KNUSTSpace

Institutional Repository of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

On this portal we showcase the intellectual output of the university..

 

Communities in DSpace

Select a community to browse its collections.

Now showing 1 - 5 of 7

Recent Submissions

No Thumbnail Available
Item
Gender ideology, career aspirations and leadership styles: a comparative analysis of male and female managers in selected financial institutions.
(KNUST, 2016-09) Nti Barbara
The comparison of leadership styles between male and female has played a critical role in the development of leadership theory and practice over the years. Even though empirical studies have investigated leadership styles between male and female, much attention has not been given to the antecedents and intervening mechanisms that result in the choice of leadership styles between male and female managers in Ghana. This is why this study sought to examine the effects of gender ideology on the career aspirations and leadership styles between male and female managers in some selected banking institutions in Kumasi Metropolis. The quantitative approach was adopted and the purpose of the study was explanatory as the study sought to explain the relationships between the key variables of the study. The population for the study consisted of all management staff of the four selected banks, namely, Odotobri Rural Bank Limited, Standard Chartered Bank, Fidelity Bank Ghana Limited and Sinapi Aba Savings & Loans Limited. Using purposive sampling, 150 staff were selected from these banks’ branches in Kumasi Metropolis. A structured questionnaire was used as the data collection instrument. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 20) was used in the data analysis to generate frequencies, percentages, mean, standard deviation, t-test, moderation and mediation analysis. The study revealed male leaders to be more aggressive than female leaders. Female leaders on the other hand, were more helpful and understanding than male leaders. Female leaders were more interested in work-life balance than male leaders. Female leaders were found to exhibit more democratic leadership, laissez-faire leadership, and transactional leadership styles as compared to male leaders. There was however no statistically significant difference between male and female leaders on authoritarian and transformational leadership styles. Career aspiration did not mediate nor moderate the relationship between gender ideology and leadership style of male and female managers. But rather, both gender ideology and career aspiration had direct effects on the leadership styles of managers. The selected demographic variables of managers did not also have any moderating effect on the relationship between gender ideology and career aspiration of management members in the financial sector of Ghana. Based on the findings, it is recommended that both male and female leaders be trained to blend some of the male and female oriented leadership styles to enhance their effectiveness.
No Thumbnail Available
Item
Effect of different levels of inclusion of sugarcane- Pineapple cocktails and packaging materials on Quality of “BISSAP”; A drink made from hibiscus Sabdariff
(KNUST, 2019-07) Thompson, Dorcas Naa Norley
A series of laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of different levels of inclusion of sugarcane-pineapple cocktails and packaging materials on quality of “bissap”; a drink made from dried calyx of Hibiscus sabdariffa. The levels of inclusion were generated with the help of Minitab 2017 software and sensory attributes of the resulting cocktails were evaluated for their flavour, taste, sourness and sweetness. The results of the study showed that, a cocktail of 30% bissap extract, 20% pineapple and 50% sugarcane juice was the overall most acceptable cocktail. A 30% bissap extract, 40% pineapple and 30% sugarcane juice was the most acceptable in terms flavour. The most highly preferred taste was from the cocktail comprising 33% bissap extract, 33% pineapple and 34% sugarcane. In terms of sourness the most accepted cocktail was 30% bissap, 20% pineapple and 50% sugarcane juice. The sweetening effect derived from the combination of 30% bissap extract, 40% pineapple and 30% sugarcane juice was the most accepted among the other formulations. The optimization analysis derived from the Minitab 2017 software used gave the most favourable product as 30% bissap extract, 38% pineapple and 32% sugarcane juice which was significantly different (p≤ 0.05) among the treatments over a four week storage period. The colour of the cocktail reduced in clarity from 33.78 in plastic bottle under ambient condition to 25.08, from 31.16 in glass bottle under ambient condition to 27.13, from 31.15 in plastic bottle under refrigeration to 24.98 and from 26.29 in glass bottle under refrigeration to 27.83. The total soluble acids (TSS) reduced from 10° brix to 9.82° brix in plastic bottle and from 9.68° brix to 9.18° brix in glass bottle. Total titrable acidity (TTA) dropped from 0.45% in plastic bottle under ambient condition to 0.19%, from 0.44% in glass iv v bottle under ambient condition to 0.25%, from 0.45% in plastic bottle under refrigeration to 0.20% and