Determinants of internet banking adoption by banks in Ghana

Growth in information and communication technology (ICT) is drastically changing the way businesses, especially in the service industries, are conducted. The financial services industry and banking in particular, is not excluded from this technology explosion. Internet banking, even though not new in advanced countries, is a new transaction channel being used by banks in some parts of Africa, especially Ghana, to offer various products and services to their customers. However, this medium has not been fully exploited by these banks as there are many hurdles the banks must triumph over. In deploying this technology and these systems, there are several factors which banks must take into consideration before fully deploying such a system to their customers, hence the motivation for this study. The absence of suitable and sufficient knowledge on this topic also exposes a “rhetoric versus reality” argument of whether the intention to adopt Internet banking is critical to the strategies and ultimate success of banks in Ghana. For banks to stay ahead of competition as well as to attract and maintain their clientele, it is of paramount importance to gather and link the perspectives of both clients and bank managers in order for banks to ensure that they perform according to the needs and expectations of their clients. In order to achieve the intended results, an empirical study was conducted by taking into consideration the viewpoints of both bank clients and bank managers in determining the factors that customers take into consideration before adopting the Internet banking medium. The primary aim of this study was to quantify significant relationships between the selected variables. Therefore the positivism research paradigm was used, while the phenomenological paradigm was employed for the measuring instruments. Because multiple sources of data were used, from the perspectives of banking clients and managers in Ghana, methodological triangulation was adopted for this study. The results of the empirical investigation showed that both groups (clients and managers) considered the variables of market share, technology acceptance, diffusion of innovation, organisational variables, organisational efficiency, and business strategy to have direct influence on the adoption of Internet banking. However, they differed in opinion concerning the degree of influence of these variables. The bank managers’ responses leaned more towards strong agreement with the importance of these variables than did those of the bank clients. Thus, for bank clients to readily adopt the Internet banking medium for their banking transactions, bank managers must take a closer look at these determinant factors described in the study. The study showed that the population group, educational and income levels exerted an influence on the perceptions clients have regarding Internet banking adoption factors. It was found that the higher the education and income levels of the clients, the easier it was for them to adopt Internet banking. Also, the male group dominated the use of the Internet banking. This is supported by the fact that there is a growing middle class in Ghana that falls within this category of banking clients

A SOCIAL MODEL OF HEALTH APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING THE INTERACTIVE RELATIONSHIP AMONG DETERMINANTS OF ITN USE: AN EXPLORATION OF MALARIA INTERVENTION STRATEGY AMONG HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS IN GHANA.

This study aims to explore the context-specific factors associated with ITN use that focuses on the interactive relationship among determinants of ITN use. The study adopts the social model of health as a conceptual approach to explore the interplay among determinants of ITN use at the individual, net, household, and community levels. This conceptual approach is developed to test the moderating influence of net-level factor (i.e., the number of ITNs) on the relationship between the number of children under five years and household members’ ITN use. The thesis involved a sample size of 10,977 based on a nationally representative sample of Ghanaian households drawn from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) - 2020 dataset. A single-level moderation model was appropriate for the data analysis method. From the results of the data analysis, the main predictor variable the number of children under five years was positively associated with household members’ ITN use (OR = 0.29, p < .001). A moderation effect of the number of ITNs ((OR = -.05, p < .001) on the relationship between the number of children under five years and household members’ ITN use was reported. The key finding of the study is that the number of children under five years influenced household members’ ITN use, but this relationship was determined by the number of ITNs in the household. The proportion of the number of children under five years and ITN use is moderately different for a high and low number of ITNs in the household with the former decreasing ITN use and the latter increasing ITN use. The results of the thesis indicate a critical consideration for the complex interplay of determinants of ITN use which reveal the significant connection between the individual, net, household, and community-level factors shaping ITN use. The interaction between individual and net level factors on household members’ ITN use is relevant to the social model of health that implies adequate access to health services towards supporting health-related behavior and better health outcomes. The thesis provides a conceptual approach to malaria intervention that engages a comprehensive discussion of health promotion action. This considers a review of extensive theoretical and empirical literature in outlining practical implications and proposes outlooks for future research in engaging more scientific and evidence-oriented health action toward malaria prevention in Ghana.Master's ThesisGLODE36

Gender Dimensions in the family reunification and integration process: Eritrean immigrants in Norway

