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PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM: AN IMPETUS FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE AND POLITICAL SECURITY IN NIGERIA
No full textOver the last decade, the Nigerian government has undertaken a wide ranging policy, institutional, and legal initiatives to enhance the country’s public service delivery. Despite these efforts, the nation has grappled with a myriad of issues that still undermine good governance and political security. These challenges include weak institutional capacity, corruption, poor leadership, inadequate public service delivery, political instability, limited resources, poor infrastructure, and a shortage of skilled human resources. This paper examines the strategies and mechanisms employed by public administrators in Nigeria to enhance good governance and political security, analyses the impact of effective public administration on political stability and security and identifies the challenges affecting the implementation of good governance principles through public administration in Nigeria. The study has adopted the New Public Management Theory proposed by Hood in 1991 and relied on secondary data. Findings from the study show that Nigerian public administration has undergone a series of reforms to enhance good governance and political security through various strategies and mechanisms such as capacity building, international cooperation, and ethical conduct. The study also reveals that corruption and lack of accountability, bureaucratic bottlenecks and insufficient capacity among others have been identified as challenges of the implementation of good governance principles in Nigeria. The paper recommends that the encouragement and promotion of transparency and accountability be given top priority; citizen participation should also be encouraged in the planning and decision-making process; empowering local governments through the allocation of adequate resources to foster political security. The paper also recommends the establishment of a proper recruitment base to promote professionalism and meritocracy in the public service
PERCEIVED IMPACT OF CHANGE AS A MEDIATING VARIABLE FOR CHANGE READINESS IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL GOVERNANCE
No full textPurpose – Adapting to technological advancements and fostering competitiveness poses compelling challenges for universities worldwide, including Indonesia. This prompts the implementation of varied policies, reshaping financial and managerial aspects across academic and non-academic spheres. In this transformative process, cultivating readiness for change across all organizational levels, including among non-academic staff, is crucial. This study aims to identify factors predicting readiness for change within non-academic staff, with perceived impact of change acting as a mediating factor.
Methodology – This quantitative study collected the data through surveys conducted among non-academic staff from Indonesian universities under general state financial management (n = 290). The examination focused on predictors encompassing openness to change, organizational trust, and communication climate. Path analysis was employed to examine the role of perceived impact of change among exogenous and endogenous variables.
Findings – The findings revealed a compelling correlation: nonacademic staff who exhibit higher levels of openness to change, harbor trust in their organization, and perceive a positive communication climate are predisposed to being more prepared for change. Moreover, the study underscored the significance of a mediating variable in influencing readiness for change, offering an imperative avenue for further exploration.
Significance – Practically speaking, for universities operating under general state financial management and preparing to embark on governance changes, this research would help non-academic staff understand the change process and its effects on them.
The role of high-performance work practices and affective commitment in promoting knowledge sharing behavior in higher education institutions
No full textAlthough high-performance work practices (HPWPs) are well-known for promoting desired attitudes and behaviors among organizational members, the current literature has overlooked measuring the impact of HPWPs on knowledge sharing behavior (KSB) in the academic setting. Thus, considering the research gap and the pivotal role of knowledge sharing practices in academic institutions, this study aims to explore the aforesaid relationship in the realm of higher education institutions (HEIs) from the perspective of social exchange theory. Moreover, the study aims to explore affective commitment (AC) as a connector between HPWPs and KSB. The study amassed data conveniently using a structured questionnaire from 255 private university teachers serving in Bangladesh. The sample size was relatively small owing to limited access and the considerable time constraints of the respondents. The outcomes of SEM-PLS analysis revealed five HPWPs (i.e., selective staffing, training, performance appraisal, compensation, and participation) as successful predictors of both AC and KSB. Moreover, AC mediated the link between these five HPWPs and KSB, meaning that AC plays an important role in explaining how HPWPs influence KSB. However, clear job description did not significantly predict KSB either directly or indirectly through AC. This study introduces fresh insights into the concept of high-performance work system showing how its individual practices shape the willingness of academics to share knowledge directly and via AC. The study’s findings imply that HEIs should incorporate HPWPs (e.g., attractive compensation, participative decision-making) into their people management systems to enhance faculty members’ organizational commitment and knowledge sharing practices, thereby achieving long-term success and sustainability
The Role of Entrepreneurial Spirit and Self-Efficacy in Technology Entrepreneur New Venture Creation
