ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Management of malnutrition and cost implications: the case study of maternal and child health hospital, Kumasi

There is a high prevalence of malnutrition in developing countries which is worsen by socio-economic factors and infections. In 1998, Ashanti Region registered 11 % as malnutrition rate for age group 0-23 months compared to national malnutrition in the region are of 5 to 6%. Most cases of malnutrition in the region are referred and treated at Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Kumasi. Not much attention is being given to the cost implication in managing malnutrition cases. The hospital is uncertain of how much it cost to treat a malnourished child. The study therefore sought to assess the financial cost of managing malnourished children at Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Kumasi excluding OPD costs, out of hospital costs and other opportunity costs. The study was cross sectional in nature with a sample size of 50 and facilitated by review of primary and secondary data, structured interview guide. The key findings were that malnourished cases occurred mostly within the age group of 12-23 months. Within that age group, the female malnourished cases were higher than the males in 1998-1999. Mortality was higher among females than males. In 2000, the trend of malnutrition ca e and mortality skewed towards males. One major key finding was the use of Intravenous fluids inappropriate for managing moderate to severe malnutrition. Most malnutrition cases came from Tafo and the Zongo areas specifically associated with Ayigya, Alabar and Moshi Zongo. One of the contributory factors to the above was due to poor health education mostly in the area of cause and prevention of malnutrition. Only one feeding protocol was used for various types of malnutrition with inadequate staff. The hospital through the internally generated fund was funding 50% of the total cost of treating malnutrition cases. The average cost of managing malnutrition child was ¢766,462.00 per period of 5 weeks. The study indicated that, there was a need to train staff especially in the areas of causes and prevention of malnutrition. There should be effective health education at the Zongo areas. There is the need to use different feUeding p m (.Urotocols based on type and cause of malnutrition. The key findings could be addressed if there was intensification of health education of the Zongo area of Tafo with respect to the cause and prevention of malnutrition. In-service training of health staff on management of malnutrition should emphasise the need to use different treatment and feeding protocol to reduce mortality and mortality associated with the different type of malnutrition. There is the need to do appropriate budgeting with government funds, in combination with relevant feeding methods to reduce malnutrition line with the objectives of the MTHS.

Source: KNUST
The management of logistics outsourcing activities - case of MAERSK Ghana Limited

The outsourcing of logistics activities has been increasing for the past decade .This has been achieved through focusing on the core business and outsourcing other activities to third party service providers. This third party service provider manages part of the Company's logistics activities. Although there are clearly benefits like eliminating investments of fixed infrastru'cture, allowing for greater quality and efficiency of services, and more significantly, cost savings in logistics outsourcing which can help build successful logistics outsourcing partnerships between third- party logistics service providers and their outsourcers, there are challenges like risk of becoming dependent on service providers and firm losing control of part of its logistics activities in engaging in logistics outsourcing. This study assessed how third-party logistics service providers like Maersk Ghana Limited, Kumasi branch whose main focus is on logistics outsourcing contracts and its key customers manage their logistics outsourcing activities. Maersk Ghana Limited, Kumasi branch and its key customers were chosen due to availability and easy access to data. Some conclusions were outsourced logistics activities undertaken by Maersk Ghana Limited include transportation, Clearing and forwarding and warehousing. Unorganized small firms' engaging in import and export activities and short deadlines were some of the challenges encountered by Maersk Company Limited and its key customers respectively. Cost reduction and continuous exposure to new technologies and best practices in the industry were some benefits derived by Maersk Company Limited. Maersk logistics company organizing educational seminars for their customers if possible free of charge to educate them about shipping services and procedures as to how to progress with their shipments was one of the recommendations made.

Source: KNUST
Management of Irrigation Schemes in Ghana: Case Study of Subinja Irrigation Scheme, Akumadan Irrigation Scheme and Crops Research Institute Irrigation Scheme

