Scientific Publishing Institute (SPI): E-Journals
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Product Brand and Customer Loyalty: A Survey of the Nigeria Banking Industry
Full text linkThe banking industry have experience tremendous changes ranging from structural changes to technological advances which have turned the industry into self service industry where customer’s problems can be solved at any moment despite their location. Since the banking industry is intensely competitive, complex and dynamics due to the fact that all the banks offers same products and services that can easily be copied, as such the only way to differentiate oneself in this complex and dynamic banking environment is to offer same product and service brand with high quality at a cheaper price. However, the study examines how product brands influences customer loyalty in the banking industry in Nigeria. The study adopted the descriptive survey to study twenty two (22) commercial banks in Nigeria. Quarterly data ranging from 2009 through 2014 was collected from the CBN statistical bulletin and the analysis was conducted using mean, median, graphs and pie chart. The results obtained showed that product/service brand with high quality plays a critical role in influencing customers’ satisfaction and customers’ involvement which leads to customer loyalty
GARCH Model With Fat-Tailed Distributions and Bitcoin Exchange Rate Returns
Full text linkIn the era of diminishing power from US dollar and increasing competition among world currencies, Bitcoin, as a completely new concept as a medium of exchange, has received increasing attentions over the world. Nowadays, Bitcoin also becomes an investment vehicle, which carries attractive opportunities but also significant risks for the investment community. In this paper, we have compared the empirical performance of a newly-developed heavy-tailed distribution, the normal reciprocal inverse Gaussian (NRIG), with the most popular heavy-tailed distribution, the Student’s t distribution, under the GARCH framework in fitting the daily Bitcoin exchange rate returns. Our results indicate the heavy-tailed distribution has better performance in capture the daily Bitcoin exchange rate returns dynamics than the standard normal distribution. Our results also show the older fashioned Student’s t distribution still performs better than the new heavy-tailed distribution
Challenges and Prospects of Applying Scientific Methods in Sociological and Policy Investigation
Full text linkThe paper examines sociological and policy investigations, in terms of its method of inquiry and the possibility of applying scientific methods. Major tools, techniques and methods of science were highlighted and discussed showing their extent of application in Sociology and Policy Studies. The paper maintains the stand that both disciplines as Social Sciences utilized scientific methods and identified measurement difficulties, subjectivity and methodological crises as their major limitations as sciences. It concluded that though theory building and experimentation are not possible in social sciences, the adaptation of observation, quantification, identification of problem, hypothesis formulation and testing, position both Sociology and Policy Study as sciences. It is expected that with the passage of time, Sociology and Policy Studies will reveal their full scientific attributes. It was recommended that scientific methods should be explored and utilized in all social sciences extensively
The Role of Guidance and Counselling in Effective Teaching and Learning in Schools: The Cameroonian Perspective
Full text linkThe total development of a child can only take place in an environment conducive for teaching and learning. It is in realization of the above that all educational services which can promote teaching and learning in schools are given prominent attention by educational planners. Counselling services are among the school educational services. It is believed that guidance and counselling services in school shall develop, assess and improve educational programmes; enhance teaching and improve the competence of the teacher and reduce cost for the children. Therefore, this paper focused on the need for effective counselling services in schools. Furthermore, the paper examined the concept of counselling, the different counselling services like educational, vocational and socio/personal, and associated problems of guidance and counselling as they affect teaching and learning in Cameroonian schools. Finally, the paper recommended that individuals be made to understand, appreciate and accept guidance and counselling services in schools because of the roles they play in effective teaching and learning
Teaching Reading Skills to Learners with Down Syndrome
Full text linkLearning to read is a challenging cognitive process that requires the memorization of new symbols, phonemic awareness, and the construction of meaning. This cognitive process may be especially challenging for learners with Down syndrome. A genetic disorder that causes mild to moderate intellectual disabilities, Down syndrome may no longer be viewed as completely eliminating learners' ability to learn to read. With early intervention and proper teaching and learning methods, learners with Down syndrome can learn to read and improve their existing reading skills. Therefore, the purpose of this research article is to provide information about certain teaching strategies that may enable teachers to help learners with Down syndrome learn to read and improve their existing reading skills
Personal Characteristics and Banking Behaviour of Customers: Further Evidence from Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto-Nigeria
Full text link“This study examines the extent to which customers’ personal characteristics have influence on the banking bahaviour of customers. The study uses primary data which was collected from the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto. A sample of 383 respondents was used cutting across staff, students and petty business operators within the community. The study uses Logistic regression model to analyse the data. The results of the study indicated that age, marital status, and occupation have negative influence on the banking bahviour of customers while, educational qualification and monthly income have positive influence. The study therefore recommends that those factors with positive influence should be closely watched whenever banks are looking for customers in the community and other communities with similar features.
A Look at Semantic Issues in News Writing and Reporting
Full text linkThe essence of news writing and reporting is communication – sharing of meaning between the news writer or reporter and his audience. With this fact in mind, it is expected that news be written or reported such that the meaning intended by the news writer or reporter is the meaning understood by the audience and nothing more. However, due of a reporter's and, sometimes, editor's semantic limitations, some commonly used news expressions are sometimes applied out of context, thus creating certain semantic confusion. Informed by these observed semantic discrepancies in some newspapers and other news media in Nigeria, this article discusses certain interrelated semantic issues and their influence on news writing and reporting. The paper discusses what it calls semantic confusion, identifying its possible causes. It also discusses some news writing and reporting words and expressions (particularly verbs) that are often misapplied by reporters and editors, thus adding to the confusion. The article concludes that semantic knowledge remains one of the one of the key requirements for better news writing and reporting, especially in Nigeria where English is used not only as a second language but as the major language of news dissemination
Ideology and Distortions of the Entrepreneurial Concept. The Results of Conflict in Organizational Culture
Full text linkOrganizations constantly exist in a process of sense-making, interpretation and sense-transfer. It is initiated by various centers (top-managers, external organizational environment, clients). The initial concept of organization is being distorted repeatedly. The initiator’s initial concept loses its symbolic value and can’t be realized. Managers avoid to produce and transmit meanings, refuse to reduce uncertainty. They reduce the pressure of responsibility through ideology, creating the discourse that justifies such behavior. The function of ideology is to simplify, depersonify and to reduce the need for productive tension. They start to compete with initiator for the meaning, creating organizational myth. Consequently, official organizational policy must first of all be oriented towards transformation of ideology into methodology of solving organizational problems