Doctors’ strike: More regions set to join

The strike by doctors across the country is set to intensify even further today with more regions set to join.

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has sent official memos to public hospitals across the country, urging their members to leave consulting rooms in accordance with nationwide strike that begun Thursday.

On the first day of the strike, only doctors in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions were reported to have left consulting rooms. Patients were turned away from the hospitals.

Medical doctors in other regions largely stayed at work as they waited for formal communication from their leaders.

But the situation is very likely to change Friday with the delivery of the official memos.

Members of the Ghana Medical Association withdrew their services nationwide Thursday after four hours of negotiations with government on their condition of service failed.

According to GMA’s road map, doctors will begin with the withdrawal of OPD services for a week.

The strike has begun hitting the health sector hard as the country’s premier health facility, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, has announced that its OPD has been closed.

If, after a week, the concerns of the doctors are not resolved, the doctors will withdraw emergency services later resign en masse.

Social media has been saturated with what is perceived to be the demands of the doctors, posted on Facebook by a Presidential Staffer.

Some have called the patriotism of the doctors into question describing what is purported to be the demands by the doctors as outrageous. The demands include clothing allowance, 30% of basic salary; professional allow 50% of basic salary/ month, fuel (House Officer- SMO), 80 gallons per month; PMO – Specialist, 90gallons per month; Senior Specialist- Consultant, 100gallons per month.

But members of the GMA have condemned the "false" speculation as offensive and unfortunate.

Even though the Facebook post by the source at the Presidency claimed House Officers are currently enjoying 20 gallons of fuel per month, an anonymous doctor who spoke to Joy FM Thursday has said that claim is aimed at maligning doctors.

Ofori Amponsah to release highlife song – Manager

Ghanaian highlife artiste turned pastor Ofori Amponsah is set to release a new highlife song soon.

The Man of God, who quit secular music some years ago to pursue full-time ministry, preaching the word of God, is returning to unveil a love song for his fans.

Manager of the artiste, Franklyn Wiafe Agyekum speaking in an interview on Showbiz Review on Hitz FM, revealed that the singer will remain a pastor and still give back to his fans.

“Ofori Amponsah is coming back with a highlife song,” he said.

According to him, singing about love between a man and a woman is approved by God, and is not wrong.

Popularly known as ‘Mr All 4 Real’ Ofori Amponsah who has been out of the music industry for some years now started writing music at the age of thirteen and is one of the most famous contemporary highlife artistes in Ghana.

He was introduced into the music industry by Daddy Lumba but became a pastor a few years ago.

He is currently the Head Pastor of the Holy Ground Sanctuary in Accra.

STC workers to use salaries to help buy buses

The umbrella union of workers at Intercity STC Coaches Limited (STC), comprising both senior and junior staff, have resolved that their members should lend part of their salaries for July and August 2015 to the company towards the purchase of four Mercedes Benz buses from Germany.

By the resolution, about 450 workers on the company’s payroll, including management staff who also support the idea, will lend 50 per cent of their salaries for the two months to raise about 56,000 euros.

The company will top up the amount through internally generated funds to raise 112,000 euros which is the 

initial deposit being demanded by the supplier for the four buses worth almost 3000,000 euros.

The decision was reached at a worker’s durbar called by the union last Wednesday.

According to the Chairman of the Senior Staff Union, Samuel Korley Clottey, the decision stems from the urgent need to augment the current fleet of mostly old buses in order to sustain coach service operations.

He explained that the gesture is also to lend support to management which, through prudent use of resources, has managed to purchase three Neoplan Youngman buses from Jordan which are expected to arrive in the country next month.

Current fleet

Mr Clottey said for some time now, ISTC’s coach services operation had depended on only 13 buses, four of which belonged to alliance partners.

The union leader noted that for management to have been able to keep the company thriving on such a small fleet, without defaulting in paying workers’ salaries; and still be able to raise the deposit for the first three buses, the workers deemed it appropriate to support efforts to revive the company.

Allaying fears that the deal for Scania buses might have collapsed, the Acting Head of Finance of the company, Richard Hotor, assured the workers that with Parliament having approved the loan, the buses would be shopped once the documentation process was completed.

Despite its handicap with fleet size, ISTC manages to operate all its international services on schedule. These are daily services between Accra-Abidjan, three times weekly services between Abidjan-Cotonou, Abidjan-Lome and Accra-Ouagadougou.

There is also a weekly service between Abidjan and Zabre in Burkina Faso, in addition to a small local fleet.

