Investigating the Compressive Strength Properties of Concrete Using Some Common Ghanaian Ordinary Portland Cements

In a general sense, concrete is made of cementitious material, aggregates and water but the mix productivity is one issues that affect the amount of strength concrete developed. The concrete mix productivity is a direct function of the amount and quality of the cementitious material. The commonest cementitious material used for concrete in Ghana like other countries in the world is the Ordinary Portland Cement. The research sort to investigate the compressive strength properties of concrete made from some common Ghanaian Ordinary Portland Cement brands mostly used in the countries construction industries. The research strategy adopted was experimental. The research was a cross –sectional studies and used laboratory tests to get information on all cements. Cement grade 42.5N, 42.5R and 32.5R were used. A total of one – hundred and eight (108) concrete cubes were made from nine different brands of Ordinary Portland Cement with a mix design of 1:2:4. No admixtures were used in the mix. It was established that, Ordinary Portland Cement Brand E of grade 42.5R has the highest compressive strength after 28 days. Some of the cement brand with grade 32.5R developed better strength than that of grade 42.5R. Based on the experiment conducted, it can be concluded that for the C15 (1:2:4) and C20 compressive strength as per IS 456:2000, Ordinary Portland Cement Brand E and G of grade 42.5R and Ordinary Portland Cement Brand H and J of grade of 32.5R satisfactory meets the requirement. It implies that some of the Ghanaians Portland Cement developed a satisfactory compressive strength and meets the minimum strength attainment after 28 days’ which is 15 N/mm2. Based on the result, it is recommended that Ordinary Portland Cement Brand E of grade 42.5R should be used for most concrete production and Ordinary Portland Cement Brand J of grade 32.5R can also be used for concrete work in the absence of E 42.5R. Citation: Akorli, K. S., Danso, K., Ayarkwa, J. and Acheampong, A. (2021). Investigating the Compressive Strength Properties of Concrete Using Some Common Ghanaian Ordinary Portland Cements. International Journal of Technology and Management Research (IJTMR), Vol. 6 (1): Pp.154-166.[Received: March 13, 2021Accepted: September 1, 2021

How does Victim Precipitation Theory explain Deviant Behaviours of Internet Romance Offenders? Gamer’s Perspective of Victim Precipitation

Internet romance fraud is a global canker with severe consequences to the victims ranging from significant financial loss, emotional trauma, to loss of life and property. The paper examines how internet romance offenders rationalize their deviant criminal behaviours and how these criminals use victim precipitation to commit internet romance fraud. The three dimensions of victim precipitation theory in this study are victim facilitation, victim provocation and victim openness. The research explains how internet romance offenders rationalize and justify their deviant behaviour. The data from this research model elicited 320 individual responses from hotspots associated with internet fraud activities. The findings from this study highlight the conditions under which victim precipitation theory dimensions in the context of internet romance fraud occur. The findings shows that offenders of internet romance fraud rely heavily on victim precipitation to perpetuate their criminal activities: all the three dimensions studied are used by these criminals as justification techniques to increases offenders’ predisposition to commit internet romance fraud. All three victim precipittion techniues ae used; victim openness, victim facilitation and victim provocation, respectively. This expands the boundaries of victim precipitation theory. The study contributes to new dimensions of victim precipitation in online romance fraud. This study has theoretical and criminology implications; and it gives a new perspective of how victims should conduct themselves in internet romance fraud cases. It also enriches the debate of victim precipitation in criminology discipline. Citation:Offei, M. O. (2021). How does Victim Precipitation Theory explain Deviant Behaviours of Internet Romance Offenders? Gamer’s Perspective of Victim Precipitation. International Journal of Technology and Management Research (IJTMR), Vol. 6 (2): Pp.59-72 Received: March 3, 2021Accepted: September 1, 2021

More than one road goes to Rome: Understanding the complex behavioral solutions of mobile money clientele from the lens of fsQCA

The study was commissioned to investigate the complex behavioral dispositions of the mobile money service industry in Ghana, and its associated operational challenges. To achieve this, the views of 417, participants were sampled via a structured survey instrument. Tosmana and AMOS Graphics were used to analyze the sample data. The findings of the study demonstrate that the behavioral dispositions of mobile money clientele can be explained through twelve complex solutions. The six-factor model of the study constructs produced an overall solution coverage of 0.94, and an overall solution consistency of 0.80. Furthermore, the AVE and Cronbach’s alpha statistics of the study constructs were found to be above the recommended threshold of > 0.5 and ≥ 0.7, respectively. Moreover, cyber fraud, risky service landscape, poor network, insufficient electronic funds, unforgiven competition, and low financial literacy were identified as the main challenges bedeviling the mobile money industry. It is therefore, recommended that mobile money service providers as a matter of urgency must devise strategies to arrest these challenges in order to heighten service quality in the industry. Again, to ensure market leadership within the mobile money service industry, managers must develop varied product offerings to meet customers’ expectation in each stratum of the twelve complex solutions as enshrined in the findings of the study. Citation: Ampaw, M. E., Adu-Sackey, A., Baffoe, S., Frempong, J., Nbolen, M. N. A. and Azaare, J. (2021). More than one road goes to Rome: Understanding the complex behavioral solutions of mobile money clientele from the lens of fsQCA. International Journal of Technology and Management Research (IJTMR), Vol. 6 (2): Pp.1－20. Received: January 3, 2021Accepted: September 1, 2021

