Factors influencing polytechnic students’ decision to graduate as entrepreneurs

The existence of supply-demand gaps in graduate output not only contributes to the problem of graduate unemployment but also undermines the efficiency of public investment in tertiary education, and therefore the issue needs to be addressed. Because of this, it is critical to focus on graduates and understand which factors affect their intentions to start-up a business in the future. This paper examines the factors that influence polytechnic students' decision to graduate as entrepreneurs. The study used primary data which was collected from 250 students randomly selected from the Kumasi polytechnic. It employed descriptive statistics and the probit model to analyse the factors influencing the decisions by polytechnic students to graduate as entrepreneurs. The results of this study show that personality factors (extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness), support from family members and friends, occupation of parents, entrepreneurship education, gender and access to finance have significant positive effect on polytechnic students' decision to graduate as entrepreneurs while students care about public remarks on their decisions has a significant negative effect

ECONOMICS OF TOMATO MARKETING IN ASHANTI REGION, GHANA

The perishable nature of most agricultural produce and the concomitant need for effective marketing outlets carries along huge economic consequences, especially in developing countries like Ghana. This study examines the determinants of profit in tomato marketing in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Cross-sectional data collected from a random sample of 200 tomato marketers consisting of 100 wholesalers and 100 retailers were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the multiple linear regression technique of the ordinary least squares. The results show that wholesalers have a higher margin of 99.7 percent, while the retailers have a margin of 75.4 percent. Labour cost, purchase price, transportation cost and selling price run through all the estimated regressions as determinants of marketing profit. The effects of these variables on marketing profit could raise public concern since they have implications on prices received by tomato producers and those paid by final consumers and therefore there is the need for the government to devise policies aimed at stabilizing the local currency.The results also call for policy efforts to completely eliminate illiteracy among tomato traders in Ghana especially in the Ashanti Region. Policies that could enable the retailers to increase their scale of operations are also advocated. Future researchers may also estimate the exact point in the age variable at which retail profit declines and possible antecedents