This paper examines the impact of the implementation of competitive strategy on organizational performance in response to economic liberalization policies using survey data from organizations in Ghana. We also examine how the perceived intensity of industry competition and industry sector moderate the relationship between competitive strategy and organizational performance. The results show that the implementation of the competitive strategies of low-cost, differentiation, and integrated low-cost and differentiation were all positively related to performance (return on assets and return on sales). We also find that both industry competition and industry sector moderate the relationship between differentiation strategy and return on assets. Moreover, industry competition moderates the relationships between both low-cost and differentiation strategies and return on sales. The results indicate that implementing a clearly defined competitive strategy is beneficial to organizations experiencing significant changes in the environment due to economic liberalization. The findings also suggest that while low-cost strategy is more beneficial to organizations in a highly competitive industry, differentiation strategy is more beneficial to firms in lowly competitive industry. At the same time, organizations in the manufacturing sector benefit more than those in the service sector when they implement the differentiation strategy. Managerial implications are presented.

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Joint evaluation of development cooperation is becoming more imperative within the framework of the Paris Declaration. It has, however, been noted that the documentation of practical experience with evaluations conducted in a joint fashion is missing. This article seeks to contribute to the debate on the practical implications of conducting joint evaluations. The model adopted involves one donor (Denmark) and one recipient country (Ghana) working as equal partners in drafting the terms of reference (ToR) for the evaluation, procuring consultants, managing the entire process and reviewing the draft reports prepared by the consultants. Principal lessons include: (a) early involvement of the recipient country in the joint evaluation is essential, (b) joint development of the ToR ensures mutual benefits, (c) a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) strengthens the collaboration, (d) the use of reference groups ensures that the evaluation results are relevant and (e) the use of new communication technologies can help facilitate joint evaluation management. The article concludes that engagement in a joint evaluation is time-and resource-demanding and requires a strong commitment from both sides.

In this study the objectives are to define appropriate measures of efficiency and equity in the context of rural road investment and to embrace the efficiency-equity trade-off in mathematical programming model for allocating financial resources for rual road investment at the sub-regional level. In order to solve the problem, it was formulated as selecting some rural roads for investment that lead to the maximum increase in rural accessibility for the greatest number of people, and at the same time minimize the inequity in accessibility distribution within budget constraint, The non-inferior solutions were generated by E-constraint approach. The preferred solution was obtained by using the importance of link to each agency. This method was applied in the Offinso district, the Ashanti Region of Ghana. As a result we proved that this method was effective to determine the allocation of the road investment in the developing country.