Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current performance management system of the Sefwi Wiawso Municipal Assembly as well as the challenges faced by the Assembly in implementing its performance management system. Design/methodology/approach The specific design that was adopted is the case study approach. The primary data were gathered through in-depth interviews. In total, 20 heads of departments and employees were purposively sampled. The data gathered from the interviews were analysed using Miles and Huberman’s (1994) approach to qualitative data analysis. Findings The paper reveals that the performance management system of the Assembly has not been effective. The study also reveals poor communication, poor integration, low commitment by the top officials, absence of training, inadequate capacity for setting clear targets and objectives, and measuring and evaluation criteria for performance assessment, cultural issues, absence of rewards for good performance, financial constraints, weak and highly bureaucratic management systems as challenges facing performance management system of the assembly. Practical implications This study indicates that the training of supervisors and the linking of performance management systems with reward and recognition are key to ensuring an effective implementation of the performance management system of the Assembly. Originality/value This paper contributes to literature by examining the performance management system of the Sefwi Wiawso Municipal Assembly in the Western Region of Ghana by describing and drawing lessons from local government experiences in the implementation of performance management systems in developing countries.

Background: Health is a basic human right necessary for the exercise of other human rights. Every human being is, therefore, entitled to the highest possible standard of health necessary to living a life of dignity. Establishment of patients' Charter is a step towards protecting the rights and responsibilities of patients, but violation of patients' rights is common in healthcare institutions, especially in the developing world. This study which was conducted between May 2013 and May 2014, assessed the operationalization of Ghana's Patients Charter in a peri-urban public hospital. Methods: Qualitative data collection methods were used to collect data from 25 healthcare workers and patients who were purposively selected. The interview data were analyzed manually, using the principles of systematic text condensation. Results:The findings indicate that the healthcare staff of the Polyclinic are aware of the existence of the patients' Charter and also know some of its contents. Patients have no knowledge of the existence or the contents of the Charter. Availability of the Charter, community sensitization, monitoring and orientation of staff are factors that promote the operationalization of the Charter, while institutional implementation procedures such as lack of complaint procedures and low knowledge among patients militate against operationalization of the Charter. Conclusion: Public health facilities should ensure that their patients are well-informed about their rights and responsibilities to facilitate effective implementation of the Charter. Also, patients' rights and responsibilities can be dramatized and broadcasted on television and radio in major Ghanaian languages to enhance awareness of Ghanaians on the Charter.

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One of the most difficult and under-examined issues in the ethics research of developing countries is whether the establishment of codes of ethics in public service organizations leads to employees’ organizational commitment. This study investigates the link between codes of ethics and organizational commitment, as well as its three dimensions of affective, normative and continuance commitment, in Ghanaian public service organizations. Correlational, regression and descriptive statistics were used to study 228 participants conveniently sampled from selected public service organizations within the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Empirical evidence showed that codes of ethics significantly and positively predicted employees’ organizational commitment, as well as the three dimensions of the affective, normative and continuance commitment of employees. Points for practitioners Codes are intended to educate the general public, and employees in particular, about the mission of an organization, to foster a good ethical climate, and to provide guidance for resolving ethical problems in an organization. To ensure employee commitment to the organization, the codes should be effectively implemented, well communicated and strictly enforced with impartiality; otherwise, the codes will appear merely as ‘cosmetic dressing’ to the organization.