In this paper, we investigated into aggregated social influence. We adopted and modified the weighted TOPSIS approach to ascertain the overall social influences of management members in the banking network of Ghana. The weighted TOPSIS method employs a composite approach of classical centrality influence that uses the position of the actor in the network hierarchy, the intensity of his interaction, extent of his connectivity and flow of information within the network. The approach offers an extensive advantage in ensuring holistic decision making by implementing an algorithm that employs a multi-criteria approach. The study revealed that although most single attributes were significant in measuring the niched aspect of social influence, the closeness to ideal that was attained through a weighted TOPSIS algorithm showed stronger ties and was conclusive enough to judge the social influence of actors to warrant its sole application in the determination of spreaders or influential nodes in a network. To enhance efficiency in decision making in relation to employment and layoffs, it is recommended that a social network analysis which adapts a multi-attribute decision-making approach that reflects both individual strength and weaknesses in totality for all aspect of social influences should be employed. We recommend further studies into Actor Ranking and its impact on recruitment practices for organizational innovation.
The discrete and continuous probability of co-author network sustainability was assessed based on modified Bass-SIR innovation diffusion models. The implications of industry and government funding of research partnership was empirically tested, using data from a specialised research institute. We conclude that development and sustainability of research partnerships is critically dependent on the formation of co-author research networks and their influence on author successes. Thus when research centres fail to maintain co-author networks and authoring rates, the research institutions that authors belong to will eventually become unproductive and likely to suffer partnership attrition.
This study sought to assess the efficiency of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Ghana. Data was obtained from the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) website in Ghana. We divided the NHIS into four main zones (Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western zone) and grouped per the number of facilities under the NHIA (hospital, clinic, pharmacy, government disbursement) weighted against the number of referrals, the number of professional staffs and funding. Network analysis and regression methodology was used to study and analyze the data. Our result showed that the number of professional staff and funding were insignificant in some zones. However, the overall analysis showed that the number of professional staff had a positive influence on the NHIA network; there was a positive flow of information within the network, which facilitate the number of referrals within the network. Funding was insignificant because the first aim of the NHIA was to meet subscribers’ satisfaction and alleviate the cost of treatment. Efficiency can be improved by establishing a system that validates and controls the bodies under the NHIA.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.