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Women Participation in Leadership Position: the case of selected Public Organizations in Dinsho Town, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia
No full textGlobally, dramatic progress is shown in number of women who participate in leadership positions. However, even though the extensive effort to increase the number of women in organizational leadership has been made, different researches on the participation rate of women in leadership shows modest results and there is scant knowledge and empirical evidence on status of women’s participation in leadership positions in Dinsho town and factors affecting it. Thus, the main objective of this study was to investigate the status of women’s participation in leadership positions in the case of some public organizations in Dinsho town. This study adopted descriptive and explanatory research designs and quantitative research approach. To obtain relevant data for the study, both primary and secondary data sources were employed. The primary data were gathered through self-developed questionnaires. 33 public organizations in Dinsho town were targeted in the research and 10 organizations were purposively selected from these organizations as samples. As such, 146 sample respondents were chosen from 244 employees of these ten purposively selected organizations through simple random sampling technique. The data collected was analyzed and presented using both descriptive and inferential statistics such as regression analysis. The study examined the status of women participation in leadership position and factors affecting it such as social-cultural, organizational and personal factors. The study finding revealed that the status of women participation in leadership position in the study area found to be at moderate level with the overall average mean score of 3.36. Moreover, the regression analysis results indicated that social-cultural, organizational and personal factors have a significant impact on women’s participation in leadership positions. Based on the finding, it is suggested that continued improvement is needed to increase women’s participation in leadership positions in organizations under investigation
Factors Affecting Internal Audit Effectiveness in Wegagen Bank S.C (The Case of Head Office Unit)
No full textInternal auditing is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization’s operations. The main purpose of this study was to examine factors affecting internal audit effectiveness in private commercial bank the case of Wegagen Bank S.C. Head office unit. Descriptive & explanatory research design was employed. A cross sectional data was collected using representatives of the sample respondents by using convenience sampling technique; there by 260 out of 741 survey questionnaires were drawn to collect from the sample respondents. To analyze the collected data both descriptive & inferential statistics of multiple linear regressions were employed. The finding of this study regarding to reliability of this study, shows mean average of variables obtained at (r=0.933) which is consistent, the correlation coefficient also shows ‘strong correlation’ i.e. organizational structure, (r=0.715), independence & objectivity of internal auditors, (r=0.517), competence of internal auditors(r=0.728), top management support (r=0.814), existence of audit committee (r=0.874), approved audit charters,(r=0.833). The beta coefficient shows that, organizational structure (β= 0.068), independence & objectivity of internal auditors (β= -0.068), competency of internal auditors (β=0.090), top management support (β=0.124), existence of audit committee (β=0.415), approved audit charters (β=0.386) and audit work quality (β= -0.088), while since pvalue of all variables were p<0.05, hence, all the hypothesis testing were accepted. Regarding to the model summary of this study shows that, the correlation coefficient (r=0.962), coefficient of determination (r=0.925) & adjusted R squared (adj-r2=0.922). In conclusion, independency & audit work quality was negatively influenced internal audit effectiveness. Moreover to this, regarding to descriptive & inferential statistics of the study all the respondents were replied with disagreement option for all the variables and the diagnosis of assumptions in regression model shows that all the assumptions were not violated. Hence, it is recommended that the bank should observe the necessary measures needed to improve the practice of the internal auditing activities' dimensions towards internal audit effectiveness
ASSESSING THE EFFECT OF BRAND AWARENESS ON ENHANCING EXPORT OF GROUNDNUT IN ETHIOPIAN TIGRAY REGION
