Peter Appiah Obeng, Emmanuel A. Donkor and Anthony Mensah
The purpose of this paper is to find out and document what reforms have taken place in the institutional structure for solid waste management (SWM) in Kumasi since the inception…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to find out and document what reforms have taken place in the institutional structure for solid waste management (SWM) in Kumasi since the inception of a National Environmental Sanitation Policy (NESP) in Ghana in 1999, and what impact institutional reforms have made on solid waste collection service efficiency.
Design/methodology/approach
The study undertook a before‐and‐after assessment of key institutional issues as well as service efficiency within five years of the inception of the policy using questionnaires and interviews to collect data and information from relevant SWM stakeholders in the metropolis.
Findings
It was found that the implementation of the policy has led to changes in the organisational structure for SWM in the city with the introduction of private sector participation, which has led to improvement in efficiency in terms of service coverage and cost recovery. Service coverage increased from about 50 per cent in 1999 to an annual average of 87.4 per cent between 2000 and 2004, while the amount recovered through house‐to‐house collection services increased from 26.5 per cent of the WMD's expenditure in 2001 to 68.6 per cent in 2004.
Practical implications
The findings and recommendations can inform future SWM policy reviews and implementation in the city and elsewhere.
Originality/value
The study is the first attempt at documenting the historical evolution towards the current institutional structure and a scientific assessment of the impact of the reforms on service efficiency in Ghana.
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Md Karim Rabiul, Marianna Sigala and Rashed Al Karim
This study examines the mediating role of organizational engagement in the link between human resources management (HRM) practices and commitment to quality services (CQS). It…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the mediating role of organizational engagement in the link between human resources management (HRM) practices and commitment to quality services (CQS). It also investigates the moderating effect of turnover intention on the link between HRM practices and organizational engagement, and the moderating effect of employee adaptability on the link between organizational engagement and CQS.
Design/methodology/approach
Customer contact employees (N = 593) in Bangladeshi hotels were recruited using a convenient sampling method. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to test the hypotheses.
Findings
Organizational engagement significantly mediates the relationship between HRM practices and CQS. Turnover intention negatively and employee adaptability positively moderates the proposed relationships.
Practical implications
Hospitality managers may use the findings to enhance quality customer services by implementing appropriate HRM practices, reducing turnover, and increasing adaptability and organizational engagement.
Originality/value
The findings contribute to social exchange theory, theory of planned behavior, and job demand-resources theories by explaining the mediating role of organizational engagement and moderating role of turnover intention and employee adaptability which are yet to be discovered.
研究目的
本研究探討組織參與在人力資源管理實務與提供優質服務的承諾兩者之間的關聯上所扮演的協調角色。研究人員亦探究(一)離職意向在人力資源管理實務與組織參與之間的關聯上所扮演的調節角色,以及(二)員工適應性在組織參與與提供優質服務的承諾兩者之間的關聯上所扮演的調節角色。
研究設計
研究人員以方便抽樣方法招募於孟加拉的酒店工作的員工 (N = 593) (593人),他們均為第一線服務員工。研究人員繼而使用結構方程模型 (PLS-SEM) 去測試各項假設。
研究結果
研究結果顯示,組織參與會顯著地調節人力資源管理實務與提供優質服務的承諾兩者之間的關聯。而且,離職意向在人力資源管理實務與組織參與之間的關聯上所起的調節作用是負面的; 相反地,員工適應性在組織參與與提供優質服務的承諾兩者之間的關聯上所起的調節作用則是肯定的。
研究的新穎性
研究結果闡明了(一)組織參與的調節角色; (二)離職意向的調節角色; 以及(三)員工適應性的調節角色。這些調節角色尚待探索; 就此而言,研究結果對社會交換論、計劃行為理論和工作要求-資源理論三者均具貢獻。
研究帶來的啟示
接待業的管理人員可藉著研究結果去提高客戶服務質量,方法是透過實施合適的人力資源管理措施、降低離職意向和增強組織適應性和組織參與。
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Nicholas Oppong Mensah, Jeffery Kofi Asare, Ernest Christlieb Amrago, Anthony Donkor, Frank Osei Tutu and Emmanuella Owusu Ansah
This paper aims to ascertain stakeholder’s willingness to contribute towards food banking implementation and further develops a framework for implementing food banks in developing…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to ascertain stakeholder’s willingness to contribute towards food banking implementation and further develops a framework for implementing food banks in developing country, Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
Structured questionnaire was used to obtain response from 385 respondents using multistage sampling technique. Descriptive statistics was used to determine frameworks for food banking, whereas Heckman two-stage regression was used to analyse factors influencing stakeholder’s willingness to contribute towards food banking.
