Expansion of Budgetary to Public Universities in Ghana Case: University of Development Studies

The success of the university as a whole depends heavily on the administration and upkeep of its facilities. When taking a closer look, however, it becomes clear that increasing financial resources at the University for Development Studies (UDS) is crucial but constrained, as there are only two budget lines that cover all university expenses. The university's budgetary allocation needs to be expanded, so it needs to look far afield for ways to involve other relevant stakeholders in the planning process. This paper assesses whether or not the government provides funding for university infrastructure projects, and whether or not individual schools receive funding for their own expansion. Research techniques, such as structured questionnaires, were used for data collection and analysis, and both qualitative and quantitative approaches were taken. According to the data, 67.5% of people feel that the government does not help with infrastructure. A total of 47.5% of the university's infrastructure needs were found to be within the purview of the Ministry of Finance, making it the most directly relevant governmental agency. It was also found that 77.5% of respondents disagreed that there are funds set aside for expansion projects within the health school. It was found that 77.5% of respondents from the school of applied economics agreed that funding should be made available for the growth of medical and health science schools. They should have a budgetary allocation from the government to improve upon infrastructure development and staff development, and it is recommended that the government initiate policies that are geared toward bringing support to the university in order to enhance and or support its infrastructure development, such as laboratories, the construction of new lecture halls, libraries, and information centres, and direct budgetary allocations from the government. Keywords: Budgetary allocation, expanding, government, development. DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/13-16-04 Publication date:August 31st 202

Evaluating Entrepreneurs Competency on the Growth of Small Scale Businesses in the Cape Coast Metropolis

The study evaluated entrepreneur’s competency on the growth of small scale businesses. The study, among other objectives, sought to examine the competencies of entrepreneurs in terms of (education, related job experience, knowledge and skills and training), examined the association between entrepreneurs competency on the growth of small businesses and determined competency development strategies and the associated challenges among entrepreneurs in the Mechanic and Beautician sectors in the Cape Coast Metropolis. The study employed a cross-sectional study design. It involved two hundred (200) entrepreneurs. Questionnaire and interview guide were used to collect data. Results were analysed using descriptive statistics. Chi-square test was also used to find out the associations between variables.It was found that almost all the entrepreneurs had at least basic education. Also, greater parts of the entrepreneurs were adjudged to be mainly competent based on their levels of education, working experience, knowledge and skills and training they had. In addition, the findings confirmed that education, job related experience, knowledge and skill as well as training were significantly associated with the growth dimensions (growth in sales, growth in profit, growth in market share, customer satisfaction, employee retention and increased in number of employees.). On-the-job training in the form of apprenticeship was the most important strategy used by the entrepreneurs. However, high cost of training and lack of support from government and other agencies were upsetting their efforts. It is recommended that government should perk up its support for these artisans to enhance their performance and growth. The on-the-job training approach should be sustained due to its associated advantages over the off-the-job type. Keywords: human capital, small scale business, development, competency, entrepreneur

The impact of intermediate means of transports (IMTs) on agricultural production and marketing in coastal Ghana: evidence from a pilot IMT action research project

Transport is a critical input for agricultural production and marketing. The past three decades have been challenging for the development of efficient transport systems in developing countries. Huge funds and efforts have been devoted to the conventional transport sector but this has clearly had limited impact on accessibility or mobility. Most farmers continue to depend on walking and headloading to move their produce between farms and markets. This hinders the development of agriculture and efficient marketing systems. Intermediate Means of Transports (IMTs) are now seen by many development agencies as a viable option that could induce greater mobility and improve accessibility and help improve agriculture, marketing and other livelihood means in developing areas. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of IMTs on agricultural production and marketing in mral areas, focussing on Gomoa District in the Central Region of Ghana. The study examines the impact of a small action research project which involved introduction of selected IMTs in off-road villages. It examines the influence of IMTs over a twenty month period on farm size, location, distribution, productivity patterns, labour and gender issues, utilising a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods. The study observed some IMT influence on labour productivity, labour availability and mobility, farm location and distribution, cropping pattern, marketed output and access to markets, though a relatively longer period of time is required in order to fully assess their impact than was available to this study. The impact of IMT on farming was influenced by social relationships, physical characteristics of the villages, including physical access conditions, and the economic and financial conditions of farmers. The influence of IMTs on crop marketing was larger in areas where routes to markets are poor, distance to markets are short, conventional transport service are poor and load volumes are large