Relevance of Counselling Services among Graduate Students at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana

This is a study showcasing the utilization and knowledge of Counselling Services by Graduate Students at KNUST. The counselling Center of KNUST has been in existence over a decade and most of the clients that patronize its services are undergraduate students with few being Graduate Students. This paper was basically aimed at examining the level of awareness the KNUST Counselling Center, the services provided for members of the university community including graduate students and patronage of the services among Graduate students. There is minimal literature about studies done on Graduate students and counselling and there has not been such study to examine the impact of counselling among Graduate students in a university in Ghana. Therefore, it is hopedthat this study will lead to further studies among graduate students towards better ways of resolving their issues to improve their mental health. From the study, most Graduate students attest to the fact that Counselling is very important and some confirmed that they would recommend the KNUST-Counselling Center to other students. The services and benefits of the KNUST Counselling Center are described in this paper. Alternative ways for effective utilization of the services of the counselling center are explained to support graduate students to improve their mental heal while in school. Citation:De-Graft Adjei, V., Nuako, R. and Peasah, B. O. S. (2021). Relevance of Counselling Services among Graduate Students at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. International Journal of Technology and Management Research (IJTMR), Vol. 6 (2): Pp.81-86. Received: April 19, 2020Accepted: September 1, 2021

Impacts of social media Use on the Academic Performance of Students of Private Tertiary institutions in Ghana: The Valley View University Perspective

This paper examined the impacts of social media use on the academic performance of students of private tertiary institutions in Ghana using the Valley View University, Oyibi Campus, Accra, as a case study. A cross-sectional survey design method was adopted for the study. The population of the students was two thousand, one hundred and seventy – two (2,172). Instrument used for data collection was the questionnaire. A total of 388 copies of a questionnaire were administered to the students based on probability sampling technique, 362 copies of the questionnaire were filled correctly and thus, were used for the analysis. The quantitative data obtained from the questionnaire were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20). The findings revealed that entertainment and relaxation, posting pictures, and chatting with friends were students' motivators. It was found that the frequent use of social media had negatively affected the academic performance of some students. The study recommended to University management to motivate students to use the various social media platforms for academic activities rather than non-academic activities. The study also recommended that students should be advised to reduce the number of hours spent on the social media platforms. Citation: Ameyaw, S. (2021). Impacts of social media Use on the Academic Performance of Students of Private Tertiary institutions in Ghana: The Valley View University Perspective. International Journal of Technology and Management Research (IJTMR), Vol. 6 (2): Pp.106-115. Received: January 13, 2021Accepted: September 1, 2021

Perception of Turnitin: Checking Plagiarism among Staff at Koforidua Technical University (KTU), Ghana

The study explored perceptions on the usage of Turnitin Plagiarism checking software among the staff of Koforidua Technical University (KTU) in Ghana. The research sought to explore the associations between the independent variables (Attitude and Perception, Perceived Challenges and Readiness to Use) and the dependent variable (System Usage) of the Turnitin Software among the staff of KTU. The survey adopted the quantitative research approach. Google forms were used to design questionnaires and mailed to the participants. The response rate valid for analysis was 98.7%, against a sample size of 309 participants. SmartPLS3 software was used to explore the data extracted from google forms. The results of the convergent, discriminant validity calculation were all within the satisfactory threshold. Four hypothetical statements were tested, three of them showed significant association with the independent variables (Attitude and Perception, Perceived Challenges and Readiness to Use) and dependent variable (System Usage) except System Awareness which was not supported and rejected. The proposed model explained 66.7% invariance of the System Usage (Turnitin Software). The study recommends continuous dissemination of information about the availability of the Turnitin Software in the University. Citation: Asante, E., Baayel, P., Adjei, B., K.W., and Owusu-Acheaw, M. (2021). Perception of Turnitin: Checking Plagiarism among Staff at Koforidua Technical University (KTU), Ghana. International Journal of Technology and Management Research (IJTMR), Vol. 6 (1): Pp.116-128. Received: March 20, 2021Accepted: September 1, 202

Challenging and Changing Lives: The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Peer Counseling Program, a Model for Tertiary Institutions