Findings
The results revealed that respondents preferred food banking with pantry, which is similar to the American model. Respondents were willing to contribute a minimum of (GH₵1–200, US$ ¢ 0.17-34.12) cedis and a maximum of GH₵ (400–600, US$ 68.23-102.35) monthly towards food bank implementation. Age, marital status and household head had a negative influence on stakeholders’ willingness to contribute towards food banking implementation, whereas income level and food bank awareness influenced willingness to contribute towards food bank implementation positively.
Practical implications
The study gives insight on stakeholder’s willingness to contribute towards food banking via cash or kind and further develops a framework for implementing food banking in Ghana.
Social implications
This study provides empirical contributions and vital information about stakeholders preferred food banking models and framework for implementing food banking, which Government can use as a social intervention policy to help vulnerable Ghanaians. In addition, findings from the study can enlighten and guide non-governmental organizations, individual philanthropists and other corporate bodies who want to contribute to food security, food poverty, hunger alleviation and development through food banking implementation.
Originality/value
In a developing country such as Ghana where there remains a paucity of food banking research, this study adds to existing literature by providing vital information of stakeholders preferred food banking models and frameworks for implementing food banking.
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Nicholas Oppong Mensah, Ernest Christlieb Amrago, Jeffery Kofi Asare, Frank Osei Tutu and Anthony Donkor
The purpose of this paper is to examine the poultry farmer's willingness to pay for agricultural tax in the Dormaa Municipality of Ghana. Besides, the study analysed the mean…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the poultry farmer's willingness to pay for agricultural tax in the Dormaa Municipality of Ghana. Besides, the study analysed the mean agricultural tax and constraints impeding the payment of the agricultural tax.
Design/methodology/approach
One hundred (100) poultry farmers were selected for the study. The logit and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance were used to examine the factors that influence payment of agricultural tax and the constraints impeding the payment of the agricultural tax, respectively.
Findings
Instructively, 83% of the respondents were interested in the regressive taxation model relative to 12 and 5% who were interested in the proportional and progressive taxation model, respectively. The empirical results of the logit model revealed that tax awareness, probability of being audited and public service provision of roads influenced the poultry farmer's decision to pay for the agricultural tax. Perception of corruption and high tax rates were the primary constraints impeding the payment of the agricultural tax. The results further revealed that the farmers are willing to pay an average maximum amount of Ghc 152.00 (US 26 dollars) agricultural tax per month.
Originality/value
Despite the increasing relevance of agricultural tax, studies on poultry farmer's willingness to pay agricultural tax have been scarce in West Africa, particularly, Ghana. As a consequence, this paper broadens the frontiers of the existing literature on agricultural tax as well as the constraints impeding the poultry farmers to pay agricultural tax.
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Nicholas Oppong Mensah, Ernest Christlieb Amrago, Jeffery Kofi Asare, Anthony Donkor, Frank Osei Tutu and Emmanuella Owusu Ansah
The purpose of this study is to examine the perception and willingness to contribute towards food banking in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the perception and willingness to contribute towards food banking in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
Structured questionnaire was used to elicit primary data for the study from 385 respondents via the multistage sampling approach. The quantile regression model was used to analyse the factors that influence the willingness to contribute towards food banks across quantiles of contribution. Factor analysis was further used to examine the perception of food banking.
Findings
Gender, education and awareness influence the quantiles of contribution. Gender positively influences contribution at the 0.50 quantile. Education negatively affects contribution at the 0.25 and 0.50 quantiles whereas awareness influences contribution at the 0.75 quantiles. The benefit perception of the user and the social status perception of receiving food from food banks convey a sense of positive knowledge concerning what food banking should entail.
Research limitations/implications
The study provides insights on the determinants affecting the contribution towards food banking across quantiles of contribution. However, it worth noting that, the study uses cross-sectional data which fail to account for the changes over time. A Longitudinal study would therefore be imperative concerning the implementation of food banking.
