Securing the urban space: on whose terms? Insights from poverty and crime baseline survey in Tamale, Ghana

Typically, the interaction of official security policies, the urban tissue, and individual characteristics largely underpin the liveabiliy of cities as centres of social interaction which invoke residents’ sense of place attachment, social cohesion, and quality of life. Studies in advanced countries have contributed significantly to understanding these synergies, but there remains a large gap in knowledge in rapidly urbanizing countries. Ghana presents an interesting case study, as the security landscape appears motivated more by ideology than rationality, with what ‘works’ increasingly becoming populism rather than responsibility. Moreover, the limited researched criminology literature has focused mainly on the larger cities, neglecting medium-sized cities such as Tamale. Based on extensive fieldwork involving 450 household heads, ten key informant interviews (KIIs), and three focus group discussions (FGDs) from three socio-economic communities in Tamale, this paper examines how security arrangements in the city’s various neighbourhoods reflect and connect the urban fabric with residents. We advocate for a more geographically sensitive and nuanced understanding of each neighbourhood’s concerns and a re-consideration of security interventions, in order to reflect not only the broad spectrum of safety demands of the affluent but also those of the socially excluded and more economically disadvantaged groups in society.Keywords: neighbourhood; socio-economic status; police–population ratio; informal crime control; Ghan

Austerity in Civil Procedure

The demand for and availability of civil justice procedures for small claims can neither be disentangled nor extricated from the health of the economic climate of the relevant country concerned. In this article, it is argued that despite not being a developed country, Ghana was not completely insulated from the hardships or implementation of austerity measures that were triggered by the global economic meltdown. The inevitability of behavioural changes on the part of the Government of Ghana as lawmaker and provider of the machinery for civil justice on the one hand and small claims litigants as users of the civil procedure on the other hand are also explored in the article. After properly situating the exploration in the relevant economic context, the article makes recommendations regarding how to minimise the impact of the austerity measures on small claims litigants

An exploratory study assessing the role cloud computing has in achieving strategic agility with the banking industry

This paper will seek to assess the role of Cloud computing in achieving strategic agility within the UK banking sector and provides implications on how organizations in the banking sector can become more agile in their operations. Previous research has shed light on how using Cloud technology can enhance an organization’s innovation, which is a key factor in any rapidly changing sector. In order to assess the role Cloud technology has on achieving strategic agility in the banking sector, we identify the facilitators or barriers to achieving strategic agility successfully. An exploratory research design is adopted since there is little or no similar research in this area

A Study into the Nature of Emotional Intelligence in Public and Private Institutions in Ghana

The purpose of the study is to examine the nature of emotional intelligence in a survey using respondents from both public and private institutions. The study design is quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional research. The sample size for the study was 140 sampled using the convenience sample method. The questionnaire for the collection of data was designed by the researchers using the Likert Scale format. The reliability of the scales and the dimensions of the scales were investigated using reliability, and factor analysis tests respectively. The data was analysed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 26. The results show the responses were reliable and the scales were also unidimensional. Various dimensions of emotional intelligence were identified as awareness of own emotions; management of emotions; awareness of others’ emotions; and management of others’ emotions. Management of institutions should consider in their organisational strategies, the findings of the present research to ensure the efficient running of the institutions. The role of demographic features in emotional intelligence is a recommended direction for future studies

Assessing the role of cloud computing in the strategic agility of banking

This manuscript assesses the role of a relatively new technology ‘cloud computing’ in achieving strategic agility within the UK banking sector. While there is research on how ‘cloud’ can enhance innovation capacity, there is little on the implications for strategic agility - an increasingly important topic in the IS/IT literature (Doz and Kosonen, 2010). Mell and Grance (2010) define cloud as: “a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.” Such new technologies have accelerated global competition per se and as a result organizations must be able to rapidly adapt their strategies as well as their operations; agility is ‘cascading’ up the organization from operations to C-Suite. Banking is no exception (Baskerville et al., 2005) and given the industry’s reputation for conservatism, we felt this was ripe for study since cloud and strategic agility are in tension with the industry’s usual pace of change. According to Lewis et al. (2014) organizational survival today very much depends on strategic agility, which in brief involves flexible and mindful responses to constantly changing environments. Our question is whether cloud enables or constrains such responses. According to Doz and Kosonen (2010) there are three dimensions to strategic agility: (i) Strategic sensitivity; (ii) Leadership unity; (iii) Resource fluidity. Can cloud deliver on all three dimensions for banking? We set out to explore these questions

