1116 research outputs found
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Assessing Financial Risk Tolerance Level of Individual Investors: Do Demographic Factors Matter?
No full textThe paper investigates the influence of demographic factors such as gender, age, marital status, level of education, occupation, and income on the financial risk tolerance of individual investors in Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted and all the staff, students, and owners of business centers in the University of Benin who have invested in shares in the Nigerian Stock Market constitute the population of the study. The study targeted a convenient sample of 70 respondents through a snowball sampling technique (i.e., the first respondent was asked to recommend a colleague or friend who has invested in shares in the Nigerian Stock Market until the required sample is gotten). Out of the 70 questionnaires administered 60 were found usable. Analysis of data was carried out using a t-test, Analysis of variance (ANOVA), and regression. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 was used to conduct all the analyses. The study found that the majority of respondents (investors) belong to the average/moderate risk tolerance group. Results of the t-Test and ANOVA analyses indicated that while there was a significant difference in financial risk tolerance levels according to gender and income, there were not meaningfully different in financial risk tolerance levels as to the age, marital status, educational level, and occupation. The regression analysis reveals that three demographic variables (gender, marital status, and income) significantly affect the financial risk tolerance level of individual investors. The study, therefore, recommends among others that financial service providers need to frame their products according to investors' risk-taking capacity which definitely will increase market efficiency as well as investors' confidence
China-Hong Kong Dual System: Twenty-Three Years of Uncertainty and Broken Promises
No full textDespite the 1997 China’s promises to the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and the international community that it would operate a “One Nation-Two Systems” for fifty years, ending in 2047, this article submits that the last twenty-three years have been characterized by broken promises, failed covenants, unnecessary political meddling, judicial undercutting, press gagging and restrictions on freedom of speech giving rise to protests, advocacy, instability and political tension in the territory. The UK, which should have intervened by reminding China of the July 1, 1997 pledges and accord and, in absolute terms, compel China to uphold the agreements, herself has been burdened and baffled with the BREXIT deals and procedures leading first to the unexpected loss of the Conservative majority in the parliament due to Theresa May’s political misperception/miscalculations. BREXIT, which has consumed the second Prime Minister after David Cameron despite the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) or Northern Ireland’s alliance on the platform of which May retained her seat with a pledge of additional $1.3b budget allocation for Northern Ireland’s pensions, social security etc. May herself lost out in the Brexit struggle giving rise to Boris Johnson. China has taken advantage of that distraction to violate the agreements with the UK over Hong Kong. This article argues that the people of Hong Kong have already sensed a consistent decline in China’s resolve to allow freedom of speech, democracy, freedom of the press, uninterrupted judicial process, fundamental human rights and the British educational system. Officially, the “Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China” was expected to undergo a smooth transfer from the UK to China but the article concludes that while the UK has kept her promise to transfer HK to China after Ninety-Nine years, China has refused to keep to the post transfer treaty. The promise of fifty years has been violated in less than twenty years. The UK on the other hand has broken the ethical/moral covenant to keep China on the covenant lane. Aside pockets of condemnations, no sanctions have been recommended or applied for failure/default by China
Some new results on the stability and boundedness of solutions of certain class of second order vector differential equations
No full textIn this paper, we provide certain conditions that guarantee the stability of the zero solution when P(t;X; Y ) = 0 and boundedness of all solutions when P(t;X; Y ) 6= 0 of a certain system of second order differential equation using a suitable Lyapunov function. The results in this paper are quite new and complement those in the literature. Examples are given to demonstrate the correctness of the established results
A 3-step fourth derivatives method for numerical integration of third order ordinary differential equations
No full textA 3-Step Hybrid Block Method (S3HBM) with three mid-step grid points based on Linear Multistep Method is presented in this work for direct approximation of solution of third-orderInitial and Boundary Value Problems (IVPs and BVPs). Multiple Finite Difference formulas are derived using the collocation technique. These formulas are unified in a block formulation toform a numerical integrator that solves general third-order ordinary differential equations. Basic properties of the derived method are discussed. The superiority of this method over existingmethods is established numerically on different test problems, to show its better performance in terms od accuracy
Pentecostalism and Corporate Social Responsibility: A Study of the Redeemed Christian Church of God
No full textPentecostalism is an aspect of Christianity that places special emphasis on baptism of the Holy Spirit and personal experience of salvation. Until recently, its adherents were pre-occupied with church growth and gospel of materialism. Little attention was devoted to Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR). This constitutes a problem because it does not conform to the teachings of the Bible. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to investigate the role of Pentecostal churches in Corporate Social Responsibility using the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) as a reference point. The objectives are to examine her socio-economic activities, community development programmes, and women empowerment schemes. The study utilized primary and secondary sources of information using the analytical method of interpretation. It draws on the insight of Weber’s theory on the spirit of capitalism and Durkheim’s sociology and functionalism of religions in analyzing the Movement’s capitalist tendencies as a force in community development. The study established that RCCG is aggressively involved in Corporate Social Responsibility with activities such as community health care, education, construction of roads, housing, digging of bore-holes, computer training, and rehabilitation programmes. It recommends that the church should maintain a balance between spiritual and circular activities.
