Features
Collective management organisations and efforts to protect rights owners (Part 1)
Though copyright laws are made to protect rights owners, individual management of rights is practically impossible for certain types of use. The impracticability of enforcing the laws individually – both for the owner of the rights and for the user – creates a need for collective management organisations.
This article presents how the collective management organisations (CMOs) in Ghana are acting in the interest and on behalf of the owners of rights. Ghana’s examples can be emulated by CMOs in other countries.
THE LAW AND CREATION OF COLLECTIVE MANAGEMENT ORGANISATIONS
Article 36(2) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana stipulates as follows: The State shall, in particular, take all necessary steps to establish a sound and healthy economy whose underlying principles shall include:
(a) the guarantee of a fair and realistic remuneration for production and productivity in order to encourage continued production and higher productivity;
(b) affording ample opportunity for individual initiative and creativity in economic activities and fostering an enabling environment for a pronounced role of the private sector in the economy.
These Constitutional provisions are in tandem with the objects of copyright law, which establish appropriate mechanisms to protect the work of creators and give them incentives to produce new works for public consumption.
Section 49 of the Copyright Act, 2005 (Act 690) gives a legal backing for the formation of collective copyright administration societies. The Section provides as follows:
1. Authors, producers, performers and publishers may form collective administration societies for the promotion and protection of their interest.
2. A collective administration society may, acting on the authority of the owner of a right, collect and distribute royalties and other remuneration accruing to the owner.
3. The Minister may, by legislative instrument (L.I.), make regulations for the formation, operation and administration of societies.
In line with the above provisions of the Copyright Act, three (3) collective management organisations have been formed in Ghana. These are:
• Ghana Music Rights Organization (GHAMRO)
• Reprographic Rights Organization of Ghana (CopyGhana)
• Audiovisual Rights Society of Ghana (ARSOG)
The activities and operations of these collective management organizations are regulated by law i.e. the Copyright Regulations, 2010 (L.I. 1962) and the Hon. Minister for Justice has oversight responsibility over the CMOs. The Regulations contain elaborate provisions on the formation, operation and the administration of the CMOs. CMOs are registered as companies limited by guarantee. However, it is the Minister for Justice who grants them a certificate of approval to operate as CMOs.
LEVY ON DEVICES USED FOR THE REPRODUCTION OF COPYRIGHT MATERIALS (PRIVATE COPYING LEVY)
The Copyright Act, 2005 (Act 690) imposes a levy on devices used for reproducing copyright materials. This levy is also known as the private copying levy. The levy, which is collected by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), covers both the media and equipment used to copy copyright protected materials, which are imported into the country.
The Copyright Regulations, 2010 (L.I. 1962) set out the devices on which the levy is imposed and the procedure for the distribution of the proceeds of the levy to rightsholders. Currently, the levy constitutes the largest source of income for the collective management organisations in Ghana.
GHANA MUSIC RIGHTS ORGANIZATION (GHAMRO)
GHAMRO’s principal roles are to manage the rights of music owners and to issue licences to music users. The membership of GHAMRO is made up of authors/composers and publishers. The organisation’s membership in 2015 was 3,277 and grew to 4,138 in 2016.
Collecting revenues for members
GHAMRO as a CMO, is responsible for ensuring that tariffs are designed to make commercial use of musical works benefit those who compose and publish them. The sources of revenue for the society are revenue from mechanical rights, performance rights, and other sources.
GHAMRO collects fees from users who engage in public performance of music. The organisation has established a vertical hierarchy of the various types of exploitation in which music is performed. Three classifications of exploitation have been made on the basis of the role played by music. These are:
(a) Exploitation where music is essential or indispensable (e.g. radio and TV broadcasting, live performances, disc jockeys);
(b) Exploitation where music creates the atmosphere and is thus necessary (e.g. night clubs, hotels, restaurants, pubs); and
(c) Exploitation where music serves as a background which is not strictly necessary but is favourable to have (e.g. caller tunes used by telecommunication companies).
Currently, the main user categories recorded in the organisation’s books are as follows:
1. Broadcasting stations (radio and television)
2. Hotels
3. Restaurants and bars
4. Night clubs, drinking bars and pubs
5. Financial institutions
6. Fuel retailing stations
7. Telecommunication operators
8. Live performance by various event organisers
9. Shops and malls
10. Barber shops and salons
The organisation has also taken steps to broaden its licensing stream to cover digital music licensing, airlines, road transport unions, secondary schools and churches.
The third source of revenue, which constitutes a very small proportion of total revenue generated, are the token fees charged for the registration of new members as well as for updating their records with new works.
[This piece is culled from a study conducted by Magnus Ebo Duncan (PHD), titled: “Economic contribution of copyright companies in Ghana”]
Features
Fix It Fast or Lose Them Forever: The Ever-Rising Importance of Service Recovery in Competitive Industries
Yes, in literature and in practice, differences exist regarding customer service, service failures, and service recovery.
But have you ever considered the latter (service recovery) and its potential impact on service experience, brand building, and sustainable growth?
Well, in today’s fiercely competitive service economy, customer experience has become one of the most powerful determinants of business survival and long-term success.
Across industries, from aviation and banking to telecommunications, hospitality, healthcare, retail, and digital platforms, customers now expect fast, seamless, and reliable service delivery at every touchpoint.
Yet despite technological advancements and operational improvements, service failures remain inevitable.
Systems experience downtime, deliveries are delayed, reservations are misplaced, payments fail, customer inquiries go unanswered, employees mishandle interactions, and digital platforms experience disruptions.
In the midst of these, what increasingly separates successful organisations from struggling ones is not whether failures occur, but how quickly and effectively they recover when they do.
Service Recovery
Simply put, it is the process of fixing a service problem and restoring customer confidence after a failure has occurred.