No full textTechnology entrepreneur new venture creation (TENVC) plays an important role in developing and commercializing technologies worldwide. Yet, one of the critical and on-going debates is about the paradigm shift from the trait approach to the behavioral approach which emerges from what successful entrepreneurs do and how they perform, rather than what their personality traits are. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to study both the entrepreneurial spirit and self-efficacy as key factors for TENVC. The mixed methods research was employed by combining the quantitative and qualitative approaches. The samples were chosen based on convenience sampling for the quantitative study and judgment sampling for the qualitative study. The finding shows that both entrepreneurial spirit and self-efficacy are correspondingly important for TENVC among technical students and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs). There is only a small difference in value in their positive significant relationship led by self-efficacy compared to entrepreneurial spirit with r=.005 for TENVC of technical students in IHLs. This finding is convergent with the outcome of the case study analysis that both factors are among the key indicators for TENVC of technical students in IHLs. The technology entrepreneur development organizations (TEDO) may utilize this result in developing TENVC in their institutions
An Embedded Machine Learning-Based Spoiled Leftover Food Detection Device for Multiclass Classification
No full textFood waste’s negative environmental repercussions are causing it to become a global concern. Several studies have examined thefactors influencing food waste behaviour and management. This work was motivated by the lack of previous research on machinelearning and electronic noses to detect contamination from leftover cooked food. This work proposes using machine learning algorithms and electronic nose technology to recognise and forecast the contamination in leftover cooked food. After five days of storage, the freshness of cooked leftovers was evaluated using an electronic nose combined with machine learning algorithms. Most food samples used in this work were from Malaysian’s leftover lunch and dinner dishes. Four (4) gas sensors—MQ-2, MQ-136, MQ-137, and MQ-138—are used in developing the electronic nose to identify the presence of gas in the food sample. The data from the gas sensors was analysed using machine learning methods, namely Random Forest, k-nearest Neighbors, Support Vector Machine, and Linear Discriminant Analysis. Based on the results, a multi-classification technique yielded a greater accuracy rate in classifying and identifying the level of contamination in the cooked food leftovers, with average accuracy ranging from 90 percent to 100 percent. In conclusion, the work demonstrates a novel method for using machine learning algorithms to classify, identify, and predict the contamination level of leftover cooked food, contributing to reducing food waste generated primarily by Malaysians
Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder Brain Functional Reference: Introducing an Inter-subject Consistency Measure and Dual-layer Parcellation
No full textThe latest advancements in neuroimaging techniques have contributedto studying the disordered human brain, but still, there is a lack of disease-specific brain reference to localise brain seeds and standardise the comparison across studies. The current study first evaluates the inter-subject consistency across Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in a publicly accessible resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) ADHD-200 dataset by proposing a new voxels similarity index (VSI) that integrates both inter-atlases flexibility (F`) from previous studies with proposed intersubjects stability (S`) measure to improve outcomes. Secondly, the study employs a dual-layer clustering-based parcellation strategy inspired by the resultant improved Master Atlas networks to examine the ADHD cerebral cortex. The suggested approach to enhancing the ADHD cortex parcellation uses spectral clustering for global structure identification, followed by hierarchical clustering for local refinements and granularity specification. The final connectivity-driven brain reference achieved an average homogeneity of 0.63, and the enhanced Master Atlas with (S’) achieved 0.35 homogeneity, surpassing the original Master Atlas with 0.27. This discovery implies that the final brain reference offers a more accurate and reliable framework to examine the connections and functions of the brain in individuals with ADHD
An Improved Design Guideline for Dyslexia-Friendly Applications Based on Eye-Tracking Data
No full textAddressing dyslexia through digital product design presents distinct challenges and necessitates the development of tailored strategies or guidelines to facilitate children in reading accurately and efficiently. Hence, a design guideline was formulated by integrating Interaction Design (IxD) principles to enhance comprehension and minimise reading errors while using digital applications. Nonetheless, the existing design guidelines for dyslexia people have yet to be confirmed and updated to cater to the current and latest five IxD dimensions. Therefore, this paper presents an eye-tracking usability test that was conducted to identify usability issues pertaining to the design guideline by performing the test on an application called BacaDisleksia, whichwas developed based on the existing guideline. A usability test was conducted using the Tobii eye-tracking tool through an in-personand moderated session with six dyslexic children. The test reveals pertinent design issues by analysing heat maps and gaze plots. Based on these findings, this paper proposes a refined design guideline with five IxD dimensions and strategies conducive to dyslexia-friendly application design by incorporating space and time components. The results contribute to the development of comprehensive design guideline for people with dyslexia, which aligns with UNESCO’s objective of utilising technology to promote inclusion for disabled learners. This effort underscores the significance of informed design decisions in digital innovation for better-serving individuals with dyslexia and similar learning challenges. 