No full textGroundnut is economically important oilseeds grown in Ethiopia This crop most of the time grown as a food crop and a cash crop by smallholder farmers in the study area. The area has potential to the production of Groundnut for food and nutrition security as well as export. However, shortage of suitable environment imposes biggest obstacles to its production. To this end, the experiment was conducted in Abregele district five kebeles Hadnet, Lemlem, Enda Rufael, Negedebirhan, Gera.The aim of the study was to evaluate and identify the adaptable, best performing variety in agronomic traits and high yielding at study area. The study also considered four measurements of brand awareness such as recognition, recall, Top of the mind and Dominant to measure the customer buying decision behavior of groundnut products in Tigray region. The researcher uses quantitative research design, among the various quantitative methods, the researcher used explanatory study, where emphasis is given on studying a situation or a problem in order to explain the relationship variables. 183 groundnut consumers are selected from the total ground nut producers, merchants and consumers. the Pearson correlation test conducted between customer buying decision and brand awareness, there is a strong relationship between them. The regressions result showed that, the linear combination of all the components of brand awareness takes into account that the present study was significantly affected to the variance, except Dominant. The ANOVA test result also confirmed that, the prediction power of brand awareness is found to be statistically significant. From the beta coefficient result, the researcher found that, recognition is found to be the most important variable in predicting the dependent variable customer decision making, followed by top of the mind, recall and Dominant. Finally, the researcher concludes that brand awareness about groundnut has a significant positive effect on improving export performance of the groundnut and customer decision making
Factors Affecting Bank Profitability in Ethiopia: The case of selected commercial banks in Ethiopia
No full textThis study analyses the impact of political stability and other customary covariates, namely, bank-specific, industry-specific, and macroeconomic determinants on the profitability of banking sector in Ethiopia using two-step system GMM estimator. The study employed a panel data of 17 commercial banks for the period of 2014 to 2024, consisting of 187 bank-year observations. The regression outcomes reveal that political instability has a negative and statistically significant impact on the profitability of banks in the case of Ethiopia. This means that bank’s profitability declines as the country’s political instability rises. Moreover, the regression results reveal that the profitability of banks in Ethiopia is shaped by other customary variables, which are bank-specific, industry-specific, and macroeconomic variables. The findings are stout and dependable as another model specification is undertaken. To the researcher’s knowledge, the present study is the first to analyses the effect of political stability on the profitability of banks in Ethiopia. As a result, it provides better insights for the policymakers, regulators, bank managers, analysts, and other interested parties to improve the profitability of Ethiopian banks
Good Governance in water Service delivery; The Case of Water supply in Quiha Town (Nebar Ketema), Tigray Region, Ethiopia
No full textThis study was conducted on the practice of good governance of water service delivery in case of Quiha specifically Nebar Ketema by considering the two factors of good governance that was transparency and responsiveness. the general objective of the study was to investigate the practice of good governance in public water supply service in Quiha town ( Nebar Ketema) .the study used 380 purposely selected sample respondents from selected tabya in Quiha that was Nebar ketema and both qualitative and quantitative data analysis techniques were used accordingly. In order to gather the necessary data from the sample respondents, questionaries’ and interview were used as collection tools. In this regard descriptive statics was employed to analyze the data obtain via questionnaires.
The major findings of the study show that water comes 2 weeks per month , reported unfair water distribution, Transparency findings such as poor or very poor in transparency (57.16%),office rarely or never open in decision making, information never /rarely flows freely(55.27%),Access to rules/regulations is not accessible(72.89%), present only sometimes, weak role in feedback. Responsiveness findings such as there is no information flow, no community forum prepared, not encourage participation in decision making and problem solving very slow to response to water issues.
