International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies and Innovative Research

The Effect of Reward and Motivation Strategies on the Performance of Ordained Ministers in the Presbyterian Church of Ghana

Rev. Bright Ofosu Asiedu — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Contemporary and extant literature had focused on the impact of direct and indirect rewards on workers’ motivation in both public and private sectors of the labor force. It was, therefore, exigent to examine rewards schemes that exist in the pastoral ministry and whether it has bearing on motivating church ministers. This is critical owing to the church being one of the rapidly growing organizations in Ghana and formally employing many people, and the apparent neglect of literature addressing this issue. The main purpose of this study was to assess and understand the effect of reward and motivation strategies on the performance of ordained Ministers in the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. The study was influenced by the conspicuous gaps in the literature with respect to total rewards and motivation in pastoral ministry. The research questions were: what total rewards were available to Pastors, what were Pastor's perceptions of these, and finally the effect of these rewards on pastors’ motivation? The Brong and Ahafo Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana was used as a case to investigate the research problem from a positivist outlook. The findings of the study revealed that the work environment was safe and secure, had a sense of belongingness (cordial relationship with staff), had the opportunity to work at home, had regular communication with superiors, and had access to learning and development opportunities which had averages above 3.50.

Fishing Activities and Academic Life of Junior High School Students at APAM in the Central Region of Ghana

Isaac Kwasi Henyo — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This study assessed how students combine academic work with fishing activities. The main objective was to investigate how fishing activities affect students’ education and how it influences their academic performance in Apam, a town in the Gomoa West District of the Central Region. A descriptive research design and a quantitative approach were used; a questionnaire and structured interview guide were used to gather data from the respondents (students and teachers, respectively). Amongst all the students in this district, hundred and ten (110) were sampled and nine (9) teachers were selected for this study through census survey and purposive sampling, respectively. The validity and reliability of the research instrument were tested using expert judgment and Cronbach’s alpha, respectively. Descriptive statistics (frequency count and percentages) were used in the analyses of the data. It was revealed that students participated in fishing activities alongside schooling. About 68% of the students held the view that their colleagues who were involved in fishing performed poorly in class. Also, parents’ occupations influenced students’ involvement in fishing work. It is imperative that fishing societies cooperate with parents, heads of educational institutions, and school management boards to introduce actions that would prevent students from doing fishing activities in order to help improve their academic performance.

Qualities of a Good Lecturer: Students' Perspectives

Stephen Nanyele, Kaku Sagary Nokoe — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The paper set out to describe what CUG students considered as the most desirable (best) attributes or characteristics of a good lecturer. The cross-sectional descriptive survey was designed along a quantitative paradigm. Data gathering was done through a questionnaire containing 44 items placed on a Likert-type scale and administered to 154 final-year students of CUG across faculties in the 2021/2022 academic year. Only 4 respondents did not return their responses thereby reducing the respondents to 150. The study revealed that lecturers who covered the syllabus or course outlines; made the subject intellectually exciting inter alia as the most desirable. Students, however, detest or frown on and even hate lecturers who accept gifts from them; give students undeserved grades among others. The paper, therefore, recommends that the management of universities continue to use students’ evaluation reports on lecturers as an essential basis for promoting lecturers. This would compel the academic staff to teach, research, and publish and not research and publish but fail to teach as it is common today in most tertiary institutions. It would thus, become a factor in the quality control of teaching.

Enhancing Writing Skills of the Undergraduates: Implications for Curriculum Design in Sri Lankan context

Ruwini Prasadini Dharmawardene, Lishanthi Wijewardene, Indumini Kaviratne — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

We present findings from a mixed-methods study of undergraduates’ attitudes toward written communication in their third academic year at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura’s Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce (FMSC). The undergraduates in the Department of Commerce were asked to complete an online survey on their attitudes about mastering writing. The research method was descriptive. After analyzing the theoretical underpinnings of attitudes and writing, a survey was created, piloted, and given to 25 randomly chosen third-year FMSC undergraduates. Only 22 of the sample members answered every query. To find out why the 22 participants desired to learn writing in the FMSC, a questionnaire with 10 closed-ended questions was sent, and a series of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with all 22 participants was conducted. The findings indicate that the majority (92%) of the participants need to improve their speaking skills not their writing skills in the university. Many (95.5%) valued it as a basic requirement to pursue their higher education in the future. There was a considerable level of preference (90%) to master English writing skills online than practising it in the physical classroom. However, only 19% of the participants mentioned that they have more than three hours a week to practise writing skills. Findings further indicated that about 20% of the sample never use library resources. The above findings may be helpful in designing English writing courses for undergraduates in the Departments of Commerce in Sri Lankan universities.

Factors Influencing Teenage Pregnancy in the Birim North District in the Eastern Region of Ghana

