Department of Communication Studies

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    Participatory Communication And Adoption Of Soil Fertility Management Practices: Evidence From Two Agro-Ecological Zones In Ghana
    (University of Ghana, 2023-01) Baah-Ofori, R.N.
    Communication is widely recognised as essential to the development of rural communities located in African countries like Ghana. While the practice of development communication has widely been informed by either an instrumentalist/diffusion or participatory perspective, there is an argument for the study of development communication from a constructivist perspective. Such a perspective focuses less on exploring the outcomes of development communication efforts and allows for a closer examination of contextual issues affecting communication. Given that the existing theoretical recommendation of participatory communication for sharing soil fertility management messages is not complemented with enough evidence of its practical application, this study examined participatory communication as it was applied in a project implemented in two agro-ecological zones in Ghana. Using a grounded theory approach and collecting data through interviews, focus group discussions, observations and reviews of transcripts of a radio programme, the study examined the dialogic tactics used by farmers and scientists involved in the interaction, scientists’ and farmers’ perceptions of participatory communication, the contextual conditions which informed successful participatory communication and how participatory communication facilitated farmers’ adoption of soil fertility management. Findings of this study showed that participatory communication leads to scientists’ awareness of indigenous knowledge forms which improves communication competence when those knowledge forms are made to inform messaging. This is done through the appropriation of local metaphors, analogies, examples, testimonies, etc. Moreover, the outcomes of participatory communication are not inevitably positive; but dependent on the salience of a number of factors in the reckoning of scientists and farmers. Lastly, participation and transmission are not necessarily incompatible or mutually exclusive especially in the case of addressing scientific topics such as soil fertility management.
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    Internal Stakeholders’ Perceptions Of Integrated Communication In Universities: A Study Of Three Universities In Ghana
    (University Of Ghana, 2021-07) Ameyaw-Buronyah, E.T.
    Scholars in the field of organisational communication acclaim integrated communication (IC) for its ability to unify all communication efforts, avoid fragmentation and ensure efficiency in managing communication in today’s organisations. Although integrated communication aids organizations to have consistency in their communication effort, create continuous stakeholder experience and build organizational confidence and loyalty, there is virtually little or no studies on the use of integrated communication in universities in the Ghanaian context. This study was therefore driven by the scanty literature on the use of integrated communication in higher educational institutions, particularly universities. With systems theory as its foundation, the study explored internal stakeholders’ perceptions about the use of integrated communication in three universities in Ghana, namely Central University, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and University of Ghana using mixed methods. The multiple-case study mode of enquiry, which allows the combination of different methods for data collection and analysis, was employed. A total of five focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted in the three universities for academic staff and senior staff. In addition, Level 400 students were surveyed from the three universities for their views on integrated communication in their respective universities in order to draw comparisons between the focus group data and survey data. Additionally, a qualitative content analysis was carried out to examine consistency in the deployment of some institutional visual symbols, and the results were compared with the FGD and survey data. Using semi-structured interview guides, a total of six (6) in-depth interviews were also conducted for one representative each from top management and the public relations/public affairs units in the institutions to interrogate their perceptions about IC and how they contributed to its implementation to validate the data gathered from the FGDs and survey. These methods largely helped to triangulate the data garnered from the different sources to meet the overall objective of making recommendations for effective IC management in universities in Ghana. The study found that none of the three universities had a well-developed mechanism for the implementation of integrated communication. The institutions’ practice of some sort of IC was impaired by fragmentation at the level of communicating institutional policies and departmental collaboration. In spite of this, the top management and PR representatives of each institution seemed satisfied with their communication based on their perception that enough efforts were being made for a successful IC, though this did not reflect the perceptions of the internal stakeholders. Generally, the findings did not confirm the systems theory which advocates a holistic approach to communication for mutually beneficial outputs. The study recommends that universities should minimise one-way communication, manage internal communication to avoid conversation fragmentation and adopt vigorous communication programmes that engage management and other internal stakeholders for mutually beneficial relationships. Again, universities should designate PR directors as the champions of IC processes to control and manage all factors that make integrated communication effective. Top management should also be committed to IC and lend its full support for the success of the implementation process. Additionally, sufficient budget should be allocated for IC programmes and periodic evaluation should be adopted.
