Kwesi Amponsah-Tawiah

Linking commuting stress to job satisfaction and turnover intention: The mediating role of burnout.

ABSTRACT This study uses structural equation modelling to test a model that posits that commuting stress would have direct and indirect effects (through burnout) on employee job satisfaction and turnover intention. Based on a sample (N = 336) of employees from diverse occupations in Ghana, the results partly supported the authors’ hypothesized model. Commuting stress was positively related to burnout and turnover intention but had no direct relationship with job satisfaction. In addition, commuting stress was indirectly related to job satisfaction and turnover intention via burnout. These results were found to be invariant for men and women. Implications of the findings for theory and practice are discussed.

CSR‐OHS: Expert views, analysis and commentary on the two potent contrivances towards achieving MDGs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to trace the path to achieving the millennium development goals (MDG) in developing countries through the lens of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and organisation health and safety (OHS). Design/methodology/approach – The paper employed discourse analysis of views of participants of the workshop on CSR‐OHS project in Accra, funded by the British Councils Development Partnership in Higher Education (DelPHE). The analysis was shaped by the various theorizations and conceptualisations of CSR and OHS in developed and developing countries, in order to establish any link between CSR‐OHS and the MDG. Findings – The paper established some linkage between CSR, OHS and the MDG. Although the paper observed divergence in practice between the two concepts of CSR and OHS, Ghanaians viewed OHS as a key competing dimension of CSR. Problem areas were identified with respect to OHS implementation and regulations and standardization proposed for its improvement. The paper calls for the provision of effective and efficient OHS services and the introduction of OHS courses in the curricula of higher educational institutions as a national strategy. Originality/value – The paper demonstrates the relevance of OHS in the CSR concept as a tool for achieving the MDGs.

Exploring the link between corporate social responsibility and health and safety in the mines

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to set a baseline understanding of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) concept amongst the different stakeholders in the mining industry in Ghana and further examine their appreciation of issues of occupational health and safety. It explored the integration of issues of health and safety of employees into the broader CSR agenda through a stakeholder analysis. Design/methodology/approach – The study population comprised various stakeholders operating in the mining industry of Ghana. The purposive sampling technique was used in the selection of the organisations/institutions that participated in the study. In all, 35 people were interviewed, and the interview data were analysed using thematic-content analysis. Findings – The findings provide an insight into how the various stakeholders in the mining industry in Ghana understood the CSR concept and how they went about practising it. Appreciation of issues health and safety by the various stakeholders also received con...

Occupational Health and Safety Management and Turnover Intention in the Ghanaian Mining Sector.

Background The mining industry is considered as one of the most dangerous and hazardous industries and the need for effective and efficient occupational health and safety management is critical to safeguard workers and the industry. Despite the dangers and hazards present in the mining industry, only few studies have focused on how occupational health and safety and turnover intentions in the mines. Method The study suing a cross-sectional survey design collected quantitative data from the 255 mine workers that were conveniently sampled from the Ghanaian mining industry. The data collection tools were standardized questionnaires that measured occupational health and safety management and turnover intentions. These scales were also pretested before their usage in actual data collection. Results The correlation coefficient showed that a negative relationship existed between dimensions of occupational health and safety management and turnover intention; safety leadership (r = −0.33, p < 0.01); supervision (r = −0.26, p < 0.01); safety facilities and equipment (r = −0.32, p < 0.01); safety procedure (r = −0.27, p < 0.01). Among these dimensions, safety leadership and safety facility were significant predictors of turnover intention, (β = −0.28, p < 0.01) and (β = −0.24, p < 0.01) respectively. The study also found that turnover intention of employees is heavily influenced by the commitment of safety leadership in ensuring the effective formulation of policies and supervision of occupational health and safety at the workplace. Conclusion The present study demonstrates that safety leadership is crucial in the administration of occupational health and safety and reducing turnover intention in organizations.

Corporate Social Responsibility in Ghana: A Sectoral Analysis

CSR as the strategic decision of an organisation to voluntary act upon the social factors that have the potential of militating against the fulfilment of corporate goals is a fast evolving concept in Ghana, led by large scale multinational companies. The concept has been “bastardised” in the country with various sectors of the economy having a different interpretation to it. It is common to read daily in the news print various activities which are classified as part of the social responsibilities of various organisations. The lack of uniformity in the definition/description of the concept is worrying and therefore calls for a baseline understanding of the concept as practiced by different sectors of the Ghanaian economy. This work therefore adopts a sectoral approach to the classification and understanding of the concept. A documentation review, specifically, a thematic analysis of various newspaper reports, website information on CSR undertakings of companies and previous literature of CSR activities undertaken by various organisations from 2007 to 2015 formed the framework and methodological approach for the study. The various organisations were classified based on their main operations and based on the CSR activities undertaken. Notable amongst the findings were the following; Organisations in the mining industry were more into community relations, curative and preventive health issues and environmental protection activities. The telecommunication sector was into health related activities, education and infrastructure development. The banks were into donating to the underprivileged and offering scholarships to needy but brilliant students and also involved in refurbishing school buildings and financing adult literacy programmes. The manufacturing sector on the other hand support education and health related activities and sometimes lend extension services to producers of their raw materials. The CSR activities of the agriculture sector are geared towards the betterment of the lives of farmers who supply produce to them and the development of farming communities in which they operate. For religious bodies’ especially Christians and Muslims, the concept of CSR has been one of charity. This is because of the belief that God blesses those who give especially to the needy and the underprivileged such as orphans, the sick and the poor. Generally in Ghana, the concept has tended to focus on externalities to the neglect of the internal issues that bother on employee well-being.

Corporate social responsibility: is it an alternative to government?

