This study sought to examine the effect of contract employment on the behaviour of employees at the Ghana Shippers Authority, in term of their commitment, work initiative and job satisfaction. The study was cross-sectional in nature, utilizing the quantitative approach. The study adopted the descriptive design. Using a simple random sampling technique, this research sampled 142 employees to participate in the research. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents, which was analysed with the use of Pearson Product Moment Correlation, a Simple Linear Regression and an Independent T-Test. The reliability of the instrument was tested with the use of Cronbach's Alpha reliability co-efficient. The study found that contract employment had a moderate relationship with all the variables under study and a weak effect on the variables. Again, the study did not find any significant differences between the behaviour of contract employees and permanent employees. This findings call for further studies to identify the reasons for differing findings in empirical literature, with regards to this subject.

Distance education has been justified by many researchers to augment the development of human resources. This paper aimed to find out the extent to which distance education contributes to human resource development around the globe. The uniqueness of this study stem from its focus on bringing together on one platform differing empirical findings on distance education and human resource development. The study sought to synthesize the various studies focusing on the degree to which distance education influence human resource development. The rationale for this approach was to make it easier for decision makers and practitioners interested in such information to have unfettered access to varieties of opinion to inform strategic decision making. The paper explored empirical studies that have examined the relationship between distance education and human resource development. In all, 94 articles were consulted, however, 63 were analyzed qualitatively, using thematic analysis. These 63 articles were considered eligible based on their relevance to the study and for the fact that they were written in English Language. The review found the contribution of distance education to human resource development in areas of improved educational and professional capabilities of individuals, increased employability, income, standards of living and reduced marginalization. The review however, did not find any national policy framework geared towards the funding of distance education. The implication is that government and nations which have established distance education as an alternative mode of providing higher education should as a matter of importance focus on the establishment and implementation of national policies addressing issues of funding, technological innovation and the efficient running of distance education.

In recent times, public sectors in many countries are undergoing profound restructuring and reforms in order to improve performance and thus providing quality services. This process of reforming public administration is seen as necessary to meet the dual challenges of improved services with fewer resources. One of the most popular tools used for reform activities at present is Performance Appraisal Systems. The efforts of employees can determine the success and survival of an organization (Armstrong, 2010), and appraisal is potentially one way in which those efforts can be aligned with the aims of an organization. Performance appraisal is one of the basic Human Resource Management Practices and one of the most researched topics in work psychology over the last seven decades. The major reason for ensuring performance management processes are working properly is to strengthen the link between strategic business objective and routine activities of organizations. Managing performance is an integral part of the public service delivery mechanism (Bianchi, 2010). It is a process by which an organization can assess whether it is delivering the right services according to its mission and objectives in the right amount, at the right cost, at the right time, and to the right people. Tracking of employee progress at regular interval against performance goals and objectives provides the opportunity to recognize and reward employees for outstanding performance which ultimately increase job satisfaction and productivity. The core assumption in performance management is that managers and policy-makers learn from performance information and make better decisions in the future based on empirical evidence. Hugh and Hill (2009) suggest that many organizations express dissatisfaction with their appraisal schemes. The scholars posit that the dissatisfaction with appraisal systems may indicate a lack of success of performance appraisal as a mechanism for developing and motivating people. There is a general consensus among performance appraisal researchers and practitioners that assessment of appraisal reactions is important (Armstrong, 2010). For instance, it is frequently argued that in order for performance appraisal to positively influence employee behaviour and future development, employees must experience positive appraisal reactions. The Public Service including the Civil Service of Ghana under the auspices of the Public Services Commission (PSC) in the last two decades has undergone several reforms, designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its service delivery. One of its initiatives has been the desire to establish a workable performance management system. The purpose is to ensure an effective performance culture that sets objectives, targets and aligns staff performance to organizational

This study examines the employability of Ghanaian graduates who have completed education and business degree programmes through distance education in a public university. A descriptive research design is used, and the study is cross-sectional in nature. The sample of 643 was drawn from 19,832 graduates who had completed business and education programmes between 2014 and 2018, using the simple random sampling technique. Data were collected through a telephone-administered survey with a structured questionnaire. Data were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics and are presented in tables and figures. The findings indicate that these distance education graduates are employable and possess many employability attributes. The results further show that there are differences in employability attributes among those graduates who studied business and those who studied education, with the business graduates having a higher mean score. The study highlights the factors that the graduates believed would have enhanced their employability. The author concludes that the university management needs to strengthen its collaboration with industrial stakeholders in the design and implementation of curricula.