Sylvanus faced several ethical challenges during his 2011 research on the impact of chieftaincy in the Emli-Bazeh community, including women frequently excusing themselves from questionnaires, subjects disagreeing with his attire for bush visits, and old men distracting him with unrelated issues. As a trained researcher, he was able to overcome these obstacles to test his hypotheses. His leadership has positively impacted his community through initiatives like land surveys, documenting the ethnic history, establishing school rules, and building a resource center and school from his own funds, establishing the first school and structures in Emli-Bazeh.

1. Question B
Describe the situation with the
greatest ethical complexity that you
have faced in your professional or
academic life and how your input
helped solve it:
Presenter’s Name: Sylvanus Mawuli
Keklebesi Agbetsifa Tusah

2. I carried out a research work in the
year 2011 on the “The impact of
Chieftaincy on the Development of
the Emli-Bazeh Community” a
dissertation submitted to the
Department of Sociology, University
of Ghana and was faced with
daunting ethical challenges while on
the field. Chiefly among some of
these were;

3.  While administering questionnaires on a face to
face basis, most women kept excusing
themselves under the guise of attending to
domestic chores.
 My ability to stay focused and objective under
extreme provocation from old men who interjects
me with other issues which were far outside the
objectives of my study
 Some of my subjects were in disagreement with
my wearing of a normal everyday attire when I
wanted to visit the bush as against my
traditionally required adornment for the bush
However being a trained researcher under Prof. Chris
Abotchie, I was able to surmount all these challenges and
many other problems of ethical complexity in my research
to be able to test all my hypotheses

4. Question D
 Cite at least one example of when
your leadership had an impact on or
changed a certain situation, and
justify how an IE Master’s Degree
Programme would help you to
strengthen or improve this
competence.

5. Examples of where my leadership
had an impact on situations.
 Land survey initiative (Land size of about 5,000 sq km)
 Documentation of my community’s Ethno-History
 Promulgation of by-laws for sanitation and the ritualization
of deforestation.
 Building of a resource centre from my own personal
savings.
 Initiated the six classroom school though under trees:
– Payment of school fees for over sixty (60) pupils
– Payment of Salaries for five (5) teachers
– Provision of school uniforms, set of computers, photocopier
machines, tables and chairs among others.

6. All the above were financed with my personal savings as well
as the Emli-Bazeh Edu Fund institued by me as the Fiaga
(overlord) and King of the Emli-Bazeh Traditional area
immediately after my graduation from the university of
Ghana in 2011.
There has never been any school let alone its structure in Emli-
Bazeh until my enstoolment as the Fiaga of the area; where I
initiated it with locally produced materials like bamboo and
some other readily available materials.

7. Problems I encountered during a
research work in the year 2011

8.  While
administering
questionnaires on
a face to face
basis, most women
kept excusing
themselves under
the guise of
attending to
domestic chores.
Woman attending to domestic chores

9. Subject complaining about my
adornment to the bush
 Some of my subjects
were in disagreement
with my wearing of a
normal everyday attire
when I wanted to visit
the bush as against
my traditionally
required adornment
for the bush

10. Man interjects me with other issues
outside the objectives of my study
 My ability to stay
focused and objective
under extreme
provocation from old
men who interjected
me with other issues
which were far outside
the objectives of my
study

11. Impact or change my leadership had
had on situations in my community

12. Documentation of my community’s
Ethno-History
 This is a situation
where Chiefs and
Elders of Emli-Bazeh
together with their
Clansmen from Tafi
congregates to mark
the change from oral
transmission of
history to written
under my leadership.