Department of Public Administration and Health Service Management

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Start date: 2000End date: 2009

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    Environmental legislation in Ghana: Quantitative comparison between military and civilian regimes
    (Indian Journal of Environmental Protection, 2001-01) Domfeh, K.A.
    The purpose of this paper was to identify the extent which environmental issues were considered on the priority agenda of Ghana's Legislative Assembly from 1993 - 98. In doing so, an overview of some statutory environmental laws passed by both the immediate past military regime were undertaken. The civilian constitutional administration of the 1990s has more than its immediate military predecessor of the 1980s, demonstrated that legal conditions that safegaurd investments in conservation, foster improved resource use, and guarantee access to resources area prerequisite for sound, local resource management.
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    The development of a scale measuring consumers' selection of retail banks in Ghana
    (Journal of African Business, 2009-09) Blankson, C.; Mbah, C.H.N.; Owusu-Frempong, L.Y.
    Ghana, one of the fastest growing liberalized developing economies in Africa, has, in recent years, established a nationwide rural bank system and has witnessed an increase in the entry of foreign retail banks. Although there are increased activities and interest about bank offerings and bank-customer relationships in Ghana (Dadzie, Akaah, and Dunson, 1989), to date, researchers have overlooked the factors underpinning consumers' selection criteria of retail banks in Ghana (Owusu-Frimpong, 1999). This exploratory research complements extant studies on retail bank selection by developing a scale providing insights into consumers' selection of retail banks in Ghana. The results identify three key factors, namely, "competence," "recommendation by parents," and "free banking/no bank charges" that are important in the decisions and selection of retail banks. The reliability and validity of the scale were assessed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Conclusions, managerial implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.
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    Male-female differences in the genetic regulation of t-PA and PAI-1 levels in a Ghanaian population
    (Human Genetics, 2008-11) Schoenhard, J.A.; Asselbergs, F.W.; Poku, K.A.; Stocki, S.A.; Gordon, S.; Vaughan, D.E.; Brown, N.J.; Moore, J.H.; Williams, S.M.
    Tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) directly influence thrombus formation and degradation, and have been identified as risk factors for thromboembolic disease. Prior studies investigated determinants of t-PA and PAI-1 expression, but mainly in Caucasian subjects. The aim of this study was to identify the contributions of genetic and other factors to inter-individual variation in plasma levels of t-PA and PAI-1 in a large-scale population-based sample from urban West Africa. t-PA, PAI-1 and several demographic, anthropometric, and metabolic parameters were measured in 992 residents of Sunyani, the capital of the Brong-Ahafo region of Ghana. In addition, nine gene polymorphisms associated with components of the renin-angiotensin and fibrinolytic systems were determined. We found that BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, glucose, and triglycerides were all significant predictors of t-PA and PAI-1 in both females and males. In addition, a significant relationship was found between the PAI-1 4G/5G (rs1799768) polymorphism on PAI-1 levels in females, the TPA I/D (rs4646972) polymorphism on t-PA and PAI-1 in males, the renin (rs3730103) polymorphism on t-PA and PAI-1 in males, the ethanolamine kinase 2 (rs1917542) polymorphism on PAI-1 in males, and the renin (rs1464816) polymorphism on t-PA in females and on PAI-1 in males. This study of urban West Africans shows that t-PA and PAI-1 levels are determined by both genetic loci of the fibrinolytic and renin-angiotensin systems and other factors often associated with cardiovascular disease, and that genetic factors differ between males and females. © Springer-Verlag 2008.
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    Implementing decentralised management in Ghana: The experience of the Sekyere West District health administration
    (Leadership in Health Services, 2008) Bowerman, J.; Sakyi, K.E.
    Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the barriers to the implementation of management decentralisation of health services and programmes at district level in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach Data for the study were collected through a qualitative technique in the Sekyere West district. Findings The findings are: transfer of authority for management decision making and planning was rarely operational at district level; and control over financial and personnel decisions remained centralised. The paper identified lack of staff capacity, lack of commitment and interorganisational conflict between health managers and local government officials as factors obstructing the implementation of management decentralisation in the district. Originality/value The lesson from the study is that the implementation of health care management decentralisation at district level has stalled because of the combined effect of internal and external constraints. The paper suggests that given the enormity of the problem of paucity of capacity to undertake new service management responsibilities, the process of transferring responsibilities, resources and control to lower level health managements should be gradual and incremental; the sequencing of reform too should be such that district health officers and stakeholders are given adequate training prior to the inauguration of new management reform. © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
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    A retrospective content analysis of studies on factors constraining the implementation of health sector reform in Ghana
    (International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 2008-07) Sakyi, E.K.
    Ghana has undertaken many public service management reforms in the past two decades. But the implementation of the reforms has been constrained by many factors. This paper undertakes a retrospective study of research works on the challenges to the implementation of reforms in the public health sector. It points out that most of the studies identified: (1) centralised, weak and fragmented management system; (2) poor implementation strategy; (3) lack of motivation; (4) weak institutional framework; (5) lack of financial and human resources and (6) staff attitude and behaviour as the major causes of ineffective reform implementation. The analysis further revealed that quite a number of crucial factors obstructing reform implementation which are particularly internal to the health system have either not been thoroughly studied or overlooked. The analysis identified lack of leadership; weak communication and consultation; lack of stakeholder participation, corruption and unethical professional behaviour as some of the missing variables in the literature. The study, therefore, indicated that there are gaps in the literature that needed to be filled through rigorous reform evaluation based on empirical research particularly at district, sub-district and community levels. It further suggested that future research should be concerned with the effects of both systems and structures and behavioural factors on reform implementation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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    A population-based study in Ghana to investigate inter-individual variation in plasma t-PA and PAI-1
    (Ethnicity and Disease, 2007-02) Williams, S.M.; Stocki, S.; Jiang, L.; Brew, K.; Gordon, S.; Vaughan, D.E.; Brown, N.J.; Poku, K.A.; Moore, J.H.