Coaster buses

Lately, coach operations have been supported with three mid-size Toyota Coaster buses. They were recently procured through a loan from SIC Life Financial Trust Limited which also saw the company taking delivery of six Toyota Hiace mini buses.

ISTC is expecting two more Coaster and four Hiace buses to be delivered by the supplier, Focus Four Limited, under the SIC Life Loan deal.

Towards the end of 2013, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), the majority shareholder in ISTC, decided to offload its share in the company as it was insolvent.

The Government, being the minority shareholder, blocked the move and in early 2014 appointed a new Board of Directors as well as a Managing Director, Samuel Nuamah Donkor, backed by a promise to secure a loan for the company to procure 50 coaches.

Since assuming office, the new Board and the Managing Director have explored various avenues that have enabled ISTC pay its workers from its own resources and stay in business while awaiting the 50 Scania buses from Brazil.

Calming Tempers

https://www.createspace.com/5619382 Grab a copy by clicking this link.

I once saw a flight attendant defuse a quarrel between two passengers. She did it calmly, assuredly, and quickly. I couldn't hear what she said but I could see the result – the two passengers seemed to make peace with each other.

Given the tenor of our times, the ability to make peace between two people (or two organizations) may well become a very valuable skill. It’s also a teachable skill. Here are the tips I’ve picked up in researching the topic.

Take a step back and a deep breath – you’ll want to slow things down and derail the rush to judgment. It’s likely that both parties are thinking in System 1 (and only System 1). You need to help them activate System 2 – that’s where the quarrel can be resolved. Ask both parties to think consciously about what’s going on. Asking each person to literally take a step backward can be a good starting point – it activates embodied cognition.

Clarify their intentions – saying, “I assume that both of you want to settle this amicably…” can help you clarify their intentions. It also activates their System 2 – they have to think about what they want. It can also help you identify obstacles to an amicable agreement.

Back away from the conclusion – System 1 is very good at taking partial information and jumping to a conclusion, often erroneously. Ask each person to describe the situation in his own words. Don’t interrupt and don’t allow the other person to interrupt. Then ask, “What do you conclude from this?” and “Do you think that’s a fair conclusion?” “Why?”

Climb the context ladder -- Many quarrels result from an overly narrow focus; both parties frame the issue too tightly. They don’t see the context and history. Asking questions like “How did we get to this point?”, “Why do you think this happened?” can help them climb the context ladder and get a broader understanding of the issue.

Listen, rinse, repeat – both parties will want to know that their side has been heard and considered. Listen carefully and summarize what you’ve heard. (“So, what I hear you saying is…”). If one person keeps repeating the same point, she doesn’t feel that she’s been heard. Repeat the process as necessary.

Identify points of agreement – most disputes are not black and white; they also contain many shades of gray. The participants may not recognize that there are many points of agreement. In fact, there may be more points of agreement than disagreement. Be sure to point these out and ask each party to validate them.

Avoid assumptions – don’t assume that you know how the parties feel or what they want. Ask questions even when the answer seems obvious. Ask both parties to explain themselves fully, while the other party is listening.

Don’t play winners versus losers – you want an agreement that both sides can live with. There’s no point in identifying one person as a winner and the other as the loser. A person who is identified as a loser will likely see the entire process as biased and unfair.

Don’t make recommendations; draw them out -- an arbitrator listens to both sides and renders a judgment (often with a winner and a loser). A mediator also listens to both sides but doesn’t render a judgment. Rather, your job is to draw out recommendations from the two parties. Be patient; this will take time. But, it’s worth it in the end. If the parties themselves recommend the solution, both sides are more likely to live with it.

Context is the New King

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Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting.”  Bill Gates, January 3, 1996.

These first words from the now famous essay ‘content is king’ published in 1996 by the Microsoft Chief, Bill Gates , reflect how important the role of meaningful content has been in driving  marketing success for a little over a decade now .  It can be argued that if content on a 140-character platform can have long lasting and often irreversible impact for organizations, we would do well to up the ante on content and storytelling to build favorable reputation for our brands.

In the last 30 years, mankind has produced more information than in the previous 5000. A recent study done by the Content Marketing Institute and Marketing Profssuggests that                

On average, the most effective marketers are spending 37 % of their marketing budgets on content marketing, which is up from 33% last year. 55% plan on increasing content marketing spending next year. 70% are already creating more content than last year. “ 

A Market Experiencing Content Burn Out

With the explosion in publishing and the evolution of content marketing to its present avatar, we are consuming more and more content every walking minute. The real challenge for B2B marketers in the face of growing desensitization of their audience is no longer producing enough content but producing content that is engaging and of value.   

