This paper studied determinants of non-performing loans in Ghana, using historical time series annual data covering the period of 1998-2013. Using Seemingly Unrelated Regression model and Principal Component Analysis, the study found money supply, financial development and macroeconomics variables to be significant determinants of non-performing loans, except real income. The study recommends policies targeted at influencing non-performing loans. Contribution/ Originality:This study is one of very few studies which have investigated the determinants of non-performing loans in Ghana using Seemingly Unrelated Regression model and Principal Component Analysis. INTRODUCTIONThe banking sector plays an important role in the development of an economy. The stability of the sector is therefore very vital since it determines the step for development of an economy. Basically, extension of credit facilities is one of the major activities of all banking institutions. This is usually confirmed by the greater proportion of loans representation in the overall operating assets of banking institutions. An efficient financial intermediation requires a stable banking system to channel surplus funds into savings for investments to promote rapid economic growth. High and rising levels of non-performing loans (NPL's) in many countries continue to a large extent exert strong pressure on bank's balance sheet with possible adverse effect on bank's lending operations.According to Nkusu (2011) a non-performing loan is any loan in which interest and principal payments are more than 90 days overdue; or more than 90 days' worth of interest has been re-financed. The sustainability of banks is largely threatens by loan default. These bad loans become cost to banks in terms of their implications on the quality of their assets portfolio and profitability. This is in line with the banking regulation which requires the banks to make provisions for non-performing loans and charge for bad loans that reduce their income as well as the loan portfolio. According to World Bank Group (2014) non-performing loans as proportion of total loans is 24.6 %

Purpose: The study examined the role of after-sales services on customer satisfaction using CFAO Motors as a case study. Methodology: A mixed approach was used in the data collection through questionnaire administration and interviews. The analysis made used of Kano's Model and Kendall's Coefficient of Concordance. Results: The result indicated that maintenance (M) = 43 and inspection (O) = 41 were the highest scores of the major categories under customer requirement on "must-be" requirement and "one-dimensional" requirement respectively. The customers ranked solving problems through maintenance, accuracy of documentation and competency of service technicians as the top three priorities of their assessment on after-sales services. The service technicians revealed that competition coupled with insufficient hands on the job as a major challenge to after-sales services while the Workshop Manager indicated that customers were reminded of their next servicing schedule through sticker which was placed in the car to show scheduled service time. Conclusion: The study concludes that CFAO Motor must be customer-centric organization through deployment of effective marketing strategies to build long term relationships with stakeholders to better its performance. Originality: This is the first time in the Ghanaian context where a mixed method and the application of the Kano Model have been used on automaker dealer after-sales services.

The aim of this study is to investigate the implementation challenges of the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) by Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The key issues examined in the study are the level of knowledge, the procedure and modalities of compliance with the Act and the challenges of implementing the Procurement Act by the procurement committee members. Purposive sampling was adopted in selecting fourteen MMDAs while simple random procedure was used to sample members of the procurement committee at the selected MMDAs for the study. Questionnaires and focus group discussion were used to collect data and information from the respondents. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. The study revealed that a large proportion of the procurement committee members could not explain key sections of the Act. In all the sampled MMDAs respondents claimed to follow procedure required by the Act. However, they enumerated the following as the key challenges with regards to the compliance of the Act: political interference, unqualified staff, and lack of monitoring as well as inadequate motivation for the committee members. There is a need for the MMDAs to take steps to address these challenges.

A review of entrepreneurship literature suggests that entrepreneurial activities are the most important drivers for economic growth. The study sought to determine the predictors that bring about entrepreneurship for artisans and craftsmen in Kumasi Metropolis. Primary data were gathered from artisans and craftsmen in the market and firms through questionnaires in a criteria-based random survey. The findings of the study revealed the determinant factors of individual, firm and the environmental issues as predictors for the sampled respondents. The determinants were also ranked in relative importance and highlighted the challenges faced by the artisans and craftsmen in Kumasi Metropolis. The study recommends that necessary attention should be given to high ranked determinants so as to increase entrepreneurial processes and activities to alleviate poverty from Kumasi Metropolis through stimulation of economic growth, employment generation, and organizations empowerment.

This paper provides analysis of the trends in dividend policy and differentials in firm and country specific factors for payers and non-payers of dividends and examines the predictions concerning the amount of dividends paid by listed non-financial firms in African countries. Using a panel dataset over the period 1994-2011 from 13 African countries, the study found that dividend payers are more profitable, have larger firm size, greater investment, higher retention of earnings and less financial leverage than non-paying firms. The results show that in countries where the GDP per capita is low, firms are more likely to pay dividends. The level of corruption is high for non-payers of dividends. The study also found a positive significant relationship between dividend payout, profitability, investment opportunities and firm size. However, a significant negative relationship was reported between dividend payout, financial leverage, corruption and gross domestic product per capita. The study further found that the dividend trends were very low and stable. The conclusion, therefore, indicates that although firm specific factors are important in Africa in determining dividend policy regarding payout, country specific factors play very significant roles in determining the dividend payout of African firms.