from 0.27% in glass under refrigeration to 0.18%. The pH levels increased from 2.96 in plastic bottle under ambient condition to 3.76, from 2.90 in glass bottle under ambient condition to 3.74, from 2.88 in plastic bottle under refrigeration to 3.74 and from 2.96 in glass bottle under refrigeration to 3.68. The vitamin C content decreased from 4.37 mg/100g to 3.16 mg/100g in plastic bottle and from 3.53 mg/100g to 2.78 mg/100g in glass bottle. The total ash dropped from 1.37 % in plastic bottle under ambient condition to 0.45 %, from 2.44 % in glass bottle under ambient condition to 1.08 %, from 0.63 % in plastic bottle under refrigeration to 0.34 % and from 0.76 % in glass bottle under refrigeration to 0.55 %. After four weeks of storage of the drinks, mould and yeast counts and aerobic plate count (APC) of microbes, were significantly high (p≤ 0.05) in the plastic bottles under ambient condition (22oC to 28oC) but there were no moulds and yeasts in the refrigerated bottled drinks. No coliforms were present in all treatments throughout the storage period.
No Thumbnail Available
Item
Screening ten varieties of maize (Zea mays L.) For resistance to The maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais Motsch.)
(KNUST, 2019-01) Danson-Anokye Alexander
ost-harvest maize insect pests are a serious constraint to food security and income generation in sub-Saharan Africa. Ten varieties of maize cultivated in Ghana were screened to ascertain their resistance to the maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais L. to assist farmers select a variety that can withstand the attack of the insect during storage. The study was conducted at the insect laboratory of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KNUST, Kumasi. The Dodie Index of Susceptibility was used to group the varieties. Abeleehi, Omankwa, Abontem, and Adikanfo had indices less than 4 hence were classified as resistant. Weevils placed on Abeleehi produced the smallest number of progeny, had the highest median development period and lowest percentage seed damage and weight loss. Obatanpa, Aburohoma, Aburohemaa and Pan 12 were classified as moderately resistant whiles 10C8446 and 12C7636 were classified as moderately susceptible. Abeleehi had the best germination percentage with 12C7636 recording the lowest germination percentage after 90 days of storage. The resistant varieties, particularly Abeleehi can be recommended for S. zeamais management in maize especially for smallholder farmers in Ghana, whose seed can also be saved by farmers for planting in the subsequent season
No Thumbnail Available
Item
Traffic sequencing with Genetic Algorithm case study: La Paz traffic intersection
(KNUST, 2016-03) Ashigbie,Festus Eyram Kwashie
Managing traffic flow at complex intersections is a challenging task. The intersection under study is situated at La Paz on the N1 highway. One can see wreckages of crushed vehicles at different locations of the highway. Within one month of its commissioning, the road registered fifteen (15) accidents with huge loses to life and property. Between February 2012 and December 2013, 489 accidents had been recorded on the road with 350 people sustaining severe injuries. Two hundred (200) pedestrians had also been knocked down by speeding cars while 70 pedestrians died on the spot. These accidents occur when pedestrians attempt to cross the road. Some identified causes of these accidents are inefficient traffic order sequence, inadequate green time allocation, and non user friendly traffic installations. The breadth of the highway is about 50 metres with no islands for pedestrians use. There are no overhead footbridge or underground passage at the intersection for pedestrian use. These causes lots of chaos at the intersection and leads to road block and heavy traffic during rush hours. To save lives and properties, and improve traffic flow, the intersection is investigated to propose new ways of improving pedestrian safety and traffic flow sequence. Genetic Algorithm approach was used to find an optimal traffic flow sequence for the intersection. The intersection was simplified into a ’plus’ intersection that has traffic streams moving in fourteen directions. The streams were encoded and put through the genetic algorithm process. The output was evaluated for both computational efficiency and accuracy. The program returned a flow sequence that is very efficient. It gives hope that soon, the chaos and accidents at the intersection will become history
No Thumbnail Available
Item
Nana Yaa Asantewaa : dimensions épique et socio-culturelle d’une héroїne traditionnelle Asante.
(KNUST, 2017-05) Mensah, Magdalene
