Household Water Coping Behaviour and Costs in the Volta Basin of Ghana

Ghana is abundant in water resources but frequently experiences seasonal and periodic water scarcities. Households therefore adopt coping strategies and various activities to ensure continuous flow of adequate safe water at the household level. These strategies involve opportunity costs and some amount of financial outlay. Using revealed preference data for 20 randomly selected rural communities in the Volta basin of Ghana this paper employs the coping costs approach to derive the costs of coping with water insecurity. Explicit costs in the form of investments in water storage facilities and costs of water treatment are estimated. Implicit costs (opportunity cost of time) associated with water collection, which varies by season and ecological zone, is valued using the average basic hourly wage of rural women engaged in agriculture. The results of the study show that costs of coping with water insecurity are higher in the dry season and for forest ecology households. The often-stated claim that rural households cannot and should not pay for the full cost of water delivery is not supported by this study. The paper concludes that rural consumers are paying at least as much as their urban consumers for unimproved water. Hence, this paper is of the view that rural consumers have the ability to pay for improved water but may not be willing to do so probably due to their perceptions and attitudes concerning the public good nature and benefits of improved water supply.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

The Modern Techniques of Commerce with Matters Connected to Projects

This article has highlighted some of the issues related to projects and how to deal with it. So often projects start and its completion becomes a challenge due to some the related issues discussed above. The project manager must monitor and control the human side of his project. This involves utilizing appropriate forms of power in managing the project team to obtain desired results. Project teams also need to manage stakeholder expectations through understanding their expectations, delivering on those expectations, and communicating effectively (Kloppenborg, 2012). This will give the project manager the upper hand to deal with issues that may cause the failure of the project

The 21st Century way of Dealing with Some Issues Related to Project Teams

This article addresses the issues that comes up as a result of working in a group on project. Assembling a good team is important in any phase of business, but it is especially important when managing a project to make sure that the work can get done on time and on budget. The process of acquiring a project team takes place within the executing processes and is concerned with confirming human resource availability and obtaining the personnel needed to complete project assignments. It is complicated by the fact that individuals with different skill sets will be required at different points throughout the project

Agogo Presbyterian College of Education Under the Missionaries and After Take-Over by the Government (1931-2013): A Comparative Study

The study analyzed the Agogo Presbyterian College of Education (1930-1971) and when it was taken over by the Government (1972-2013). This became relevant in the wake of the recent plea by the churches that the Government should hand over Mission Schools to the churches. The study therefore examines the state of management and leadership and infrastructural development both under the regime of the Missionaries and the Government. It also sought to assess academic standard of the students, and the discipline of the College, qualification of the teachers, supervision, and students’ patronage of library and entry grade of students to the College with the view of establishing the progression or retrogression over the period. In doing this, a comparative study was undertaken and data were derived from archival materials of the Agogo Presbyterian College of Education, and direct interviews with past Principals and Administrators of the College. The results revealed that despite an increase in student-intake (210 students in 1942 to 750 students in 2014) with a corresponding increase of teachers (from 5 missionary teachers with lower academic degrees in 1931 to 28 teachers with masters qualifications), inadequate infrastructural development; lack of discipline and competitions among students have characterized APCE since it was managed by the Government as compared to the Missionaries. The study recommends that the Government would complete the construction of the students‟ hall complex, and also put up large auditorium and classroom blocks to accommodate the high students’ intake in the College to enhance education delivery

A Comparative Study of Institutional Responses to Sustainable Mobility for Public Transport in cities in Ghana and Tanzania

Städte sind aufgrund der zunehmend negativen Auswirkungen des Verkehrs auf die Umwelt an vorderster Front der nachhaltigen Entwicklung und der nachhaltigen Mobilität. In den Städten Subsahara-Afrikas scheinen jedoch die Akteure und Hauptvertreter nachhaltiger Mobilität den Herausforderungen bei der Erreichung nachhaltiger Mobilitätsziele im öffentlichen Verkehr nicht gewachsen zu sein. Vor diesem Hintergrund untersucht diese vergleichende Studie die institutionellen Antworten auf das Erfordernis nachhaltiger Mobilitätslösungen im öffentlichen Verkehr in der Stadtregion Accra (Ghana) und der Stadt Dar es Salaam (Tansania) im Hinblick auf die vorhandenen Kapazitäten der Institutionen, Koordinations sowie Kommunikationsmechanismen. Die Studie folgt einem qualitativen Forschungsdesign und wendet Methoden an, die mit den wesentlichen Grundannahmen qualitativer sozialwissenschaftlicher Forschung übereinstimmen. Die Ergebnisse der Studie zeigen, dass nachhaltiger ÖPNV in beiden Städten als die Nutzung von Fahrzeugen mit höherer Auslastung, klar definierten lokalen Zielen für nachhaltigen ÖPNV und ganzheitlichen Regulierungssystemen wahrgenommen wird. Die vergleichende Analyse der beiden Städte in Bezug auf das Schlüsselthema Governance zeigt, dass im Fall der Stadt Accra das Fehlen eines Stadtrats mit einem entsprechenden Stadtoberhaupt oder einem Champion wie im Fall der Stadt Dar es Salaam ein wichtiger limitierender Faktor ist, der Entwicklungsprogramme, -pläne und -projekte verzögert. Die unzureichende Koordinierung zwischen den Institutionen wiederum führt im Fall von Dar es Salaam trotz des Vorhandenseins eines Stadtrats zu doppelten Strukturen und zur Zersplitterung der knappen Ressourcen. Folglich werden kurzfristige, mittelfristige und langfristige Strategien für Entwicklungsmaßnahmen in der Stadtregion Accra und der Stadt Dar es Salaam vorgeschlagen.Cities are at the forefront of sustainable development and sustainable mobility due to the rising negative impacts of transportation to the environment. Actors and key stakeholders for sustainable mobility in cities in Sub-Sahara Africa however seem not ready for the associated challenges towards the attainment of sustainable mobility for public transport. It is against this background that this study comparatively investigates the institutional responses to sustainable mobility for public transport in Accra city-region (Ghana) and Dar es Salaam city (Tanzania) in the light of existing capacity of the institutions, coordination and communication mechanisms. This study adopts the qualitative research design and methodological choices that are in conformity with the ideologies of this design in Social Science Research. Findings from the study reveal that both cities perceive sustainable public transport as use of higher occupancy vehicles, clearly defined local goals on sustainable public transport and holistic regulation regime. The comparative overview analysis of the two cities in line with the key issue of governance indicates that in the case of Accra city region, the absence of a city council with a respective city head or champion as in the case of Dar es Salaam city is a major limiting factor retarding development programmes, plans, and projects. Inadequate coordination among institutions, on the other hand, results in duplication of efforts and dispersal of scarce resources in the case of Dar es Salaam despite the presence of a city council. Consequently, short term policies, medium term policies, and long-term policies are proposed for development interventions in Accra city-region and Dar es Salaam city