This thesis presents a feminist approach towards understanding gender in the migration and integration process. It examines the dynamics involved in Eritrean families’ gender relations after they migrate to Norway and how gender norms in Norwegian society influence their role expectations and social practices. Moreover, the thesis explores how Eritrean immigrants’ gender ideologies influence their process of integration, whether women and men are able to renegotiate gender roles in the household, enabling them to participate outside the home thereby eliciting changes to power relations in the household. Finally, the thesis analyses how gender interacts with other social identities that Eritrean immigrants (particularly women) possess and how it influences their integration process. This thesis required conducting three months of fieldwork in Bergen, Norway in 2019. The study follows an ethnographic methodological approach to understand immigrants’ experiences. The empirical findings from the fieldwork have been complemented by theoretical approaches such as the gender concept in feminist theory, social integration, empowerment, and intersectionality. These theories used to analyze the empirical data has enabled the contextual understanding of gender relations within migration and integration processes, investigating the main research question: In what ways are gender relations in Eritrean immigrant households influenced when they settle in the Norwegian society? The thesis argues that gender relations for Eritrean immigrants are influenced by their existing gender ideologies which impact their role performance in the household. Eritrean immigrant men and women face challenges in renegotiating domestic roles and parental labour thus leading to gender differences in their division of household labour and impacting on women’s participation in the public sphere in terms of education and paid work. Opportunities for women in Norwegian society leads to their achieving various levels of empowerment, influencing their position and decision-making process in the household. Welfare conditions in the Norwegian society support Eritrean women’s empowerment as well as engendering their dependency in the household. Access to resources is influenced by gender relations between women and men which results in gender differences in both material and non-material resources.Master's Thesis in GeographyGEO350MASV-MEHAMASV-GEOGMASV-PHYGMPGEOG

Contextualities of gender in Eritrean immigrant households: Exploring empowerment through integration in Norwegian society

The article presents a contextual understanding of immigration and integration in Norwegian society from a gender perspective by capturing the experiences of Eritrean immigrant households when adapting to social change and an unfamiliar gender regime. Theories of empowerment and social integration are used to interpret the gender dimensions, and to examine Eritrean families’ post-migration gender relations and the interaction between conventional and egalitarian norms in expectations regarding the roles and social participation of women and men. A qualitative research design was used, involving in-depth interviews, participant observation, and informal discussions. The findings revealed that Eritrean immigrants’ gender relations in Norwegian society were dynamic, due to the opportunities and constraints they faced in the private and public spheres. Women’s ability to challenge patriarchal power relations was due to their adoption of Norwegian mainstream norms that determined their agency and empowerment in society. Also, social inclusion for Eritrean immigrants wes often dependent on social networks that aided their integration into society and was differentiated by gender. The authors conclude that the realities of women’s empowerment were heterogeneous and subjectively influenced by male gender ideologies, relevant education and language skills, access to desirable social networks, satisfactory paid work, and decisive welfare regulations.publishedVersio

A Secured Agent-based Model for a Peer-to-Peer System

In this paper, information exchange that is devoid of control in the peer-to-peer communication, exposes peer to malicious activities, insecure communication, loss of significant data or failure of the system. The complexity and perceived compromise in peers communicating at different levels necessitates modeling a secured agent-based model for a peer-to-peer system. This work was designed to accommodate peer registration phase that will allow peers on satisfying defined requirement, request for connection to the super peer, subsequently guaranteeing and promoting healthy system. The agent module in the network ascertains successfully connected peers on the network, certifying feedback agent goal and ready for peer communication. The result shows that peculiar security attacks from malicious and un-registered peers are systematically controlled in the peer-to-peer system. Key words : Peer-to-peer, Agent-based, Secured and Communication. DOI: 10.7176/CEIS/12-2-03 Publication date: May30th 202