Practical implications
The perceived positive knowledge of food banking is suggestive that, the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) should strengthen measures directed towards the implementation of food banking. Moving forward, non-governmental organisations on the verge of conducting a pilot implementation of food banks should give critical focus to the given area of study as the inhabitants are most likely to be attuned to such a course. Finally, to champion contribution amongst the inhabitants, leaders of food banking initiatives and other stakeholders should work in conjunction with residents that are aware of food banks at the high-income class. This procedure would aid in reducing the chances of low contributions to the implementation of food banking.
Social implications
This paper provides empirical implications for the development of food banks in Ghana. The findings emanating from this study has substantial social implications, because it serves as an instrumental guide to the implementation of food banks by the MOFA, and when implemented would assuage the poor living conditions of individuals that do not meet a three-square meal per day.
Originality/value
In this research, the authors add to the body of knowledge by employing a quantitative approach. Moreover, the authors extend the frontiers of the methodological approach by using the quantile regression model to understand the factors that influence the contribution towards food banking across quantiles of contribution. Furthermore, several studies in the developed world have been geographically limited to UK, USA, Canada and Germany with few studies in Ghana. Besides, there is limited rigorous empirical study of the perception and willingness to contribute towards food banking in Ghana.
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Nicholas Oppong Mensah, Jacqueline Joyce Twintoh, Ernest Christlieb Amrago, Anthony Donkor and Samuel Afotey Anang
The study analyses the preference for forestry insurance amongst tree growers in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Specifically, the authors examine the factors influencing the amount…
Abstract
Purpose
The study analyses the preference for forestry insurance amongst tree growers in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Specifically, the authors examine the factors influencing the amount of forestry insurance and the choice for forestry insurance types.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of one hundred and seventy (170) tree growers were sampled for the study. The tobit model, multi-nomial regression and Kendall's tau were employed to analyse the factors affecting the amount for forestry insurance, the choice for forestry insurance types and the perils to forest quality, respectively.
Findings
The results of the study indicate that the incidence of bush fire and theft were the key perils that affect forest quality. In total, 52.94% of respondents preferred forest plantation fire insurance as named-peril insurance whereas 70.59% preferred a combination of forest plantation fire, windstorm and consequential loss insurance as multi-peril insurance. The majority (89.4%) of the respondents were willing to pay an amount between Ghc 10.00–49.00 (US$ 2–8) per stand. On the one hand, results of the tobit model reveal age, income, experience in forest management, land ownership and the previous occurrence of fire as the factors affecting the amount for forestry insurance. On the other hand, the multi-nomial results indicate the previous occurrence of fire, gender, forest size, income and risk aversion significantly influenced the choice for forestry insurance types, namely named peril and multi-peril.
Originality/value
Several studies exist for forestry insurance in the developed countries. However, in West Africa specifically, Ghana, studies on forestry insurance appear to be non-existent. Above and beyond, this study, therefore, adds to the paucity of research on forestry insurance in Ghana and serves as a framework for agricultural insurance institutions such as the Ghana Agricultural Insurance Pool (GAIP) and World cover and other agricultural insurance institutions globally.
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Lord Mensah, Anthony Q.Q. Aboagye and Nana Kwame Akosah
The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether asset allocation across various industries listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) varies across different monetary policy…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether asset allocation across various industries listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) varies across different monetary policy states.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts the Markov Chain technique to split monetary policy into three different states. The authors further adopt the Markowitz portfolio optimization technique to find the minimum variance and optimum portfolio for the industries listed on the GSE.
Findings
The finding reveals a dynamic asset allocation, which varies the industry’s weight mix across the various monetary policy states enhance excess returns compared to the static asset allocation. Specifically, the authors find risk-return trade-off among industries listed on the GSE. Financial and Food and Beverage industries portfolios record high returns relative to the Government of Ghana 91-day Treasury bill. The Food and Beverage portfolio is the only portfolio that records relatively high excess returns across all the monetary policy states. The authors also find that, during expansionary state (high monetary policy rates) of the monetary policy, investors are to allocate about 69 and 30 percent of their investment into food and beverages and financials, respectively. Corner solution is found in the transient state where 100 percent of wealth is allocated to financial to obtain the optimum portfolio. The optimum portfolio in the contraction state assigns 52 percent to financials and 42 percent to manufacturing. In summary, the result supports the dependence of investors’ asset allocation decisions on monetary policy.
Practical implications
Therefore, the authors propose an investment strategy which is dynamic and takes into consideration the monetary policy states rather than static asset allocation which maintains the same industry weight mix over the investment period.
