yes / Literature on truck pushers stereotype these boys as social misfits, criminals and nuisance to society; often regarded as creating streetism. Much consideration has not been given to their contribution to the economy as well as what motivates these boys to go into truck pushing. This chapter outlines research with 30 (20 current and 10 former) truck pushers, 5 customers who patronised the services of the truck pushers were interviewed for their views on the services of the truck pushers. Finally, 5 kayayei (female head porters) at the market were interviewed to find out if the presence of kayayei in the market has affected the business of the truck pushers. The study found that the services provided by truck pushers especially to petty traders and other shoppers were indispensable because they provide cheap, readily available and customised service. Due to poor urban planning and deplorable road networks in Ghana, many areas are not accessible by motorised transport, hand pushed trucks have become the most useful and efficient means of transporting goods from the markets to bus terminals and on some occasions to customers’ homes and shops. The chapter argues that non-motorised transport to the informal sector cannot be overemphasised; therefore truck pushers should be seen as bridging a gap in urban transportation, instead of the social misfit label attached to them.

In Ghana, the transition from school to the labour market has been extremely difficult for graduates, especially in securing jobs. It is estimated that the tertiary institutions in Ghana produce an annual graduate turnout of 300,000 students. This thesis seeks to understand the extent to which social capital and networks act as a resource-opportunity structure in obtaining or depriving employment opportunities. The research findings were obtained by the application of qualitative methods. This study argues that graduate unemployment in Ghana is not as a result of lack of employability skills and incompetence of the graduates, but rather the issue of limited employment opportunities and favouritism, often called ‘whom you know’ in the labour market. Informal job search methods reflect jobseekers’ activation and use of social networks or ties, such as acquaintances, friends, relatives, neighbours, colleagues, and peers. Particularly, an individual’s family and friends (strong ties) are not only important sources of job information but also means of securing jobs. Attitudinal and behavioural traits and the kind of interactions between graduates and their contacts enabled the author to group social networks into three categories: formal social networks (employee referral), informal social networks (family and friends) and linking referrals (third-party or intermediary). The key to understanding why both employers and jobseekers are resorting to informal networks is due to the limited job opportunities in the labour market. The pervasiveness of informal channels means that without having a relative or a friend to connect you to a vacancy, securing a job would be difficult. This means that intrinsic and extrinsic factors underpinning the graduates’ aspirations are being shaped by social support and barriers in the labour market. The seemly widespread and ‘general acceptance’ of informal channels in the labour market has led to favouritism and discrimination. Specifically, it has led to the constant redirecting of jobs toward a certain class of people; institutional closure for some people; occupational segregation and immobility leading to limit status attainment; deliberate favouring of one’s family members and friends (nepotism and cronyism). In addition, informal channels have opened the floodgate for referee opportunism, agents and agent scammers to flourish in the job market.

The choice of a suitable site for any aquaculture practice is a critical decision to make since it has a large impact on the economic profitability of the venture, considering the fact that location defines the amount of capital needed, production costs, yield and access to market. The limited public and private sector support for small-scale aquaculture can be optimized if farms are zoned into areas with relatively similar performance and needs. Considering the high rate at which aquaculture is increasing globally and its consequent impact on the environment, it is projected that improvements will be made in the practices employed in aquaculture. As these improvements are made, there is the need for the review of the location of aquaculture infrastructure and services in order to increase the productivity of the sector. Also, aquaculture statistics such as location of farms and production estimates are fundamental to policy making and development planning at both national and global levels. Aquaculture statistics are however chronically scanty or unreliable in developing countries such as Ghana. Thus, the goal of this study was to show the relative suitability of areas in Ghana for aquaculture and identify the key variables to be considered in the development (including improvement of existing farms) of the aquaculture sector of the country. I used satellite imagery and GIS data in combination with field observations and questionnaires, to develop a map of the feasibility of pond aquaculture in Ghana and provide a reliable estimate of the number of ponds, their areas, productivity and aggregate production in the country. The main factors that have influenced the current distribution of pond aquaculture in Ghana are population density (indicating the availability of markets, input and labor) and proximity to stream and road networks. My results show a gross underestimation of the number of fish ponds in the country and smaller sizes of ponds than existing records suggest. The average water depth of ponds in Ghana is only half of the recommended depth which explained over 80% of the variation in productivity among farms. I estimated the contribution of ponds to domestic fish production to be two to three times what has been previously reported, but still well below the potential. The results of this study will be vital to current national and international efforts to improve aquaculture enterprises in Ghana. / Master of Science