Institutional Conflict in Employee Output, Absenteeism and Turnover

Abstract This study aimed to examine the effect of conflict on employee output, absenteeism and turnover. The study was quantitative, and the design was a descriptive survey. The population for the study was stratified, and the study participants were selected randomly. The instrument was a questionnaire, and the IBM SPSS version 22 was used to generate the results for discussion. The study revealed that conflict adversely influences employee performance and also accounts for frequent employee absenteeism, low output and turnover. One implication for leadership from the study is that workplace conflicts significantly affect employee output, absenteeism and turnover. Each employee faces different conflicts that must be understood and resolved. By implication, organisational leaders must design jobs appropriately for employees to prevent duplications and foster peaceful collaboration among employees. This will help them build trust among themselves at the workplace. This will reduce interpersonal, relationship and task-related conflicts within the organisation. This will minimise conflict and its dysfunctional consequences on the employees and the organisation. Literature on the conflict in higher institutions appears to be scarce in Ghana. This study is different as it examines the relationship between conflict and employee performance using work output, absenteeism and turnover in technical universities in Ghana

Integrated soil nutrient management option for sustainable yam production

A study was conducted at the on-station in Fumesua (Forest) and Ejura (Forest-Savannah transition) of Ghana to evaluate integrated soil nutrient management approach on soil and yam productivity. A split-factorial design with two preceding systems (Pigeon pea and Yam) as main plot treatments and a factorial of poultry manure (0, 3 and 6 t ha-1) and chemical fertilizer (0, 15 - 15 - 20, and 30 - 30 - 40 kg ha-1 N-P2O5-K2O) as subplot treatments. The results of the study revealed significant (P < 0.05) interaction between preceding system, poultry manure and chemical fertilizer on fresh tuber yields. When yam followed pigeon pea as preceding crop, tuber yields were higher, and yields from 3 t ha-1 poultry manure and 15 - 15 - 20 kg ha-1 N-P2O5-K2O were similar to yields when manure and chemical fertilizer were doubled to 6 t ha-1 and 30-30-40 kg ha-1 N-P2O5-K2O. Also when yam followed pigeon pea, the cost benefit ratio showed that Gh 1.00 farmer investment in yam production resulted a profit of Gh 1.65 and Gh 2.22 in addition to the Gh 1.00 invested capital for both Fumesua and Ejura communities respectively. The study suggests integrated nutrient management approach with preceding systems such as pigeon pea (16,667 plants ha-1) and 3 t ha-1 poultry manure would reduce the chemical fertilizer requirement to a third for sustainable yam production on continuously cropped fields.Key words : Integration, legumes, climate change, Ghana

Examining the Factors Influencing the Achievement of IT-Business Alignment in a Developing Economy: Evidence from Ghanaian Public Universities

The purpose of this study was to qualitatively assess the state of information technology (IT) business alignment among Ghanaian universities and to identify factors that influence the achievement of four key dimensions of the concept. Studies show that factors influencing the achievement of the concept remain underexplored and research coverage for both developing economies and the higher education sector trails behind other sectors and developed economies. A two-round online Delphi technique was employed to elicit responses from personnel in IT leadership positions using Schlosser et al. (2012) alignment dimensions model as a lens. Findings suggest that IT investment is often aligned with institutional goals and that IT-business artifact mapping, IT-business partnerships, closing the IT-business communication gap, and technical skills and knowledge of IT staff are among key factors that influence the achievement of the intellectual, social, human, and environmental dimensions of IT-business alignment, respectively. Implications are also discussed

The tourism sector, development policy and inequalities in the development of the Eastern Cape

This study on the relations between tourism policies and the tourism development conditions in the Eastern Cape of South Africa is a contribution to the on-going research projects on the transformation that has taken place in the post-1994 development process of South Africa. One theme associated with these studies relates to the important roles that have been played by public bodies in influencing the nature of the transformation in the development of South Africa. The study is based on the expectation that the current policies can open up more investments and other opportunities in the tourism sector to the benefit of the provincial economy. To find out the concrete nature of the changes associated with the current tourism development policies, data collection was organized from six groups of stakeholders in the tourism sector of the 39 local municipalities of the Eastern Cape Province. The use of factor analysis led to the identification of five hierarchies or clusters indicating the levels of inequalities in the tourism development of the province. To obtain an understanding of the processes behind the observed inequalities, the stakeholders were given the opportunity to disclose their concrete activities as they related to the policies. The findings indicate that generally, much has changed since 1994, as a result of the levelling of the playing field in the tourism sector for both the producers and consumers in the industry. It is recommended, however, that measured in terms of the maximum benefits that could be derived from the provincial tourism sector, the government officials associated with the tourism sector in particular need to provide more effective leadership in the implementation of the current tourism development policies. The thrust of the study is that the tourism policies in the Eastern vii Cape can only generate the maximum positive benefits if, inter alia, all the stakeholders in the tourism industry are empowered to produce at their maximum.GeographyD. Litt. et Phil. (Geography