Nana Yaa Asantewaa – the epic and sociocultural dimensions of a traditional asante heroine, is the title of our dissertation. The research focuses on the heroism of Nana Yaa Asantewaa. Our analytical tool was Sociocritics. The problem was the ambiguity around the heroism of Nana Yaa Asantewaa. Our aim was to study the heroic role of Nana Yaa Asantewaa in the last resistance war against the English colonial administration; to expose the epic characters of Nana Yaa Asantewaa's narrative, to study the quality of the artistic composition of the narrative and to give some visibility to women in relation to the narrative of Nana Yaa Asantewaa. This goal has pushed us towards the demand of our main questions : - - - How do we define and recognize the epic ? Does the narrative of Nana Yaa Asantewaa meet the criteria of the epic ? How does the speaker of the epic construct his image and that of the characters in his narrative ? - What is the quality of the artistic composition : the effects of style, the variety of the figures of rhetoric, the oratorical performance of the griot / orator in this asante epic ? Through interviews with her great-grandchildren, we had information that helped us analyze and establish the truth, in order to restore that value to all women. The value of the research established Nana Yaa Asantewaa’s heroism and revealed that despite this epic dimension of Nana Yaa Asantewaa's narrative there is an ideological / philosophical dimension : - Nana Yaa Asantewaa is a deconstruction of patriarchal conventions; - Nana Yaa Asantewaa is a model of patriotism and nationalism; - Nana Yaa Asantewaa has a stylistic dimension; - The narrative of Nana Yaa Asantewaa has a feminist dimension. We humbly recommend that the narrative must occupy a large part of the Asante memory, and that each family must be able to ensure its transmission.
No Thumbnail Available
Item
The effects of cocoa certification on smallholder farmer’s livelihoods.
(KNUST, 2017-11) Takyiwaa, Adwoa Pamella
The study examined the effects of cocoa certification on smallholder farmers‟ livelihoods in the Offinso Municipal. The study identified the various forms of certification in Offinso Municipal, investigated the perception of farmers on certification on their livelihoods, analyzed how certification has contributed to the livelihood of cocoa producing farmers and communities and assessed the benefits and barriers of introducing certification for Ghanaian cocoa farmers. The study obtained information from fifty (50) respondents mainly through questionnaires. The results indicated that three main forms of certification organization can be found at Offinso. They are UTZ, Fair trade and Rainfall Alliance. It was realized from the study that respondents were of the perception that certified organizations help cocoa farmers get market for their produce, more so respondents were of the view that certified organizations give the right premiums on cocoa produce. In spite of the important role certification play in the lives of cocoa farmers‟ livelihood in the Offinso Municipal, it is faced with some challenges. This include rigidity of rules of certification programmes, issue of child labour and trafficking, failure to pay premiums, high cost involved in certification and failure of schemes to deliver on promise. These were all insignificant challenges as revealed by the analysis. Among the recommendations made were that interventions should focus on increasing farmers‟ incomes by helping them to increase the size of their farms, for example by setting up land agents to help swap, lease, buy and sell land, the possibility to support farmers to find or create other sources of income to complement the total household income.
No Thumbnail Available
Item
"The impact of corporate social responsibility on corporate image in the banking sector; the case study of HFC Bank Limited in Kumasi”.
(KNUST, 2017-11) Bortsie-Ghartey, Joshua
Corporate Social Responsibility has become one of the major strategies used by Corporate Organizations all over the world to help in working for the environments within which they operate and also deliver up to date and quality service to the benefit of its numerous customers. Corporate Social Responsibility has become a major source by which organizations report what they are able to give back to the society within which they operate. Consistent commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility has a significant impact on the corporate image of an organization. Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives and actions are not only about charity but about transforming these ideas into useful business strategies. The purpose of this study Image of HFC Bank, using Kumasi as a case study. The study collected data from 150 customers of the bank within the Kumasi Metropolis. Data was collected from the customers with the use of questionnaire. The study adopted random sampling method in the selection of respondents. The study explored how legal, economic and ethical dimension influences Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Image. The issues discussed include; Corporate Social Responsibility and policies at HFC Bank, customer perception of CSR, challenges and effects of CSR projects at HFC Bank. The research findings indicates that the variables: legal, economic and Ethics have significant impact on the kind of CSR projects undertaken by organizations and impacts on the corporate image of the organization. The kind of CSR projects undertaken by HFC has the capacity to influence the image of the organization in society. The researcher recommends increased online communication, the development of CSR Department at the Corporate Head office, customer awareness of CSR projects and the timely completion of CSR projects.