Purpose Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has gained global prominence in recent years. This is because businesses have seen the need to consider the interests of stakeholders not only to enhance their corporate image but also to live good neighbourly lives with the communities in which they operate. The purpose of this paper is to examine the value of engaging stakeholders and recommend multinational corporations not to take over the governance of countries in which they operate as a result of their financial muscle but to play complementary roles to help in the development of those countries. Although CSR is no longer new in Africa according to recent studies, it is suffering from identity crisis, as it has been used generally and severally to refer to different issues. This conceptual paper discusses the notion of CSR practice in Africa and the major issues and debates around it. It looks at the role of government and civil society organisations that are at the forefront playing watchdog and vigilante roles for the benefit of the society. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper. Findings The paper argues that business and society cannot exist without working together and that responsible business is key to sustainable development. It traces the roots of CSR and the emergence of the concept. It advises that what is required in Africa is for the media and civil society organizations to play watchdog and vigilante roles in ensuring that businesses are socially responsible, accountable and transparent. If governments and businesses are transparent and accountable, then the citizens become the greatest beneficiary. The profit margins of businesses will also increase and there will be sustainable development. The paper also indicates that the concept of CSR is gaining grounds in Africa and is no longer new as indicated by previous studies. It recommends that Africa should have its own CSR programmes designed to fit into the African setting. The paper examines the major issues and debates on CSR and concludes that any attempt to introduce uniform laws to ensure responsible business operations universally will not work as situations differ from country to country. The overreliance on corporate entities, particularly Multinational corporations (MNCs) and transnational corporation (TNCs), for the direct development of African economies is not sustainable, as these corporate entities cannot continue to fulfil these obligations meant for the development of infrastructure and still be expected to provide basic amenities for communities under the guise of fulfilling CSR. This process of national development is unsustainable. Originality/value The paper recommends a multi-stakeholder approach in designing and implementing CSR programmes. The government, civil society, community and the company should collaborate and constantly have stakeholder engagements as that are the only way of attaining a win-win benefit. MNCs and TNCs should see the government and other stakeholders as partners in development and not lord it over them as a result of their financial muscle. It is recommended that more research work be done in CSR education in Africa. This is to enable business operators and communities understand the true meaning of CSR and to know that the concept goes beyond philanthropy or donations. It will also help them understand that the concept goes beyond community relations to include issues such as human rights, child labour, environmental governance and corporate tax among others.

Emerging “Dutch disease” in emerging oil economy: Ghana’s perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the Ghanaian economy within the context of its macro‐economic indicators and the performance of the agricultural sector against the backdrop of the exogenous economic explanation of the resource curse. This is aimed at equipping policy makers with the tools needed in identifying symptoms of the Dutch disease as it transitions from an agrarian to an oil economy.Design/methodology/approach – This is a research paper, employing quantitative and qualitative data of the macro‐economic indicators in the last ten years (2000‐2010) and policy initiatives since the discovery of oil in commercial quantities in Ghana. Furthermore, it also examines theoretical perspectives of the Dutch disease as frames of analysis to gauge the existence of any symptoms of the latter.Findings – The paper questions a previous World Bank (2009) report classifying the Ghanaian economy as already showing signs of the Dutch disease. The paper suggests that the macro‐economic indicators sho...

Evaluation of the psychometric properties of two scales of work–family conflict among Ghanaian employees

Abstract This study examines the psychometric properties of Carlson, Kacmar, and Williams’ (2000) multidimensional scale of work–family conflict and Matthews, Kath, and Barnes-Farrell’s (2010) abbreviated version of the instrument in Ghana. Five hundred and forty-one (541) employees selected from different organizations responded to structured questionnaires administered in English. Results from confirmatory factor analysis supported the six-dimensional factor structure of Carlson et al.’s (2000) measure. The instrument was found to have good internal consistency, adequate convergent validity and discriminant validity, as well as invariance of factor structure across gender. The results also supported the two-dimensional factor structure of Matthews et al.’s (2010) abbreviated version of the work–family conflict scale. The dimensions of work–family conflict on the abbreviated measure correlated strongly with respective dimensions of the original multidimensional version. Latent mean comparisons suggested that men reported more work–family conflict than women on both measures. The study demonstrates the applicability of both the six-dimensional work–family conflict scale and the abbreviated work–family conflict measure for research in Ghana.

Effects of Dwindling Gold Prices on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Performance in Ghana’s Mining Sector

Since the introduction of Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) in the 1980s, the gold mining sector has been a major contributor to the economies of many African countries including Ghana. There has been a fall in the global prices of gold in recent times resulting in budget cuts especially those not directly related to corporate prosperity, as well as job losses. This study sought to examine the level of CSR activities in five of the big mining companies operating in Ghana. Findings from the study pointed to a reduction in the profit margins of mining companies as a result of the fallen gold prices, which has invariably affected the volume and nature of CSR activities engaged in by the mining companies in the past 5 years. The study concluded that the fallen price of gold has re-defined the form and shape of CSR activities among mining companies in Ghana.

Mitigating occupational stress: The role of psychological capital

ABSTRACT This study examined the impact of occupational stress on psychological well-being looking at the mediating role of psychological capital (PsyCap) in the occupational stress and psychological well-being relationship. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data was collected from 290 participants. The collected data was analyzed using a Pearson r test and hierarchical regression. Analysis of the data showed that psychological well-being (PWB) related negatively with occupational stress and positively with PsyCap. It was also found that PsyCap mediated fully the relationship between occupational stress and PWB thereby rendering nonsignificant the negative effects of occupational stress on PWB. In addition, the study found that, efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimism (components of PsyCap) mediated partially the occupational stress–PWB relationship thereby reducing the negative effect of occupational stress on psychological well-being. It is concluded that PsyCap has the ability to buffer the negative consequences of occupational stress on psychological well-being.