The perception of employees on performance‐based budgeting reforms in developing countries: The perspective from Ghana
In the last few decades, the use of performance management to correct state finances has led to the (re)emergence of performance‐based budgeting (PBB), with the belief that it will reveal where scarce resources should be concentrated. The efficacy of PBB, however, continues to be debated. This paper attempts to contribute to the discussion, by examining the case of Ghana from the perspective of budget officers. How do budget officers perceive the PBB? It is argued that while PBB is professed as a useful budgetary mechanism, there are challenges that need to be addressed if it is to achieve its objectives.
Frank Ohemeng, Emelia A Asiedu, Theresa Obuobisa‐Darko, Juliana A Abane, Kenneth Parku
Establishing the relationship between work-family balance and work-family conflict: the role of organisational and individual factors
The study examined the impact of organizational and individual factors on the relationship between work-family balance and work-family conflict through a survey. Data from 250 respondents were analysed using the pearson product moment correlation, ANOVA and hierarchical multiple regression. Results showed that the interaction between marital status (individual factor) and working hours (organizational factor) did not impact work-family balance. Further, a significant negative relationship exists between work-family balance and work-family conflict, gender and age. Also, marital status and working hours were positively related to work-family balance. Marital status and working hours significantly moderate the relationship between work-family conflict and work-family balance. Although working hours moderate the relationship between work-family conflict and work-family balance, it did not account for a significant variance in work-family balance. Furthermore, educational level did not significantly relate to work-family balance. These findings imply that for organizational growth to be improved, stakeholders need to consider advancing work-family balance practices to cater for both employees’ and organizational needs.
Majoreen Osafroadu Amankwah, Theresa Obuobisa-Darko, Setsoafia Sena Ama Pearl
Business Administration: An Introduction for Managers and Business Professionals
The progress of several businesses was severely challenged through the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, with several businesses collapsing globally. Apart from the pandemic, the business posture and dynamics of yesteryear has significantly changed, as the way business is conducted today, especially in this era of Industry 4.0 and the proliferation of technology-assisted processes, have created a new environment for doing business. Comparatively, yesterday’s businesses seemed to have been in the" dark," keeping itself within limited geographical locations, contacts, and markets. However, business today, with the technological boom, has created a global village with the advent of the World Wide Web and social media which is redefining the way business is conducted especially in product and service development, marketing and publicity, customer attraction and retention, scouting and recruitment, and so on. This book responds to contemporary calls for new ways of managing businesses with practitioner-oriented discourses on topical issues like business environments and how modern businesses can thrive in the same. It discusses in some detail the general composition of business environments, specific factors that influence the operations and decisions of a business within its environment, the level of control businesses have over the factors that operate within the business environment, and the need for businesses to be proactive and to strategise in order to take advantage of the opportunities the business environment presents as while minimising the negative effects some factors also present. The book provides practical …
Kwame Adom, Robert Ebo Hinson, Enoch Opare Mintah, Theresa Obuobisa-Darko
Emotional intelligence and work engagement
Although emotional intelligence has been linked to employee engagement in the private sector, there is very little research regarding public sector employees. This study explores how emotional intelligence influences work engagement with work-related psychological impact acting as a moderator. The study adopts the cognitive–motivational–relational theory of emotions, which has a minimal research focus in developing countries. Using stratified random sampling, a self designed questionnaire and interviews, data was gathered from public servants and analysed. The results showed that Emotional Intelligence (emotional management, emotional evaluation and emotional control) positively influences work engagement. Also, emotional management had the highest (positive) impact on work engagement among the three variables. Additionally, it was discovered that the psychological needs at the workplace …
Theresa Obuobisa-Darko, Ophelia Delali Dogbe-Zungbey, Frederick Frimpong, Evans Sokro
A spotlight on fossil fuel lobby and energy transition possibilities in emerging oil-producing economies
This study investigates the impact of fossil fuel industry on renewable energy deployment in emerging oil-producing economies, using Ghana as the subject of analysis. Drawing on the "theory of lobby," the study extends previous analyses to examine how fossil fuel production influences the possibility of transitioning to renewable energy. The results, based on a stepwise estimation technique, within a two-regime Markov-switching Model, show a consistent negative relationship between fossil fuel production and renewable energy deployment, supporting the lobby effect theory in Ghana's energy economy. Notably, while fossil fuel production initially increases the probability of transitioning to renewable energy (from 39.65 % to 58.42 %), this trend is reversed by foreign direct investment, reducing the likelihood to approximately 42 %. These findings underscore the need to expand the lobby-effect theory to include …