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    A Study Of Undergraduate Journalism Education In Ghanaian Universities
    (University Of Ghana, 2022-07) Anane, C.A.
    For four decades (1959-2000) only two educational institutions offered recognised journalism education in Ghana – the Ghana Institute of Journalism and the then School of Communication Studies at the University of Ghana. The former, until 2001, offered journalism programmes at the diploma level, and the latter offered journalism programmes at the post graduate level. Since 2005, Ghana has witnessed a significant increase in university education in journalism. Journalism courses are offered in at least fifteen public and private universities with programmes ranging from diploma through undergraduate to graduate degrees. The fast pace of growth in journalism programmes at universities calls for quality checks especially, in this era of rapid evolution and disruption in the media ecology. This study therefore inquired into the content of journalism training offerings in Ghanaian universities. The study examined the structure of undergraduate journalism education as well as assessed the content of the curriculum in relation to international standards. It also examined the journalism course content vis a vis industry and job market skill needs to ascertain whether there is a fit between them. Data were sourced from eight universities and ten media organisations in Ghana. Adopting a mixed methods approach, qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyse data sourced essentially from interviews, document reviews, and survey. The data from the questionnaires were used to triangulate the findings from the interviews and content analysis to provide a holistic view of the journalism courses taught in universities in Ghana. The concept of quality assurance and Holland’s Jobfit theory underpinned this study. The key findings that have emerged from the study are that there are differences in journalism programmes among universities. The journalism courses taught in universities rely on international journalism standards. Similarly, journalism courses take into consideration industry skills requirements in developing curriculum, indicating a positive relationship between them. However, though the journalism courses take into consideration local skills requirement, there is no absolute fit between the skills taught and the skills required. A significant difference was found with four of the five skills categories namely: Reporting skills, Leadership skills, Reading and Numeracy skills, and Entrepreneurship and ICT skills. Writing was the only skill that there was no significant difference between what was taught and what was required. The study concluded that policy makers should consider standardising journalism education in universities in Ghana through the provision of subjectbenchmark statements. The study has provided guidelines for developing benchmarks for communication/journalism education at the university level in Ghana. More collaboration between universities and industry will address the skills gap.
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    Salesperson improvisation: an empirical examination of its consequences and boundaries
    (2016) Yeboah-Banin, A.A.
    The received wisdom in industrial selling emphasizes systematic approaches where the typical sales scenario comprises prospecting, pre-approach, approach, presentation, handling objections, closing and follow-up. However, times are changing, making such a systematic approach to selling not always optimal. As markets become more unpredictable, salespersons must frequently employ unplanned, spur-of-the-moment responses to be responsive in unexpected and urgent situations. In spite of the pervasiveness of such improvised responses, the literature has yet to account for them. Accordingly, the objective of this study is to investigate the consequences, antecedents and boundaries of salesperson improvisation. From a descriptive decision-making perspective, the study proposes a conceptual model of salesperson improvisation and tests it on a sample of industrial salespersons in Ghana. Findings support a two-dimensional structure of salesperson improvisation comprising salesperson creativity and spontaneity. Findings also show that the dimensions may have differential implications for sales performance. Salesperson creativity during improvisation may engender sales losses while spontaneity may be related to sales success. However, neither dimension has a significant direct relationship with sales performance. Rather, the paths from creativity and spontaneity to sales performance become activated by resource availability, pressure to perform and individual agency. Resource availability renders the creativity– performance link positive while individual agency makes it negative. On the other hand, given high performance pressures, the positive non-significant path from spontaneity to sales performance assumes a significant negative tone. vi The study also finds that the two dimensions differ, to some extent, in the factors that drive them. Self-efficacy drives creativity but reduces spontaneity during improvisation. Experience also reduces spontaneity but has no direct effect on creativity. Salesperson autonomy, however, is a universal driver of both creativity and spontaneity. Implications of these findings for the sales management and improvisation literatures, and for practice are discussed. The researcher also outlines opportunities for future research.