THE HUMAN VARIABLES WITHIN BUDGETARY CONTROL AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS ON FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE AT HEIS

Abstract

Budgets and budgetary controls are important components of management control intended to encourage resource utilization efficiency in support of the achievement of company strategic goals. Budget control aims to observe transparency and legality at all stages of the budget process to ensure responsible and effective performance by the state of its functions and tasks regarding the formation and spending of budget funds. This study evaluates how employee budget involvement and performance relate in a Ghanaian public university, specifically the University of Education. The University of Education was chosen as the study location to determine the relationship between budget participation and employee performance in Ghana's public universities. Because the government owns 100% of Ghana's public universities and because these institutions are subject to government oversight, the researchers believe that using a single case study is suitable. Throughout the investigation, a multi-analysis and participative strategy was used. Employee performance is evaluated for the research based on how well they contribute to the organization's achievement of the budget objective. The study's particular focus is on the behavioral aspects of budgeting procedures and the effect of budget participation on employees' effectiveness in meeting defined budgetary objectives. The researcher chose 110 respondents who are University of Education staff members using basic random sample and convenience sampling procedures. It is clear from our study that employee participation in the budgeting process is the cornerstone of achieving budget goals because it will enable employees to have a clear understanding of what the budget is meant for, have a voice by ensuring that resources are distributed fairly among departments and faculties of the university. From this, it is obvious that we accept our null hypothesis, according to which budget participation increases employees' performance and their view of the fairness of resource distribution and budget goal clarity. Future studies might also encompass the perspectives of key management figures such as Registrars, Directors of Finance, Vice Chancellors, and other essential officers who play significant roles in the budgeting process of these public universities.