This week, academics, practitioners and policymakers gathered for the 6th International Conference on Business Management & Entrepreneurial Development (ICBMED) 2021.
This marks the 6th Edition of the annual international conference organised by the University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA) on the theme “Managing Businesses in Times of Crises: Implications of COVID-19 for Businesses.”
The event which commenced on 15th and ended on 16th April 2021 had Professor Philip E. Bondzi-Simpson, the Rector of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) as Keynote Speaker and Mrs Abena Osei-Poku, the Managing Director of Absa Bank Ghana as Guest Speaker.
Out of over 70 different research articles presented at the conference, researchers at Dataking Research Lab, a research leg of Dataking Consulting presented three articles.
CAATT findings
The first study titled, “Information Technology Adoption within Internal Auditing in Ghana: Empirical Analysis” investigates the determinants of adoption of Computer-Assisted Audit Tools and Techniques (CAATTs) among internal audit units in Ghana.
The findings indicate that albeit CAATT adoption within internal audit units is fairly high, the actual usage in the areas of risk assessment, fraud detection, substantive testing and analytical procedures are still low.
Using the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework results show that CAATT behavioural intention is driven by factors such as technological readiness, organisational readiness and environmental readiness but not personal innovativeness. Also, CAATT behavioural intention influences CAATT adoption among the internal audit units.
This study was presented by Mr Benjamin Awuah, and the other co-authors are Dr Joseph Mensah Onumah and Mr King Carl Tornam Duho.
Intellectual Capital findings
Furthermore, the second study titled, “Intellectual Capital and Performance among Listed Non-Financial Firms in West Africa” examine the impact of intellectual capital on the performance of listed non-financial firms in West Africa.
The findings show that out of three capital indicators; human capital, structural capital and capital employed efficiency, only structural capital efficiency is a major driver of profitability. Intellectual capital has an inverted U-shaped nexus with performance. This differs from the findings in the financial sector which emphasize human capital.
In the non-financial sector, structural capital like production infrastructure, production processes, formulae, databases and designs play a significant role in driving performance. The study adds to various voices calling for the inclusion of intellectual capital valuation and metrics in all corporate analysis.
This study was presented by Mr Philip Elikplim Agomor, and the other co-authors are Mr King Carl Tornam Duho and Dr Joseph Mensah Onumah.
Vertical Accountability findings
The third study titled, “Drivers, Limitations, and Benefits of Effective Vertical Accountability among Ministries of State in an Emerging Economy” explores the drivers, limitations, and benefits of the vertical accountability from the perspectives of key stakeholders.
The study found that accountability is top-down among Ministries of State in Ghana. Some key factors driving effective vertical accountability are right to information, financial disclosure of income, assets and interest, merit-based recruitment, proper record-based management, performance-based evaluation, training and development as well as ensuring ethics in public service leadership.
On the other hand, corrupt practices such as nepotism, patronage, clientelism and conflict of interest, inadequate resource availability, absence of political commitment and participation, and weak compliance and accountability mechanisms are inhibiting factors for effective vertical accountability.
The study recommends that the government should implement the Right to Information Bill to strengthen the effective vertical accountability model in public service. This study was presented by Mr Joseph Ofori Acheampong, and the other co-authors are Professor Justice Nyigmah Bawole, Professor Albert Ahenkan and Mr King Carl Tornam Duho.
Dataking Consulting is a research, advisory, and management consultancy business registered in Ghana. The business provides transdisciplinary consultancy works covering accounting, finance, economics, and public policy, with a special interest in emerging issues. Dataking Research Lab has four units with thematic areas on technology, environmental intelligence, economic analysis, and accountability.
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