Enter Hyper Relevance

With connected devices, wearables and mobile first technologies, today’s marketers have unprecedented access to more information and greater insight into customer preferences. Few companies demonstrate the ability to create customer-driven content blueprint and deliver experiences that truly benefit the customer. The ‘how-to’ begins with hyper-relevance not just in the online world but at every touch point along your customer’s journey.  

It’s no longer enough to just have great content; you now need to know how, when, where, and to whom, you should deliver it.” 

Beyond identifying web and mobile users and serving appropriate content in the right format, the latest technologies can identify context, sentiment or express moods, as well as associate content with appropriate design or look and feel, to enhance text, images, or sounds to deliver a truly personalized, immersive experience.

“2015 will be the year when marketers will wake up to hyper-targeting. Only 10% of online visitors find what they are looking for when interacting with online content. Savvy digital marketers will be able to match traffic with business attributes, identify segments they want to grow and serve them with a precisely targeted message.” - Christophe Primault, CEO, GetApp (Forbes.com)

 Getting Hyper Relevance Right

Hyper-relevance demands that you have the ability to tailor interactions with your customers, seamlessly meshing the organization’s goals to individual’s interests.

Right Customer:

We are in the era of “post-demographic consumerism”.  The online behavior and consumption of the consumers is no longer defined by previously used demographic segmentation based on age, gender, location, income, etc. Today audiences of all demographics have access to mobile, social, and wearables and what differentiates them is their comfort levels in using these tools and their willingness to share information. With complex customer journeys, how do you ensure that the content resonates with right target audience? A combination of traditional methods of segmentation based on demographics, psychographics, archetypes and personas and the new-age analytics tools to track real-time conversations and shifting interests of the consumers is the right path to go down on.    

Right Message:

The genesis of the right message begins with understanding the motivations of the consumer. For instance, Harley-Davidson did not focus on the base product the motorcycles instead chose to appeal to the lifestyle, adventure and persona of a potential Harley-Davidson. The content must tap into the essence of what the consumer hopes to accomplish. It has to be simple, direct, and easy to remember. It must rightfully intrigue and capture the interest of the customer.

 Right Medium:

The next step is to identify the format and channel that is right for the message. The selection of the channel explicitly focuses on the online forums, social media and other destinations frequented by your audience. Your choice of medium impacts the extent to which customers can engage with the content, and should be in sync with the objective of the content - is the content looking at initiating conversation or merely aimed at dispensing information?  

Right Time:

Once the message is crafted, the audience identified, and the medium chosen, you need to establish the time and frequency (if applicable) to deliver the message. Marketers use marketing automation tools to track the audiences’ activity and group them as per their interests.  With this data at hand, marketers can send high targeted message to the right audience at the right time in the buyer’s journey.

In an overcrowded digital landscape, it is often tough to get the attention your content deserves. The answer lies in Hyper Relevance- tailoring your message to suit the needs of your audience is the only way you can hold their interest, expect their participation, be in their minds when they are ready to commit to a purchase.

Zenith Bank MD rallies industry to support economy

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Ghana, Daniel Asiedu, says Ghana’s economic prospects are bright and banks must strategise to support the productive sector aggressively to facilitate the country’s return to a high growth path.

Mr. Asiedu made these comments when he was interviewed by World Finance, the influential UK-based finance and business publication, at the London Stock Exchange in July on how Ghanaian banks should position themselves to manage changes in the economic and regulatory environments.

While admitting to challenges the economy has been undergoing in recent times, the highly-respected bank chief expressed his confidence in projections of a strong rebound for the economy in 2016-17, and urged banks to support the government’s efforts in this regard.

“You could say that the economy’s growth has been sliding. And this is attributable to inflation, depreciation of the cedi, and the energy crisis. Having said that, of course, then you look at how growth has been projected — next year we are looking at a growth rate of about 6.4 percent, and that should rise to about 7.8 percent in 2017. Inflation currently is about 16.9 percent, and that has been projected to close the year at 12 percent; and then next year we are looking at a rate of about 10.2 percent. When you put all this together, you will see that the future looks bright.

“As an industry, what we have to do is to look at the productive sector and support it aggressively. We have to also look at the companies that are exporting and also support those,” he said.

Ghana is currently implementing a programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that is targetted at restoring macroeconomic stability and high economic growth after two difficult years. The government is also introducing initiatives to increase exports to create a stable currency.

Mr. Asiedu said as a financial institution playing an intermediary role, Zenith Bank is optimistic about the future and wants to be visible in its support for the government, through deepening its activities in key strategic sectors and enabling those goals to be realised.

