College of Humanities & Social Sciences
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- ItemInnovation novelty and performance of humanitarian organisations: boundary roles of innovation intensity and external communication(KNUST, 2019-05) Owusu-Bio, Matilda KokuiABSTRACT In an increasingly precarious and uncertain operating environment, organisations boost their operational performance on the basis of their ability to innovate to introduce new strategies, processes and products in the marketplace. However, the organisational innovation literature suggests that the performance outcomes of a strategy based on increasing the proportion of novel innovations may not be straightforward, and may be dependent upon organisation-specific and external environment factors. Evidence from the empirical literature also suggests inconsistencies in empirical findings regarding the performance outcomes of novelty of organisational innovations. Thus, the extant literature points to the possibility that organisational innovation novelty may offer only conditional benefit for performance. To resolve these knowledge gaps, this study integrates the literature on organisational innovation, resource-based view and diffusion of innovation theory to examine the extent to which the operational performance benefit of organisational innovation novelty is limited to an optimal point and is conditioned by increases in the resource requirements for novelty, intensity of innovation and extensiveness of external communication efforts. Using primary data from not-for-profit humanitarian organisations in Ghana and analysing the data with LISTREL 8.5 using SEM , organisational innovation novelty is found to have a J-shaped relationship with operational performance. The relationship is enhanced when levels of intensity of innovation are high. In addition, findings reveal that the operational performance outcome of organisational innovation novelty is enhanced when levels of external communication are low to moderate. A key theoretical implication is that increases in novelty levels of an organisation’s innovations do not always produce a superior operational performance outcome, rather the operational performance benefits that humanitarian organisations generate from novel innovations may be limited by funding requirements of seeking novelty, and conditioned by the extent to which firms invest in external communications. A major managerial implication is that innovation novelty levels need to be managed with the goal of maintaining an optimal point of novelty that enhances humanitarian organisation’s operational performance. The findings also provide important lessons for public policy-makers: in developing economies such as Ghana, low to moderate levels of external communication efforts are ideal for innovation success in not-for-profit sector. While low to moderate external communication between business leaders and public officeholders may produce some benefits for innovation success, too much engagement between business leaders and public officeholders can depress the effectiveness of an organisation’s novel innovation outputs.
- ItemAssessing the implementation of the electronic salary payment voucher of the controller and accountant general department: a case study of Ghana education service (GES)(KNUST, 2016-08) Asombala, RitaABSTRACT The study assesses the implementation of the Electronic Salary Payment Voucher (E-SPV) system of Controller and Accountant General‟s Department (CAGD) on Ghana Education Service (GES). Little has been done to assess the implementation of E-SPV of the system in Ghana since its adoption again, the resistance of teachers and public sector workers against it, makes this study worth considering. Mixed method research design of quantitative and qualitative was employed using convenience and purposive sampling techniques to select 500 teachers and 6 CAGD staffs respectively. Questionnaires and structured interview guide were used to elicit data from the respondents. Data were gathered from both primary and secondary sources and SPSS and Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) were used to analyze the primary data gathered. The study revealed that lack of adequate knowledge in the E-SPV system has resulted in the mal-handling of e-pay documents. Moreover, the study concluded that teachers within the educational sectors are faced with avalanche challenges such as lack of equipment like computers and internet services to validate workers‟ pay on the voucher and access to their pay slip information and due to that, some have to walk long distances to access internet services which increases their security and privacy risks level. The E-SPV system has nevertheless, brought convenience, cost effectiveness and easy access to salary information and validation before payment to teachers. However, CAGD challenges reported were, system malfunctions, internet related issues etc. and their benefits included: system cost effectiveness, prompt and fast access to approved vouchers before payment, etc. The study therefore, recommended that, employees be sensitized constantly on the system, provided with the basic equipment, among others to enable adequate and proper use of the system.
- ItemRetrenchment process and the coping mechanisms of employees from the banking industry in Ghana: A Case Of Adot Bank Ghana Limited(KNUST, 2016-06) Coffie, Rosemary BoatengABSTRACT Although there has been a great deal of work on retrenchment in other sectors like mining and general business, this has not been the case in the banking sector. This study attempted to fill this gap in the literature in Ghana. The study adopted a qualitative case study methodology employing in-depth interviews as its main data collection tool. Purposive sampling was used to select three (3) bank staff at the HRM Department of the case bank, and snowball sampling was used to reach thirty eight (38) retrenched staff. A Logical Positivist approach was adopted, employing the Social and Human Capital Theories as the mediating variables to explain the coping mechanisms of these retrenched staff. The researcher used the comparative content analysis to analyse the data. The findings showed that the retrenchment process of the bank under study had an implementation gap at the selection criteria and severance package level within the retrenchment process. There were also indications that retrenched staff suffered loss of self-esteem and change in status. Retrenchees also experienced a reduction in spending as well as emotional breakdown such as anger and crying at some point in time which were directly related to the retrenchment process. The study further revealed that retrenched staff coped differently due to varying family backgrounds and environmental situations. Moreover, the study found that retrenched staff coped with emotion and problem focused coping by Folkman and Lazarus (1984) and also resorted to coping with the knowledge, skills and capabilities they have as well as friends, family, social organisations and religion. In line with the findings of the study, the researcher had bridged the gap by providing a comprehensive study on retrenchment that looks at the retrenchment process through to the effects, coping mechanisms as well as the labour market reintegration of the affected employee. Again the findings of the study would be relevant for policy implementers in banks to look at issues within the retrenchment process especially at the selection criteria and severance package. The researcher therefore recommends proper negotiations towards the establishment of consensus between the employer and employee as well as the trade union on the selection of the affected employee to minimise the effects on the affected employee for a better coping.
