Implications of Monitoring and Evaluation Systems for SMEs in some Selected Metropolis in Ghana

The purpose of this research was to examine how monitoring and evaluation systems affect small and medium-sized businesses in selected Ghanaian metropolises. The research design used was explanatory. The population for this study comprised owner-managers of SMEs in Ghana captured in the GEA and the AGI databases. From these two sources, a sampling frame was created for those in the selected metropolis. This gave a total population size of 1,189. For this frame, a sample of 423 SMEs was selected comprising SMEs from the Sunyani, Accra, Kumasi, Cape Coast, and Tamale metropolitan areas. The sample size for the study was 423 SMEs. The primary data collection tool was a self-administered questionnaire. Data was collected, cleaned, and coded before being entered into statistical software programs like SPSS and Smart-PLS. For the study\u27s key findings, it was noted that the SMEs that took part in the study had monitoring and evaluation practices in place. The third and fourth objectives showed that monitoring and evaluation systems had a significant effect on both business resilience and business sustainability, respectively. It was discovered that monitoring and evaluation systems had a large and favourable effect on business growth and the digitalisation business respectively, for objectives 5 and 6. The study recommended that managers of SMEs within the selected area improve upon their monitoring and evaluation systems. This will increase the effect it will have on their resilience, growth, sustainability and digitalisation

Modelling Fiscal Sustainability in the Middle East and North African Region: A Pooled Mean Group Approach

This paper assesses the sustainability of fiscal policies in a panel of eight Middle East and North African countries over the period 1990 – 2010. Employing recent panel unit root and co-integration techniques, we find that fiscal policies are consistent with inter-temporal budget balance in accordance with the present value approach. The Pooled Mean Group estimator shows that there was no significant causality between government revenues and expenditures in the short-run. However, there is a long-run fiscal synchronization which demonstrates that fiscal sustainability strategies should aim at increasing revenues and cutting spending concurrently to avoid fiscal deficits and its attending problems such as high taxation, reduced savings and investments

The Impact of Socio-Cultural Systems on the Growth of Small Family Businesses in Ghana

The role of small and medium enterprises in Ghana cannot be overemphasized.  They provide the bulk of income for people in most of the deprived communities in the country. In rural Ghana, SMEs are the main source of employment, contribute to community and national development, and serve as a basis of entrepreneurial development.  Although statistics on the actual contribution of SMEs to GDP is not readily available, it is assume to contribute significantly to national income. To capture the contribution of small businesses to national output, it is often computed as part of private sector contribution to national output.  In Ghana, most of the small businesses operate as family owned venture.  Two important issues motivated the study. First, few empirical works have been done on family businesses as a breeding ground for some larger companies locally.  Second, the studies in small businesses have been limited to the few firms that are registered with the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) and sometimes the Registrar of Companies, leaving out the significant contribution of other small size family businesses that are not registered. The study therefore seeks to determine how socio-cultural systems affect most of the non-registered SMEs’ growth, as well as well as assess their role in poverty alleviation. The survey technique is employed. Questionnaires were administered to 200 purposively selected small businesses from a selected town in the northern, middle and southern parts of Ghana. Analysis is done using descriptive and inferential statistics. It was found that family business growth is influenced by socio-cultural factors. The study suggests the integration of cultures that promote business growth into the management of small businesses in Ghana. Keywords: Socio-Cultural Systems, Growth, Small Family Businesses, Ghan

Gender and Ethical Behaviour of Accounting Students: An Empirical Evidence of University of Cape Coast

This study examined the difference between gender and ethical behaviour of accounting students. The study covered University of Cape Coast level 400 accounting students. Descriptive survey was employed to achieve the objective of the study. Stratified and simple random sampling technique was used to sample 200 respondents for the study. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed. It was revealed that ethical beliefs of the respondents were influenced mainly by their ‘Religion’. Additionally, this present study found no significant difference in mean in the ethical sensitivity of male and female accounting students. Furthermore, the outcome of the study conducted on gender and ethical behaviour revealed that, male accounting students behaves more ethical than their female counterpart though female accounting students showed higher intentions in behaving ethically. From the findings it is recommended that conscious effort should be made by lecturers to sensitise and enlighten the students on the importance of making ethical decision even when not back by law to do so, for ethics goes beyond legal actions. Secondly, ethics must not only be taught but lived by the lecturers. This is because some of the respondents did state that the lifestyle of their teachers and lecturers influence their ethical beliefs. Thirdly, managements and policymakers should establish accounting ethics as a standalone course; this will help improve the ethical behaviour of the students. Keywords: Accounting, Accounting Students, Ethics, Ethical Behaviour, Ethical Sensitivity, Gende

Analysis of Socio-Demographics of Necessity-driven Entrepreneurs in Selected Cities in Ghana

