Corporate governance and records management in private and public hospitals in Ghana
| Published date | 20 March 2017 |
| Date | 20 March 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/RMJ-07-2015-0027 |
| Pages | 42-56 |
| Author | Kingsley Opoku Appiah,Kon-Naah Moomin Amos,Jebuni Bashiru,Palamin Habib Drammeh,Sharita Tuffour |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance |
Corporate governance and
records management in private
and public hospitals in Ghana
Kingsley Opoku Appiah, Kon-Naah Moomin Amos, Jebuni Bashiru,
Palamin Habib Drammeh and Sharita Tuffour
Department of Accounting and Finance,
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to explore the link between corporate governance and records management in
hospitals in Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach –Questionnaires are used to collect data from 500 management staff
from 85 hospitals (public and private). The respondents comprise 134, 211, 100 and 55 from the Eastern,
Ashanti, Northern and Upper West Regions in Ghana, respectively. Three-stage least-squares and ordinary
least square regressions are used to establish the relationship between corporate governance and records
management.
Findings –Corporate governance exhibits a positive and signicant relationship with security and records
management. Records management, in turn, displays a positive and signicant relationship with security,
transparency, corporate governance and region, but not accountability.
Research limitations/implications –The study is based on 85 hospitals consisting of 20 private and
65 public hospitals across four regions out of ten in Ghana, implying that the ndings may not be applicable
in the six regions omitted.
Practical implications –The ndings may assist hospital management within the sub-Sahara Africa to
design training programs on records management and/or corporate governance.
Originality/value –This study adds to the body of knowledge about records management and corporate
governance from the sub-Sahara perspective. Specically, the authors widen the scope on corporate
governance and records management by emphasising on management, a marked departure from other studies
conducted on Ghana.
Keywords Corporate governance, Ghana, Records management, Hospitals
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
In recent times, corporate governance (CG) issues have gained global attention in
management of organisations including hospitals. Indeed, CG matters have been an innate
weakness in most hospitals on the globe and especially in Africa (Tsamenyi and Uddin, 2008;
Mensah and Adams, 2014). This challenge is a function of records management (RM),
implying that sound RM is crucial for effective and well-organised CG. Ngoepe and
Ngulube’s (2013) ndings support this notion, emphasising that RM is of paramount
importance to the governance of many organisations. This notwithstanding, many countries
including Ghana bemoan the fact that RM is always omitted from the elements of CG
(Ngoepe and Ngulube, 2013). Recorded information provides the ground for control. Control,
in turn, is vital in ensuring corporate transparency, accountability, information security and
effective governance in organisations. The relationship between CG and RM is crucial in the
governance practices in all sectors especially hospitals because of the sensitive nature of
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0956-5698.htm
RMJ
27,1
42
Received 14 July 2015
Revised 8 December 2015
6 June 2016
Accepted 21 July 2016
RecordsManagement Journal
Vol.27 No. 1, 2017
pp.42-56
©Emerald Publishing Limited
0956-5698
DOI 10.1108/RMJ-07-2015-0027
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