Job Rotation and Performance of Technical University Administrative Staff

Mastering the roles of all aspects of an organization is contingent on job rotation. This paper focused on the impact of Job Rotation and Performance on higher educational institutions. The study used stratified sampling technique, quantitative approach, and descriptive design for primary data collection and analysis by SPSS. The outcome of the research confirmed that, job rotation impacts on organizational performance. The aspects that led to the performance were: removal of job stress, employee retention, increase expertise, applying experience on the job amongst others. The performance was measured by the efficiency, productivity, quality, but rejected profitability as a measure in higher educational institutions. It was concluded that job rotation impacts positively but favourably with organizational performance. Keywords: Job Rotation, Performance, Tamale Technical University, Higher Educational Institution

Colonial origins of comparative development in Ghana

A striking feature of Ghana’s development landscape is the stark development disparity between a relatively developed South and a trailing North. Explanations for the disparity have often been hinged on differences in geography and past colonial experience. In this study, I provide an empirical justification for the historical hypothesis that the dynamics of colonial rule contributed significantly to the development divergence between the North and the South. I exploit the asymmetric regional distribution of past colonial public investments in education, health and infrastructure to show that the dynamics of colonial rule explain a significant portion of the development disparity between the two regions. I also survey compelling historical anecdotes to show that prior to the colonial project the North was a relatively prosperous region

Generic Strategies and Firm’s Performance in the Banking Sector

The main goal of the current study was to establish the relationship that exists between generic strategies and firm’s performance in the banking sector. The study reviewed literature on generic strategies employ by banks in Ghana in line with Porter’s typology. The researcher employed descriptive survey design and purely quantitative approach with data collected from 200 respondents. The outcome of the study revealed that cost leadership is the most outstanding competitive strategy, whilst overall differentiation and low cost strategies are most commonly used in the banking industry. The study concluded that generic strategies are the most influential competitive strategies for performance of banking firms in Ghana. The author recommended that all staff should remain focus in designing services that make them unique from others to achieve the overall differentiation strategy and make all staff be committed to cost control in all areas to achieve low cost strategy. Keywords: Generic Strategies, Strategies, Cost Leadership, Focus and Differentiatio

Assessment of Discharge Planning Process and Quality of Care in the Emergency Department of Tamale Teaching Hospital

Discharge planning is the transition of patient care from the hospital setting to home, primary care provider or the community and effective discharge planning is crucial in enhancing patient recovery as it is an integral part of patient care. Poor implementation of discharge planning is associated with varying consequences for both the individual patient/family and the health system as a whole. Again, there is the challenge of the general public's perception of a dwindling standard of care by nurses and the general lowering of standards in Ghana. This study, therefore, sought to assess the discharge planning process and quality of care in the Emergency Department (ED) of Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH). With a cross-sectional study design, 370 discharged patients were selected from the emergency department using a consecutive sampling technique. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), was used to analyse the data. Descriptive results took the form of frequencies, percentage distribution, means and, standard deviations and presented in tables and figures. A bivariate Pearson correlation analysis was also done to establish the relationship between structure, discharge planning and quality of care. The findings from the study revealed a good practice of the discharge planning process (26.46, SD = 3. 41) and high quality of care (57.26, SD = 8.30). There was also a statistically significant positive relationship between discharge planning and quality of care and the same was established between the structure of the ED and quality of care. These findings imply a good implementation of the discharge planning process and demonstrate that the public outcry about the poor quality of nursing care in Ghana is a mere perception but not a reality. There is, therefore, the need for a sensitization programme to educate the general public on what constitutes the quality of care in our healthcare delivery system. &nbsp

On Parallel Paths: Learning through Case Studies in the Writing Pedagogy Course

This article reports on a case study project assigned in a writing pedagogy course. The authors, four graduate teaching assistants and their professor, share their case study questions, experiences, and challenges. Via the case study assignment, the TAs identified parallel experiences they shared with their students. Recognizing parallel paths helps first-year TAs reflect on their experiences as teachers and learners, build connections with students, and develop sustainable teaching practices beyond the first year. The authors share strategies for identifying parallel paths and encourage TA educators to incorporate them into the writing pedagogy course

Knowledge of pregnant women on the factors that influence anaemia in pregnancy in a rural farming district of the Western Region of Ghana