This study aims to assess the effects of irrigation schemes management in Ghana on its sustainability and crop yield. The data used for the research was acquired through desk study, literature reviews, questionnaire administration, focus group discussion, interviews with key stakeholders, soil sampling (physical and chemical properties) to ascertain the soils relationship to crops yield. The results of the study revealed most of the people who work on these schemes have some level of basic education. The levels of basic education of respondents at the three schemes are 44 %, 39 % and 93 % for the Subinja, Akumadan and Crops Research Institute- Irrigation Schemes respectively. The low level of education at Subinja and Akumanda Irrigation Schemes has resulted in poor record keeping on cropping activities and lack of knowledge on the importance of soil nutrient analysis. The irrigation schemes at Akumadan and Subinja are jointly managed by Ghana Irrigation Development Authority and Farmers Co-operative Societies whilst that of Crops Research Institute had an irrigation unit responsible for the irrigation scheme. The research revealed that 70.6% and 92% of farmers at Subinja and Akumanda Irrigation Schemes respectively, lacks access to credit facilities from financial institutions. However funds for irrigation projects at Crops Research Institute are provided by donors (WAAPP, AGRA, DONATA etc) and the Government of Ghana. The soils at the three study areas are sandy loamy and needs to be improve in other to enhance crop production. The yields at Crops Research Institute-Irrigation Scheme are higher than that of Akumanda and Subinja Irrigation Schemes because of better management of the irrigation scheme and good agronomic practices. The research recommended that irrigation must be carried out early in the morning or late afternoon to avoid high wind speed leading to non-uniformity watering of crops.

Source: KNUST
Management of obsolete chemicals

Most educational institutions in Ghana have hundreds of chemicals in their stores, but few of them know what they have and where they are located. Hazardous chemicals accumulate when there is no tracking system and no disposal plan or when there are changes in staff and /or in curriculum. Industrial donations can compound the problem. With gradual increase of unused chemicals, space and sorting of chemicals becomes a problem in the stores and as a result, newly acquired chemicals are either kept on shelves or benches along side old stocks. Other personnel resort to dumping of chemicals at one corner on the store floors, thus reeking the stores. In this study, quantities of current and obsolete chemicals were inventoried from the stores of Biological Department, Chemistry Department and Pharmacy Department, all of KNUST and also from Anglican Senior High School, Kumasi High Senior High School, and Technology Senior High school in Kumasi. Qualitative analysis and melting point determination were conducted on some of the chemicals to ascertain their chemical and physical properties. The melting point determination was done using Electro-thermal melting point apparatus. Of the total weight of 1,082.7 kg of chemicals inventoried, 886.9 kg representing 81.9% was found to be obsolete and were grouped as; products requiring further testing and products that were definitely obsolete. The total weight of products requiring further testing was 42.7 kg and comprised of; 22.3 kg of acids, 10.7 kg of base and 5.4 kg neutral products. The remaining 4.4 kg could not be opened by hand due to the rusty nature of the caps. The total weight of products that were definitely obsolete was 844.2 kg and consisted of; 101.8 kg of corrosive chemicals, 28.8 kg of explosives, 102.0 kg of flammable/combustible, 61.5 kg of oxidizing materials, 19.0 kg of reactive, 235.1 kg of toxic/poison, 171.3 kg of non-hazardous, and 124.0 kg of unclassified products. The results revealed that the generation of obsolete chemicals for the tertiary level on average was about 6 times higher than that for the senior high schools. Another finding was that the obsolete chemicals found in the stores could be classified as toxic, corrosive, reactive, explosive, oxidizing, highly inflammable or non-hazardous in nature. Due to the hazardous nature of the chemicals found, the quantities and economic considerations, proper disposal method of these chemicals have been proposed in this work.

Source: KNUST
Management of Obsolete Chemicals

Most educational institutions in Ghana have hundreds of chemicals in their stores, but few of them know what they have and where they are located. Hazardous chemicals accumulate when there is no tracking system and no disposal plan or when there are changes in staff and br in curriculum. Industrial donations can compound the problem. With gradual increase of unused chemicals, space and sorting of chemicals becomes a problem in the stores and as a result, newly acquired chemicals are either kept on shelves or benches along side old stocks. Other personnel resort to dumping of chemicals at one corner on the store floors, thus wreaking the stores. In this study, quantities of current and obsolete chemicals were inventoried from the stores of Biological Department, Chemistry Department and Pharmacy Department, all of KNUST and also from Anglican Senior High School, Kumasi High Senior High School, and Technology Senior High school in Kumasi. Qualitative analysis and melting point determination were conducted on some of the chemicals to ascertain their chemical and physical properties. The melting point determination was done using Electro-thermal melting point apparatus. Of the total weight of 1,082.7 kg of chemicals inventoried, 886.9 kg representing 81.9% was found to be obsolete and were grouped as; products requiring further testing and products that were definitely obsolete. The total weight of products requiring further testing was 42.7 kg and comprised of; 22.3 kg of acids, 10.7 kg of base and 5.4 kg neutral products. The remaining 4.4 kg could not be opened by hand due to the rusty nature of the caps. The total weight of products that were definitely obsolete was 844.2 kg and consisted of; 101.8 kg of corrosive chemicals, 28.8 kg of explosives, 102.0 kg of flammable/combustible, 61.5 kg of oxidizing materials, 19.0 kg of reactive, 235.1 kg of toxic/poison, 171.3 kg of non-hazardous, and 124.0 kg of unclassified products. The results revealed that the generation of obsolete chemicals for the tertiary level on average was about 6 times higher than that for the senior high schools. Another finding was that the obsolete chemicals found in the stores could be classified as toxic, corrosive, reactive, explosive, oxidizing, highly inflammable or non-hazardous in nature. Due to the hazardous nature of the chemicals found, the quantities and economic considerations, proper disposal method of these chemicals have been proposed in this work.