<p dir="ltr">In this project, I explore the ways through which legislators can influence national elections in a two-party dominant political system. I find that because of the peculiar roles legislators play in new democracies, they are easily endeared to voters and their popularity can sometimes transfer to their co-partisan presidential candidates. </p>

Yes / Despite the growing research on the influence of entrepreneurs’ improvisational behavior on organizational outcomes, there is limited understanding of the specific firm-level and institutional conditions under which entrepreneurs’ improvisational behavior can effectively drive the success of new ventures. This paper contributes to filling this gap by investigating the moderating effects of financial resource capability and institutional support on the relationship between entrepreneurs’ improvisational behavior and new venture performance. The study’s theoretical model is validated by employing confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical regression on primary data obtained from 395 new ventures in Ghana. The results reveal a significant positive moderating effect of financial resource capability on the relationship between entrepreneurs’ improvisational and new venture performance. In addition, the findings show that the effectiveness of improvisation behavior in driving a firm’s success depends on the level of institutional support. Overall, the findings provide a more nuanced explanation of the link between entrepreneurs’ improvisational and firm performance. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Yes / Extant research has established that environmental sustainability orientation (ESO) has a positive influence on performance outcomes. Nevertheless, several contingencies tend to affect the strength of this relationship. In this study, we draw on natural resource-based theory to introduce competitive strategies as moderators in the ESO-performance nexus. Using time-lagged data obtained from 269 firms in Ghana, this study finds that firms pursuing the differentiation strategy can positively boost performance outcomes with ESO than without differentiation strategy. We also find that firms can use the low-cost or the integrated strategy to get higher impact on performance with ESO respectively. Based on the results, firms in Ghana do not need differentiation strategy in order to boost the effect of ESO on financial performance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Yes / Despite the growing research evidence on the effect of environmental sustainability orientation (ESO) on firm outcomes, contingent factors that may influence the strength of this relationship have received little scholarly attention. In this study, we use insights from the literature on ESO and family business to introduce family status and firm age as moderators in the ESO-performance linkage. Using time-lagged data from 253 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana, we found the impact of ESO on firm performance is amplified for nonfamily firms but not significant for family firms. Our evidence suggests it is stronger among older firms than younger ones. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Yes / In this paper, we examine how and when chief executive offers’ (CEOs’) reputation enhances environmental innovation by considering quality management as a mediating mechanism of this relationship. In addition, we introduce stakeholder pressures (primary and secondary stakeholder pressures) as important contingencies of the relationship between CEOs’ reputation and quality management. Moreover, we test the moderating role of resource commitment on the quality management-environmental innovation relationship. We test our research model using data from a manufacturing industry sample of 217 firms from Ghana. We find that quality management mediates the relationship between reputation and environmental innovation. Moreover, the relationship between CEOs’ reputation and quality management is amplified when levels of both primary and secondary stakeholder pressures are greater. Finally, our findings show that the effect of quality management on environmental innovation is enhanced when resource commitment is greater. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Yes / This paper draws on resource dependency theory to examine the impact of interfirm collaboration on CSR expenditure. In addition, we examine entrepreneurial orientation (EO) as a moderator of the relationship between interfirm collaboration and CSR expenditure. We test our research model using survey data from 230 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana. Results from our empirical analyses reveal that interfirm collaboration positively impacts CSR expenditure and this relationship is strengthened when entrepreneurial orientation is greater in turbulent environments. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. / University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Yes / While previous research has emphasized the role of stakeholder pressures, firm‐specific factors, as well as CEO characteristics as important drivers of corporate social responsibility (CSR) implementation, our understanding of how political connections impact small and medium‐sized enterprises' (SMEs') CSR implementation expenditure is quite limited. In this study, we contribute to filling this gap by investigating the effects of political connections and CSR expenditure and explain the conditions that impact this relationship. Using data from 473 SMEs in Ghana, we find that political connections negatively influence CSR implementation expenditure. However, the negative effect is weakened when a firms' reputation and competitive CSR implementation pressures are high. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. / University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam