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A long essay or dissertation or thesis involving personal research, written by postgraduates of University of Ghana for a university degree.
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Item Ssessing the Influence of Online Customer Experience on Repurchase Intention: The Mediating Role of Shopping Attitude(University of Ghana, 2023) Arikor, I.The success of every online retailer depends on delivering a distinctive online customer experience which serves as a pivotal determiner in building a viable competitive edge in a market filled with opportunities. Thus, on the tenets of the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) and the Belief Attitude-Intention (B-A-I) theory this study aims to assess the influence of online customer experience on Ghanaian customers’ intention to repurchase, considering the mediating role of shopping attitude. Two objectives and eleven hypotheses were formulated by reviewing the literature on online customer experience, shopping attitude, and repurchase intention. The study sought to assess the influence of online customer experience dimensions on Ghana customers’ intention to repurchase. Also, the study assessed the mediating effect of consumers’ attitudes towards shopping on the relationship between a pragmatic experience, visual experience, intellectual experience, social experience, emotional experience, and repurchase intention among Ghanaian customers. The study adopted a purposive and a snowball sampling method to gather data from four hundred and thirty-five online shoppers in the southern part of Ghana. Descriptive and structural equation modelling analytical methods were employed to evaluate the research objectives. However, the results revealed that pragmatic experience, intellectual experience, visual experience, and social experience had an insignificant effect on Ghanaian customers’ intentions to repurchase. Nonetheless, emotional experience significantly and positively influenced Ghanaian customers’ intentions to repurchase. Also, the study outcome revealed that shopping attitude partially mediates the relationship between emotional experience and repurchase intention among Ghanaian customers. More importantly, consumers' shopping attitudes failed to mediate the relationship between pragmatic experience, visual experience, intellectual experience, social experience, and online repurchase intention. In addition, the findings show that shopping attitude had a favorable and significant effect on Ghanaian customers’ intentions to repurchase. The study, therefore, recommends that to enhance the experience of online shoppers in Ghana, online retailers should improve the functionality of their websites by making the online retail platforms attractive, simplifying the buying procedures, employing assisted selling tools (e.g., dynamic imaging, store locators, body measurement tools, Chatbots, and tracking systems), enhancing the ease to navigate, improve the convenience of shopping online, and engaging customers via social networking platforms.Item Assessing Livelihood Outcomes and Implications of the Oil and Gas Industry in the Ellembelle District, Western Region of Ghana(University of Ghana, 2023) Korkor, A.A.This research assessed the impact of the Oil and Gas industry on livelihood outcomes of people in the Ellembelle District in the western end of Ghana. Specifically, it assessed the current livelihood outcome such as food security, job security, health and determined respondent’s perception on the impact of oil and gas industry and its activities on their livelihood outcomes. Data was collected from 400 respondents within 10 communities in the study district using survey questionnaires and interview guides from focussed group discussions and key informants within the Baku, Ngalekpole, Atuabo, Ngalekyi, Krisan, Anokyi, Sanzule, Bakanta, Eikwe, and Asem Nda communities. The data generated was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and presented by use of descriptive statistics such as tables, charts, graphs, and diagrams. Interviews were transcribed and analysed into thematic areas. The study revealed that 53% of the participants perceived the oil and gas industry to have generally impacted the locals in the communities positively.The study further revealed that the intention to migrate was a significant predictor of livelihood outcome as the respondents migrated in search of greener pastures. The study observed a significant relationship between the impact of the oil and gas industry activities on respondents, their intention to migrate, their level of education, occupation and their livelihood outcomes. For instance,respondents with a negative livelihood outcome are more likely to have reported a negative impact from the oil and gas industry. The study recommends that the 1994 EPA Act (Act 490) be amended in order to effectively monitor and regulate heavy-polluting oil industries.Item Records Management and Small and Medium Enterprise in Ghana: A Case Study of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Area(University of Ghana, 2022) Sammor, A.T.Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play significant role in the socio-economic growth of both developing and developed countries. Their contribution in terms of employment creation, wealth creation, poverty reduction, and sustenance of socio-economic growth and development has been recognized globally. The development and performance of SMEs, therefore, is of maximum importance in all countries. SMEs need accurate, reliable, and timely information to survive and grow. They also need to create and manage their business records properly because both large and small enterprises can hardly survive without effective and efficient record keeping. Therefore, the study explored the records management practices of SMEs in the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Area. The main objective was to find out the types of records the SMEs generate and maintain, determine the records management training and competences of the SME managers, establish the relationship between records management and performance of SMEs and find out the challenges the SMEs face with records management. The study was guided by the Decision