This paper is about the KNUST Peer Counsellors Program (KPC); an initiative of the KNUST Counselling Center (KCC). Over the years, the number of Peer Counsellors has increased. Students at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have likewise increased. The aim of the paper was basically to examine the impact of the peer counselling experience on the students who volunteer to be trained and serve as Peer Counsellors. To the best of our knowledge, no study as yet has examined impact of peer counselling among university students in Ghana. Yet, we believe it is a program worth further exploration and development to equip the youth with altruistic values. Reports from the Peer Counsellors affirm the positive impact of the experience on their lives as young people. It projects a viable developmental pathway, career wise, for some of them aside the promotion of own and others wellbeing. Administrative and functional structure of the KPC is described in the paper and recommended as a program for other tertiary institutions to augment formation and education of students. Citation:Owusu-Ansah, F. E., Peasah, O. S. B., De-Graft Adjei, V., Jantuah, S. and Hackman, J. (2021). Challenging and Changing Lives: The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Peer Counseling Program, a Model for Tertiary Institutions. International Journal of Technology and Management Research (IJTMR), Vol. 6 (2): Pp.73-80. Received: January 3, 2021Accepted: September 1, 2021

Effect of Social Capital on SMEs Performance: Does Innovation Matter

The study investigated how social capital influences firms to generate higher performance through innovation among SMEs in Ghana. The study employed a quantitative approach. The study employed stratified sampling to sample 240 respondents from 240 SMEs in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Primary data was gathered using a questionnaire adapted from previously validated instruments. The data gathered was analyzed using Partial Least Square (PLS) of the Structural Equation Model (SEM). The findings proved internal and external factors of the SMEs were found to be strengthened through innovation initiatives of the SMEs. The social capital initiatives of the SMEs positively and significantly enhanced the innovation practices of the SMEs. The result showed internal and external social capital initiatives of the SMEs were positively and significantly associated with the innovation practices of the firms. It concludes that the effect of social capital among SMEs on firm performance is indirectly through their level of innovation practices. The results provide empirical support to the validation of existing theories that a company’s utilization of important values offer some level of competitive advantage for superior performance in an industry. We therefore recommended that Owners and Managers of SMEs take advantage of their internal social resources as well as building strategic external capital in the quest to remain competitive and enhance profitability. Citation:Tetteh, F. K., Mohammed, J. and Teye, E. (2021). Effect of Social Capital on SME: Does Innovation Matter? International Journal of Technology and Management Research (IJTMR), Vol. 6 (2): Pp.21 －37. Received: February 5, 2021 Accepted: September 1, 2021

Defect-Photonic Crystal Fiber structure of Zero Chromatic Dispersion and very low Confinement loss

Photonic crystal fibers are being designed with promising results owing to design flexibility and structure geometry. A four-ring structure with ring defects has been proposed. The results show that Photonic crystal fiber with the third ring removed has very low confinement loss of 1.17x10-4dB/km at 1.55µm, chromatic dispersion of - 69ps/km.nm at 0.75µm and zero chromatic dispersion at 0.86µm. The results also show that removing only the third ring reduces chromatic dispersion at shorter wavelengths than at longer wavelengths. Vectorial Finite element method is used for this work. The proposed fiber can be used for short and medium transmission applications. Citation: Agbemabiese, P. A., Agamah, J. D., Nartey, J. A. and Torkudzor, M. K. (2021). Defect-Photonic Crystal Fiber structure of Zero Chromatic Dispersion very low Confinement loss. International Journal of Technology and Management Research (IJTMR), Vol. 6 (2): Pp.96-105. Received: March 20, 2021Accepted: September 1, 2021

Eulogising the Dead: A Systemic Functional Exploration of Tributes Delivered by Ghanaian Presidents

Presidents are considered as caring and sensitive fathers of their nations whose words of condolences are usually needed in times of grief. One medium through which they express their condolences is through the delivery of tributes to eulogize the dead and sympathize with bereaved families. There is therefore the need to examine how presidents employ the faculties of language to eulogize the dead in their tributes. Premised on the transitivity framework postulated by Halliday and Matthiessen, the present study investigates the use of transitivity patterns in Ghanaian presidential tributes to unearth various experiences and also unveil the implicit relationships that exist between politicians and traditional rulers. The sample for the study is composed of four tributes delivered by Akuffo Addo, Mahama, Kufour and Rawlings to the late Queen Mother of the Ashanti Kingdom, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Apem II. The data were manually coded using the consensual coding strategy. The results indicate a preponderant use of relational processes to identify the unique qualities possessed by the late Queen Mother which further unveil the varied relationships between her and the presidents. Other process types such as material, mental, verbal and behavioural processes are used to construe the positive actions carried out by the late Queen Mother during her lifetime, activate the minds and emotions of mourners and sympathizers regarding the loss, posthumously project the late Queen Mother as a legend who needs to be modelled after and present a collective purgation of emotions of pain and agony. The study concludes that, despite the apolitical status of traditional rulers, they still have a latent but cordial relationship with politicians. Citation:Mwinwelle, P., Duah, I. and Ernest Mensah, S. (2021). Eulogising the Dead: A Systemic Functional Exploration of Tributes Delivered by Ghanaian Presidents. International Journal of Technology and Management Research (IJTMR), Vol. 6 (2): Pp.38-58. Received: April 15, 2020Accepted: September 1, 2021