 
EFFECT OF TEACHERS’ SELF-ESTEEM ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN JIBIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KATSINA STATE
No full textThis study investigated the effect of teachers’ self-esteem on students’ academic performance in secondary school in Jibia Local Government area of Katsina State. Three research objectives, 3 research questions and 3 hypotheses were considered in the study. The study adopted a correlation survey design. Questionnaire and students’ performance test was used as instruments for data collection. The students’ performance test, titled (SPT) was designed in the field English language consisting of 16 items to rate the level of students’ academic performance and the structured questionnaire was developed by the researcher, titled Teachers’ Self-esteem Questionnaire (TSQ) which was used to elicit information on the level of teachers’ self-esteem. The study sample consists of sixty (60) secondary school teachers (32 male, 28 females) and one hundred (100) students. The data was analyzed using mean, Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient statistics, independent T-test, and One-way ANOVA. The findings of the study revealed that there was significant positive correlation between teachers’ self-esteem and students’ academic performance, and there was no significant difference in the mean self-esteem scores of males over the female teachers, and also there was no significant difference in the self-esteem of teachers with regards to their area of specialization. Recommendation was made, that administrators of Educational institutions and teacher educators should boost up the morale of teachers to develop high self-esteem and make proper arrangements to facilitate the teachers to develop their teaching skills in accordance to the demands of the various students, among others
THEORY AND PRACTICE OF ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE AS PANACEA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
No full textEntrepreneurial skills are major indicators used to identify youths’ ability to negotiate their existence within the labour market as employees or as self-reliant entrepreneurs by the creation of viable means of livelihood. Some of these skills include risk-taking, being creative and innovative. However, a seeming disparity between the theory and practice of entrepreneurial skills has been the focus of scholars’ attention. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between the theory and practice of entrepreneurial skills as taught in Integrated Science in Oyo state, Nigeria. Also, the study determined if gender differences existed between the theory and practice of entrepreneurial skills in Integrated Science. This study was ex-post facto research of survey type which involved the participation of 120 students. One research question was raised and answered using meanwhile only the hypothesis was tested at 0.05 significant levels using multiple regression. The instrument used was a researcher-designed questionnaire on the Entrepreneurial Skills Developed Assessment Questionnaire (ESDAQ). Findings of the study revealed that there was a significant difference in entrepreneurial theory and practical skills as taught in Integrated Science. The study concluded that the practice is central to the inculcation of the theory in Entrepreneurial skills acquisition. The study recommended among others that government should provide necessary laboratory equipment such as mass-spectrometer, ultraviolent-spectroscopy, infrared-spectroscopy, electric-oven, fume-cupboard etc. so as impact full practical skills to the students
One-Step Block Hybrid Integrator for the Numerical Solution of Semi-Explicit Index-1 DAEs Systems
No full textIn this study, the derivation, stability analysis and the application of a one-step Hybrid method for solving systems of semi-explicit Index-1 Differential-Algebraic Equations (DAEs) were discussed. A semi-explicit differential-algebraic equation consists of a system of ordinary differential equations and algebraic equations. Interpolation and collocation technique was employed for the derivation of the Continuous form of the proposed method (CHM). The discrete schemes were computed by evaluating CHM at specific grid and off-grid points and were implemented as a block Integrator (BHI). The numerical results of BHI obtained showed its efficiency when compared with the exact solutions and some existing methods
Discourses about Superstitious Beliefs: A Case-study of Yorùbá and Chinese Societies
No full textRight from ancient times, certain beliefs and practices are formed based on either irrational, supernatural influences or unscientific ideologies in different human societies globally. Many of such convictions and practices have not only survived but prevailed even in modern societies with their attendant collateral impact on behaviour and actions of people. Traditional societies have indigenous ideas and practices often formed as a result of magical practices, religion, ignorance, fear, luck, and prophecy. The fact is many of such ideas have shaped modern thoughts and actions of humans in the 21st century. A number of studies have examined the notion of superstition but none has conducted a cross-cultural study of the Yorùbá culture in contrast to the Chinese culture despite the plethora of cultural convictions strongly upheld and somehow shared by these two different cultures. This paper investigates the varied ideologies employed in the crafting of superstitions in Yoruba and Chinese societies. It examines factors such as religion, ignorance, fear, luck, supernatural forces, and traditions to ascertain the sources and cultural drivers involved in the carving of superstitions in the two cultures. The paper adopts socio-psychological theory with data obtained through purposive sampling technique and content analysis. It argues that traditional practices and religions in Yorùbá and Chinese cultures have huge influences on the conceptualisation of human actions, morals, fate, luck, and prophecies in the two societies. It concludes that traditional societies cannot completely do away with superstitious beliefs and practices because they hold them as excessive credulous intuitions of morals and fate.
 
Managing Religious Conflict in a Multi-religious Setting: A Case Study of Ẹdẹ (Southwest Nigeria)
No full textTraditional Yoruba religion is known for its ability to tolerate and accommodate other religious beliefs. The emergence of Islam and Christianity in the Yoruba town of Ẹdẹ, southwest Nigeria, was initially met with opposition from the Traditionalists but was later accommodated. Since the 20th century, the practitioners of these three religions in Ẹdẹ have continued to live together in harmony and peace. A major social reality in Ẹdẹ, like in other Yoruba towns and cities, is that there is ample presence of Muslims, Christians and Traditionalists in almost every family group or compound. This reality appears somewhat strange in contemporary Nigerian society which is often prone to ethno-religious intolerance. In Ẹdẹ’s case, the cooperation among adherents of the three religions is one of the factors responsible for the peaceful religious coexistence in the town. This article aims at discussing the roles of traditional (Sango) practice, Islam, and Christianity in fostering religious co-existence in the now predominantly Muslim Yoruba town of Ẹdẹ. Data sources are from oral interviews and extant literature. Focusing on historical conflicts among and within religious groups as well as their resolutions, the article argues that religious conflicts often emerge for the purpose of control and power. It shows that peaceful religious coexistence in Ẹdẹ is a reflection of mutual agreements by adherents of the religious groups over appropriate locations for different religious practices in the town.