African Journal of Management Research

Determinants of Procurement Ethics Among Public Institutions in Ghana: An Empirical Study

Bright Junior Tanzubil — 2024-07-09

If the public procurement function especially in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) is ethically conducted, the obvious end result would be prudent use of state resources, transparency within the public procurement process and value for money in all government contracts. This has become pertinent since increasingly significant proportions of government expenditure in developing countries goes into public procurements. This study therefore sought to explore the determinants of procurement ethics among public institutions in the Upper East Region (UER) of Ghana. The study adopted a quantitative research approach using an interviewer-administered questionnaire to collect data from 210 practicing public procurement officials across selected public institutions. The Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was employed as a factor reduction tool to filter out the factors that significantly influence ethical procurement practices among staff of public institutions. The study results showed that transparency, professionalism, integrity and political influence were the major determinants of ethical procurement practices in public institutions within the Upper East Region of Ghana. The study established that transparency, professionalism, integrity and political influence were the major determinants of ethical procurement practices within public institutions in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The findings of this study will serve as a guide for procurement professionals and managers to improve ethical procurement behavior. Training programmes should be tailored towards improving transparency, professionalism, integrity and minimize political influence.

The Influence of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty in Ethiopian Private Banks

Alemyahu Balcha — 2024-07-09

In Ethiopia, information on service quality, customer satisfaction, and loyalty in the banking sector in general and in private banks in particular is scarce. The primary objectives of this study were to determine whether customers of private banks in Hawassa, Ethiopia, are satisfied and loyal to their services, and to determine whether customer satisfaction plays a mediating role between service quality and customer loyalty. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect primary data from 238 customers of nine private banks (response rate of 195 = 81.93%). The questionnaire contained 18 items for the five dimensions (tangibility, reliability, responsiveness assurance and empathy) of the SERVPERF model, and five items each for customer satisfaction and loyalty. Service quality, customer satisfaction, and loyalty were significantly correlated with service quality dimensions. Customer satisfaction was a strong partial mediator between service quality and customer loyalty. Present study showed that greater attention on reliability, responsiveness, and assurance dimensions would increase customer satisfaction and loyalty toward private banks.

Unlocking Loyalty: The Crucial Role of the Host Country Technological Business Environment for Transnational Corporations

Andrew Rwamuhuru Mshindi — 2024-07-09

Foreign companies, including transnational corporations (TNCs), have demonstrated disloyalty toward their hosts in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by, among other things, scaling back strategic expansion plans, closing productions, moving operations and shifting income-generating activities to different countries. Therefore, this study explores the impact of the host country's technological business environment (TBE) on TNC loyalty towards the host country, Tanzania. Data was collected from 131 executives of TNCs in Tanzania using a crosssectional survey questionnaire. The measurement model was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis. The hypotheses were empirically tested using hierarchical regression analysis. Findings reveal that a robust TBE significantly enhances TNC loyalty, with specific elements like local production processes, innovativeness, information system infrastructure, IT competency, IT support services, and technological equipment usage having a positive impact. However, TNC loyalty is not affected by R&D or systemic integration. These results not only deepen the theoretical understanding of TNC loyalty but also fill an existing gap by linking it to TBE. The study suggests that policymakers should focus on strengthening key components of the TBE to nurture and maintain TNC loyalty. In Tanzania, this involves ensuring high-quality, knowledge-intensive production systems, well-developed information system infrastructure, elevated computer literacy and competency levels, robust IT support services, advanced technological equipment usage, and a culture of innovativeness.

Should Financial Literacy in Ghana be in Levels?

Benjamin Amoah — 2024-07-09

According to survey reports, a significant number of individuals lack the financial literacy necessary to participate actively in the financial market. This study examines survey data from 532 individuals to explore the importance of financial literacy levels. We also investigate how socioeconomic factors and financial investments affect basic financial literacy. The findings indicate disparities in test scores between basic and advanced financial literacy, highlighting the need for a tiered financial literacy approach. Logistic regression analysis revealed that marital status, employment status, utilization of bank loans, education level, and number of financial investments influenced higher levels of basic financial literacy. Based on these results, this study recommends a deliberate and committed provision of tiered financial literacy targeted at the general population by financial institutions and service regulators in Ghana. Providers of financial literacy programs should assess the existing financial literacy levels of their target markets and audiences to allocate resources effectively and address crucial financial literacy requirements.