Speaking on the subject of tighter regulations in the Ghanaian banking industry, he observed that banks are generally better-off in a well-regulated environment, especially since the recent global financial crisis vividly underscored the dangers of lax regulation.

“Customers now have more confidence in the industry; the international community — especially correspondent banks — have a lot of confidence in us; the system is more transparent, and so you have nothing to worry about.”

Sharing insights about Zenith on the subject of regulation, he stated: “As a bank, even before regulation was stepped up, we had been built on a culture of compliance and very strong controls. Most of the things we do are things that have been designed as a result of the experience we have acquired over time, so that whatever we do, we have in the back of our minds we need to ensure the system is quite tight.

“In West Africa, we are the first bank to be licenced by Visa to do acquiring, and for Visa to give you that platform it should tell you the confidence they have in your system.

“We have also had calls to partner with the regulator — the Bank of Ghana — for some of the systems they intend to roll-out; and when the National Risk Assessment Committee was set up, we were nominated to represent the banking industry. So we think that we’re on the right path because we’ve positioned the bank along those lines.”

Zenith Bank Ghana, whose parent Zenith Bank Plc is listed on the Nigeria and London Stock Exchanges, is one of the industry’s strongest brands with sturdy financial footing, a culture of innovation, and a passion for customer service excellence.

In 2014 Zenith won what is regarded as an Oscar in the banking industry, when it picked up the Bank of the Year in Ghana prize at The Banker Awards in the UK.

How To Stay Calm, No Matter What

Last month, I was pretty stressed out, thanks mostly to a seemingly endless stream of minor, but irritating, problems. It got so that I was reacting negatively almost immediately to each new development. Some people spend entire years in this state.

Fortunately, I realized what was happening and managed to disrupt that negative cycle of gloom and doom. Here’s how I did it, along with other proven tips for staying calm:

1. Dump the caffeine: For decades, I avoided caffeine altogether, but recently started drinking two ice teas per day, plus up to two bottle of BAI flavors, which also have caffeine. I quit cold turkey, preferring to suffer a headache for a few days than to remain stressed out and easily annoyed.

(True confession:  see 2a below.)

2. Exercise: After years of resisting the fitness armband fad, I went out and bought three of them: one each for myself, my wife and our 15-year-old son. We immediately connected our accounts, which created an ongoing challenge to see who could a.) walk at least 10,000 steps per day, and b.) exercise more than the others.

In truth, I don’t need to “beat” my wife and son, but ever since all of us have increased our activity levels and crushed the 10k a day step level that experts say is the minimum needed to be healthy.

2a. It's now two weeks since I wrote the first draft of this article, and I've mountain biked every day since then. So I now allow myself an ice tea in the morning. Your goal should be calm, not crazy.

3. Goodbye 1 a.m. bedtime: I’m a night person, and love to fiddle around late at night when everyone has gone to sleep. The quiet gives me time to think and work, but going to sleep late just makes me an even worse morning person. More importantly, I don’t have time to exercise and get my work done unless I get up early…so hello early bedtime. I was in bed last night at 10:30 p.m. and started writing this article at 6 a.m.

But these first three tips are pretty basic, and I mention them only because they helped dig me out of a hole. The next three are more universal, and more impactful…

4. Anger = you lose: There are two types of Hollywood fight scenes. In one, the main character gets mad and triumphs over a stronger opponent. In the other, the opponent gets mad and the main character wins. The second is far more realistic.

Once you lose your temper, you are in danger. You grow rash and stupid. Your vision narrows. You become easy prey for anyone who wants to defeat you.

In tough times, you must keep this truth in the front of your mind. Once you give in to anger, you lose. Don’t let others bait you, push your buttons, or simply annoy you with their ineptitude.

Ask yourself this. “Who is in charge, my brain or my emotions?”

5. React slowly: I watch stressed out people respond immediately to every text message, email and phone call that annoys them. In many cases, you can’t even say, “Could we take a second to talk?” before they blast out a reply.

That is an absurd, crazed habit.

Remember no. 4. Take your time. Let others wait, even when they claim they have no time to wait. Focus on your goals. Focus on staying calm and in control. It is nearly always better to be intelligent than instant.

6. Ask Yourself “Why?”: Before you make difficult decisions, ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?

Are you reacting on the basis of ego (“they don’t know who they’re dealing with”)?

Are you simply making the same decision you’ve made ten times before, without considering whether those past decisions got results that made you happy?

Be sure to make decisions because they are the right path to your long-term goals. Remain true to your personal and professional values. Listen to the people whose opinions you most respect.