The Hydraulic Conductivity of Soils under Continuous Maize (Zea May) Cultivation

The severity and scope of our modern day practices in the last few centuries on the hydraulic conductivity of soil has affected its ability to control water infiltration and surface runoff. Soils exposed to human impact are often stripped of the organic-rich upper horizons, thereby increasing bulk density and reducing soil porosity. The study saw to determine the effects of continuous cultivation on the hydraulic conductivity, bulk density and porosity of soil. The hydraulic conductivity was measured with ring infiltrometer. Hydraulic conductivity was observed to decrease with increasing years of soils cultivation indicating a high impact of land use on this soil property. Hydraulic conductivity (Ks) values of 0.189±0.020cmh-1, 0.162±0.023cmh-1, 0.097±0.011cmh-1, and 0.078±0.028cmh-1 were respectively recorded for undisturbed forest, one year cultivated soil, two years cultivated soil and three years cultivated soil. The dry bulk densities obtained in forested soils, one year cultivated soil, two years continuous cultivated soils and three years continuously cultivate soil were 0.991±0.047gcm-3, 1.025±0.031gcm-3, 1.215±0.102gcm-3, and 1.332±0.074gcm-3 respectively with the least occurring on forest soils owing to high organic matter content and abundant burrowing fauna. To conclude, the study revealed that soil hydraulic conductivity, bulk density and porosity are time-variant and this fact should not be neglected in soil water flow modeling. Keywords: Hydraulic conductivity, bulk density, porosity and continuous cultivation

Demographic differences in sources of stress in higher educational institutions in Ghana

Purpose: The current research aimed to investigate demographic differences in job stress prevalence and job stress causes among the staff of universities. Research methodology: The study is based on a descriptive, quantitative, and cross-sectional research design. A sample of 100 respondents, from Sunyani Technical University, were sampled using the convenience sample method. Data were collected in a survey using a questionnaire which was designed by the researchers and administered to the respondents at their workplaces. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, regression analysis, and One-Way Analysis of Variance. Results were presented in Tables. Results: The findings indicate that significant demographic differences exist in job stress prevalence and job stress causes. The management of universities should take into account the current findings of the research in dealing with job stress. Appropriate policies are recommended to be put in place to deal with stress related to the job to improve staff output, so as not to have a deleterious effect on staff professional work and personal welfare. Limitations: Some respondents felt reluctant to take part in the survey. The causal conclusions cannot be made based on the current findings since a causal investigation was not the focus of the study, and hence was not done. Some respondents also did not answer all the questions asked. Contributions: The paper contributes to the literature in the area of job stress sources and the role demographic factors in job stress causes in higher institutions. The work is the first of its kinds in the study institution on the role of culture and belief on job stress

An inquiry into the emergence of health care law in England and Wales as a distinct body of law:what lessons can be drawn from this in relation to Ghana?

In this thesis, it is postulated that a discrete body of health care law (HCL) can potentially offer more benefits to patients by providing protection for their rights and improving healthcare delivery as a result of making healthcare professionals and workers more aware of their legal duties towards patients than is the case where a field of HCL is absent. The emergence of a discrete body of HCL in England and Wales has not received a great deal of attention in the academic literature; there has not, as of yet, been any thorough study of the questions of how and why this relatively new field of law emerged three decades ago. This thesis addresses this gap in the literature and explores those attractive elements of HCL in the law of England and Wales that may be emulated by a jurisdiction like Ghana, which is seeking to develop this field of the law. A combination of legal history and empirical legal research methodologies are deployed to unpack the development of HCL in England and Wales as a response to the quest for patient empowerment in healthcare and the need to recognise the voice of society in mediating ethical dilemmas generated by rapid advances in medicine. The characteristics of HCL and rationale for its emergence in England and Wales are used as a basis of comparison within a functional comparative analytical framework in order to explore the need for the development of HCL in Ghana, as well as any lessons that may be drawn from the former

Evaluating the Relationship between Small Enterprise Performance and Poverty Reduction in Ghana

Poverty is established as pandemic in Africa, and Ghana in particular. Among the various factors that have been identified as causes of poverty in Ghana is low income level. This research is therefore based on the general proposition that Poverty in Ghana is a result of low incomes earned from small scale enterprises where the poor are employed. It pursued the conception that increasing performance of SMEs could help reduce poverty. Sample was taken from owners of small scale enterprises in poverty endemic zones in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Respondents were interviewed with structured and unstructured questionnaire. Ordinary Least Square Regression statistics were used to confirm the negative relationship between performance of SMEs and reduction in poverty. Keywords: Ghana, Poverty, Small Scale Enterprise

Evaluation of the Performance of Banks in Ghana Using Financial Ratios: A Case Study of Barclays Bank Ghana Limited (BBGL), Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) and Agricultural Development Bank (ADB)

Many banks have entered the Ghanaian banking industry in the past five years to take advantage of the increasing expenditure of the middle income Ghanaians, and the growing private sector. The banking industry is now experiencing keen competition. The question is whether the banks in Ghana are currently in good financial position to continue functioning as expected, especially as the world recently experienced financial crises.  The study therefore evaluated the financial health of the banks in Ghana by analyzing the published financial statements of Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) and Barclays Bank Ghana (BBG). Financial ratios were used to analyze the liquidity and profitability trends of the banks from the year 2005 to 2009. The performance of the banks was also compared with the industry’s average performance. The major findings from the study were that the banking business in Ghana is lucrative. The banks are making much sales revenue in excess of their cost. From 2007 to 2009, however, the expenses, especially the impairment charges, kept increasing, which reduced the net profits of the banks. This is attributed to increased provision for bad debts arising from rising inflation and interest rates, especially in the early part of 2009 which contributed to increased loan delinquency. Keywords: Financial, ratios, Performance, Liquidity, Ghan