Olivia Anku-Tsede

Microfinance intermediation: regulation of financial NGOs in Ghana

Purpose – This study aims to seek to fill a gap in regulatory impact assessment in developing countries by presenting an analysis of how formal regulation impact on the efficiency and productivity of financial non-governmental organisations (FNGOs) in Ghana. Much has been written about the formal financial sector, but very little is known about the lower end of microfinance and the impact of formal prudential regulation on FNGOs providing microfinance services. The Bank of Ghana (BOG), nevertheless, in the year 2011, extended formal prudential regulation to FNGOs without any empirical basis. This study uses regulatory theories and empirical evidence to aid in the evaluation of whether formal prudential regulation is appropriate for FNGOs operating within the microfinance sector. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical evidence derived from FNGOs, regulatory agents, consumers and financial lawyers within the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions of Ghana served as the basis of the analysis in this study. Descr...

Transformational leadership and employee turnover intention: The mediating role of affective commitment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of transformational leadership on employee turnover intention through the mediating role of affective commitment. Design/methodology/approach – The study examines conceptual relationships in the Ghanaian context, based on structural equation modelling with maximum likelihood estimation, using sample employees from the private sector organizations. In addition, the mediation analysis is conducted with Sobel’s test and 95 per cent CI bootstrap analysis. Findings – The study shows that affective commitment would decline workers’ quitting intention and serves to promote a degree of trust and willingness to follow their leaders’ philosophy, ideology, vision and guidance in the organization. Hence, affective commitment fully mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and employee turnover intention. Practical implications – To help lessen employees quitting intentions, both middle and top-level managers should endeavour to creat...

Occupational Health and Safety Practices and the Regulatory Regime: Evidence from the Infantile Oil Fields of Ghana

The study examines OHS practices and the regulatory regime in the Ghanaian oil fields. Using the systematic content analysis, the primary qualitative method obtained data from regulators agencies, operators, sub-contracted companies of the upstream and other external opinions. Findings discovered that in the absence of solid OHS regulations, partners of the Ghanaian oil fields play collaborative role in promoting health and safety in their operations. Meanwhile, observation further revealed the country’s legal provisions on crude production are bereft not because of no specific OHS legislations but are largely to the discretion of operators due to inadequate expertise, logistics, monitoring and surveillance. Owing to frail regulatory governance, operators are driven by reputational goals rather than external pressures in promoting OHS practices. The paper proposes for the Ghanaian regulatory frameworks to work as coercive pressures for the IOCs to be proactive in promoting health, social and environmental consciousness in the oil fields.

Occupational Health and Safety Dimensions and Work Outcomes in the Mental Hospitals in Ghana: The Moderating Effect of Job Satisfaction

Like high risk industries such as aviation and mining, occupational health and safety issues in the mental hospitals cannot be underestimated. For instance, although some conceptual and empirical studies have focused on patient safety in mental hospitals, the safety and health management of nurses in the mental health sector has largely been ignored. This paper seeks to examine the relationship between occupational health and safety management and two work outcomes such as engagement and turnover intention in a large mental hospital in Ghana. Results of the correlation coefficient indicated a positive relationship between occupational health and safety and engagement, and a negative relationship with turnover intention. The hierarchical regression results revealed a positive influence of safety procedure and safety leadership on mental health nurses engagement. In addition, only safety supervision and safety leadership had negative effect on the mental health nurses’ turnover intention. Finally, job satisfaction of the mental health nurses moderated the relationships between safety supervision and safety leadership, and intention to turnover.

The moderating effect of alternative job opportunity on the transactional leadership-turnover intention nexus: Evidence from the Ghanaian banking industry

The concept of employee turnover intention has been of great concern to corporations due to the severe cost implications it has on the bottom line of businesses. Interestingly, research has established appropriate leadership behaviours as effective means of mitigating the consequences of this phenomenon. Most of these studies were however done outside Ghana, with emphasis on transformational leadership and other styles of leadership. Given the fact that Ghana has high rate of unemployment, it was imperative to examine how the bivariate relationship in the leadership literature would be altered by alternative jobs. This paper therefore examined the influence of transactional leadership behaviours on employees’ turnover intention with the moderating effect of alternative job opportunity in the Ghanaian banking industry. A cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational survey design was adopted for the study. Also, a multi-stage sampling approach was employed in selecting the three hundred and five (305) employees who completed the survey instrument. Correlational and hierarchical regression procedures were used to test the hypotheses. Even though transactional leadership was found not to statistically mitigate employees’ voluntary turnover intention, the availability of alternative job opportunities was found to moderate the transactional leadership-turnover intention nexus. Within the Ghanaian banking industry, leadership behaviours that do not focus more on the needs of subordinates as a critical part of task accomplishment will not be appreciated by employees and this stimulates their intention to quit their jobs for other lucrative offers. Key words: Transactional leadership, turnover intention, alternative job opportunity.

