Assessing the Awareness of Safety Rules in the Hospitality Industry in Ghana: A Case of Some Selected Hotels in the Accra Metropolitan Area

The study sought to assess the awareness of safety rules in the hospitality industry in Ghana, with the search light on the operations of some ten Hotels in the Accra Metropolitan Area as well as the head office of the Ghana Tourist Authority. Among other objectives the study assessed the knowledge of management and employees concerning health and safety in the hotels, explored the existing rules and regulations regarding health and safety by management to protect employees, and examined the existing national policies on Health and safety in the hotel industry. In conducting the study, the researcher employed the purposive sampling technique to approach officials of the Ghana Tourist Authority as well as management members of the ten hotels for their views on health and safety. Random sampling technique was used to select respondents from the employees of the hotel. The questionnaire technique was adopted as the research instrument while Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to facilitate the analysis of the information captured on the field. Findings of the study indicated that management members of hotels are aware of the laws on health and safety practices that should be maintained in their hotels, such information has not been readily made available to the employees. The employees however are aware of their obligation to ensure that their places of work are healthy and safe. The study also discovered that the hotel has emergency exist, fire extinguishers, first aid box etc., which are used as strategies to combat eventualities such as fire outbreaks. It is recommended that owing to the challenges tourist board faces in sanctioning hotels that default in health and safety standards as a result of political interference, highly place politicians must be educated on the need to allow formalities to prevail so as to instill discipline in the hospitality industry. Ghana Tourist Authority was also advised to organise compulsory sensitization workshop on health and safety standards for hotel employees so as to step up their awareness in modern standards for running the hotel industry. The study concluded that although hotel managers and operators are mindful of the health and safety standards required of them, they hardly disseminate such information into their employees thereby keeping them in the dark about modern standards and the national policy on hotel safety standards. Keywords: Health and safety rules, hotels, Ghana Tourist Authority, purposive and random sampling technique.

Assessing Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction in Ghana’s Hotel Industry: A Case Study of Engineering Guest House – KNUST

Background: It has been generally observed that service quality plays a very instrumental role in customer satisfaction. This study therefore, examined the impact of service quality on customer satisfaction in Ghana’s hotel industry, with Engineering Guest House (EGH) of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). Methods: In pursuit of the stated objective, descriptive cross-sectional survey was adopted as the research design for this study. Data was sourced from both primary and secondary sources. Structured questionnaires which was the main research instrument was used to elicit information from the participants which comprised mainly of customers of EGH-KNUST who have been patronizing the services of the said entity over 2 years. ANOVA and t-statistics were used to test the hypothesis while regression analysis was used to analyzed the data. Results: The findings showed an R2 value of 0.762 which reveals that service quality (using the SERVQUAL components) accounted for 76.2% of the variation in customer satisfaction. The f-statistics of 32.318 reveals that the model is statistically significant at 0.05 significant level. Conclusion: It was concluded that there was a significant relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction at EGH-KNUST, hence the guest house should continue to investigate precisely what guests want and develop innovative ways to meeting guests’ expectation. Keywords: Service quality, SERVQUAL model, customer satisfaction DOI: 10.7176/JTHS/47-05 Publication date: February 29th 202

Compliance of Laws Regarding the Sale and Usage of Alcoholic Beverage in the Hospitality Industry: The Case of Intoxicated and Minors

Background: Alcohol consumption in Ghana continue to increase astronomically, the sad part of this is that, alcohol sellers continue to sell to intoxicated people and unfortunately minors. The indifference of some sellers toward the laid down regulations governing the sale of alcoholic beverages is what motivated the researchers to conduct study on this development with the purpose of determining the compliance of laws regarding the sale and usage of alcoholic beverages in the hospitality industry using the case of intoxicated and minors. Methods: Data was extracted from 100 respondents (i.e. sellers) with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), with questionnaires being used as the main research instrument. Information gathered were coded, sampled, analysed and conclusions were drawn. Results: it emerged that alcohol consumption is highest among age group 26-35 years. In addition, 80% of the respondents are aware that there are laws governing the sale of alcoholic beverages, however, 85% of them do not comply to these laws and regulations. With respect to operation, 92% of the respondents have license to operate, 8% on the other hand were operating without license. Again, out of the 92% of the respondents who have license to operate, only 40% of them oftentimes renew their licenses. Conclusions: most of the sellers do not comply to laws pertaining to the sale of alcoholic beverages hence the need for stringent measures to be adopted. Keywords: Compliance of Laws, Alcoholic Beverage DOI: 10.7176/JTHS/40-0

Perception of Beneficiaries and Stakeholders About Vocational Education in Ghana: A Case Study in Ashanti Region, Ghana