On this study generally satisfaction of respondents were 48% dissatisfied and very dissatisfied, trust in office was mostly medium or low confidence.in conclusion water office in the town shows serious gap in good governance, customers face irregular, unfair and poorly managed water supply
Biosecurity Practices and Molecular Epidemiology of Salmonella Species in Small and Medium-Scale Commercial Layer Farms in Mekelle City, Northern Ethiopia
No full textSalmonellosis infections in chicken farms pose significant risks to public health and the poultry industry. In the Tigray region, there is a notable lack of molecular-based identification methods for Salmonella species in poultry and limited understanding of existing biosecurity practices. This study aimed to isolate and molecularly characterize Salmonella species while evaluating the biosecurity measures practiced on the farms. A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2023 and December 2024, involving the collection of 250 cloacal swabs from laying hens and identifying biosecurity practices across 28 purposively selected poultry farms. Salmonella species were isolated following the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO 6579- 1:2017/Amd.1:2020(E)). Out of 28 poultry farms tested using standard bacteriological culture methods, 16 (57.1%) were positive for Salmonella isolates. The overall isolation rate of Salmonella species was 34.8% (87/250). Among the analyzed risk factors, on farm waste disposal practice, sources of chicken, presence of other animals, age and flock size demonstrated a statistically significant association (p < 0.05) with bacteriological rate of isolation Salmonella species. The molecular detection rate of Salmonella genus was 82.4% (42 out of 51) successfully amplified with the INVA1/2 primers. Notably, 45% of these isolates were identified as Salmonella gallinarum using MS-GA-F/R primers, while 35% were identified as Salmonella typhimurium with TYPHF/R primers. The poultry farm biosecurity parameters and practices were evaluated by a scientific risk-based scoring system based on the Biocheck. UGent™ tool (Merelbeke, Ghent University, Belgium) (https://biocheck.ugent.be/en ). The overall biosecurity score for layer farms in Mekelle is 57.86%, with the scores of 48.54% for external biosecurity and 67.11% for internal biosecurity. Adapting to evolving biosecurity challenges requires the adoption of new toolkits and strategies. It showed the biosecurity measures of these farms, especially at the external levels need to be improved. The investigation revealed a higher isolation and identification rate of Salmonella species at both the farm and sample levels. Therefore, routine flock testing, farm surveillance, implementation of Salmonella prevention and control strategies, and improvements in biosecurity practices is neede
Investigating the Effects of GeoGebra on University Mathematics Teachers‘ Perceptions, Beliefs, Skills and Achievements in Matrices and Calculus-I: The Case of Northern Ethiopian Universities
No full textThe integration of dynamic mathematical software into HE has the potential to transform traditional mathematics education. Among such tools GeoGebra offers a unique opportunity for visualizing abstract concepts in matrices and calculus-I. This study aimed to explore how University Mathematics Teachers (UMTs) in Ethiopia use the open-source software-GeoGebra into their teaching practices. It identifies the barriers that UMTs face when using GeoGebra and examines their perceptions, beliefs, skills, and frequency of use. Furthermore, the study assessed the impact of GeoGebra training on UMTs' achievement in matrices and Calculus-I, and extent of GeoGebra use.
A quasi-experimental, mixed methods design involving 96 participants using surveys, interviews, and pre-and post-tests. The survey participants were selected using a convenience sampling method (considering universities in the Northern Ethiopia; Tigray), while interviewees were chosen through purposive sampling. A training intervention on GeoGebra was provided to UMTs, supplemented by semi-structured and follow-up interviews to collect comprehensive data. The quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics, including correlation analysis, One-way ANOVA, ANCOVA, independent samples t-tests, dependent paired samples t-tests, and logistic and linear regression analyses using SPSS-20; and the qualitative data using text thematic analysis.
Analysis of responses indicated that UMTs encounter challenges in utilizing GeoGebra in their teaching due to students' familiarity with the software, insufficient access and support for technology, UMTs' perceptions, beliefs, and skills, lack of funding, inadequate staff support, insufficient training, awareness and exposure to mathematical software, rigid mathematics curriculum, UMTs‘ resistance to change, and infrastructural shortcomings. Despite these challenges, UMTs exhibited high perceptions and beliefs about GeoGebra, moderate skills in using it, and low levels of actual implementation in their teaching practices. The Findings indicated there is a significant positive relationship between UMTs‘ extent of GeoGebra use and their perceptions, beliefs, and skills regarding the software. The results of the one-way ANOVA indicated that there were no significant differences in the mean scores for matrices and Calculus I achievements before the intervention. However, the post-intervention analysis revealed significant gains in UMTs‘perception, beliefs, skills, and academic achievement) (eta squared = 0.941) with GeoGebra integration accounting for 49.1% of score variation.