- ItemStudies on energy and environmental economics(KNUST, 2016-11) Adjei, Paul KwakwaABSTRACT This thesis addressed three empirical questions in environmental and energy economics in three chapters. The destruction of the environment through carbon emission has gained the attention of policy makers and environmentalists. The African continent is low emitter of CO2, contributing comparatively little to climate change. However, it is widely accepted that the continent is very vulnerable to the effects of climate change. As a result although the share of Sub-Saharan Africa in global emission of CO2 is historically low, the rising trend in its share of global emissions calls for a concern. In particular, the trend of CO2 emission on the continent has been increasing with the rate of economic growth, trade openness and energy consumption. The first empirical chapter (Chapter Three) thus analyses the effects of income, energy consumption and trade openness on carbon emission in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Empirical estimations from the fully modifies ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) confirmed the existence of the Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis for the SSA region with an estimated (income per capita) turning point values ranging from US$ 1,142.85 to US$ 5,687.09. Furthermore, the paper established a nonlinear relationship between trade and emission and concludes that both income and non-income factors account for carbon emission in SSA. However, income and energy consumption have the greatest effect. The results of the chapter imply among other things, the need to promote economic growth and development as a means of reducing carbon emission. Also opening up the sub region for international trade will in the long run help reduce emission. Again it is imperative for countries in the region to embrace more energy conservation policies in order to reduce emissions. The second empirical chapter (Chapter Four) investigates the determinants of the rising fossil fuel consumption for three Sub-Saharan African countries - Ghana, Kenya and South Africa - to help manage the rising consumption fossil fuel consumption. The data for Ghana revealed income, trade and urbanization increases fossil fuel consumption while efficiency of the industrial and service sectors reduce its consumption. The Kenyan results however, showed income, industrial efficiency and urbanization contribute positively to fossil fuel consumption but trade, efficiency of the service sector and price reduce fossil fuel consumption. The consumption of fossil fuel in South Africa is found to be influenced by income, urbanization, industrial efficiency, efficiency of the service sector and trade. Among other things, the results of the study suggest efforts should be geared towards strengthening the energy efficiency system in each of these countries to help reduce fossil fuel consumption. In addition, adequate measures should be put in place to decentralize growth and other lucrative activities in the countries under study to reduce the population pressure in the urban centers so as to curb the high level of fossil fuel consumption in such urbanized areas. Also, it is necessary that tariff and non-tariff barriers on products that do not promote energy efficiency are raised and vice versa. The third empirical chapter (Chapter Five) probes into the electricity conservation behaviour for rural and urban households in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Based on a cross-sectional data, it was observed that although both urban and rural households engage in electricity conservation practices, rural households have the stronger behaviour. Through an analysis of conservation behaviour towards the usage of four households’ appliances, it was noted that the effects of demographic features, dwelling characteristics, information, environmental concern, subjective norms and perceived benefits is somehow dependent on the location of households and the appliance in question. The outcome of the study calls for the need to create more awareness by having more campaigns on conservation for the households in the study area. Also, it tells that influential family members and role models in these areas should be involved in the conservation campaign. Also, the results highlight the need to have different conservation measures tailored towards the usage of different appliance in the study area.
- ItemNatural capital policy and economic development in Ghana: development effect of the 1994 forestry policy in the Ashanti Region(KNUST, 2016-10) Quartey, Jonathan DagaduABSTRACT This thesis examines the effort to attain economic development in Ghana through natural capital. It evaluates natural capital policy in the context of global policies in developing countries. Suggestions from literature indicate that good natural capital policy is capable of improving the well-being of the poor and should be an area of high priority for natural resource-rich developing countries. The history of natural capital policy spanning over one hundred years in Ghana, made it a country of choice for empirical evidence and consequently the most prominent natural capital policy in the country -forestry policy. The study, mainly quantitative, used both primary and secondary data. Primary data were obtained through the administration of questionnaire to household heads, selected through a two-stage probability sampling procedure, in forest communities in the Ashanti Region. Secondary data were obtained mainly from the Forestry Commission of Ghana’s annual reports. The conceptual framework was based on economic criteria for evaluat ing inclusive wealth creation through forestry policy implemented in Ghana. Three analytica l techniques were employed, namely: efficiency analysis based on the Policy Analysis Matrix, cost-effectiveness analysis and equity analysis based on Lorenz curve, and Giniindex assessments. The thesis found that for all its life, forestry policy in Ghana had been driven by the normative forest science paradigm. Forestry policy in the Ashanti Region has met neither the necessary (efficiency) nor sufficient (equity) conditions for economic development. Therefore forestry policy has not been a driver of economic development in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, thereby serving as a drag on national economic development. The almost absolute silvicultural approach to forestry policy must give way to a more holist ic approach at all stages of the forestry policy process to provide the needed driving force for economic development in Ghana.