FINANCIAL STRATEGIES OF FAMILY BUSINESSES: A STUDY OF GHANAIAN OWNED SHOPS IN LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

Purpose: This study explores and investigates factors, motives and their interactions that influence strategic financial decisions of Ghanaian family shops in London relative to their business growth aspirations. The focus is to understand the ‘why’ of their strategic financial choices as migrant family firms which had been given little attention. The study, therefore attempts to identify how family and culture, entrepreneurial behaviours and the host country environment interact to influence the financial decision maker.   Approach: Using a qualitative methodological approach, including a 56 semi structured in-depth interviews, observations and analysis of other internal and external factors, this study found evidence to suggest that there was a need for micro and macro level analysis of financial decisions made if the Ghanaian shop owners in London were to be holistically understood.   Result: The study found evidence of ‘economic’ factors, family values, socio -cultural factors, host country policies and networks as the critical drivers of financial decisions. The findings indicate that the Ghanaian business owners had their definition of ‘economic’ factors which interplayed with some cultural memories in their decision-making process. Principally, two main cognitions were identified (family view versus professional view) in the final analysis. Implication: The core conclusion for policy makers from these limited research findings suggest that the suppliers of finance (banks or other institutions) should understand the meaning of ‘economic’ factors in consultation with the target group and not assume. Additionally, inculcating family opinions in the design of policies were found to be necessary. Policy makers could better engage the community, to manage their potential expectations by channelling much needed support for them through formal and informal networks. Lastly, the Ghanaian government could take advantage of the importation aspect of the shop operations inferring from the significant potential economic benefits that could be accrued. Limitation: The invisibility of the Ghanaian community in the UK is a key limitation on these research findings. Furthermore, the restricted sample, limited to London, UK may adversely affect the generalization of the study. However, it can be the basis for future repeated qualitative studies and for a large quantitative study.  Keywords:  Migrant entrepreneurial behaviour, financial decisions and strategies, Family business, Ghanaian entrepreneur, Culture, Networks, socioeconomic environment, UK

Artificial intelligence techniques for predicting tidal effects based on geographic locations in Ghana

Tidal forces as a result of attraction of external bodies (Sun, Moon and Stars) through gravity and are a source of noise in many geoscientific field observations. The solid earth tides cause deformation. This deformation results in displacement in geographic positions on the surface of the earth. The displacement due to tidal effects can result in deformation of engineering structures, loss of lives, and economic cost. Tidal forces also help in detecting other environmental and tectonic signals. This study quantifies the effects of solid earth tides on stationary survey controls in five regions of Ghana. The study is in two stages: firstly, the solid earth tides were estimated for each control by a geometric approach (combining Navier’s equation of motion and Love theories). Secondly, estimation using two artificial intelligence methods (Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) and Backpropagation Artificial Neural Network (ANN)). Based on statistical indices of Mean Square Error (MSE) and Correlation Coefficient (R), BPANN, and MARS models can be used as a realistic alternative technique in quantifying solid earth tides for the study area. The MSE and R (MSE; BPANN = 1.3249 × 10–04 and MSE; MARS = 2.2052 × 10–06; R; BPANN = –0.6067 and R; MARS 0.6570) values indicate that MARS outperforms BPANN in quantifying solid earth tides in the study area. BPANN and MARS can be used as an efficient tool for quantifying tidal values based on geographic positions for geodetic deformation studies within the study area

Effect of Urban Growth on Urban Thermal Environment: A Case Study of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana

The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana has been experiencing fast urban growth over the past two decade. This urban growth has resulted in changes in the surface cover which consequently has cause remarkable urban thermal environmental problems. This research used two multi-temporal Landsat Thematic (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) images of the years 1991 and 2008 respectively to evaluate the effect of urban growth on land surface temperature (LST) using an integrated remote sensing and GIS approach. Several remote sensing techniques were used to carry out urban growth analysis. This assisted in determining the changes that have taken place over the 17 year period. The integrated use of remote sensing and GIS was subsequently employed to analyse the effect of urban growth on surface temperature. Local climate change was also studied using multi-decade temperature data. The results showed that urban development had increased surface radiant temperature in the study area by 4.3 °C in the urban expanded areas. The results suggest that urban expansion has a certain effect on the monthly average surface temperature as well the seasonal average temperature changes of the Metropolis. Keywords: Land Surface Temperature, Urban Growth, Remote Sensing, Urban Heat Island, NDV

The Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Cadastral Mapping in Ghana-Assessing the Effect of Varying Sensor Types, Flying Height, Image Overlap and Ground Control Point Density

ABSTRACT  Context and background In Ghana the predominant method for performing cadastral surveys is through the use of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) static surveys and to a lesser extent Total Stations. This work investigates the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for performing cadastral surveys and investigate the effects of varying sensor types, flying height, image overlap and number of ground control points in the acquisition of imagery for producing acceptable cadastral maps for use in Ghana.Goal and Objectives:The main aim of this study is therefore to assess some defining parameters for the use of UAV surveys for cadastral mapping and hence suggest some guidelines for the geomatic community in Ghana. The objectives of this work are as follows:        i.          To determine in generic terms UAV types that are appropriate for cadastral mapping in Ghana      ii.          To identify some threshold flight parameters necessary for obtaining desirable accuracies for cadastral mapping from UAV data     iii.          To investigate the optimal number of ground control points necessary for accurate cadastral mapping work.Methodology:A quantitative method was adopted where two sources of primary data were used. The control dataset was obtained by using static GNSS methods to obtain the boundary coordinates of the 20-acre study area. This control data was compared to 20 different data sets of boundary coordinates obtained from UAV imagery resulting from a permutation of different UAV types, varying flight heights, forward/side overlap and number of GCP’s used for georefencing.Results:Optimal results were achieved when georeferenced with 8 Ground Control Points (GCP's) with average Root Mean Square Error (RMSEX)and RMSEY values of 1.383 ft and 1.034 ft respectively. There was no marked improvement in increasing GCP's to 12 thus a minimum of 1 GCP per 2.5 acres is suggested for georeferencing to achieve the ± 3 feet required tolerance stipulated by Surveying and Mapping Division of Ghana. The results suggest that UAV’s with sensor resolutions of 12 mega-pixels (MP) or greater are suitable and that a minimum forward lap of 70% is adequate for obtaining imagery suitable for cadastral mapping.

Integrating biomedical and herbal medicine in Ghana:experiences from the Kumasi South Hospital: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade there has been growing interest in the use of herbal medicine both in developed and developing countries. Given the high proportion of patients using herbal medicine in Ghana, some health facilities have initiated implementation of herbal medicine as a component of their healthcare delivery. However, the extent to which herbal medicine has been integrated in Ghanaian health facilities, how integration is implemented and perceived by different stakeholders has not been documented. The study sought to explore these critical issues at the Kumasi South Hospital (KSH) and outline the challenges and motivations of the integration process. METHODS: Qualitative phenomenological exploratory study design involving fieldwork observations, focus group discussion, in-depth interviews and key informants’ interviews was employed to collect data. RESULTS: Policies and protocols outlining the definition, process and goals of integration were lacking, with respondents sharing different views about the purpose and value of integration of herbal medicine within public health facilities. Key informants were supportive of the initiative. Whilst biomedical health workers perceived the system to be parallel than integrated, health personnel providing herbal medicine perceived the system as integrated. Most patients were not aware of the herbal clinic in the hospital but those who had utilized services of the herbal clinic viewed the clinic as part of the hospital. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of a regulatory policy and protocol for the integration seemed to have led to the different perception of the integration. Policy and protocol to guide the integration are key recommendations

Financing decisions of migrant family businesses: The case of a Ghanaian-owned shop in Kent

