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Explains the rating system for US municipal bonds and its effect on borrowing costs, reviews relevant research and provides a study of the factors affecting grading by rating agencies in Virginia using 1995 data. Explains the methodology and presents the results, which identify five significant determinants of favourable ratings. Shows that net interest costs are lower when other rates of interest are low, real estate taxes are high (though not excessive), total municipal debt levels are low and credit risks are low. Confirms that bond ratings capture additional information and that a drop in ratings will raise net interest costs substantially. Considers consistency with other research and the implications of the findings for participants in the municipal bond market.

The paper investigates the determinants of municipal bond ratings in Virginia using an ordered‐probit analysis. We find that economic factors are the key determinants of municipal bond ratings in the State. Our ordered‐probit model correctly predicts approximately 70% of the actual sample which is not subject to sample selection bias.

Feedback is crucial in a learning process, particularly in an online interaction where both learners and instructors are distantly located. Thus, this paper aims to investigate the association between feedback strategies, embedded course syllabus and learning improvement in the Sakai Learning Management System.

This paper uses a survey design to collect cross-sectional data from adult distance learning students. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and a standard multiple regression model in Stata.

The results show that feedback strategies (timing, mode, quality and quantity) and embedded course syllabus have a significant relationship with learning improvement. However, the feedback strategy – target – is not significantly related to learning improvement though it is the highest feedback strategy.

This paper has contributed to the extant literature by providing empirical evidence to support the constructivism theory of learning from a distance learning perspective in a developing country. The study has shown that if the feedback strategies are well managed and applied, they would make a considerable impact on distance education students' academic pursuits. Hence, the paper provides a pedagogical foundation for short and long-term distance learning policy.

This study examined the effect of COVID-19 on the acquisition of employable skills among national service personnel in Ghana.

The study adopted the cross-sectional descriptive survey design from the positivist paradigm to collect data from a sample of 2,263 out of a population of 77,962 trainees (national service personnel) posted to the public (85.1%) and the private (14.9%) sectors for the 2019/2020 service year. Sampling techniques were simple random, stratify and snowball sampling techniques and Google form softcopy questionnaire was used for data collection.

The study found that COVID-19 had made workplaces and work schedules very risky for trainees' acquiring employable skills in Ghana because their employers/trainers' were unable to provide adequate PPEs for trainees. Preventive measures such as mandatory leaves, reduced workload/working hours and shift system had reduced the duration for acquiring employable skills which could affect employability and aggravate graduate unemployment in Ghana. The sustainability and quality of job opportunities presented by COVID-19 to graduate trainees-farming; trading and online teaching could also not be guaranteed.

It was recommended that employers/trainers should provide adequate PPEs, introduce teleworking with the necessary tools and training for their trainees. Educational institutions should provide work-based learning methods in their curricula to enhance employable skills for national service graduates. Government's support for trainees venturing into self-employed job opportunities presented by the COVID-19 was also recommended

It was recommended that employers/trainers should provide adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), introduce teleworking with the necessary tools and training for their trainees. Government's support for trainees venturing into self-employed job opportunities presented by the COVID-19 was also recommended.

This paper has not been published anywhere.

One of the means to enhance the employability skills of tertiary graduates transiting into the job market has been the compulsory national service instituted by the Government of Ghana. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to examine the contribution of the mandatory national service to enhance the employability of tertiary graduates in Ghana.

The study used the longitudinal descriptive survey design to sample 375 national service personnel (2018 and 2019 batches) of 13,874 service personnel posted to the Central Region of Ghana, and 31 employers.

The study found human relation, communication and experience to enter the job market were perceived higher by tertiary graduates in Ghana. It was also found that the preferred employers amongst tertiary graduates were the government, multinational companies and public schools. Skills mismatch between the acquired skills of tertiary graduates and the skills required by employers was also found. Responsible factor identified was the posting of personnel for national service without considering their academic background and future job aspirations. Tertiary graduates transiting into the job market after the national service preferred to be employed by the government because of the lack of entrepreneurial skills.

Therefore, it was recommended that the national service secretariat post national service personnel to organisations that reflect personnel's career aspiration.

This is original research carried out by the researchers and was not sponsored by any organisation/institution.

Roasted coffee provides a complex blend of different flavours which produce a range of sensory qualities. With the development of protocols for the production of fresh juices, jams and marmalades from cocoa and cashew pulp juices at Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana, this paper aims to study the effects of roasted coffee powder on fermented cocoa and cashew juices to diversify the uses of these two juices.

Cocoa and cashew juices were fermented with the incorporation of 2% roasted coffee powder using Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast starter. The fermenting juices were monitored by measuring pH, temperature, specific gravity and titratable acidity. At the end of the fermentation, the juices were poured into clean, sterilized containers to mature. They were then analysed for their physicochemical, microbiological and sensory qualities. These were repeated with cocoa and cashew juices without coffee powder to determine the effects of the roasted coffee on the fermented juices.

