The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Organisational Performance: A Case Study of Vodafone Ghana Limited

Corporate Social Responsibility has greatly contributed to the success of various corporate institutions in the western world. While the concept is widely recognized as being of significant strategic value to organizations, that seems not to be the case in Ghana, where the focus of most firms is on achieving profit without taking into consideration the needs of stakeholders. This study therefore seeks to address the issue by assessing the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on organizational performance. The research was descriptive. Primary data were captured through the use of questionnaires administered to management and staff of Vodafone Ghana ltd. Target population of the study was made up of management and staff of Vodafone Ghana ltd. (20) respondents was randomly selected among management and staff through simple random sampling technique. The study revealed that the company engages in CSR programmes because it wants to create an image of a good corporate citizen. It was concluded that CSR has a substantial and positive impact on all performance indicators used in the literature review which are: finance, organizational performance overtime, reputation, employee commitment and brand differentiation. It was therefore recommended that companies should identify their stakeholders’ needs before taking CSR initiatives; also top management must understand the strategic financial benefits of CSR activities and include CSR initiates in their strategic plans. Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Organizational Performance, Good Corporate Citizen, Brand Differentiation.

Impact of Mobile Number Portability on Service Delivery in the Mobile Telecommunication Industry in Ghana; Case Study of Bharti Airtel Ghana Limited, Kumasi

The mobile telecommunication industry has seen a major increase in competition in recent years. This as a result of similarity of service provided.  In giving consumers more bargaining power the, National Communication Authority (NCA) has introduce Mobile Number Portability (MNP) which enables subscribers the opportunity to switch or change providers. The study intents to investigates the impact of MNP on service delivery, and go further to ascertain  the factors that influence customer porting decisions, benefit of porting to the company and customers, the nature of service quality before and after the introduction of MNP. The research design was descriptive, both primary and secondary sources of data collection method were used to answer the research questions. Primary data was gathered from the one hundred and sixty four (164) respondents through a structured questionnaire. The target population for the study was therefore all the customers who have ported to Airtel in Kumasi. Combinations of purposive and accidental sampling techniques were used to select the one hundred and sixty four (164) respondents. The study revealed that price, service quality and company reputation influence customers porting behavior. It was recommended that the companies should adopt a cost leadership competitive strategy, continues corporate social responsibility programmes, and continues improvement of service quality delivery. Keywords: Mobile number portability, Service Quality, Competition, Price, Company reputatio

Assessing the Nature of Competition in the Telecommunication Industry: A Case Study of Airtel Ghana Limited, Kumasi

Due to the huge potential in Ghana’s mobile phone sector, the industry is experiencing an intense competition, a battle for supremacy in the mobile phone industry.  The telecommunication sector is securing extraordinary growth in Ghana with increasing levels of mobile penetration. The study seeks to assess the nature of competition and its impact on the telecommunication industry using Airtel Ghana Limited as the case study. Both primary and secondary sources of data were used. Target population included all top officials and management staff of Airtel Ghana.  Random sampling was used to select fifteen (15) members of management and marketing staff as the sample size for the study, this constituted 83.3% of the total population. Analysis of data collected was done using SPSS. Findings revealed that the industry structure is concentrated; the competitive strategy adopted was cost leadership, differentiation and focus, driving forces of competition in the industry were rivalry among current competitors and bargaining power of customers and the basses of competition were price, new product development, and promotions. It is therefore recommended that companies adopt one competitive strategy, embark on customer loyalty programmes, invest in research on new product development, and be skill at internal marketing. KEYWORDS: Industry, competition, driving forces, concentrated, new product development, strategy

Dietary Diversity Score during Pregnancy is Associated with Neonatal Low Apgar Score : A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Apgar score is an established index of neonatal well-being and development. Nutrition during pregnancy is an accepted risk factor for neonatal low Apgar score. Objective: To investigate the association between dietary diversity score and low Apgar score. Methods: This was a hospital based cross-sectional study. The study participants were 420 mothers who delivered and were attending the postnatal clinic at the Cape Coast Metropolitan Hospital. Mothers' dietary information during pregnancy was assessed with a food frequency questionnaire. In reference to the FAOs women's Dietary Diversity Score (DDS), the subjects were categorized into low, medium or high DDS. The primary outcome was Apgar score. Apgar scores <5 were classified as low. Results: The mean age (+/- standard deviation, SD) of subjects was 26.7 +/- 5.7 years with a range of 17 to 45 years. The prevalence of low Apgar score among the study population was 16.9%. Majority of the study participants had a low DDS in relation to low Apgar score whereas 7.5% had high DDS. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the odds of low Apgar score in the low DDS group was three times higher than those who had high DDS (Adjusted odds ratio, AOR= 3.10, 95% confidence interval, CI=1.23-4.48). Conclusion: Dietary diversity score during pregnancy was associated with a low Apgar score in the study area. The results of this study reinforce the significance of adequate nutrition during pregnancy in the study area.Peer reviewe

Systems thinking creates opportunities for a circular economy and sustainable palm agriculture in Africa

Palm agriculture has received strong criticism in recent years due to its link with deforestation, especially in Asia. Here we propose that there is instead an opportunity for sustainable palm futures in Africa. Applying interdisciplinary systems thinking and circular production models, food and economic security can be achieved sustainably by (i) promoting integrated production of nutritionally valuable insect and fungal protein using palm crop waste; (ii) increasing resilience and productivity of crop palms in the harsh tropical climates of sub-Saharan Africa; and (iii) promoting the development of palm plantations as biodiverse agroforestry ecosystems

Forest biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services

Forests are critical habitats for biodiversity and they are also essential for the provision of a wide range of ecosystem services that are important to human well-being. There is increasing evidence that biodiversity contributes to forest ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services. Here we provide a review of forest ecosystem services including biomass production, habitat provisioning services, pollination, seed dispersal, resistance to wind storms, fire regulation and mitigation, pest regulation of native and invading insects, carbon sequestration, and cultural ecosystem services, in relation to forest type, structure and diversity. We also consider relationships between forest biodiversity and multifunctionality, and trade-offs among ecosystem services. We compare the concepts of ecosystem processes, functions and services to clarify their definitions. Our review of published studies indicates a lack of empirical studies that establish quantitative and causal relationships between forest biodiversity and many important ecosystem services. The literature is highly skewed; studies on provisioning of nutrition and energy, and on cultural services, delivered by mixed-species forests are under-represented. Planted forests offer ample opportunity for optimising their composition and diversity because replanting after harvesting is a recurring process. Planting mixed-species forests should be given more consideration as they are likely to provide a wider range of ecosystem services within the forest and for adjacent land uses. This review also serves as the introduction to this special issue of Biodiversity and Conservation on various aspects of forest biodiversity and ecosystem services

Quest for Conception: Exploring Treatment Patterns Associated with Infertility in Ghana

Due to the pronatalist orientation of the Ghanaian society and the social consequences of childlessness, infertile persons adopt several health&nbsp; seeking strategies in their bid to have their own children. This study therefore explored the health seeking behaviour of infertile Ghanaians and the factors that influence this behavior. The study adopted a qualitative research approach. Forty-five semi-structured in-depth interviews were used to collect data. The findings suggest that treatment seeking behaviour of infertile Ghanaians was motivated largely by perceived cause and belief in the efficacy of a treatment form. Two main treatment seeking patterns emerged from the data, hierarchical and concurrent treatment seeking behaviours. Although participants combined spiritual healing with either herbal or orthodox medicine, a combination of orthodox and herbal seemed inappropriate to them. The findings of this study should have implications for healthcare workers in general as the quest for biological&nbsp; parenthood and the treatment seeking behaviours employed by the infertile could be detrimental to the health of these individuals. For instance, the use of unregulated herbalists and itinerant herbal medicine sellers, as well as the over reliance on spiritual healing could have dire implications for health.&nbsp; Keywords: Biological parenthood, infertility, beliefs, fertility treatment, health seeking behaviour, Ghana En raison de l'orientation nataliste de la société ghanéenne et des conséquences sociales de l'absence d'enfants, les personnes infertiles adoptent plusieurs stratégies de recherche de santé dans le but d'avoir leurs propres enfants. Cette étude a donc exploré le comportement de recherche de santé des Ghanéens infertiles et les facteurs qui influencent ce comportement. L'étude a adopté une approche de recherche qualitative. Quarante-cinq entretiens approfondis semi-structurés ont été utilisés pour recueillir des données. Les résultats suggèrent que le comportement de recherche de traitement des Ghanéens infertiles était largement motivé par la cause perçue et la croyance en l'efficacité d'une forme de traitement. Deux principaux schémas de recherche de traitement sont ressortis des données, les comportements hiérarchiques et concomitants de recherche de traitement. Bien que les participants aient combiné la guérison spirituelle avec la médecine à base de plantes ou orthodoxe, une combinaison d'orthodoxie et de plantes médicinales leur semblait inappropriée. Les résultats de cette étude devraient avoir des implications pour les&nbsp; professionnels de la santé en général, car la quête de la parentalité biologique et les comportements de recherche de traitement employés par&nbsp; l'infertile pourraient nuire à la santé de ces personnes. Par exemple, le recours à des herboristes non réglementés et à des vendeurs ambulants de médicaments à base de plantes, ainsi que le recours excessif à la guérison spirituelle pourraient avoir de graves conséquences pour la santé. Mots-clés: Parentalité biologique, infertilité, croyances, traitement de fertilité, comportement de recherche de santé, Ghana &nbsp