Examples of service recoveries are; an airline offering compensation after a flight delay, a telecom company restoring interrupted service and providing bonus data, a restaurant replacing a wrongly prepared meal at no extra cost, a hotel upgrading a guest’s room after a booking problem, and finally a bank reversing an erroneous transaction and apologising promptly.
As competition intensifies and customer expectations continue to rise, service recovery is rapidly evolving from a routine customer service function into a critical strategic capability.
Businesses are discovering a hard truth of the modern marketplace: fix customer problems quickly, or risk losing them permanently.
Customers are More Powerful Now Than Ever
Customers now possess more power than at any other time in business history. Digital technology, social media, online reviews, and mobile connectivity have fundamentally changed customer behaviour.
Consumers now easily compare competitors instantly, publicly share negative experiences, switch providers with ease, and influence the purchasing decisions of thousands of others online.
This evolution has made customer loyalty increasingly fragile. A single poor experience can quickly damage years of brand-building effort.
In highly competitive sectors where products and pricing are often similar, customer experience has emerged as one of the few sustainable competitive advantages.
Modern customers no longer evaluate organisations solely by product quality or pricing. Increasingly, they judge businesses by their responsiveness, reliability, transparency, empathy, and effectiveness in resolving problems.
Why Service Recovery Matters More Than Ever
Failures are no longer viewed as isolated operational incidents, especially in competitive service sectors. They are moments that directly influence customer trust, brand perception, and future purchasing behaviour.
Research across service industries consistently demonstrates that customers are often willing to forgive mistakes when organisations respond quickly, communicate honestly, show empathy, and resolve issues effectively.
Conversely, poor recovery experiences frequently create stronger dissatisfaction than the original service failure itself.
For many businesses, the greatest reputational damage does not arise from operational errors, but from delayed responses, poor communication, lack of accountability, and unresolved customer frustrations.
This has elevated service recovery into a central component of customer relationship management and competitive strategy.
Speed, a Competitive Weapon
In the modern service economy, speed is no longer merely operational efficiency; it is a basic customer expectation.
Consumers increasingly expect: immediate responses, real-time updates, fast complaint resolution, and proactive communication. Delays are often interpreted as incompetence, indifference, or organisational inefficiency.
Consequently, organisations are redesigning their service recovery frameworks to prioritize rapid intervention and customer reassurance.
A cursory assessment revealed that some businesses now operate dedicated customer experience teams, 24/7 support systems, AI-powered service platforms, automated escalation systems, and real-time issue monitoring dashboards.
The ability to resolve customer problems quickly is now a major source of competitive differentiation.
Technology Is Transforming Recovery Strategies
Technology is fundamentally reshaping how organisations manage service recovery. Across industries, companies are leveraging artificial intelligence, customer analytics, chatbots, predictive monitoring systems, and integrated digital support platforms.
These tools allow organisations to identify service failures earlier, monitor customer dissatisfaction, automate responses, personalize engagement, and accelerate resolution timelines.
Some organisations now proactively contact customers before complaints are formally lodged, using analytics to identify service disruptions in real time.
This means that the future of service recovery is increasingly preventive rather than purely reactive.
Service Recovery as a Brand Strategy
Forward-looking organisations are now treating service recovery as part of brand management strategy rather than operational damage control.
The logic is straightforward because, acquiring new customers is expensive, dissatisfied customers influence others, and loyalty is increasingly experience-driven.
Businesses are therefore measuring customer satisfaction, response times, complaint resolution rates, customer retention, and net promoter scores more aggressively than before.
In many industries, service recovery performance is now discussed at executive and board levels because of its direct relationship with profitability, reputation, and long-term growth.
A call to action
As industries become more digital, interconnected and customer-driven, service recovery will likely become even more important.
Therefore, organisations that succeed in the future will likely be those that respond rapidly, communicate transparently, empower employees, leverage technology intelligently, treat customers fairly, and place their (customers’) trust at the centre of recovery strategies.
Remember, customers now have more choices, less patience, and greater influence than ever before, a clear message to forward-looking organisations that when service breaks down, recovery is everything. Fix it fast or risk losing customers forever.
Writer: Mohammed Ali
Conflict at work is more common than you might think. According to 2022 research by The Myers-Briggs Company, more than a third of the workforce reports dealing with conflict often, very often, or all the time in the workplace.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you are trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved. Last week we looked at three and this week is the remaining four steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
4. Find common ground
The best way to handle workplace conflict is to start with what you can agree on. Find common ground between the people engaging in conflict. If you are directly involved in the conflict, slow down and focus on results instead of who’s right.
If you are the mediator for conflict resolution between coworkers, observe the discussion and help point out the common ground others may not see.
5. Collectively brainstorm solutions
When deciding how to handle workplace conflict, it can be tempting to problem-solve on your own. Sometimes, it feels easier to work independently rather than collaboratively. However, if you want to achieve a lasting resolution, you will need to motivate your team to get involved.
Brainstorm possible solutions together, and solicit input from everyone involved on the pros and cons of each option until you settle on a solution that feels comfortable to everyone. This will help all team members feel a sense of ownership that can help prevent future conflicts.
6. Create an action plan
Once you have created an open dialogue around workplace conflicts, it is time to resolve them. Just like any other work goal, this requires creating a concrete plan and following through.
Create an action plan and then act on it. It does not matter what the plan is, as long as you commit to it and resolve the conflict as a result.
7. Reflect on what you learned
All conflicts offer an opportunity to grow and become a better communicator. Identify what went well and what did not.
Work with your whole team to gather learnings from the conflict so you can avoid similar situations in the future.
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Fix It Fast or Lose Them Forever: The Ever-Rising Importance of Service Recovery in Competitive Industries