Background: The presence of anaemia in pregnancy is one of the serious public health concerns across the globe especially in developing countries like Ghana. This study assessed pregnant women's knowledge on factors influencing aneamia in pregnancy in a low-income district of Ghana.Methods: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study. Data was collected using a pretested questionnaire. 112 pregnant women seeking antenatal care were recruited using systematic sampling technique in the Wassa East district of Ghana. Data were cleaned and entered into SPSS version 22 and analysed into descriptive statistics.Results: Majority of participants; 72.3% did not know the causes of anaemia in pregnancy. Pregnant women (27.7%) indicated nutritional deficiency as a common cause of anaemia; 18.7% of them could identify appropriately at least one sign of anaemia in pregnancy with 28% asserting that pregnancy-related anaemia can affect labour, despite 72% indicating that anaemia could cause maternal mortality. The reasons for irregular ANC attendance included; perceived non importance of ANC (18.8%), financial difficulties (17.9%), health facility inaccessibility (18.8%) and time constraints (44.5%). There was a strong association between knowledge level on the cause of anaemia in pregnancy and the educational level of pregnant women (p=0.005 chi square = 50.289).Conclusions: Lack of knowledge on the importance of antenatal care and financial constraints were among the reasons leading to a surge in anaemia amongst pregnant women in the district. Health providers should incorporate services which enable pregnant women to access valuable information on anaemia prevention in pregnancy

Commercial Banks Performance in Ghana: Does Capital Structure Matter?

This study seeks to investigate the relationship between capital structure and commercial banks performance in Ghana. Using a panel data of listed commercial banks spanning from 2010-2015, the Ordinary Least Squares regression model is employed to estimate the functions relating to bank performance (measured by Return on Equity) with measures of capital structure. The findings show statistically significant relationship between commercial banks’ performance and all the capital structure measures (the ratios of short-term debt to total capital, long-term debt to total capital, and total debt to total capital). Whereas total debt and banks’ performance are positively correlated, short-term debt and long-term debt are inversely related to banks’ performance. In essence, using large proportion of debt significantly enhance commercial banks performance in Ghana

The Effectiveness of Internal Control System in Safeguarding Assets in the Ghanaian Banking Industry

The study assessed the effectiveness of internal control system in safeguarding assets against fraud in Agricultural Development Bank Ghana Limited (ADB). The study specifically highlighted the major causes of fraud; determined the extent of implementation of internal control systems; assessed the effectiveness of internal control system on fraud detection and prevention; and ascertained the effect of fraud on the bank in terms of its profitability, liquidity and operational efficiency. A structured questionnaire was used as a primary data collection instrument to select employees of ADB by purposive and convenient means. Items of the questionnaire were measured on the ranking scale. 37 employees from five branches of the bank were sampled. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics. The study found that employees of the bank perceived that; poor internal control system, presence of unqualified staff, inadequate staffing, poor record-keeping practices, and inadequate training and re-training of staff among others were the main causes of fraud. All aspects of internal control system were strongly implemented and practiced by the bank. Internal control system was effective in controlling fraud in the bank in various forms. Fraud had negative and insignificant effect on the performance of the bank. The study recommends the continuous practice of the internal control system to ensure that fraud of any form is reduced to the barest minimum

The Effectiveness of Internal Control System in Safeguarding Assets in the Ghanaian Banking Industry

The study assessed the effectiveness of internal control system in safeguarding assets against fraud in Agricultural Development Bank Ghana Limited (ADB). The study specifically highlighted the major causes of fraud; determined the extent of implementation of internal control systems; assessed the effectiveness of internal control system on fraud detection and prevention; and ascertained the effect of fraud on the bank in terms of its profitability, liquidity and operational efficiency. A structured questionnaire was used as a primary data collection instrument to select employees of ADB by purposive and convenient means. Items of the questionnaire were measured on the ranking scale. 37 employees from five branches of the bank were sampled. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics. The study found that employees of the bank perceived that; poor internal control system, presence of unqualified staff, inadequate staffing, poor record-keeping practices, and inadequate training and re-training of staff among others were the main causes of fraud. All aspects of internal control system were strongly implemented and practiced by the bank. Internal control system was effective in controlling fraud in the bank in various forms. Fraud had negative and insignificant effect on the performance of the bank. The study recommends the continuous practice of the internal control system to ensure that fraud of any form is reduced to the barest minimum