A post hoc analysis using Fisher's Least Significant Difference (LSD) method also revealed significant differences among certain pairs of tests, thereby confirming that the GeoGebra training intervention had a substantial positive effect on UMTs' achievements in both matrices and Calculus-I. After controlling for covariates, it was found that U2 had a significantly higher mean score than both U1 and U3; and the GeoGebra training intervention accounted for 22.1% of the variability in UMTs' posttest achievements in matrices and Calculus-I. Additionally, the linear regression analysis revealed that UMTs‘ skills in utilizing GeoGebra significantly predict their extent of GeoGebra usage in their teaching practices. Notably, factors such as gender, highest academic qualification, and academic rank also significantly influence UMTs' usage of GeoGebra in their mathematics instruction when all their backgrounds were considered. While in Post-intervention, there were no significant differences among the UMTs across the three universities; all groups exhibited positive mean gains in their beliefs, perceptions, skills in using, and the extent of utilizing GeoGebra in their mathematics teaching practices. Statistically significant differences were observed regarding UMTs' perceptions, beliefs, skills, and usage of GeoGebra before and after the training intervention.
Finally, this study provides valuable insights for policy developers and curriculum designers about the challenges faced by UMTs in tertiary education. The findings also prompt further research into the effectiveness of GeoGebra training and its integration into higher education institutions (HEIs) as a foundational support for teaching mathematics. Moreover, mathematics educators and researchers are encouraged to investigate the impact of GeoGebra training on students' mathematical concepts understanding to devise effective pedagogical strategies
Unraveling the Cost of War: Estimating the Effect of War Damage on Household's Food and Nutrition Securely in Tigray, Ethiopia
No full textThis study investigates the long-term impacts of asset damage resulting from the 2020–2022 Tigray conflict on household food insecurity and dietary diversity in Ethiopia's Tigray region, utilizing a sample of 400 households from the Samre and Bora districts. Employing an instrumental variable (IV) approach with a control function to address endogeneity—using distance to enemy entry gates and neighbor exposure as instruments—the research establishes a causal link between war-induced asset loss and deteriorating nutritional outcomes. Descriptive statistics reveal significant disparities: the "Damage Group" (49.25%, N=197) exhibits younger heads (42.26 years vs. 48.03), higher male headship (76.6% vs. 67.5%), lower education (6.274 vs. 7.517 years), and smaller landholdings (0.563 vs. 0.653 hectares) compared to the "Safe Group" (50.75%, N=203). Critically, only 7.9% of damaged households are food secure (vs. 47.2%), with 73.4% severely insecure (vs. 46.7%), and dietary diversity is markedly lower, with 46.8% in low diversity (vs. 26.4%) and just 6.4% in high diversity (vs. 35.0%). Empirical analysis, grounded in ordered probit and Poisson regressions, confirms these disparities. For food insecurity, asset damage increases the latent severity by 0.703 units (p<0.001), reducing food security probability by 21% and raising severe insecurity by 22.8%, with a 19.3% higher insecurity score (IRR=1.199, p<0.1). For dietary diversity, it decreases the latent variable by 0.928 units (p<0.001), increasing low diversity by 31.8% and reducing high diversity by 30%, with a 37.7% lower Household Dietary Diversity Score (IRR=0.623, p<0.01). Covariates like age, family size, and education modulate these effects, while strong error correlations (ρ=-0.932 for insecurity, ρ=0.958 for diversity) validate the endogeneity correction. The robust instruments—distance (negative, p<0.01) and neighbor exposure (positive, p<0.001)—support causal inference, reflecting conflict proximity and spillover dynamics. These findings underscore a vicious cycle of poverty and malnutrition, with asset destruction eroding productive capacity and resilience, particularly among targeted younger households. The study’s implications extend beyond Tigray, offering evidence for targeted asset restoration, human capital enhancement, and inclusive growth strategies in post-conflict settings. Future research should explore longitudinal recovery, gender-specific impacts, and policy interventions like cash transfers to inform sustainable recovery efforts. Conducted as of May 2025, this analysis provides a critical foundation for addressing Ethiopia’s fragile agrarian vulnerabilities amid ongoing conflict legacie