Mary Achiaa — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Globally, teenage pregnancy has persistently posed serious challenges. Young girls giving birth earlier has serious public health and social concerns. About 95% teenage pregnancies occur in developing countries, and this has a long-term implication for girls on their health, families and communities. However, multilevel predictors of teenage pregnancy are not well studied yet. Several studies had focused mainly on the individual level characteristics but overlooked the socioeconomic and health related factors contributing to teenage pregnancy. The main aim of this study was to identify the factors contributing to teenage pregnancy in Birim North district to help design appropriate public health intervention program to mitigate it in the district. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 176 teenagers during the study period in the Birim North district. Five communities were randomly selected from each sub-district and respondents were selected using the simple random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire with socio-demographic factors, knowledge of reproductive health, socio–cultural and health-related factors was used to elicit responses from the respondents. Data were coded and entered into Epi Data Manager Version 4.6.0.0 and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. A total of 176 teenage girls participated in the study. Bivariable analysis showed that all the variables except alcohol consumption were significantly associated with teenage pregnancy. Among the behavioural factors assessed, multivariable analyses showed that having multiple sexual partners and irregular contraceptive use increased the likelihood of teenage pregnancy. Among familial factors, being married was found to increase the likelihood of teenage pregnancy. Also, peer pressure, sexual abuse, and lack of control over sex was observed to increase the likelihood of teenage pregnancy. Demographic, behavioral, familial, and social factors are important predictors of teenage pregnancy in the Birim North District. Interventions focussing on retaining pregnant and married girls at school, information on the sexual and reproductive health of teenage girls, improving access to and information about contraceptive use among teenage girls as well as improving the socio-economic status of households and making adolescent health programs a part of regular school curriculum could improve knowledge gaps in sexual reproductive health services among teenagers. These measures would go a long way to minimize the menace of teenage pregnancy in low-income settings in Ghana.

Employee Support System as a Factor for Increased Staff Retention

Tengan Dassah Felix — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Employee support system plays a vital role in staff retention in today's competitive job market. This paper aims to explore the relationship between employee support systems and staff retention. The study examines the factors that makeup employee support systems and how they influence staff retention. The paper reviewed the employee support system with a focus on the work environment and management attitude toward employees who on their own volution want to enhance their skills in their career path. The findings reveal that a robust employee support system that caters to the needs and welfare of staff, including health, work-life balance, career development, and job security, enhances employee satisfaction and loyalty to the organization. The paper concludes that employee support systems are essential in attracting and retaining top talent, and organizations need to invest in such systems to increase staff retention rates, reduce turnover costs, and foster a productive work environment.

The Role of Human Resource Development Professionals in Accelerating Growth in Contemporary Organizations

Isaac Sardello Kodzo Agbesi — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Human resource development is a framework for managing, enhancing, and maximizing employee skills, capabilities, and proficiencies within an organization. These roles are performed by HRD professionals or practitioners in order to elevate contemporary organizations to a higher pedestal where they have the capability to meet global standards and also survive competition to remain solvent and profitable. This paper looks at the role of HRD professionals in accelerating growth in contemporary organizations. It further discusses the various definitions of HRD, components of HRD, functions of HRD, HRD practices, and interventions, role of HRD in organizational growth and the challenges HRD professionals face. Findings from extant studies consulted revealed that HRD interventions and practices in organizations have a direct impact on building of employee skills, which is very instrumental in enhancing organizational effectiveness. This review paper possesses the potential to aid HR managers and other decision makers in contemporary companies to develop techniques and also strategize to enable them to improve employee competency. It will further serve as a resource in formulating effective and efficient HRD interventions to help improve the ability of employees to the attainment of targeted goals in an organization.

Review of the Christian Chiefs and Traditional Rituals in Ghana

Richard Appiah Kubi — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This review examines the challenges of chiefs who are Christians in the exercise of their traditional duties. It has been found out that chieftaincy, especially among the Akans, is involved with religious rites. Since the Chiefs are by tradition the living representative of the ancestors, it is their mandate to always “feed” them through regular offerings. Again, his leadership duty regarding the governance of the state in which he is the ruler involves carrying out the dictates of the ancestors for the living descendants of the community. The study contends that being a chief and also professing the Christian faith puts one in a challenging position; since his loyalty and allegiance are brought into question. Whereas some Christian chiefs are of the view that they do not see anything wrong with carrying out their traditional “official duties, others think otherwise. This review seeks to consolidate the traditional rituals of a Chief into modern-day Christian practice. It attempts to put the traditional rituals into perceptive of Christian practice to avoid religious-cultural conflicts.

Food Poisoning in a Senior High School in Kumasi an Unmatched Case Control Study

Sat, 25 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Food poisoning is when a person or a group of persons consume food that may be contaminated with microbes, toxins, or chemicals. Most cases are accidental and may arise from contamination of ingredients, an overdose of additives, or contamination of utensils. Globally, 600 million cases and 420,000 deaths are reported annually. In Ghana, 1914 cases were reported between 2013 and 2021, with 36 deaths. We investigated a case of food poisoning among students of a Girls SHS in the Kumasi Metropolis to estimate the burden, identify the cause, and implement control measures. An unmatched case-control study (119 cases, 347 controls) was conducted after descriptive epidemiology, to test for an association between the suspected exposure and the outcome. Medical records were reviewed. Active case search was conducted in classes. Our outbreak Case Definition was ‘Any person who developed diarrhoea and or abdominal pains from March 5-8, 2022 within the school’. Confidentiality was ensured by excluding the name of the school. A total of 119 boarders, out of 982 (attack rate 12.1%) were affected, but 18 hospitalised. The mean age was 17.4 (range 15-20, SD±0.92). Onset of index case was March 5, 2022. Symptoms included abdominal pains (84/119), diarrhoea (95/119) without mortality. A total 109 (91.6%) cases ate rice and stew, 6 (5%) ate tea and bread, 7 (5.8%) ate banku and groundnut soup, 4 (3.3%) ate rice balls and 1 (0.8%) ate porridge prior to incident. Odds ratio was 9.9 for consumption of rice-and-stew. A point source outbreak was concluded. The odds ratio indicated very strong association between the consumption of the rice-and-stew and the outbreak. We recommended screening for food-vendors and education on food hygiene.