Larry Amartei Amartey, Mei Yu and Osita Chukwu-lobelu
This study aims to examine the mechanisms that were being used to enhance board accountability of Ghanaian listed banks, and how board accountability can be improved.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the mechanisms that were being used to enhance board accountability of Ghanaian listed banks, and how board accountability can be improved.
Design/methodology/approach
The 2011 and 2016 annual reports of listed banks on the Ghana Stock Exchange were examined, and a survey questionnaire was sent to board members of nine banks.
Findings
The results show that the directors of Ghanaian listed banks prioritise a shareholder approach to accountability, with a shift towards stakeholders. Audit committees, external audits and internal audits were the main mechanisms used by these banks to enhance board accountability. Some of these mechanisms were not used effectively by a number of these banks.
Practical implications
Board accountability can be improved by appointing very competent people to the board, the national adoption of a mandatory code of corporate governance, regular rotation of external auditors and requiring non-executive directors to stand for re-election more frequently. Our research identifies weaknesses of accountability mechanisms and offers timely recommendations for banks and regulators to build stronger corporate governance systems.
Originality/value
This study obtained valuable opinions of the boards of directors, provides insights on boards of Ghanaian listed banks and contributes to the literature of corporate governance and accountability in Africa.
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Keywords
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate secondary school teachers’ perspectives on ICT usage in secondary schools in Ghana.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate secondary school teachers’ perspectives on ICT usage in secondary schools in Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 376 teachers from 24 public and private schools from four regions in Ghana participated in this study. Survey and focus group interviews were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics and independent sample t-tests were used to analyze the findings.
Findings
The result indicated that teachers’ perceived ICT usage, perceived access to ICT, perceived ICT training and perceived ICT competence were low. Furthermore, the analysis showed that male teachers’ perceived confidence in the use of ICT was higher than female teachers. On the other hand, the perceived administrative support for female teachers was more than that for male teachers. Finally, this study discovered that there was no significant difference in public and private school teachers’ access to ICT, administrative support, self-efficacy, competencies and training.
Originality/value
This contributes to the literature on the perceptions and use of teachers’ ICT in secondary schools. The results provide insights into factors that teachers perceived as obstacles to integration of ICT into their teaching, particularly in developing nations. The study shows that teachers’ perceived ICT competencies and ICT training do not depend on the type of school the teacher is employed to teacher.
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Keywords
Zhixiu Wang, Lifeng Shi and Haiqian Cui
The operation mode of enterprises will affect its resource commitment in the host country, involving different costs and time, as well as risks. Yet, the current state of…
Abstract
Purpose
The operation mode of enterprises will affect its resource commitment in the host country, involving different costs and time, as well as risks. Yet, the current state of knowledge about how the institutional environment affects the operation mode change of international construction enterprises is equivocal. This study aims to explore the impact of a host country's institutional environment on the operation mode change of international construction enterprises.
Design/methodology/approach
First, this study proposes a model on the impact of the institutional environment on the operation mode change of international construction enterprises. Second, this study used the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) published by the World Bank and a questionnaire survey to collect data. Finally, the study employs a multiple regression methodology to test the hypothesis and discusses the results.
Findings
Results highlight that the important impact of the institutional environment on the operation mode change of international construction enterprises. The results showed that enterprises are more willing to increase resource commitments under the condition of stable institutional environment. In addition, enterprises' market-specific experience and general international experience, as moderating variables, weaken the impact of the institutional environment on the operation mode change. However, general international experience has no significant moderating effect.
Practical implications
The findings of this study provide practical implications for the investment risk assessment of international construction enterprises. Enterprises need to consider the change in institutional quality and institutional instability of the host country, as well as their own international experience when changing operation mode.
Originality/value
This study extends internationalization theory to the international construction field and provided theoretical guidance for the mechanism of operation mode change of international construction enterprises.