Bruce Kasanoff is a ghostwriter for entrepreneurs. Learn more at Kasanoff.com. 

Dr. Gabass deserves second chance; appeal likely to succeed -

Former state attorney and criminal law practitioner Augustine Obuor says as a first time offender, the maximum sentence of 25 years imposed on Dr. Ali-Gabass is too harsh and unfortunate.

“A medical doctor is going to spend this time in prison can you imagine that?” the stunned former state attorney said.

He says the judgment delivered by Circuit Court judge Rita Budu appears to be calculated at ending Gabass’ life in jail.

Convicted medical doctor Dr. Ali-Gabass will appeal the judgment that handed him maximum sentence for defiling a 16-year old boy, his lawyer indicates.

"We are considering appeal....we are going to ask for the record of proceedings and go to a higher court which will have to look at the evidence all over again and see whether he merits 25 years", the lawyer Phixon Owool told Joy News' Kwakye Afreh Nuamah.

The ruling has drawn mixed reaction on social media. Some believe the sentence is too unsympathetic while others say, it is deserving for a doctor who has jeopardized the life of a 16-year old boy.

Augustine Obuor sides with the sympathetic. “Normally you don’t impose a maximum sentence on a first time offender….It gives the impression that you don’t want him to have a second chance,” he told Joy News’ Top Story.

Although the judge believes the maximum sentence is needed as a deterrent for pedophiles, Augustine says a minimum sentence of seven years could be as well deterrent as the maximum sentence.

According to him, robbers get 80 years prison sentences and long jail term for rapist, they have not proved enough in deterring crime.

Even if a law is passed to impose capital punishment on criminals, people will still break the law, he said.

“Punishment alone does not bring a change to a person” he made reference to comments by a Supreme Court judge.

The former state attorney believes Dr. Gabass' lawyers are likely to succeed at Appeal Court and hand down a reduced sentence.

Source: http://www.myjoyonline.com

Best Practices For Managing Freelance Talent

Five Tips For Agencies Working With Non-Staffers on Projects

By Beth Snyder Bulik. Published on July 06, 2015.

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A succession of economic downturns, long-term marketer budget cuts and a new generation with a different workstyle has ushered in a heyday for freelancers at ad agencies. Agency fulltime staffs are smaller than ever. To meet client's growing digital asset and branded-content needs, agencies today are awash in freelancer writers, designers, production and post-production talent.
While there are advantages to using freelancers to get fresh ideas and lower overhead, there are also unique challenges in managing a group of people without a long-term commitment to the agency brand. What's a shop to do? Following these rules can help.
Take ownership of work done for the agency
It's commonly known that creative done under a "work for hire" model belongs to the one who's doing the hiring, in this case the agency or the brand. However, many creatives are social-media masters looking for their next gig. Sometimes that means they get ahead of the campaign by hyping the awesome work they've done on behalf of a brand.
"One of the most common issues working with freelancers today is that they like to post their work on their websites and other social-media vehicles to promote themselves, but often that work has yet to run or is not allowed to be posted by the client," said Mark O'Brien, president of DDB North America.
Make sure to spell out in writing exactly where, when and how freelancers can use the work as part of their portfolio.
Make them a part of the team
Having freelancers work in the office with the team is ideal for tapping in-house knowledge, but not always possible. That means clear and frequent communication is essential. While freelancers who are former employees or regulars may need less hand-holding, don't ignore requests or leave them unattended.
Then when the project is done, say a firm good-bye
"Ensure that you have a mechanism in place to have them leave when their assignment is done. Sometimes people forget that they are freelancing and start looking at [freelancers] like employees," Mr. O'Brien said.

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Work with marketers to allot appropriate budget to allow for freelancers
It's a freelance world. Freelancers today make up one-fourth of an average company's workforce and about one-third of all workers in the U.S. ATTRIBUTION But before you start patting yourself on the back for cutting staff and overhead, remember that freelancers aren't actually free.
New York TBWA/Chiat/Day CEO Rob Schwartz has this suggestion. "Let's all go to our clients and tell them we need a separate line item for freelance budgets. Everyone, agency and clients, need to understand that we live in a 'freelance creative manufacturing' world. It's reality. And we need the funding," he said.
Remember that not all freelancers are created equal
Interview and analyze the role and value of a freelancer as thoroughly as a staff hire. Recruit their talent, but be mindful of their motivations. Mr. Schwartz pointed out, "Some are very transactional. Others care as much as you do."
Just like internal staff, some people are simply looking for a paycheck, while others are committed to doing their best work. For freelancers, some are in the game not only because they love it and are energized by the work, but also to score future jobs.