Source: KNUST
The management of occupational health and safety in the timber industry within Ashanti Region - Ghana

All humans have a tendency towards having accidents at one time or another in their lifetime. Such accidents may occur either on-the-job or off-the-job account for the high incidence of occupational injury records within the Timber Industry in Ghana. Factors affecting such accidents include the lack of safety implements for worker within the industry, safety policies which are not adhered to within the industry, use of obsolete machines, lack of proper training for workers, outmoded laws that make it unreasonable for safety inspectors to prosecute employers among others. Workgroups most affected by occupational injuries (in this study injuries and accidents are used interchangeably) within the timber industry in Ghana are labourers and machine operators. These classes of workers account for more than 50% of all injuries recorded within the industry. Various approaches employed to minimise losses arising from such injuries include the Engineering Approach, the Line and Staff Approaches, as well as the Selection Approach. The Engineering Approach aims at a redesign of machinery in order to enhance workplace safety, while the Line and Staff Approaches employs Line Managers and Supervisors as well as other auxiliary staff such as Safety Officers to enhance workplace safety. The Selection Approach employs the use of validation studies in the staffing process in order to detect the accident-prone. Results of the study showed that while labourers were the most affected by occupational injuries such as the traumatic amputation of the limbs, officers and clerical staff within the same industry were least affected by occupational injuries. Workers who were conscious of their safety needs therefore bought their own safety gadgets. Workmen’s compensation in event of any occupational injuries or fatalities proved to be far below the hospital ward and drug charges, although most of such charges were unapproved. It is therefore hoped that government and all bodies that protect the interest of workers would put in measures that would safeguard this situation. Such policies may include national safety campaigns, modified safety laws and improved safety monitoring procedures among others. It is hoped that this would go a long way not only o save the country’s scarce national resources but also to protect the lives of workers within this industry.

Source: KNUST
Management of ownership share and firm value: the moderating role of firm specific factors

The study examines the relationship between ownership share and firm value as influenced by firm specific factors on the Ghana Stock Exchange. From 2015 to 2021, the study gathered yearly series of information. To investigate relationship that exist between ownership share and firm value as influenced by firm specific factors, the study used a quantitative technique and a sample of 28 companies that were listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange. The study also gathered information on firms from audited annual reports, and it gathered information about performance from the Ghana Stock Exchange fact book, the GSE profile of listed companies, and the audited annual report. To analyze the data for the study, inferential analysis on the other adopted the regression and correlation with analysis of variance to test hypothesis was employed to further corroborate the results from the descriptive statistics. The results showed that the test of significance of the relationship that exits between management share ownership and firm value as influenced by firm growth. The study recommended whether the relationship between management ownership and firm value is nonlinear or not, the study suggests that it be made more robust by increasing the data or changing the variables.

Source: KNUST
Management of pollution and hazards associated with Road Construction projects in Urban Communities in Ghana. (a case study in Kumasi)

The aim of this work was to identify the severity of pollution and or hazards on urban environment during road construction projects and the challenges the Environmental Protection Agency faces in the enforcement of pollution mitigation measures with the introduction of the Environmental Assessment Regulation,1999(LI 1652). In order to enhance economic development and improve the quality of life of people, roads are built to facilitate the movement of goods and services. The construction of these roads is however associated with environmental pollution and hazards which affects the health and well being of the people living in the urban communities. The researcher achieved the goals of this research through an interview with the EPA and administration of questionnaires to some selected urban road construction managers in the Kumasi Metropolis. The Relative Importance Index was then used to capture the weights of various factors within a specified method or strategy. This led to the following findings, firstly it was identified that the major challenge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) faces is the lack of adequate resources to intensify its monitoring duties on the various urban road construction sites. The study revealed that although all the seven factors of pollution considered in this work contributed to pollution during urban road construction in Ghana but the most prominent sources of pollution were noise pollution, ground movement and then pollution from dust generation. It was further identified that best mitigation measures for controlling pollution were mostly used on the sites but the frequency of its usage was not adequate enough hence the pollution of the urban environment. It is therefore recommended firstly that road construction managers develop better environmental management plan on sites. It is also recommended that issues of pollution prevention be a priority to the Government and hence allocate more resources to the Environmental Protection Agency to intensify its monitoring duties.

