate in the study. A close-ended questionnaire in the form of Likert scale was used to collect data. The statistical techniques used to analyze data collected were frequencies and percentages. An independent sample t-test was also used to test the hypotheses. The results showed among others that, lack of fitness centres and training equipments contributed to physical inactivity. The results also revealed that, lack of regular physical exercise caused stress and unhealthy conditions among persons with physical disability. It was concluded that, lack of facilities for training influenced the sedentary lifestyle of persons with physical disability. Also, lack of regular physical activity caused stress and unhealthy conditions for the physically disabled. The recommendation therefore was that, sports and fitness clubs are to be provided to make persons with physical disability have easy access to facilities that would augment regular physical activity.

Source: KNUST
The impact of remittances on the economy of Ghana- a case study of Merchant Bank Ghana Limited (Merban Moneytransfer)

There is considerable attention and polices as well as debates surrounding the relative contribution of remittances from migrants to developing an economy in terms of the depth of utilizing and accessing financial services. While there is a large number of migrants using informal means of remitting the cost of remitting seem to be an issue despite the increase in remittances. Academic and institutional research has not consensually admitted the effects of remittances on growth and financial development by increasing deposit mobilization or just encourages brain drain and increase just spending leaving poverty as it is. This paper suggests that certain findings indicate that there is link between remittances, deposit mobilization poverty alleviation and financial development due to correlations established. Workers’ remittances will contribute to longer term poverty allocation and financial deepening when receiving and paying countries control charges and create incentives for using formal channels increase in financial services environment conducive for saving and ultimately investing. Government policies and institutions which receive must develop products and services to encourage migrants to remit, invest in home country while increase household income indirectly helps reduce poverty some of which relatives can save or invest.

Source: KNUST
The impact of relationship marketing on customer satisfaction in the oil industry - case study: Total Oil Ghana Limited, Kumasi.

Relationship marketing and customer satisfaction remain critical issues in most industries, and are even more important for oil marketing companies that offer generally undifferentiated products These parity products which they provide create competition in the oil industry In the pursuit of Oil Marketing Companies to maintain satisfied customer base, they tend to invest in areas that really do not have an impact on customer satisfaction The main objective of this study was to examine the elements that constitute relationship marketing and determine customer satisfaction levels of customers of Total Oil Ghana Limited (retail outlets) A questionnaire was developed for customers of Total Oil Ghana Limited in Kumasi to ascertain whether some elements of relationship marketing which included trust, commitment, communication, promise and shared value had an impact on customer satisfaction A hypothesis was developed to test whether each of the elements will have a positive relationship on customer satisfaction in the oil industry in Ghana. From the analysis it was observed that the main relationship marketing elements that determine customer satisfaction in the oil industry in Ghana include trust, commitment, communication, promises and shared values It was also revealed that trust, commitment, communication and kept promises had a positive relationship on customer satisfaction in the oil industry in Ghana However, shared values had a negative relationship with customer satisfaction It was also observed from the analysis that Total Oil Ghana Limited had most of their customers to be more of males than females with age group of 29-38 years It was recommended that Oil Marketing Companies in Ghana should channel their resources to the elements which include trust, commitment, communication and promise as these make their customers satisfied However the element of shared values should not be ruled out completely since today’s customer is much more dynamic.

Source: KNUST
The Impact of Reward Systems on Corporate Performance: A Case Study of Ghana Commercial Bank Limited

Employees remain the greatest asset of any organization – whilst they provide performance, organizations offer rewards. A well designed system for rewarding labour greatly has a bearing on the output of employees and therefore impact on the performance of the organization as a whole. The study aimed at providing an objective view of organizations reward systems and its impact on corporate performance. It evaluated the reward systems of Ghana Commercial Bank Ltd. (GCB) and established whether their current reward systems have any bearing on corporate performance. The research gathered data from two main sources namely secondary and primary sources. The two main techniques employed in gathering the primary data were questionnaire survey and interviews. It was found out from the study that, there was a positive relationship between reward and corporate performance. Majority of respondents indicated that reward stimulates them to work harder and they are prepared to work harder if they are given more incentives or paid more. It was also revealed from the study that there were enormous reward packages in the organization but some of the respondents (staff members) were not aware. It was recommended that compensation packages should be linked to employee satisfaction. The rewards should provide value for money. In other words, more should be derived from the reward in terms of productivity and profitability than the cost of rewarding. Again, it was imperative on organizations to create extrinsic as well as intrinsic reward systems for the motivation and retention of the best calibre of staff. Employees should also be made aware of the reward components in their employment contract.

Source: KNUST