About 70% of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) involving small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies fail because the strategies employed do not integrate all the critical success elements, leaving SMEs without the needed capital to take advantage of strategic and market opportunities. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the M&A strategies SME owners in Ghana employed to raise capital. Seth's value creation theory was the conceptual framework adopted for this study. The population consisted of 5 SME owners in Ghana who had successfully raised financial resources through inbound M&As within the past 10 years. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and review of corporate annual reports and M&A documents. The data were organized and analyzed using Yin's 5-step data analysis and cross-case synthesis techniques to identify patterns and emergent themes. The 6 themes that emerged from the analysis were value creation, control and autonomy, entrepreneurial quality, leadership, trustworthiness, and effective negotiation. SME owners can integrate entrepreneurial quality and effective negotiations to achieve successful closure of M&A deals. The findings of this study might facilitate SME access to capital for expansion and growth that will contribute to positive social change through job creation and increased youth employment in emerging economies.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The modern fair trade movement and resulting network emerged during the twentieth century as a strategy to alleviate extreme poverty through creating equitable trading initiatives and markets. Since its emergence, fair trade has grown tremendously to include initiatives across the globe, particularly within the Global South. Although the intent to do good is present amongst fair traders, the impact of these initiatives remains rather ambiguous, especially in regards to culture. Using a case study approach, this thesis aims to identify the cultural implications of fair trade activities and initiatives on Ghanaian basket weavers and their local communities, and then determine the effectiveness of the fair trade movement in aligning intent with impact within this context given these findings. From there, specific policy recommendations are provided for future initiatives.

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Osu, a district in central Accra, Ghana, is known for its busy commercial enterprises, countless restaurants and vibrant nightlife. Osu remains prominent in Ghana and also globally for a variety of reasons. One of such reasons is that it is arguably Ghana's most contemporary setting; second to no other location in the entire country. Osu is also the site of Ghana's seat of government- The Colonial era Christiansburg Castle which houses the president’s office and official residence. The town also plays host to several western diplomatic missions and embassies including the American Embassy. In addition to its 5 star hotels, nightclubs and multiple drive-through restaurants, what really makes Osu prominent in Ghana and elsewhere is its multiple establishments for children, such as the Osu Children's Home, and its continued philanthropy towards the betterment of the plight of displaced and underprivileged children. This thesis proposes and showcases the design of a children’s event and cultural center in Osu; to celebrate and enhance its legacy of child philanthropy. Planning and vi generative design aspects of the built artifact such as programming, site studies, and the collection of potentials for form generation, will be exhaustively addressed in this thesis.

Magister Public Health - MPH / Disparity in health service delivery between Ghana’s urban and rural areas has been noted to have contributed significantly to the huge gap that exists in health status between the rural and urban areas in the country. Consequently, since the Alma Ata Conference in 1979, Ghana has had a policy of making community-based services available to all, through community-based care and has adopted the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Initiative as a national health reforms strategy to mobilize volunteerism, resources and cultural institutions for supporting community-based primary health care. The successful implementation of the CHPS initiative rests heavily on the participation and involvement of the communities.

This qualitative study examined the differences among the experiences of 7 American undergraduate students; 4 who studied for a semester in Ghana, a developing country, and 3 who studied for a semester in England, a developed country. Using phenomenology as its guiding framework, transcribed interviews were analyzed and the focal phenomenon of the experience was sought. In addition, examination of the literature suggested that study abroad in less developed countries had the potential to impact the experience of students at a deeper level because of the potential for what Jean Piaget termed constructive disequilibrium (Blake & Pope, 2008, p. 61). The data indicated that both student groups had significant experiences abroad but that each group's significant experiences were linked to the nature of their host country. In Ghana, 3 students discussed their sometimes shocking experience as a minority while 1 participant, a 1st generation African-American, discussed the confusing experience of identifying with the racial majority there, but only until she was identified as an American when she spoke. In England, students were appalled to find the English people so openly expressing racism. They encountered people who were considered liberal by American standards and found they were identified in England as conservatives by English standards; a shock of sorts. The phenomenon encompassing all these experiences was of the students discovering they were part of a particular culture and starting to understand why they had certain values and attitudes. Findings of this research merely scratch the surface of the issue at hand and other researchers are encouraged to replicate the study with a larger number of participants, using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, and making sure that the shortcomings of this study in regards to validity are avoided.

Violence in all forms poses a concern because of associations with multiple adverse effects including injuries and mental health problems. There is however limited data on violence in general and youth violence in particular in Ghana. To explore the nature and scope of youth violence in Ghana, we used the nationwide Global School-based Health Survey, conducted among senior high school students in Ghana, to explore risk and protective factors at the individual, family, and environmental levels associated with sexual and physical violence victimization. A fifth of these students reported being forced to have sex in their lifetime while two out of five had been a victim of a physical attack in the year preceding the survey. In final multivariate analysis, for sexual violence victimization, history of sexual activity with or without condom use at last sex, feeling sad or hopeless, and being a victim of bullying and electronic bullying were identified as risk factors, while having friends who were not sexually active was protective. Independent risk factors for physical violence victimization were attempting suicide in the last year, alcohol use in the past month, and bullying other students in the past month. Parent respect for privacy just reached significance as a protective factor for physical violence victimization in the final model. Recognition of the magnitude of violence victimization among Ghanaian students and associated factors must be used to guide development and implementation of appropriate concrete measures to prevent and address the problem. .