The study analysed the dynamics of necessity-driven entrepreneurs, using the sociological approach to start-ups. The paper explored the risk appetite and the entrepreneurial potential of those involved in the street hawking business. Utilising the sequential transformative design, structured interviews were used to collect data from 306 street hawkers in Accra, Kumasi, and Cape Coast. Subsequently, 25 follow-up interviews were conducted, using a structured interview guide. Data were collected over ten months due to the complex nature of the respondents of the study. Descriptive statistics and texts were used to analyse the data. The results indicated that the majority of the respondents had only basic education or no formal education. Furthermore, the respondents were mostly women and young people without formal jobs nor any means of livelihood. The study has implications for policy on education, especially basic and adult education, as several of the respondents barely have basic education. There needs to be a social intervention programme to equip the street hawkers with the right employable skills to help develop their skills and promote the growth of their businesses. The paper also makes a case for nurturing their skills as a means of poverty alleviation

A Comparative Study of the Quality of Wastewater from Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) Against EPA Standards and its Effect on the Environment

The proliferation of industrialization has resulted in increased wastewater generation and its disposal has rapidly been of serious concern in recent times to environmental scientists. The discharge of these untreated or partially treated effluents into the environment, especially, surface water poses a great threat to the environment and also causes adverse human health. Industrial wastewater may contain high levels of contaminants such as suspended, colloidal and dissolved minerals, inert organic matter, heavy metals, possible pathogenic bacteria which might be either excessively acidic or alkaline in a way that may  have negative impact on all forms of life in the environment. This study was therefore conducted to determine the treated effluent quality of Tema (Ghana) Oil Refinery against the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency (EPA standards and also assess its impact on the environment. Samples of the effluents discharged from the refinery were taken and analyzed for physico-chemical parameters as well as Heavy Metals; lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), chromium(Cr), vanadium (V), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu) and iron (Fe) for three consecutive months and their mean values compared with EPA standard. The results revealed that, all the heavy metals were within the standard of the EPA regulatory standard but mean conductivity was very high with a mean value of 10399.0 as against 1500. Also a high TDS mean value of 5358.67mg/l was recorded as against the EPA standard of 1000mg/l. Unsatisfactory mean levels of BOD and COD which reflected the organic load in the water were recorded. The BOD value was found to be 60mg/l as against the EPA standard of 50mg/l while COD value was 423.7mg/l which was far above the EPA standard of 250mg/l. It is therefore recommended that, the wastewater treatment unit of the Tema Oil Refinery should be revamped to enhance the control of contaminant levels of the final effluent discharged into the environment. Keywords: Tema Oil Refinery; environment; wastewater; regulatory bodies; waste management; Environmental Protection Agenc

Effect of capital inflows on financial development in Ghana

The study examines the effect of capital inflows on financial development in Ghana. The study employs the Johansen and Juselius multivariate cointegration approach in analysing the interactions between the variables using annual data spanning 1970 to 2014. The results show foreign direct investment (FDI), external debt, and remittance inflows have significant negative impact on financial development in the long run. Furthermore, there was significant negative relationships between external debt, remittance inflows, and financial development in the short run. However, the relationship between FDI and financial development in the short run was not significant. The study was only limited to Ghana. However, the study will help countries particularly developing countries in analysing inflows of capital and their effect on the development of financial sector for policy purposes. Furthermore, this study provides avenues for policy makers to properly formulate policies containing capital inflows for effective financial sector development. Also, the study will help policy makers in terms of how issues of capital flight must be addressed and how to take pragmatic steps to channel remittances inflows to productive sectors of the economy

Barriers to Adherence to Diet and Exercise Recommendation amongst Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

Diet modification and exercise require commitment to long term established behavioural change and are often very difficult. The study aimed at assessing the barriers to adherence to diet and exercise recommendations among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) patients seeking healthcare at Agogo Presbyterian Hospital, Ghana. A sample size of 212 respondents aged ≥30 years who have been diagnosed of Type 2 DM for at least one year were sampled using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. The data collected was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. The study revealed that rates of non-adherence were 34.9% and 19.3% for diet and exercise respectively. Reasons for exercise  non-adherence included inadequate understanding about exercise (66.0%), perception that exercise could potentially exacerbate their illness (46.4%), being far away from home (16.5%) and busy schedule (15.5%), while the main reasons for non-adherence to diet were inadequate understanding about dietary recommendations (52.3%), eating outside home (32.4%), poor self-control (17.6%), financial constraints (14.9) and situation at home (12.1%). The study also found a strong positive correlation (r=0.984*, p<0.05) between respondents’ age and adherence to exercise recommendation. It is recommended that education on the type of exercise, time and duration of the exercise and the different food combinations for the Type 2 DM should be intensified in diabetic clinics. Keywords: Aerobic, Barriers, Diabetes, Diet and Exercise, Adherence

Experiences of depression among African immigrant men in southern Alberta, Canada

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of depression among African immigrant men in Southern Alberta. The study adopted an exploratory descriptive qualitative research design using focused semi-structured interviews with ten African immigrant men. Thematic analysis showed that African men went through episodes of sadness and frustrations due to intersection of challenges post-migration, which negatively impacted both their physical and mental health. However, instead of seeking professional help, they employed a series of coping mechanisms to mitigate, tolerate, or overcome the mental distress. It was evident that African men’s cultural constructions around masculinity influenced how they perceived, interpreted, and expressed their mental distress. Culture and masculinity also shaped their strategies for coping with the mental distress and behaviour towards help-seeking. It is recommended that stakeholders and policy makers apply cultural safety approaches to support African immigrant men to enhance their mental well-being