The Relationship between Net Interest Margin and Return on Assets of Listed Banks in Ghana

The purpose of the study was to find out the trends of Net Interest Margin (NIM) and Return on Assets (ROA).  It also sought to find out the relationship between the NIM and the ROA of the listed banks in Ghana, considering the period 2005-2011. Seven out of the nine listed banks were considered for the study. The main sources of data were from the annual reports of the selected listed banks, as well as other relevant scholarly journals. Trend analysis was used to find the trend of NIM and ROA of the listed banks. Regression and correlation analyses were used to find the relationship and the strength thereof between NIM and the ROA. The dependent variable was Profitability (ROA); while the independent variable was Net Interest Margin (NIM). The study revealed that there is a strong positive correlation between the NIM and the ROA (Profitability) of the listed banks. The regression equation between NIM (X - Axis) and ROA (Y - Axis) is Y = 0.577X – 1.427. The correlation co-efficient, R2 is 0.826. This means that 82.6% of ROA is explained by the NIM. When Net Interest Margin decreases, Return on Assets (Profitability) decreases; and vice versa. Keywords: Net interest margin, return on assets, profitability, relationship, regression, correlatio

The Influence of Social Support on the Levels of Depression, Anxiety and Stress among Students in Ghana

This study examined the impact of social support from family, friends and significant others on the levels depression, anxiety and stress among undergraduate students of University of Ghana.  A total of one hundred and sixty-five (165) students were sampled from all the levels and were administered with standardized questionnaires measuring social support, depression, anxiety and stress. Results from the analysis using descriptive statistics, regression analysis, independent t-test and MANOVA showed that 57% of the respondents reported mild to extremely severe depression, 84% had mild to extremely severe anxiety whilst 49% reported mild to extremely severe stress. The level of depression was significantly predicted by support from friends and significant others, level of anxiety was not significantly predicted by any form of social support whilst level of stress experienced by students was significantly predicted by social support from family. Further analysis showed that significant sex differences exist in the levels of depression, anxiety and stress. However, academic levels of students had a significant effect on level of depression but not on anxiety and stress. It is concluded that students should be encouraged to make use of their counseling and placement centers and peer counselors to help them deal with their psychological issues. Keywords: Social Support, Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Students, Ghana, Universit

Ocular health of cocoa farmers in Ghana : an assessment and intervention study.

Ph. D. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2014.Background: Cocoa farmers are known to face a lot of ocular health hazards such as chemicals, ultraviolet radiations, farm equipment, plants, dust and allergens among others in the field of work. This study sought to examine and understand the factors that affect the ocular health of cocoa farmers in Ghana in order to improve their knowledge and awareness on ocular health and safety practices through a training intervention. Methods: The study employed two quantitative approaches: a cross-sectional survey and a quasi- experimental pre-post-test study design. The cross-sectional study involved administration of a questionnaire and conducting a comprehensive eye examination among participants, while the pre-post-test study used a structured questionnaire to gather baseline knowledge and post training knowledge on ocular health and safety practices among the participants to establish a change. A multistage random sampling approach was used to select participants from four cocoa growing districts of Ghana. Results: Five hundred and fifty-six, out of the 576, who were recruited for the first phase of the study, met the inclusion criteria, giving an eligibility rate of 96.5%. The participants consisted of 359 (64.6%) males and 197 (35.4%) females with a mean age of 54.9 years (± 11.2). Educational attainment among the participants was low, with 142 (25.5%) having had no formal education. Participants spent an average of 33.3 (±13.4) hours per week on the farm, with males spending more time 35.3 (±13.9) than females 29.6 (± 11.8) (p<0.001) and also spent more hours on the farm than females (p<0.001). Participants reported poor distance and near vision, itching/redness, pain and tearing as major complaints. Anterior eye conditions recorded included pterygium 23.7% (CI: 20.3-27.5), allergic conjunctivitis 9.7% (CI: 7.4 - 12.5) and corneal scar/opacity 6.1% (CI: 4.3 - 8.4). Other conditions included cataract 25.5% (CI: 22.0-29.3), glaucoma 15.8 (CI: 12.9 - 19.1) and macular disorders 4.9% (CI: 3.2 - 7.0). Posterior segment conditions and uncorrected refractive errors (67.6%) were the major causes of moderate and severe visual impairment (MSVI) (16.7%) and legal blindness (4.9%) among the population studied. Presbyopia was present in 83.1% (CI: 79.7 - 86.1) of the participants. The rate of ocular injuries was 143/12 854.5 worker years or 11.3/1 000 worker years (95% CI: 9.4 - 31.0), which led to a lost work time injuries of 137 injuries/ 12 854.5 worker years or 37.3/1000 worker years (95% CI: 34.1- 40.8) and were predominantly in males. Blunt injuries from plants/branches and chemical injuries were mostly reported. Only 34 (6.1%) reported using ocular protection. Barriers to use of ocular protection included non availability of the equipment, lack of funds and ignorance or lack of training. More than half of the participants (52.4%) had never seen an eye care practitioner, while 25% reported seeking eye care within the last one year preceding the study. Those who were registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme were more likely to attend a hospital/clinic for eye care services (OR = 3.93, 1.40 - 11.06, p = 0.009). Barriers to utilization of eye facilities included lack of funds, long distance to facility and long waiting time at eye facilities. Two hundred participants enrolled for the quasi-experimented pre-post-tested study, and had varied opinions on ocular health and safety practices on the farm. They demonstrated a good knowledge on the ocular hazards they face at work, although most were unaware of the effect of some of the hazards on the eye. Farmers also had a poor knowledge on ocular protection but a fair knowledge on first aid for ocular emergencies. Participants improved their knowledge scores (overall 40 points) on ocular health and safety practices from a pre- median score of 172 (IQR: 164 - 177.5) to 212 (IQR: 206 - 219.5) following the pre- and postevaluation of the training intervention. Conclusions: Eye disorders are prevalent among cocoa farmers in Ghana. Farmers are engaged in improper ocular health and safety practices on the farm. They also make insufficient use of appropriate protective eye devices and health services. The study demonstrated that, with an ocular health intervention, cocoa farmers can improve on their knowledge and awareness level on ocular health and safety practices which may be of benefit to the farmer, employers and the national economy