An Enhanced Model for Job Sequencing and Dispatch in Identical Parallel Machines

This paper has developed an efficient scheduling model that is robust and minimizes the total completion time for job completion in identical parallel machines. The new model employs Genetic-Fuzzy technique for job sequencing and dispatch in identical parallel machines. It uses genetic algorithm technique to develop a job scheduler that does the job sequencing and optimization while fuzzy logic technique was used to develop a job dispatcher that dispatches job to the identical parallel machines. The methodology used for the design is the Object Oriented Analysis and Design Methodology (OOADM) and the system was implemented using C# and .NET framework. The model was tested with fifteen identical parallel machines used for printing. The parameters used in analyzing this model include the job scheduling length, average execution time, load balancing and machines utilization. The result generated from the developed model was compare with the result of other job scheduling models like First Come First Sever (FCFS) scheduling approach and Genetic Model (GA) scheduling approach. The result of the new model shows a better load balancing and high machine utilization among the individual machines when compared with the First Come First Serve (FCFS) scheduling model and Genetic Algorithm (GA) scheduling model. Keywords:  Parallel Machines, Genetic Model, Job Scheduler, Fuzzy Logic Technique, Load Balancing, Machines   Utilization DOI: 10.7176/CEIS/11-2-05 Publication date: March 31st 202

GROWTH STIMULATING EFFECTS OF ASPILIA AFRICANA FED TO FEMALE PSEUDO-RUMINANT HERBIVORES (RABBITS) AT DIFFERENT PHYSIOLOGICAL STATES

Background: In recent times, there has been a significant short fall between the production and supply of animal protein to meet the ever increasing population. To meet the increasing demand for animal protein, there is need to focus attention on the production of livestock whose nutritional requirement does not put much strain on the limited sources of feed ingredients to which men subscribe. An example of such livestock is rabbit. Rabbit is a pseudo-ruminant herbivore which utilizes much undigested and unabsorbed feed materials as sources of nutrient for maintenance and production. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of feeding Aspilia africana as forage on the growth rates of female pseudo-ruminant herbivores (rabbits) at different physiological states. Method: Thirty (30) dutch breed rabbit does of 5 – 6 months of age were used for the experiment which was conducted in a completely randomized design for a period of four (4) months. The rabbits were divided into three treatment groups, ten (10) does per treatment group; which consisted of mixed forages (Centrosema pubescens (200g), Panicum maximum (200g) and Ipomea batatas leaves (100g) without Aspilia africana (T1; control), fresh Aspilia africana (500g/doe/day) (T2) and wilted Aspilia africana (500g/doe/day) (T3). Rabbits in all treatment groups received the same concentrate (300g/animal/day) throughout the period of the study and mixed forages from the commencement of the experiment till the does kindled. After parturition, fresh and wilted Aspilia africana were introduced in treatments 2 and 3 respectively, whereas the control group continued on mixed forages throughout the study. Conclusion: The result of the study revealed that the initial average body weight of the rabbit does was 1.74kg. At mating and gestation periods, the body weights of the does in T2 was significantly higher (P<0.05) than the rest. There were no significant differences (P<0.05) in the body weights of does at kindling between the various treatment groups. During the physiological states of lactation, weaning and re-mating, the control group (T1) had significantly lower body weight than those of the treated groups (T2 and T3). Furthermore, T2 had significantly higher body weight than T3. The study revealed that Aspiliaafricana; particularly the fresh leaves have greater growth stimulating effects when fed to pseudoruminants (rabbits), thereby enhancing body weights of does during lactation and weaning

Trends in clinical trial registration in sub-Saharan Africa between 2010 and 2020: a cross-sectional review of three clinical trial registries.

OBJECTIVE: Prospective registration of clinical trials is an ethical, scientific, and legal requirement that serves several functions, including minimising research wastage and publication bias. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is increasingly hosting clinical trials over the past few years, and there is limited literature on trends in clinical trial registration and reporting in SSA. Therefore, we set out to determine the trends in clinical trials registered in SSA countries between 2010 and July 2020. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used to describe the type of clinical trials that are conducted in SSA from 1 January 2010 to 31 July 2020. The registries searched were ClinicalTrials.gov (CTG), the Pan African Clinical Trials Register (PACTR), and the International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN). Data were extracted into Excel and imported into STATA for descriptive analysis. RESULTS: CTG had the highest number of registered trials at 2622, followed by PACTR with 1501 and ISRCTN with 507 trials. Trials were observed to increase gradually from 2010 and peaked at 2018-2019. Randomised trials were the commonest type, accounting for at least 80% across the three registries. Phase three trials investigating drugs targeted at infections/infestations were the majority. Few completed trials had their results posted: 58% in ISRCTN and 16.5% in CTG, thus suggesting reporting bias. CONCLUSION: Despite the gradual increase in clinical trials registered during the period, recent trends suggest a drop in the number of trials registered across the region. Strengthening national and regional regulatory capacity will improve clinical trial registration and minimise reporting bias in completed clinical trials

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London