Impact of Balanced Exploration and Exploitation on High-dimensional Feature Selection with Hierarchical Whale Optimisation Algorithm
No full textHigh-dimensional datasets (HDDs) pose significant challenges in feature selection due to their complex nature. While metaheuristic algorithms like the Whale Optimisation Algorithm (WOA) have shown promise in addressing these challenges, stability issues are least addressed. Through an extensive literature review, it was identified that stability is manifested in the equilibrium of exploration and exploitation. Hence, this study introduced the Hierarchical Whale Optimisation Algorithm (HiWOA), an approach designed to enhance the WOA’s stability and performance in HDD feature selection tasks. The HiWOA incorporates a two-phase strategy comprising a nonlinear control parameter based on the arcsine function and a hierarchical position-update mechanism adapted from the Grey Wolf Optimiser. The proposed HiWOA was evaluated through 23 benchmark optimisation functions and feature selection experiments on 11 medical HDDs. The results indicate that the HiWOA outperformed the WOA and a modified variant (mWOA) in terms of a better fitness value, a more balanced exploration-exploitation ratio, and improved classification accuracy with fewer selected features. These findings demonstrate the HiWOA’s effectiveness in enhancing stability, making it a robust solution for high-dimensional optimisation and feature selection.
URBAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND ITS ROLE IN LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF ADAMA CITY, ETHIOPIA
No full textEvidence confirms that for local economic development (LED) to be successful and improve the lives of local communities, sub-national governments and for that matter local governments are supposed to play an active role in the process. To this end, the purpose of this study is to investigate the contribution of urban local government in the promotion of LED in Adama City, Ethiopia. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected to achieve the objective of the study. Qualitative data was collected through document analysis and key informant interviews (KII). On the other hand, quantitative data was collected using a survey questionnaire developed based on five-point Likert-scales to measure the perceptions of various respondents on the contribution of urban local government in promoting LED and factor attributes for its poor contribution. While survey questionnaires were randomly distributed to target respondents, interview participants were included in the study using purposive and convenience sampling techniques. The findings of the study highlight gaps in the overall contribution of the Adama City government towards LED, which is measured in terms of the provision of infrastructure, regulating and capacitating socio-economic entities in the city, creating favourable environments for networking and businesses to flourish, facilitating credit facilities and others. The limited institutional capacity of the city government itself and the inadequate existence of favourable legal and policy environments are factors that contribute to the poor contribution of the city government to LED
CONTRIBUTION OF INFORMAL STREET VENDORS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVENUE DURING POST-COVID 19 PANDEMIC
No full textThis paper discusses the contribution of informal street vendors to local government revenue generation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Informal street vendors usually develop businesses to sell something and earn an income. They not only generate their income but also generate revenue for the local government. The main objective of local governments is to maintain and improve their efficiency. Therefore, this study aims to understand how informal street vendors contribute to the revenue of Kubang Pasu municipal in the short term, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study covers 50 street vendors in Kubang Pasu. The results of the study show that there are only two (2) independent variables that affect the dependent variable. First, the relationship between affordable licenses and Kubang Pasu Municipal’s revenue shows a positive (0.301) and significant (0.019) relationship at a 0.050 level of significance, which means that the more affordable licenses issued, the higher the Kubang Pasu municipal revenue. Second, the relationship between the current post-pandemic business situation and Kubang Pasu municipal’s revenue shows a positive (0.541) and significant (0.058) relationship at the 0.10 level of significance, which means that the more accessible the business situation is in the post-pandemic period, the higher Kubang Pasu Municipal’s revenue will be. The newly developed revenue source will secure local government revenues in the long term and avoid budget deficits. Kubang Pasu Municipal needs to create new revenue sources, as they are still among the local governments with low revenue sources compared to local governments in other states.