    Introduction: Susceptibility to arterial thrombosis has a significant genetic component that is partly due to the expression of two proteins, tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), that directly influence thrombus formation and degradation. We have initiated a large-scale population-based study to characterize the genetic architecture of plasma t-PA and PAI-1 in Blacks from Sunyani, Ghana. Design: The design of the study is based on the recruitment of 2000 unrelated subjects who are ascertained without regard to chronic disease status. The analyses of the results will be done by dividing the data into two parts, a modeling set and a validation data set. This study design will facilitate the identification of genetic, environmental, and demographic factors that contribute to inter-individual variation in plasma levels of t-PA and PAI-1 in the population at-large. Results: We report the specifics of the study design, as well as phenotype information on the first 1000 subjects. Our results show that females and males differ significantly in several key measures, including PAI-1, BMI, total cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure. Conclusions: The data collected from this population-based study demonstrate significant sex differences in PAI-1 and critical factors that may influence risk of thrombosis. These samples will serve to inform the genetic analyses of t-PA and PAI- levels.
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    A comparative analysis of perceived stigma among HIV-positive Ghanaian and African American males
    (Sahara J, 2005-12) Poku, K.A.; Linn, J.G.; Azar, S.; Kendrick, L.; Kendrick, L.
    The purpose of this paper was to address two questions: (i) Do Ghanaian and African American males with HIV/AIDS experience different types and degrees of stigma? and (ii) Is the impact of stigma associated with HIV/AIDS on the self different for Ghanaian and African American males? A quantitative method was used, and the four dimensions of stigma (social rejection, financial insecurity, internalised shame, and social interaction) were identified and measured using combination Likert-type questionnaires. Data regarding positive feelings of selfworth and self-deprecation, stress related to body image, and personal control were also collected in Ghana and the southeastern USA. The sample consisted of 55 men from Ghana and 55 men from the southeastern USA. Results indicate that values for the scales measuring stigma and self-perception were significantly higher for the Ghanaian sample than for the African American sample. Thus we conclude that the Ghanaian sample living with HIV/AIDS experienced a greater amount of negative self-perception and stigma-related strife than the African American sample. © 2005 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
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    Toward a framework for understanding the distressed organization: Insights from practitioner-based organizational interventions in an emerging economy
    (Consulting Psychology Journal, 2005-09) Puplampu, B.B.
    Organizational distress, sickness, and ill health are important concepts given the consequences of organizational failure on the lives of people. It seems, however, that there is no comprehensive framework within organizational psychology for theorizing about organizational sickness. Most work in this area has focused on individual experience of organizational life to the neglect of the organizational level of analysis. This article presents a framework by drawing on practitioner interventions in 6 organizations in an emerging economy in Africa. The findings suggest 6 main indicants of organizational ill health: executive delusions of grandeur, procedural weakness, employee alienation of the malicious and redundant forms, organizational hemorrhaging or constipation, and corporate directionlessness. These indicants are discussed and a continuum of organizational health-sickness-distress is advanced. Copyright 2005 by the Educational Publishing Foundation and the Society of Consulting Psychology.
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    Market Orientation and Management Practices in Ghanaian Firms: Revisiting the Jaworski and Kohli Framework
    (Journal of International Marketing, 2005-03) Kuada, J.; Buatsi, S.N.
    The work of Jaworski and Kohli (1993) has inspired a substantial body of literature on market orientation, but most replications of their original framework have been in developed countries. This article reports the results of a Ghanaian study that revisits Jaworski and Kohli's framework, and the authors compare the findings with a similar study that was conducted in the Ivory Coast. The authors provide evidence in support of the robustness of the framework and draw attention to the possible variations in the interpretation of the constituent constructs in the original framework. The variations are attributable to cultural differences that affect management practices in different societies. © Journal of International Marketing.
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    An investigation of Ghana's tourism positioning
    (Journal of African Business, 2004-10) Blankson, C.; Owusu-Frempong, Y.; Mbah, C.H.N.
    The purpose of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of Ghana's tourism positioning and whether a literature-derived positioning framework can further elaborate the latter. Using the face-to-face long interviews among key policy makers, marketing managers and experts, and observation techniques, data were collected and analyzed via the inductive reasoning approach. The results show that Ghana's tourism positioning aim is built around perceptions of a "competitive middle class tourist destination," i.e., "profit and status" through the pursuit of "functional" positioning objective. Positioning strategies including "service", "value for money", "culture", "selectivity", " attractiveness", "reliability", "manpower development", "quality controls" and "ecology" are pursued in order to achieve the aim and objectives. The latter are managed/positioned in the "primal" positioning life cycle stage. Conclusions, managerial implications, future research directions and limitations are noted. © 2004 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.