Ocular injuries and eye care seeking patterns following injuries among cocoa farmers in Ghana

Background: The work environment of cocoa farmers exposes them to several ocular hazards that predispose them to eye diseases and injuries. However, the extent of ocular injuries and health seeking patterns following these injuries are unknown among cocoa farmers in Ghana.Objectives: To determine the prevalence of ocular injuries and health seeking behaviour following injury among cocoa farmers in Ghana.Methods: Five hundred and fifty six participants were recruited through simple random sampling using a multistage approach from four cocoa growing districts in Ghana. A structured questionnaire was used to collect relevant information such as demography, ocular hazards and injuries experienced. An ocular examination was also conducted to assess the eye health of the participants. Descriptive and regression statistics were used to analyze the data. The rate of ocular injuries was calculated by using the number of injuries reported that resulted in lost work time/days divided by the number of worker years at risk of injury (sum of years worked in cocoa farms for all the participants).Results: The rate of ocular injuries was 11.3/1000 worker years (95% CI: 9.4 - 31) which led to lost work time of 37.3/1000 worker years (95% CI: 34.1 - 40.8). The major causes of ocular injury were plants/branches (n=73, 51.1%), chemicals (n=27, 18.9%), cocoa pod/husk (n=14, 9.8%) and occurred mostly during weeding, harvesting and chemical spraying. Few (n=34, 6.1%) participants reported the use of ocular protection. Fifty-five (38.5%) participants visited the local chemical shops, while 37 (25.9%) visited hospitals/clinics for ocular treatment of their injuries.Conclusion: There is a high rate of ocular injuries among cocoa farmers who make insufficient use of appropriate eye care services. There is the need for eye health education among cocoa farmers in Ghana.Keywords: Ocular injuries, cocoa farmers, ocular protective device, eye care service

Corporate Failure in the Banking Sector: The Role of External Auditors

The aim of the study was to establish the role of external auditors in corporate failure in the banking sector. The study discovered that the auditing gaps within banks are tangibility and empathy services. It was also revealed that remuneration, training of external auditors, lot of variety in their job, level of logistics, loyalty rate of external auditors, motivational package and improved salary and opinion counts in the organisation were the factors influencing the effectiveness of external auditors. Lastly, unethical behavior has a positive relationship with corporate failure which was statistically significant at confident interval of 0.05 with a predictive power of 83.7 percent chance of predicting corporate failure which was moderate. It was recommended that the Bank should take steps to train and promote external auditors towards acquiring the necessary skills and experience to commission the corporate failure audit. Additionally, assistance also could be sought from other Supreme Audit Institutions in other countries with a similar government arrangement. Alternatively, assistance from private audit firms that have developed expertise in the public sector audit can be sought to assist them to make the audit function more meaningful and constructive. This will help fill the empathic gap of clients. With the current trend towards the harmonization of auditing standards and guidelines, further research into the usefulness and adequacy of auditing standards and guidelines is worthwhile. Keywords: Corporate failure, auditing, corporate corruption, assurance, effectiveness DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/11-4-03 Publication date: February 29th 202