Social implications
In sum, the authors interpret the result as support for the dependence of investors’ asset allocation decisions on monetary policy. In Ghana, an increase in the monetary policy appears to support industries listed on the equity market. The result also gives knowledge about investors’ asset allocation decisions on the GSE, which is practical balanced source of information for investors’ risk and return choices. For a prudent monetary policy framework, the monetary policy committee should monitor industries listed on the GSE. The result from the analysis has also an implication for investors, portfolio managers and fund managers to consider the state of the monetary policy in Ghana when making investment decisions.
Originality/value
The study differs from earlier research on asset allocation by breaking new grounds on two levels. First of all, based on the notion that different industries have different exposures to monetary policy states, the authors extend the portfolios by grouping the equities listed on the GSE into their industrial sectors. Second, the authors examine how investors’ optimal portfolio allocation may change depending on the state of monetary policy.
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David Mensah, Anthony Q.Q. Aboagye, Joshua Y. Abor and Anthony Kyereboah-Coleman
The management of external debt among highly indebted poor countries (HIPCs) in Africa still remains a challenge despite numerous packages and attempts to ameliorate the…
Abstract
Purpose
The management of external debt among highly indebted poor countries (HIPCs) in Africa still remains a challenge despite numerous packages and attempts to ameliorate the consequences of such odious debt. The purpose of this paper is to establish the factors that contribute to the growth rate of external debt and how these factors respond to shocks to external debt growth rate in Africa.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were obtained from 24 African countries and analyzed using a panel vector autoregression estimation methodology.
Findings
The study found that external debt growth rates respond positively to unit shock or changes in government investment spending, consumption spending, and domestic borrowings over a long period of time. In the medium term, external debt growth rates respond negatively to shocks in tax revenue, inflation, and output growth rates. The paper also provides empirical support that external debt may be consumed rather than invested among HIPCs in Africa.
Research limitations/implications
The findings of this paper are limited to only HIPCs in Africa.
Practical implications
This study has some few debilitating implications for external debt management among HIPCs in Africa. First, the paper suggests that debt repayment may be a problem. This is largely because external debt is consumed rather than invested. External debt sustainability needs a holistic approach in less developed countries. The findings place much emphasis on improvements in gross domestic product and tax revenues as the principal routes out of the debt doldrums. However, this option must be exploited with great caution as there is ample evidence that these poor countries increase their external borrowing capacities with improvements in economic outlook.
Originality/value
This paper fills a research gap that identifies specific components of government deficit budgets that may be contributing to the growth rate of external debts among HIPCs.
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Anthony Nkrumah Agyabeng, Justice Nyigmah Bawole, Albert Ahenkan, James Kwame Mensah and Alexander Preko
In the space of slums are many stakeholders; the extent to which their assistance contributes to slum administration is sparsely studied. The study aims to examine how external…
Abstract
Purpose
In the space of slums are many stakeholders; the extent to which their assistance contributes to slum administration is sparsely studied. The study aims to examine how external stakeholders contribute to slum administration within the Ghanaian context.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the stakeholder theory, the study used an exploratory qualitative design based on face-to-face, in-depth interviews among 21 respondents. Participants were purposively selected from stakeholder organisations and slum residents based on the stake in slums governance in Ghana.
Findings
The results indicate that stakeholders have contributed towards slums livelihoods in the general areas of housing, trading, skill development and capacity building. It shows that stakeholders’ contributions tend to enhance slums’ living conditions and affect local assemblies positively. The study finds that slum dwellers categorise stakeholders’ contributions as short-term relief and long-term solutions. Additionally, it emerged that in the areas of policy design, implementation and policy feedback, external stakeholders have supported the government in that regard.
Research limitations/implications
The conclusion drawn from the study is limited to the four communities and the stakeholder organisations. However, communities with similar characteristics globally might benefit from the findings.
Practical implications
The study uncovers a context-specific role and assistance of external stakeholders in the domain of slums. This provides a guide to the government regarding key areas of stakeholder collaboration towards slum governance in the Ghanaian context. Theoretically, this study has contributed to new knowledge about stakeholders’ contribution to the overall governance of slums.
Originality/value
The study expands the frontiers of knowledge in the field of slum administration by focusing on external stakeholders. This study departs from previous studies, which have examined, in broader perspectives, stakeholders’ roles within the space of slums.