Home Management of Febrile Convulsion among Ghanaian Parents with Children Under Five Years: An Exploratory Case Study

Lily Yarney — 2024-07-09

Febrile convulsion in children under five years is a common childhood problem, constitutes one of the causes of hospital admissions, and causes anxiety and fear among parents. Empirical information on the condition and how it is managed by parents in Ghana is scarce. This study was therefore, conducted to determine the 5-year (2018-2022) prevalence of the condition, knowledge, and home management of febrile convulsion among parents with children under five years, seeking healthcare for their children in the Holy Family Hospital, Berekum. A mixed method of data collection was used to collect data from 106 participants with interview questionnaires and focus group discussion (FGD) guide. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS (version 26) and descriptive statistics were used to interpret the findings. Qualitative data consisted of recorded responses from 2 FGDs, transcribed, and analyzed manually in tandem with the study objectives. The average prevalence of febrile convulsion on admission in the study facility was 2.8% for the 5-year period studied. 77.7% of the respondents had low knowledge on signs and symptoms of febrile convulsion. Causes of febrile convulsion according to participants ranged from elevated temperature (81.1%), inheritance (8.9%), evil spirit possession (6.7%) to no idea (3.3%). Home management of the condition included wiping affected child with water, application of herbal concoction, holding child’s legs up with the head down among others. Facility and home management of febrile convulsion are critical to the survival of the affected child. Thus, misconceptions on the causes, signs and symptoms and proper home management and need for facility intervention should be tackled through mass education of parents. Hospital management should also collaborate with media houses to disseminate effective educational information on febrile convulsion and its management among the Ghanaian populace.

Competence-Based Training and the Employability of Graduates in Tanzania

Wilfred Uronu Lameck — 2024-07-09

This paper explores competency-based training (CBT) on the employability of VET graduates in Morogoro Municipality. Precisely, this article explores the existing relationship between competence-based training framework and its implementation in Morogoro Municipality. To this end, the study used a mixed research approach with a case study design. The target population of this study was the vocational training students in Morogoro Municipality, graduates from vocational training and employers in Morogoro Municipality. A sample size of 115 respondents was selected by using non proportionate stratified simple random sampling from a population of 1388which constitutes students and graduates and a total of 25 employers of graduates from vocational training in Morogoro Municipality and staff were selected qualitatively. Furthermore, interviews and questionnaires instruments were used for data collection. The data was then analysed by using descriptive statistics for quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative data. The findings show that, vocational training graduates in Morogoro Municipality have inadequate competence required in the labour market due to insufficient training facilities to deliver CBT. Based on the findings, it is concluded that, the government must ensure conducive learning environment which is a precondition for competencebased training and graduates’ employability in Morogoro Municipality.

Ghanaian Institutions and Supply Chain Management Practices: A Systematic Review of Evidence

Justice Ray Achoanya Ayam — 2024-07-09

This systematic review aims to enhance the current understanding of supply chain management (SCM) practices in Ghana by examining emerging trends in the literature. The analysis considered 43 peerreviewed articles published in the last 20 years to identify the features, SCM components, research types, methodologies, and contributions to SCM theory. The results indicate that previous research on SCM practices in Ghana has mainly focused on particular attributes, such as supply chain (SC) risk planning and management, communication and information sharing, quality, strategic supplier partnership, inventory, and logistics management. However, benchmarking, customer relationship, and demand forecast, were list examined. Additionally, research on SCM practices has been concentrated in industries, such as manufacturing, banking and finance, agriculture value chain, health and allied areas, and retail and SMEs. The study also reveals that while quantitative research methods have gained increasing interest, qualitative research methods are still prevalent in the field. The results further highlighted a variety of SCM theories, namely resource-based view, transaction cost theory, agency, SC operations reference (SCOR), network theory, diffusion of innovation theory, contingency theory, and service demand logic, are focal areas of understanding SCM practices, performance, and their critical success factors in Ghanaian industries. This study provides practical insights for industry practitioners to better understand SCM deployment, design, and implementation steps, as well as suggestions for future research directions for SCM theory and practice in Ghana. These include exploring other areas and industries to gain a more comprehensive understanding of SCM practices in the country.

Do macroeconomic variables really matter in explaining stock market returns in Tanzanian Stock Exchange Market?

Chirongo Moses Keregero — 2024-07-09

The behaviour of stock markets is characterized by volatility of macroeconomic fundamentals which cause stock prices to move upwards and downwards within a short period of time. Therefore, the current paper examines the effect of macroeconomic variables on stock market returns of firms listed at Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange market. This study used time series data of macroeconomic variables collected from Central Bank of Tanzania and National Bureau of Statistics from 2011 to 2021.The error correction model was used to check the strength of the relationship between the selected macroeconomic variables and stock market returns. The results show that the selected variables have significant effect on the stock market returns. Inflation, Broad Money Supply and Interest rate appear to have positive impact on stock market returns. However, exchange rate reports negative impact on the stock market returns. The findings of the study provide policy insights about the drivers of the stock market returns volatility to enable policy makers to design the effective macroeconomic policies that will help with predicting the pathways to economic growth.