Usefulness Theory, the Records Life Cycle Theory, and the Records Continuum Model. The study adopted the qualitative approach and case study design, with five SMEs purposively selected for the study. Data gathered through semi structured interviews were analysed through thematic analysis. The study found out that the SMEs create and keep financial, administrative, and operational records both in paper and electronic formats; that the SME managers and employees who keep records do not have qualifications, training, and competences in records management; that there is a strong relationship between records management and performance of SMEs; that the SMEs face some challenges with record keeping, notable among them being lack of knowledge and competence in record keeping. The study recommended that Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), formerly National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) should educate the SMEs on the need to keep records; that regulatory bodies of SMEs should make it mandatory for SMEs to keep records; that arrangements should be made for Public Records and Archives Administration Department (PRAAD) to regularly train SMEs in record keeping; that awards should be given regularly to SMEs for proper record keeping, in order to encourage them to keep records; that SMEs should attach importance to record keeping and employ professionals to manage their records.Item Factors Influencing Adherence to Antiretrovirals (ARVS) Among Persons Living With HIV in the Eastern Regional Hospital, Ghana.(University of Ghana, 2023) Wordi,A.A.D.Background: Sub-Saharan Africa continues to bear the brunt of new and prevailing HIV infections and several countries in this region were unable to meet the UNAIDS 90-90-90 target by 2020. Antiretrovirals are free and readily accessible in Ghana yet adherence levels continue to be suboptimal. There is the need to explore the factors that account for adherence to ARVs in order to capitalize on them and improve adherence levels and ultimately achieve the 95-95-95 agenda by 2030. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine factors that influence adherence to antiretrovirals among adult PLHIVs in the Eastern Regional Hospital in Ghana. Method: This study was a cross sectional one involving 330 participants who were attendants at the ART clinic of the Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua. Questionnaires employed in the study were pretested and participants were selected over a 4-week period using consecutive sampling. Factors influencing adherence were categorized as individual, economic, treatment-related and health system factors. Adherence was determined using the self-report 3-day recall and 7-day recall methods. The most recent viral loads of these participants were also recorded and the association between the viral load measurement and the adherence level was determined using the crude odds ratio and the adjusted odds ratio. Level of significance for the study was set at a value of p < 0.05. Results: With a response rate of 100%, a majority (77%) of the respondents were females and the dominant age group was the 40 – 49 age bracket. A majority of the respondents (84.2%) had some form of formal education. Though most of the respondents denied missing their ARVs, those who missed some of their medications cited forgetfulness as the reason for missing their medications. Using the 7-day recall method, adherence was capped at 85% and 84% of respondents were found to have achieved virological suppression with values professionalism among health workers in the HIV sector and reduced pill burden will improve upon ARV adherence. respondents were on the single pill combination of tenofovir/lamivudine/dolutegravir and side effects attributable to the ARVs were not found to affect the adherence levels. There was a positive association between adherence and virological suppression with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.811. Conclusion: Ghana has made strides when it comes to HIV care. There is however room for improvement and this study has revealed that strong social support, decentralization of HIV care with resultant reduced hospital waiting time, professionalism among health workers in the HIV sector and reduced pill burden will improve upon ARV adherence.Item Serological Diagnostic Survey and Farmer Perception of Cucumber Mosaic Virus Disease in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana(University of Ghana, 2023) Asem, W.Vegetables are important in diets of practically every household in Ghana. Vegetables are essential dietary portion that provide important vitamins and minerals. In addition to providing farmers with a source of income, vegetable cultivation helps the economy of the country to grow by creating jobs and bringing in substantial amount of foreign currency. Viral diseases are one of the largest obstacles to vegetable production, and in Ghana they are regarded to be a significant factor limiting the output of vegetable production. The Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV), one of these viruses, is extremely devastating and infects more plant families than any other plant virus. Unfortunately, since its discovery in 1974, the host range of CMV among important vegetable crops in Ghana has gotten comparatively little research attention. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the prevalence, host range, and severity of CMV among the main vegetables grown in Ghana's Greater Accra region, namely in the districts of Tema West, Ga East, and Ayawaso West. A standardized questionnaire was used to conduct a survey involving 120 farmers in these districts to assess the perception of the importance of CMV in vegetable production. It was discovered that the majority of farmers had little to no knowledge about viruses and instead implicated abiotic and biotic factors for their problems. After making extensive visual observations, it was discovered that CMV symptoms were present in every farm that was visited. The presence of CMV in tomato, broccoli, lettuce, spinach, cucumber, radish, and cabbage was confirmed by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) on samples taken from symptomatic plants. This is the first account of broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, and radish in Ghana testing positive for CMV. The disease is spread mechanically through sap inoculation from an infected plant to a healthy plant, according to an ELISA confirmation test. The findings of this study will contribute to the development of efficient control methods that would help manage the disease, particularly given the new host range of CMV discovered in Ghana.Item Media Forming Habits of the People of Birim Central Municipality Around “Information Centres”(University of Ghana, 2023) Frimpong, A,G,The study examined the media forming habits of the people of Birim Central Municipality around Information Centres, an improvised set up that uses an assembly of loudspeakers, amplifiers and console to disseminate information across large areas. The Information Centres have captured attention due to their growing presence across the country. Underpinned by the Uses and Gratification and Media Ecology theoretical frameworks, it explored the people’s diverse knowledge, perception and engagement with these centers as well as the specific needs that the centers gratify. it also explored the views of consumers on the relevance of the centers in comparison with other communication platforms like radio. A sample size of 150 residents from five communities namely: Community 2, Aboabo, Towobotom, Srodai and Oda Nkwanta were surveyed. The study found that the respondents have sufficient knowledge about Information Centres. Averagely respondents engage with Information Centres more as listeners, and that they often listen to them in the morning. It also found that the specific needs Inform ation Centres gratify for consumers include advertisement, entertainment announcement, information and education with information and announcement being the major needs they gratify. Comparing Information Centres with radio regarding the needs they gratify it was revealed that Information Centres gratify more of information and announcement needs to the respondents than the radio. It also found that generally consumers have positive perception about Information Centres.Item Modeling the Relationship between Maternal Blood Type, and Pregnancy Complications and Delivery Outcome through Moderated Mediation Analysis(University of Ghana, 2023) Boateng, A.F.Pregnancy complications and adverse delivery outcome are of global concern, yet, their causal mechanism(s) are unknown. Although, there have been studies to expound the importance of maternal blood type in pregnancy, and to associate pregnancy complications with maternal blood type, unfortunately, only direct relationships have been assessed. This study employs antepartum and intrapartum risk scores, to give a fuller picture of the complex causal relationship between maternal blood type and pregnancy complications and delivery outcomes, through a moderated mediated relationship, and a double-mediated relationship respectively. Methods: This was a retrospective study of the maternal delivery records of Battor Catholic Hospital in the Volta region of Ghana. The antepartum, intrapartum, and neonatal variables from the maternal delivery records book were extracted and together with the maternal life status, these variables were converted into antepartum and intrapartum risk scores and pregnancy delivery outcome scores, according to the degree of their adverse effect on the life of mother and child. Pregnancy complications were converted into pregnancy complications scores, according to their prevalence and case fatality rates. Mediated and moderated mediated models, were employed in R to analyze the data. The index of moderated mediation between maternal blood type and pregnancy complications outcome was significant (effect = 0.14, BootSE = 0.04 and CI = (0.07, 0.24)) and the indirect effects (when HIPRSI = 0, effect = -0.071, BootSE = 0.02 and CI = (-0.11, -0.04)) of maternal blood type through the risk of pregnancy and delivery was also significant. The double-mediated relationship between maternal blood type and pregnancy delivery outcome was significant (effect = 0.17, se = 0.05 and p-value < 0.001). In conclusion, maternal blood type is the potential cause of pregnancy complications and adverse delivery outcomeItem Determinants of Stress among Graduate Students from University of Ghana School of Public Health Amid Covid-19(University of Ghana, 2022) Obeng, A.Background: Before COVID-19, stress among university students was common due to academic work, social life, deadlines, exams, financial burdens, and separation anxiety. The pandemic has caused fear, anxiety, and uncertainty, forcing educational institutions to transition from face-to-face to online learning to minimise virus spread. Aim: The study aimed to determine whether fear of COVID-19 virus contamination, online learning, and other factors contributed to the level of stress among graduate students and to examine how students were coping with the stressors. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted for this study. This study involved 77 graduate students from the School of Public Health, University of Ghana, selected through stratified and simple random sampling. Data was collected using Google Forms questionnaires and the COVID-19 Student Stress Questionnaire (CSSQ) to determine stress levels. A p-value < 0.005 was considered significant. Results: The graduate students scored average on the CSSQ. It found that fear of contracting COVID-19 and online learning failed to predict a statistically significant association with stress levels. The main coping mechanisms were strict personal protective measures and reading about COVID-19, its prevention, and its transmission mechanisms. Conclusions: Fear of contracting COVID-19, online learning, and other factors influencing stress failed to predict the level of stress of graduate students amid COVID-19. An overall average stress score was obtained, and students adopted multiple coping strategies to cope with the pandemicItem Characterization of WRF Simulated Low-Level Jets over Southern West Africa(University of Ghana, 2022) Ameyaw, O.P.Low-level jets are mainly nocturnal phenomena with relatively strong horizontal winds in the lower section of the troposphere. The development and evolution of deep convection are linked to the low-level