The Effect of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on the Relationship Between Accounting Information and Stock Prices on the Ghana Stock Exchange

This study sought to find the ability of accounting information to explain stock price movement on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) and the effect International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in explaining stock price movements. Two multiple regression models were used to ascertain how accounting information was relevant in explaining stock prices as well as to test whether the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)  has an effect on value relevance. Four single regression models was used to explain how accounting variables contribute to explaining stock price.  The study regressed the stock prices on accounting data as well as annual interest rate to determine their relationship. In general the study found that accounting information, specifically earnings, Price to earnings ratio and Return on Equity was relevant   in explaining stock price movements in both   in pre-adoption IFRS and post- adoption IFRS periods in Ghana. The study also found that the adoption of IFRS did not have any effect on the ability of accounting information to explain stock price movements. Keywords: Accounting information, Value relevance, IFRS

Gametocyte carriage in Plasmodium falciparum-infected travellers.

BACKGROUND: Gametocytes are the sexual stage of Plasmodium parasites. The determinants of gametocyte carriage have been studied extensively in endemic areas, but have rarely been explored in travellers with malaria. The incidence of gametocytaemia, and factors associated with gametocyte emergence in adult travellers with Plasmodium falciparum malaria was investigated at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London. METHODS: Clinical, parasitological and demographic data for all patients presenting with P. falciparum malaria between January 2001 and December 2011 were extracted from a prospective database. These data were supplemented by manual searches of laboratory records and patient case notes. RESULTS: Seven hundred and seventy three adult patients with laboratory-confirmed P. falciparum malaria were identified. Four hundred and sixty five (60%) were born in a country where malaria is endemic. Patients presented to hospital a median of four days into their illness. The median maximum parasite count was 0.4%. One hundred and ninety six patients (25%) had gametocytes; 94 (12%) on admission, and 102 (13%) developing during treatment. Gametocytaemia on admission was associated with anaemia and a lower maximum parasitaemia. Patients with gametocytes at presentation were less likely to have thrombocytopenia or severe malaria. Patients who developed gametocytes during treatment were more likely to have had parasitaemia of long duration, a high maximum parasitaemia and to have had severe malaria. There was no apparent association between the appearance of gametocytes and treatment regimen. CONCLUSIONS: The development of gametocytaemia in travellers with P. falciparum is associated with factors similar to those reported among populations in endemic areas. These data suggest that acquired immunity to malaria is not the only determinant of patterns of gametocyte carriage among patients with the disease

Clinical Features of Imported Loiasis: A Case Series from the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London.

We retrospectively analyzed the background, clinical features, and treatment response of 50 cases of imported loiasis who presented between 2000 and 2014 to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases (HTD), London, United Kingdom. Of them, 29 were migrants from, and 21 were visitors to, countries where the disease is endemic. Clinical features differed between these groups. Migrants experienced fewer Calabar swellings (odds ratio [OR] = 0.12), more eye worm (OR = 3.4), more microfilaremia (OR = 3.5), lower filarial antibody levels, and lower eosinophil counts (P 3,000 microfilariae/mL and all those with an elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) (≥ 5 mg/L) before treatment had reactions (P = 0.10 and P = 0.01, respectively). These data suggest that monotherapy with DEC may not be the optimal treatment for patients with loiasis, particularly for those with a high microfilarial load

Development and Validation of the Minnesota Low Vision Reading Test (MNRead) Acuity Chart for the Asante Twi Language

Aim: To design and validate a MNREAD Asante Twi version reading chart, to aid in the assessment of near visual acuity of natives Ghanaians. Methods: Cross-sectional and experimental designs were employed in phases I and II respectively of this study. The chart was developed using 20 transited pupils in class four in the Kumasi metropolis in phase I and validated in a clinical setting at the Manhyia District Hospital, Kumasi, using students in phase II. Results: A total of 100 participants (mean age; 22.19 \ub1 1.61 years) were involved in the second phase of this study. A Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was computed to assess the relationship between MNREAD Asante Twi charts logMAR scores in both eyes. The MNREAD-Asante Twi acuity charts had very strong correlations (r = 0.94, p &lt; 0.001) for MNREAD set 1A (black on white background) scores and MNREAD set 2A (black on white background) for acuity scores. Correlation between MNREAD set 1B (white on black background) scores and MNREAD set 2B (white on black background) scores was r = 0.95, p &lt; 0.001. Conclusion: MNREAD Asante Twi reading chart will enhance the measurement of near visual function in native Ghanaians