The Positive Dimension of Informal Relations on Organizations’ Performance: The Case of KNUST Banks

This study examined the impact of informal relations on banks (Eco bank, Stanchart, United Bank for Africa, Barclays, Ghana Commercial Bank, and Cal Bank) at KNUST campus. Social survey was the design used for this study. The population of study was all workers of all banks on KNUST Campus. The sample size for the study was fifty-four (54) consisting of six (6) managers and forty-eight (48) working staff from the various banks. The simple random sampling technique was employed to select the sample. Additionally, purposive sampling technique, which is a non-probability sampling method, was used to select the various managers who participated in the study. The data used for this study included both primary and secondary. Closed ended questions were used to collect the primary data. In analysing the data collected from the field, both quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis were employed. From the study, it was evident that employees who interacted informally and participated in informal groups increased their capacity to be creative and express new ideas, which positively reflected in their performance. Again, it became known that informal relations complemented the formal structure by safeguarding the organization from self-destruction that would result from literal obedience to the formal policies, rules, regulations, and procedures. It was recommended that managers should critically look at informal relations and explore means that encourage employees to relate informally in relation to the objectives of the organization. In addition, managers should make efforts to check rumours since untrue information perpetuated by dissatisfied employees can affect the morale of other employees. It must be emphasized that informal relations is a natural, social and psychological need of employees and therefore managers need to study the informal group to discover ways in which the interests of informal groups can combine with the interest of the formal organization for higher productivity Keywords: Positive, Productive, Organization, Informal Relations, Performance, Networ

Multivariate regionalization of economic development in Transkei.

Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, 1992.In recent years, increasing attention has been devoted to the inequalities in development of countries, especially the third world countries, in formulating national development plans. Geographers interested in the regional dimension of development, now take greater cognisance of issues related to inequalities in development. This thesis is a contribution to the growing area of regional development. It investigates the spatial dimension of development and its associated variations. Transkei has been selected for this study because of its historical past as a "child" of separate development policy of South Africa and as a third world country. The separate development policy and its dependence on its former colonial power, have contributed in evolving inequalities in the spatial pattern of development. Past development plans have failed to produce balanced development. There is, therefore, a need to evaluate the existing factors that have produced these inequalities to see if a different strategy can be adopted to correct the existing inequalities. Transkei's 28 districts were used in this study, based on 19 variables. Factor and Cluster Analyses were the analytical techniques used. The investigation's results are as follows: 1. The factors underlying the relationships between the 19 variables were found to reflect three broad factors: Agglomeration, Industrialization and Education factors, with contributions of 72.36%, 8.24% and 6.47% respectively, to the total variance. 2. These factors were observed to owe their existence to institutional and traditional factors with their particular spatial patterns. The districts associated with the agglomeration and industrialization factors were found to be relatively more developed, forming patterns similar to the letter Y. The districts associated strongly with the education factor, have little development potential and forms a continuous belt running from the north west through central to the eastern coast and a compact block to the south. 3. Five major development groups obtained from the application of cluster analysis, represent a broad framework within which the inequalities of development in Transkei could be discussed. From the findings, it has been proposed that the institutional and traditional factors would have to undergo major changes, if considerable balance in the spatial development of Transkei could be achieved

An Assessment of Tax Compliance Level of Small Enterprises in Ghana

In the wake of fiscal consolidation and the quest to maximise government revenue for economic development, it is vital to assess the tax compliance level of firms. An understanding of the behaviour and compliance level of businesses provides important policy implications for tax reformations and revenue mobilisation. This paper assesses the tax compliance level of small businesses in the Sunyani Municipality. The study uses a total sample size of 500 small businesses. Using Probit regression models, our findings show that lack of tax education, computational issues and lack of book keeping negatively influence the level of tax compliance amongst small businesses in Ghana.  The results also show that age, duration of business operations, liability assessment and business incorporation are important factors that influence tax compliance among small businesses.  We conclude that continuous tax education at the local level would improve small businesses tax compliance level in Ghana. Keywords: Ghana; Sunyani Municipality; Taxation; Tax compliance; Tax educatio