A Study on Assessment and Evaluation Practices Selected Private Kindergartens Adwa Town
No full textThe purpose of this study was to assess the practice of assessment and evaluation methods of kindergarten children in some selected private kindergartens of Adwa town. To this end, descriptive survey method was employed. Out of 25 private KGs in the town six KGs were selected through simple random sampling method and availability sampling was used to select the kindergarten teachers, principals of kindergarten centres, woreda education office expert, and kindergarten children at different preschool centres. The study employed questionnaire, observation, interview, and document analysis as data gathering tools. Questionnaire and interview were applied to gather data from the kindergarten teacher, principals and woreda education office experts. Pilot test was conducted in ten kindergarten teachers and the reliability of the instrument (questionnaire) was computed using Cronbach’s alpha. Accordingly, the result was 0.77. Then, quantitative data were analysed using percentage and the qualitative data were presented in words to triangulate the data obtained through quantitative methods. Findings made clear that almost all (90%) of the respondents have an understanding of evaluation methods and teacher made tests, observations; portfolios and play based assessments are the common methods of evaluations practiced in the Kindergartens. However, challenges like lack of professional training and support, lack of skills, lack of parental involvement, and lack of evaluation resources affect the appropriateness of the assessment and evaluation methods in the Kindergartens. To this end giving professional training, parental participation, introducing developmentally appropriate practices is possible solutions to these factors. Regional Bureau of Education, Woreda Education Office, pre-school owners, pre-school teachers and parents should give attention to solve the problems. The key words in this study are assessment, evaluation, practices and kindergarten childre
SCHEME LEVEL WATER DISTRIBUTION AND PRODUCTIVITY EVALUATION OF FRE LEKATIT SMALL-SCALE IRRIGATION IN EASTERN ZONE, TIRGAY, ETHIOPIA.
No full textThis study was conducted in the drought-prone Woreda of Hawzen, Hatset Kebelle, located in the Eastern Zone, Tigray National Regional State, Ethiopia. The research aimed to evaluate the performance of the Fre-lekatit irrigation scheme using selected performance indicators. Specifically, the study assessed the reservoir‘s current water use, irrigation scheme productivity, water distribution, and allocation efficiency. Water applications and velocities were monitored using a Parshall flume, a V-notch weir, and the floating technique at different locations: farm level, secondary canals, and the main canal. A total of 45 measurements were taken at selected points in the head, middle, and tail sections of the command area using a Parshall flume. Soil samples were collected using an auger, while climatic and agronomic data from both primary and secondary sources were analyzed using the CROPWAT model to determine crop water requirements.
The findings show that during the 2018 irrigation season over 125 days (January–June), the total amount of water diverted to the field applied and through the main canal were, 56199.4 m3/ha (1,251,516 m3) or 192.2 l/s and respectively. The distribution of water based on the locations of the irrigated land shows that the total volume of water applied per hectare per season for the irrigation scheme was measured to be 8005.7 m3, 7894.4.m3, and 7789.4 m3 for upper, middle, and lower sides of the command area respectively. The WDC ratio value was 1.2, indicating that the system capacity does not constrain the agricultural water demands, whereas the RWS and RIS values were 1.91 and 1.95, respectively. The upper section of the command area received more water compared to the middle and lower sections.
To improve water use efficiency and crop yields, it is recommended that farmers receive intensive hands-on training in irrigation management and best farming practices. Additionally, regular maintenance of the weir structure and off-take channels is necessary to minimize seepage and prevent excess water loss downstream