Isaac Ankrah, Michael Appiah-Kubi, Eric Ofosu Antwi, Ivy Drafor Amenyah, Mohammed Musah, Frank Gyimah Sackey, Richard Asravor, Isaiah Sikayena
The power of faith: how religion shapes the decision making and choices of Ghanaian consumers–insights from a cross-sectional study
Religion plays a significant role in the lives of many Ghanaians, yet its influence on individual decision-making remains underexplored. This study investigates how religion shapes Ghanaians’ choices across various domains, including food consumption, fashion, career, marriage, trust in religious leaders, and contraception usage. Using survey data, the Relative Importance Index (RII), and regression analysis, the RII results show that religion accounts for more than 60% of all decisions made by Ghanaians. The regression analysis suggests that religion influences food and meat product consumption, belief in religious leaders, and the use of contraceptives and family planning methods. Individuals with higher levels of education are less likely to allow religion to influence most of their choices. These findings underscore the pervasive role of religion in shaping both personal and societal decisions in Ghana, serving …
Prince Dieu Donne Fonu, Richard Kofi Asravor, Frank Gyimah Sackey, Theresa Obuobisa-Darko
Psychological Contract Breach, Stress and Employee Engagement During and After COVID-19: The Role of Inclusive Leadership
Objective–This study extends both Social Exchange Theory and the Job Demands–Resources model by examining the connection between psychological contract breach, job stress and employee engagement in relation to the role inclusive leadership plays. Methodology–Using a quantitative approach, data was gathered from two hundred and two (202) respondents, selected using convenience sampling technique. Data gathered was analysed using SPSS version 26 and SmartPLS 4. Findings–Results showed that Job Stress had a negative statistically significant impact on Inclusive Leadership Employee Engagement, Innovative Output and Turnover Intent. Inclusive Leadership Psychological Contract Breach had a positive significant relationship with Innovative Output but a negative relationship with Job Stress. The study also found out that Job Stress mediates the relationship between Inclusive Leadership Psychological Contract Breach and Inclusive Leadership Employee Engagement. Novelty–The study contributes to clarifying and extend the social exchange theory (SET) by unravelling how the inclusive leader operates on respect, recognition, responsiveness and responsibility, in the reciprocal relationship between himself and their subordinates. Additionally, the study identifies the relationship between psychological contract breach, job stress and employee engagement in a developing country after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kenneth Parku, Theresa Obuobisa-Darko, Emelia Amoaku Asiedu
The Changing Face of Policy Development in a Democratic Developmental State: The Role of Think Tanks and Policy Advocacy in Ghana
The movement in Ghana since the early 1990s from an authoritarian environment to a democratic one has seen the rise of civil society groups jostling for space in the policy development process and in governance (Abdulai and Quantson, 2009; Antwi-Boasiako, 2019; Hughes, 2005).
Frank Ohemeng, Kenneth Parku, Emelia Amoako Asiedu, Theresa Obuobisa-Darko
The Current State of Performance-Based Budgeting and Its Impact on Public Budgeting in Ghana: Views from Budget Officers
The original aim of PB, in the United States, as well as in other countries that adopted this innovation, was to purge budgeting of its line-item focus on the cost of inputs and to base spending decisions on the work to be performed. It bears remembering that most OECD countries once had highly itemized budgets, with expenditures structured into detailed classifications of personnel, supplies, travel, equipment and other goods and services purchased by governments. In some countries, national budgets were long shopping lists, bereft of explanations of what the items would be used for; in others, the budget had narrative descriptions of government activities, but little explanation of what they were expected to accomplish (5).
Frank Ohemeng, Emelia Amoako Asiedu, Accra Legon, Theresa Obuobisa-Darko, Juliana Abane, Kenneth Parku
Leadership and Employee Performance in the Ghanaian Public Sector: A Humanistic Perspective
Leadership is seen as an imperative stimulus for the effective functioning of employees, be they in the public or private sectors. Humanistic leadership has to do with leadership that the acceptance of humanistic ideals by leaders will result in a shared common spirit, uniting the leaders and their employees which in turn will drive employee performance. Using the Ghana public service as a case, where the performance is considered unacceptable, the study attempts to answer the question: in what ways can leaders utilise the humanistic leadership style to facilitate employees’ performance in the public services in developing countries? We contend that leadership that focuses on respecting people, striving to pursue the common good, and going beyond the “boss-subordinate” model of power and influence, will lead to employees reciprocating which in turn will stimulate employee performance. A desk research …
Emelia Amoako Asiedu, Kenneth Parku, Frank LK Ohemeng, Theresa Obuobisa-Darko