Workplace and Sexual Harassment: Time to Take a Second Look at the Law?

With the recent allegations regarding Harvey Weinstein and other famous figures in the entertainment industry taking over the news in recent months, there has been a renewed focus on sexual harassment (SH) worldwide. This paper takes a legal look at SH particularly in Ghana. In its submission, this paper discusses the controversies surrounding the meaning of SH and offers arguments characterizing it as an abuse of power at the workplace. The 21st Century dynamics of the menace are also examined and its prevalence presented in a global context. In conclusion, this paper offers relevant insights for improving Ghana’s laws on SH.

Regulations and Employees’ Commitment to Change: Does Emotional Intelligence Matter?

This paper examined literature on emotional intelligence, commitment to change and the role of regulations in change management. Empirical and theoretical literature were analysed, together with secondary data from the Ghana Revenue Authority. Commitment levels of employees is a key determinant of the success of any change action. However, to achieve this success, those leading the change effort together with those affected by the change must all exhibit high levels of emotional intelligence. Drawing on institutional theory, the study found that regulations serve as both catalyst and vanguard of any change program. The study contributes to the basket of literature examining the link between institutional regulations and commitment to change, and the role of emotional intelligence in such link. Regulations play a very significant role in any change effort.

The blessings and curses of job stress: Exploring the job stress – OCB/CWB Nexus among Ghanaian bankers

There have been mixed and inconclusive findings about the relationship between job stress and voluntary behaviour universally. Drawing from the social exchange and conservation resource theories, this study examines the relationship between job stress and the organizational citizenship behaviour, OCB and counterproductive work behaviour, CWB among Ghanaian bankers. A sample of 363 Ghanaian bankers from 18 commercial banks in Ghana were used for the study. The study found a significant negative relationship between job stress and the citizenship behaviour of the bankers. Though a cause and effect relationship was found between job stress and unproductive behaviours, the relationship was negative. The study explained this finding on the basis of more Millennials entering today’s work environment. This study is the first to examine the job stress – voluntary behaviour nexus in the Ghanaian banking sector and thus has practical implications for the sector.

Law in Motion or Passionate Observer on the Shelf? The Ghanaian Disaster Experience

The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the occurrence of disasters and the institutional mechanisms, as well as the legal response to such incidents. The paper provides a viewpoint by using discursive approach on arguments and examination of various legal and documented texts. Findings indicate that although the Ghanaian legal regime on disaster make reasonable provision for various breaches and remedies and establishes internationally acceptable rules in substance and procedure, in certain instances, most regulatory and enforcement agencies are often indisposed to enforcing the rules and fines. Meanwhile, factors contributing to disasters are mainly man-made attributable to non-regulatory compliance, unplanned residential and business communities, and erection of buildings in waterways, among others. It is proposed for an integrative approach and a shift from the traditional response-based thinking to a proactive response in disaster management, taking significant note of the legislations and judicial precedents in the country.

The case for paternity leave in Ghana: Imperatives and implications for gender parity

The aim of this paper is to make a persuasive case for the provision of paid paternity leave for fathers in Ghana by describing several benefits of paternity leave to the family and the business as a whole. The paper examines the arguments for paternity leave through series of literature review, the position of law on paid paternity leave in Ghana and its implications for gender parity. The paper also presents examples of countries that have ratified the ILO conventions on paternity leave provisions and enshrined them in their country-specific legal regulatory frameworks. Given the diverse benefits of paid paternity leave around the world, the need for paternity leave has become a necessity if not obligatory. The paper makes a strong case for expedite action on the amendment of Ghana’s labour law to incorporate at least five days paid leave for fathers in relation to childbirth in Ghana.