The Task of a Project Manager in Building Individual and Project Team Capability in Modern Day Project Work

From the point of view of an organization, projects act as a means for consolidating the experience and expertise of the organizational members effectively, create learning environment, encourage team-spirit and help to achieve organizational objectives. This article is about the task of a Project Manager in building Individual and project team capability in modern day project work

A sytemic study of mining accident causality : an analysis of 91 mining accidents from a platinum mine in South Africa

The mining industry is a very important sector of the South African national economy. A major factor threatening the sustainability of this industry is the worrying effect of mining accidents. These accidents usually lead to the destruction of property, injury/death of mine workers, and pollution of the environment. Although mining is generally seen as a hazardous operation worldwide, the accident rates in South African mines are still unacceptably high. Another worrying phenomenon is the fact that since 2003 reduction in fatalities and injuries has been 20– 25% short of annual targets set by stake holders. These factors make the safety of the industry a very important subject. The understanding of accident causality is a major step in the quest to reduce accidents. It is only with a good understanding of the accident process that effective remedies can be designed. Accident modelling techniques provide the necessary platform for the interpretation and understanding of accidents at workplaces. The Swiss Cheese Model of accidents has proven to be a very efficient way of analysing industrial accidents. In this model, an accident is seen as a combination of unsafe acts by front line operators and latent conditions in the organization. The model helps to identify factors in an organizational structure that influence human behaviour/performance at workplaces. This study is aimed at demonstrating how a systemic approach can be applied to the analysis of the causes of accidents in South African mines. In this study, an accident analysis framework has been developed from the Swiss Cheese Model, combining the Mark III version of the Swiss Cheese Model, the Nertney Wheel and safety management principles. The main section of the framework is made up of three layers of accident causality: proximal causes, workplace factors and systemic factors. The second section (metadata) of the framework incorporates contextual data pertaining to each accident such as age, experience, task being performed, and time of accident. These data enhance the understanding of accident causality. The third and final section of the framework incorporates information about accident causing agencies and the nature of barriers breached in the accident process

THE INFLUENCE OF WRITTEN FEEDBACK ON THE WRITING SKILL PERFORMANCE OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Written feedback has been conceptualized as a form of communication between the instructor and the learners in the educational context. The written feedback helps to improve learning through knowledge construction and practice. It was to this background that I undertook this research to examine the influence of written feedback on the writing skill performance of high school students. Using a descriptive design, the study was undertaken in Kumasi Metropolis. Utilizing 350 participants, I analyzed the data with SPSS 25.0. The findings of the study revealed that students have a positive perception towards written feedback, the communicative function of the teachers’ feedback was both expressive and metalinguistic, and there was a positive effect of the written feedback from teachers on students writing performance. Hence, it was confirmed that written feedback influences writing skills. Keywords: Written feedback, Communication, Writing skills

Exploration of how Medicaid has limited access to healthcare services for transgender individuals in the United States of America

When laws are enacted, the state paints the picture that it is for the betterment of everyone. Before now, advocates clamored for laws to protect the rights of gender non-conforming people. When these laws were finally made, the states were applauded for having these people in mind. People do not realize that the supposedly 'best' laws, when further analyzed and scrutinized, show that they tend to favor some people more than others. This paper exposes the inequities in the health system by analyzing how the Medicaid program in the United States of America has limited trans individuals from accessing health care services and how the woes of some individuals are further deepened because of their race, age, sex and income. The paper also proposes some recommendations on how the Medicaid program can widen its scope of support

A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE PERCEPTIONS OF ERRORS IN THE LITERATURE ON SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION (SLA) RESEARCH AND HOW APPLIED LINGUISTS AND TEACHERS NEED TO RESPOND TO ERRORS OF SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNERS

Second language learners, in acquiring English as a second language, make errors based on their cognition of concepts. The perception of linguists and teachers about errors inform their approach to language research and pedagogies. Linguists and teachers who have negative attitudes towards errors consider them as deviations that need to be prevented at all costs, while others perceive the errors as innovation. Indeed, while deviations could be innovative and contribute immensely to the development of new varieties of languages, some deviations are clearly deficits that could influence the acquisition process leading, and language teachers need to respond to these deviations appropriately. Through a systematic review of literature, the article presents an evaluation of errors (deviations or innovation) and their pedagogical purposes for applied linguists and teachers. Keywords: Second Language, Errors, Deviations, Innovations, Pedagogical Purpose