jets, which are vital for both horizontal and vertical fluxes of temperature and moisture. The focus of this study is to characterize low-level jets simulated with the WRF model in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) over southern West Africa. The simulation's forcing data were Global Forecast System datasets (GFS) and boundary conditions were specified in the WRF runs at 3-hourly temporal resolution. The performance of the simulation was tested with observational datasets from the European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecast (ECMWF). The study examined low-level jet characteristics such as frequency, intensity, height of occurrence, and direction of propagation. Three bioclimatic regions namely West Sudanian Savanna, Guinean, and Guineo-Congolian that can be found in southern West Africa were used as the basis for the analysis. The study employed a relative and absolute detection criteria for low-level jets which requires that the lowest maximum of a vertical wind speed profile in the lowest 1800 m of the atmosphere is at least 2 m/s and 25% stronger than the next minimum above. It was found that low-level jets are more frequent in the Guineo-Congolian than, West Sudanian Savanna and Guinean regions and about 90% occurring between the hours of 000 UTC and 060 UTC with south-westerlies dominating. The maximum average intensities of low-level jets in the Guineo-Congolian, West Sudanian Savanna and Guinean regions are 8.1 m/s, 12.9 m/s and 8.9 m/s respectively. Low-level jets observed do frequently occur between the height of 700 – 750 m above ground level, an average of 725 m. The study recommends more observational and modeling case study on low-level jets over southern West Africa to emphasize conclusions made in the study.Item Incidence of Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFIS) of Covid-19 Vaccines in Ghana(University of Ghana, 2023) Asare, A.F.Introduction: To fight the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines form part of an important public health tool in this quest. In Ghana, five (5) COVID-19 vaccines (COVISHIEDTM (AstraZeneca), SPIKEVAXTM, COMIRNATYTM, Gam-COVID-Vac and Janssen) which were given Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) have been used in the mass vaccination campaign since March 2021. Since early phase trials of the vaccines were mostly not conducted in Africans, assessing safety data during their deployment under real-life conditions in the Ghanaian population is important. Methods: This study was a retrospective study involving secondary safety data analyses of AEFI reports from active (cohort study) and passive surveillance (spontaneous reporting) of the 5 COVID-19 vaccines deployed in the mass vaccination campaign involving adults in Ghana since March 2021. Data obtained from the primary data host institution (FDA) in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and on paper forms, were cleaned and imported into STATA I/C 16 (Stata Corp LLC, Texas, USA) for analyses. Descriptive characteristics of study participants were done using frequency and percentages for categorical variables, and median and interquartile range for continuous variables. Bar- and pie charts were also used to describe characteristics such as chronic medical conditions, the cumulative incidence of adverse events following immunization (AEFIs), the various forms and number of AEFIs experienced, as well as the latency of AEFIs experienced. For the cohort event study, the cumulative incidence, the incidence rate per 100,000 person days, and the incidence rate ratios were estimated using the dose of vaccines as the unit of analysis. The Pearson chi-square test was used to assess the factors associated with the cumulative incidence of AEFIs among study participants. The Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to assess the factors associated with the risk of AEFIs among the study participants. For the analysis of the spontaneous (self-reporting) data, descriptive analysis was performed across the various vaccine types. The Pearson chi-square test was also used to assess the association between the severity of AEFIs experienced and the background characteristics. The binary logistic regression model was also used to assess the factors associated with severe AEFIs and deaths following the occurrence AEFIs among vaccine recipients. Similarly, the outcome of the AEFIs experienced was also described across the background characteristics and the Pearson chi-square test was used to assess the association. All statistical analyses were considered significant with p-values less than 0.05. Approval was obtained on 13th June 2022 from the FDA to use the AEFI data and ethics approval was obtained from the Ghana Health Service Ethics Committee on 18th October 2022. Results: The overall incidence of AEFIs among the 6,100 vaccine recipients in the cohort study was 14.0% (851/6,100). For the spontaneous reports, of the 10,733,719 vaccinated population, 8,498 AEFIs were reported giving an incidence of about 0.049% (49 per 100,000 persons). In the cohort study, most AEFIs (88.7%) occurred by the following day after vaccination and the proportion of females who experienced AEFIs (15.6%) was higher than that of males (12.4%) and this was statistically significant (p<0.001). Also, in both the cohort study and the spontaneous reports, the incidence of AEFIs was higher in the younger age groups compared with those in the 60 years and older age group with the most common AEFIs being headache, body pain, fever and injection site pain. These events were mostly mild and resolved within a few days. The occurrence of AEFIs was found to be dependent on the age, vaccine type, vaccine dose as well as the enrolment site of vaccine recipients in the cohort study. Also, in terms of severity of the AEFIs, age and vaccine type were factors found to be associated with having a severe adverse event in spontaneous reports. Conclusion: There was a low incidence of AEFIs following all 5 COVID-19 vaccines used in Ghana since the mass immunization with the events being generally mild and resolving within a few days. The public should be made aware that the vaccines are safe and encouraged to get vaccinated to increase vaccine coverage across the country.