The addition of roasted coffee powder to cocoa and cashew juices did not have any significant effect on the fermentation performance of the juices. Three out of the four juices took a total of 13 days to complete fermentation with an average final specific gravity of 0.99. The quality of the fermented juices was not compromised by microbial activities. However, the addition of roasted coffee powder reduced the alcohol content of fermented cocoa juice from 9.0 to 5.0% and that of cashew from 11.0% to 7.5%. Sensory analysis using untrained panellists, who were ordinary consumers, showed significant differences among the four fermented juices in terms of appearance, taste and aroma. Their mean scores for coffee aroma ranged from 0.3 to 2.0 with coffee incorporated fermented juices having higher rankings.

These findings have shown the possibility of processing cocoa and cashew juices, which under normal circumstances would have been discarded along their value chains, into coffee-flavoured wines. They are also important to cocoa, cashew and coffee farmers, processors, as well as wine enthusiasts.

The construction industry’s contribution to environmental deterioration is widely established in the literature, implying that addressing this issue will require a coordinated effort from all stakeholders. According to literature, stakeholder involvement without stakeholder management (SKM) is not enough, in ensuring efficient construction waste management (CWM). This study investigates the impact of SKM on efficient CWM by aggregating all relevant SKM variables and measuring their degree of influence on efficient CWM.

This study used a four-stage research approach that included a literature review, a pilot study, a questionnaire survey and statistical analysis. After a thorough examination of the literature, nine essential SKM factors were identified and tested by a questionnaire survey following a pilot study. A total of 310 questionnaires were filled out and returned for analysis (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis).

The study established that SKM is a unidimensional construct since all the variables extracted unto one underlying component with total variance explained (TVE), accounting for 58.938% of the total Variance in the measure of SKM in efficient CWM. Additionally, the reliability and validity test results satisfied the recommended thresholds, thus justifying the factorability of the construct. Furthermore, the hypothesis test revealed that SKM has a statistically significant impact on efficient CWM, implying that increasing SKM will have a beneficial impact on efficient CWM.

The study is limited to material waste management in the construction industry and the outcome was determined solely by a field survey in Ghana. Extending the study to other jurisdictions would have improved its findings and made them easier to generalise.

The study’s findings are helpful for practitioners and researchers, especially regarding the influence of the eight SKM variables on efficient CWM.

The study’s findings will reduce pollution, thus enhancing public health and encouraging social inclusion through the creation of jobs in the waste management chain.

The uniqueness of this study is anchored on the fact that no CWM study has considered all the eight SKM variables measured in this study at the same time. Also, this study has contributed to the literature by establishing the determinants of SKM in efficient CWM in Ghana.

To be able to achieve the uptake and usage of green buildings requires various actors within the construction value chain to be engaged. Despite its global uptake, green building construction is still at its nascent stage in Ghana. Most studies in sub-Saharan Africa point to the lack of knowledge as one of the mitigating factors against its development. However, there is a dearth of studies assessing the level of knowledge of stakeholders. The terms “knowledge” and “awareness” of green building construction are often used interchangeably in the Ghanaian Construction Industry (GCI). This study seeks to unearth the level of knowledge of stakeholders on green building construction through a comparative analysis of construction professionals and demand-side operators.

A structured questionnaire was issued to professionals in the various recognised bodies in the construction industry and public and private institutions in Ghana. Frequency, Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, median statistics and Mann–Whitney U-Test were used to rank and analyse the level of knowledge of stakeholders.

Construction professionals were more aware of green building construction than the demand-side operators. It was further identified that only a few of these stakeholders had hands-on experience as the majority of them have gained their awareness through research studies. Based on the findings of the study, it was revealed that the concept of green building construction is more abstract to stakeholders than practical despite their positive attitude towards its adoption.

Contextually, the study has aided in showing the level of knowledge of stakeholders on green building construction. The findings of the study aside from it aiding policymakers have also helped in identifying the perceptions and attitudes of stakeholders, their strengths and weakness in green building construction. It is recommended that due to the differences in socio-political structures and construction methods, a clear definition of green building based on the availability of resources in the GCI will encourage its adoption.

The study used two stakeholder groupings in the GCI as the unit of analysis. This enabled insightful discoveries into the knowledge-attitude gap of Ghanaian stakeholders that are driving the adoption of green building.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of income inequality among fisher households in the four segments of the Volta Basin in Ghana and the determinants of small-scale fisher household welfare.

The paper investigates income inequality and the determinants of household consumption expenditure of fishers in the Volta Basin of Ghana using the Lorenz curve, Gini coefficient decomposition and the multiple linear regression technique.

The findings confirm the empirical evidence that households in the general downstream communities and their compatriots in the upstream communities were statistically different in terms of household characteristics and physical and social capital. Income inequality was highest among households in upstream communities but least amongst downstream communities. Livelihoods of the fishery households largely and strictly favored male households. Also, educational status was associated with higher levels of income which enormously help reduce food insecurity.

The reliance on dummy variables might lead to omissions of revealed understated differences between households.

The study recommends that effort should be made to help increase fish production in the upstream communities. Furthermore, alternative sources of income should be introduced to households in the upstream so they do not become more disadvantaged by the construction of the dam.

The uniqueness of the paper is that it tries to estimate the impact of the construction of the dam on the Volta Basin by taking into consideration the effect of the construction of the dam on the upstream and downstream separately.