The analysis of new enterprise funding and the financial strategies once in operation has been usually associated to mainstream sources of finance for which there is a standard quantitative method of analysis that relies on readily available information such as interest rates, credit risk analysis, collateral and guarantees, business and sector performance metrics among others. These variables are usually considered at the detriment of other qualitative factors that are difficult to measure and adapt to the rational analysis methodologies generally used and accepted by financial markets and institutions: these include but are not limited to the influence of family ties, cultural traditions, social networks, human capital, and individual attitudes towards money management and financial institutions. Thus we can hypothesise that the influence of social and cultural elements will tend to be more nuanced when the financial decision-making process within the realm of an immigrant family business with transnational social networks and distinct financial goals. The aim of the paper is to share the preliminary findings of a study on the social and cultural factors influencing the financial decision making process of Ghanaian migrant family businesses in the UK. The overarching goal of the research project is to deepen our understanding of immigrant Ghanaian family businesses in the UK and the strategies they adopt when interacting with mainstream financial institutions and informal sources of funding to start up and manage their ventures. The data was obtained through face-to-face interviews with a Ghanaian shop owner in Kent and her observations and thoughts on the process of making financial decisions and developing their enterprise. This was analysed through the prism of Social Network theory and focused on influences such as family, cultural and social factors. The main elements identified as having perceptible yet varying effects on the business owner’s decision making included but were not limited financial decisions being influenced to family, cultural, social networks, and individual attitudes towards mainstream institutions. Significantly, ‘Family ties and Influence’ was the factor identified as having the most influence in the financial decision making process. The key finding of this initial research exercise was that ‘non-rational’ drivers of financial decision-making were skewed towards an internally generated process unrelated to commonly accepted business growth strategies. This is of course a very limited finding as the case study by definition signifies the information is insufficient to support a clear conclusion; however the next phase of the research exercise should provide deeper and richer data for analysis.http://emeraldgrouppublishing.com/products/journals/journals.htm?id=jfbm9pubpub

Feasibility of using Group Method of Data Handling (GMDH) approach for horizontal coordinate transformation

Machine learning algorithms have emerged as a new paradigm shift in geoscience computations and applications. The present study aims to assess the suitability of Group Method of Data Handling (GMDH) in coordinate transformation. The data used for the coordinate transformation constitute the Ghana national triangulation network which is based on the two-horizontal geodetic datums (Accra 1929 and Leigon 1977) utilised for geospatial applications in Ghana. The GMDH result was compared with other standard methods such as Backpropagation Neural Network (BPNN), Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN), 2D conformal, and 2D affine. It was observed that the proposed GMDH approach is very efficient in transforming coordinates from the Leigon 1977 datum to the official mapping datum of Ghana, i.e. Accra 1929 datum. It was also found that GMDH could produce comparable and satisfactory results just like the widely used BPNN and RBFNN. However, the classical transformation methods (2D affine and 2D conformal) performed poorly when compared with the machine learning models (GMDH, BPNN and RBFNN). The computational strength of the machine learning models’ is attributed to its self-adaptive capability to detect patterns in data set without considering the existence of functional relationships between the input and output variables. To this end, the proposed GMDH model could be used as a supplementary computational tool to the existing transformation procedures used in the Ghana geodetic reference network

Developing a Workflow for the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Cadastral Mapping in Ghana

This paper proposes a generic workflow for using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to produce acceptable cadastral plans in Ghana. This was done by firstly verifying in the field UAV restricted zones specified by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and subsequently analyzing ground and aerial survey data from two sites within the Tema Municipality. The data analyzed consisted of one set of boundary coordinate data of the sites obtained from a static Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) survey and another set from on-screen digitization of site boundaries from aerials obtained from a Mavic Air UAV weighing 430 g with a camera resolution of 12 megapixels flying at altitudes of 40 and 60 m. A comparison of the two sets of boundary coordinates data showed differences under the limit of +/-3 ft specified by the Survey and Mapping Division (SMD) of the Lands Commission of Ghana. The paper thus outlines a generic workflow as follows: (1) Determining if selected site is within a flight restricted zone (2) Undertaking field reconnaissance to determine appropriate flight parameters and ground control point locations (3) Processing UAV imagery to obtain orthomosaics (4) Performing on-screen digitizing of site boundaries from orthomosaics and (5) Obtaining accurate boundary turning point coordinates from digitized boundary. The paper concludes that this approach if accepted may be used in obtaining multiple cadastral plans within built up areas from a single UAV flight and recommends that UAV and ground control data be submitted in Geotiff and Rinex formats respectively to facilitate checks by the Examinations Unit of the SMD. Keywords: unmanned aerial vehicles, cadastral plans, ground control points, global navigation satellite system, orthomosaic DOI: 10.7176/JEES/11-2-04 Publication date: February 28th 202

Cigarette smoking during breastfeeding in Papua New Guinea: Prevalence and demographic and socio-economic predictors

Background Cigarette smoking during breastfeeding is reported to contribute to significant changes in the composition of breast milk not only by reducing its protective features but also affecting infants' response to breastfeeding and breast milk. However, studies on the prevalence of cigarette smoking and associated factors during breastfeeding are limited in Papua New Guinea (PNG). This study estimates the prevalence of cigarette smoking and its association with demographic and economic factors among breastfeeding women in PNG. Methods We used weighted survey data from the 2016-2018 PNG Demographic and Health Survey (PNGDHS). A weighted sample of 3, 822 women who were breastfeeding during the survey were included in the study. The outcome variable in the present study is current cigarette smoking. A multiple logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the association between current cigarette smoking status and socio-demographic and economic variables of breastfeeding women. The regression analysis results were reported using adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results From the weighted sample, the prevalence of cigarette smoking among breastfeeding women was 21.9%; of which 60.8% smoked daily. The mean number of cigarettes smoked in the last 24 hours preceding the survey was 6.05(SD = 5.99). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that breastfeeding women who were from the Momase (aOR: 2.337, CI: 1.786-3.058, p<0.001) and Highlands (AOR: 1.589, CI: 1.213-2.082, p = 0.001), had no religious affiliation (aOR: 3.665, CI: 1.235-10.877, p = 0.019), and households with daughters as household heads (aOR: 1.901, CI: 1.231-2.935, p = 0.004) and being in more than one union (aOR: 2.374, CI: 1.805-3.123, p<0.001) were significantly more likely to smoke cigarette compared to women from southern region, those affiliated to Anglican church, those with husband as household heads, and being in one union respectively. Conclusion Cigarette smoking among breastfeeding women in PNG is relatively high, and region of residence, religion, relationship to household head, and the number of unions remain independent predictors. Interventions should target the individual socio-economic and cultural contexts within which breastfeeding occurs

Sports anaemia and anthropometric evaluation of footballers at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)

Introduction: Sports anaemia is a physiological activity that occurs amongst footballers and may be due to poor diet, over-training, as well as an increase in plasma volume in endurance training activities. High plasma volume leads to changes in haematological parameters that may impact on endurance of footballers. The objective of the study was to determine the correlation between haematological and an-thropometric indices and their role in sports anaemia in a tropical setting. Methods: Venous blood was taken into EDTA for 12 soccer players of KNUST soccer team before training and after training for the first (W1) and fifth (W5) weeks of training sessions. Complete blood count analysis was done for each blood sample and anthropometric parameters such as height, weight, body mass index, body fat percent and lean body mass were also measured. Cross-tabulations with mean and standard deviation or median and range were computed. Paired t-test &amp; and Mann-Whitney test for parametric and non-parametric data computations were carried out and a p-value ≤ 0.05 was taken to rep-resent significant difference between data groups. Results: There was significant reduction in haemoglobin (p =0.003), haematocrit (p =0.002), mean cell volume (MCV) (p =0.034) and red blood cell (RBC) count (p=0.011) as a result of a significant expansion of plasma volume (p= 0.006). Neutrophil, lymphocyte and eosinophil counts were reduced significantly (p= 0.043, 0.001 and 0.007, respectively) after the training at W5. Lean body mass (LBM) inversely correlated with haemoglobin (r= -0.787, p= 0.002) and haematocrit (r= -0.588, p= 0.044). Body fat percentage (BFP) also negatively correlated with lymphocyte count (r= -0.700, p= 0.011). Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between body mass index (BMI) and plasma volume change after the training programme (r=0.689, p= 0.013). Conclusion: The results suggest that sports anaemia was induced by an increase in plasma volume that resulted in changes in haematological parameters.Pan African Medical Journal 2016; 2