Source: KNUST
Management of Root Knot Nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) on tomato with Castor Bean (Ricinus communis) Aqueous Extracts

Apart from high cost, increased concern for environmental and health hazards has called for a reduction in the use of synthetic nematicides for nematode control. Experiments were, therefore, conducted to ascertain the nematicidal potential of castor bean’s crude extract and its seven lower concentrations, water being used as control. In vitro studies in Petri dishes showed that castor bean extract and all the different concentrations had toxic effect on eggs and juveniles of root–knot nematodes. Egg hatch inhibition and juvenile mortality decrease with increased dilution of the extract. With an increase in exposure time, juvenile mortality increased. Plant house pot experiments were conducted to observe the effect of the extracts on root-knot nematodes and some growth parameters of tomato plants. The seedlings were either dipped, side-drenched or a combination of both with different concentrations of castor bean extracts. Results showed that plant height, stem girth, fresh shoot and root weights of extract-treated plants were significantly different (P=0.5) from those of the control plants. Numbers of root-knot juveniles and galls on the roots of the extract-treated plants were significantly different (P=0.5) from those of the control. A field trial gave contrary results from those of the plant house experiments. There was no significant difference (P=0.05) between plant height, mean gall score and mean number of juveniles from the tomato roots of all the treatments. The crude castor bean extract was nematotoxic to root-knot nematodes in vitro and potted tomato plants. Aqueous extract of castor bean can, therefore, be used by farmers to manage root-knot nematodes in the nursery before transplanting.

Source: KNUST
Management of refractive errors and low vision among basic school children in Atwima District

The study sought to discuss the management of refractive errors and low vision among basic school children in the Atwima District. A sample of 1,177 public basic school children aged between 5-19 years was randomly selected from ten basic schools for examination. Thirteen (13) key informants in the district were purposively selected form the GES, GHS and opinion leaders. Data were collected through vision screening of the school children and in-depth interviews with the key informants. The prevalence of refractive errors among the school children was 5.7% while one or more path logical conditions were found in 24.6% of the pupils screened. The commonest ocular condition was allergic conjunctivitis with 12.1% of the children suffering from that disease. Only two pupils (%) suffered from low vision. None was blind in both despite the prevalence of vision impairment among basic school children in the study area; there is no eye care professional resident in the district. Patients with ocular conditions hardly report to the health facilities. They usually travel to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) eye clinic in Kumasi. An eye care outreach team from Offinso Hospital visits the Nyinahin Government Hospital on monthly basic; however, their target is not the school children. Stakeholders had agreed to collaborate with the Department of optometry and Visual Science of the KNUST to visit the schools regularly to manage the refractive errors and other minor ocular conditions of the school children in the district.

Source: KNUST
Management of school health education programme in some public basic schools in Adansi West District’

The research was conducted to assess the management of School Health Education Programme in some public schools in the Adansi West District. The data was collected from School Health Committee members, using a pre-tested interview guide. Information was collected on planning, organizing, directing and controlling. The findings of the study showed that almost all the schools in the district had problems with management. The data from the study on planning revealed that almost all the schools did not use relevant data and also stakeholders’ active involvement in the planning of SHEP activities was very low. Notably, a large proportion of the schools had more of their funding from irregular sources which made budgeting very difficult. Also, almost all the schools did not have a work plan to guide their activities. The study further revealed that majority of the schools had no formal organizational structure. There were also inadequate resources to ensure implementation of programmes to the end of the term. The training of personnel recruited for SHEP was not much to write home about. This is because most of most them had no management training to enable them manage the programme satisfactorily. The level of motivation was very low among the members in charge of SHEP activities especially in terms of extrinsic motivation. The study also revealed that; the senior member did not delegate authority to most of the junior members. The consequence of this attitude was that most of the managers had a lot tasks piled up, resulting in the slow progress of the programme. Besides, the controlling function was not without problems. Monitoring of SHEP activities was very low and the people involved were also not best suited for it. The programme has also not been evaluated in most of the schools at time of the survey. In view of the finding above, effective management skills should be applied to ensure SHEP exerts the expected impact in the District.

Source: KNUST