Background: Technical and Vocational Education is considered by many nations as an important catalyst in the development of a country, however much investment and research have not been done to enriching vocational education. This study therefore, delve into the perception and factors that influence beneficiaries in acquiring vocational education, and the impact of vocational education on vocational graduates and also to assess the factors the inhibit the full actualization of skills acquired from vocational education.Methods: In pursuit of the stated objective descriptive cross-sectional survey was adopted as the research design for this study. Data was sourced from both primary and secondary sources. Structured questionnaire which was the main research instrument was used to elicit information from the participants consisting beneficiaries and stakeholders from Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.Results: The findings showed an R2 value of 0.874 which reveals that, the factors influence the choice of vocational education by beneficiaries accounted for 0.0874% of the variation in a choice vocational education. The f-statistics of 86.922 reveals that the model is statistically significant at 0.05 significant level. On the impact of vocational education on the beneficiaries’ occupation, majority of them agreed to the fact that vocational education gave them the necessary technical and entrepreneurial skills. The beneficiaries however have a negative perception about vocation education while stakeholders hold a contrary perception. Conclusion: Vocational education plays a critical role in development hence governments must prioritise vocational education development. However, developing vocational education requires a complete understanding of the factors that affect vocational education development; hence a broader study should be conducted to identify these factors. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-5-01 Publication date: February 29th 2020

Outbreak of rabies among humans, dogs and livestock, Awutu-Senya East Municipality, Ghana, 2019

Introduction: Rabies is a neglected zoonotic disease caused by the Rabies virus (RABV). Ninety-percent of human rabies are dog-mediated. Globally there are 59,000 human rabies annually. On June 16 2019, a 4-year-old girl from the Awutu-Senya East Municipal of Ghana, died following symptoms of aggression, hyper-salivation and hydrophobia. She had a dog scratch five weeks prior. We confirmed the outbreak, determined its magnitude, identified associated factors and implemented control measures. Methods: We interviewed community members to understand potential exposures to RABV. We reviewed the animal bite records, clinical notes of human rabies cases and initial line-list. We conducted community-based rabies surveillance for animal bites and confirmed RABV by Polymerase Chain Reaction of brain tissue of dead human and animals. We updated the line-list with demographic, exposure, and outcome variables of bite victims. Quantitative data was analyzed descriptively, and findings presented as frequencies and proportions. Results: Overall, 155 dog bites were identified, among which six human rabies deaths were recorded (Attack rate=3.9%). Males were 51.6% (80/155) of bite victims, whiles children 5-14 years constituted 27% (40/147). About 86.5% (134/155) of bites were by unvaccinated dogs, and stray dogs bit 80.6% (125/155) of individuals. Category III bites were 35% (50/141). RABV was isolated from 16.7% (1/6) of human deaths and 30% (3/10) of rabid dog. We suspected rabies infection in a goat. Dogs roamed unattended within communities. Conclusion: This rabies outbreak was dog-mediated. Poor pet ownership and limited vaccination of dogs were associated factors. Mass dog vaccination, prompt post-exposure prophylaxis and risk communication were critical interventions implemented

Sexual behaviour change following HIV testing services: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Learning one's HIV status through HIV testing services (HTS) is an essential step toward accessing treatment and linking to preventive services for those at high HIV risk. HTS may impact subsequent sexual behaviour, but the degree to which this varies by population or is true in the setting of contemporary HIV prevention activities is largely unknown. As part of the 2019 World Health Organization Consolidated Guidelines on HTS, we undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effect of HTS on sexual behaviour. METHODS: We searched nine electronic databases for studies published between July 2010 and December 2019. We included studies that reported on at least one outcome (condom use [defined as the frequency of condom use or condom-protected sex], number of sex partners, HIV incidence, STI incidence/prevalence). We included studies that prospectively assessed outcomes and that fit into one of three categories: (1) those evaluating more versus less-intensive HTS, (2) those of populations receiving HTS versus not and (3) those evaluating outcomes after versus before HTS. We conducted meta-analyses using random-effects models. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Of 29 980 studies screened, 76 studies were included. Thirty-eight studies were randomized controlled trials, 36 were cohort studies, one was quasi-experimental and one was a serial cross-sectional study. There was no significant difference in condom use among individuals receiving more-intensive HTS compared to less-intensive HTS (relative risk [RR]=1.03; 95% CI: 0.99 to 1.07). Condom use was significantly higher after receiving HTS compared to before HTS for individuals newly diagnosed with HIV (RR = 1.65; 95% CI: 1.36 to 1.99) and marginally significantly higher for individuals receiving an HIV-negative diagnosis (RR = 1.63; 95% CI: 1.01 to 2.62). Individuals receiving more-intensive HTS reported fewer sex partners at follow-up than those receiving less-intensive HTS, but the finding was not statistically significant (mean difference = -0.28; 95% CI: -3.66, 3.10). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the importance of using limited resources towards HTS strategies that focus on early HIV diagnosis, treatment and prevention services rather than resources dedicated to supplementing or enhancing HTS with additional counselling or other interventions