19 research outputs found
NEXUS BETWEEN SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
No full textIn recent years, social entrepreneurship has increased as a result of the poor effectiveness of governmental entities in improving the standard of living of disadvantaged social sectors. Since the goal of sustainable development is to improve the quality of individuals’ lives, entrepreneurship with its advantages would be considered one of the most important and best options for development. This study investigates the nexus between social entrepreneurship and sustainable development goals. The study made use of present researchers and a review of past researchers. The study entails the introduction; the concept of social entrepreneurship; entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship; social entrepreneurs’ characteristics; the importance of social entrepreneurship; the concept of sustainable development goals (SDGs); the link between social entrepreneurship and sustainable development; conclusions and implications for management. The study concluded that social entrepreneurs have an essential role in the transformation of society, and likewise, sustainable development became one of the main objectives of any economic growth, to be achieved to meet current needs without diminishing the importance of the other goals
Impact of Traditional Rulers on Peace Sustenance in Local Communities of Ekiti State
No full textLocal communities in Nigeria and other parts of the world still experience one form of conflict or the other despite peace-building techniques to maintain peace. The peaceful cohabitation of the Nigerian people has been repeatedly disrupted by some operations, which have constituted a serious security danger to the people, especially in the local communities. The traditional leaders in the communities frequently exert great effort through various channels to promote dispute resolution and guarantee peaceful coexistence among the tribes in their separate spheres of influence. This study assessed the impact of traditional rulers in sustaining peace in the local governments of Ekiti State. This study adopted a descriptive survey research design, gathering data through questionnaire administration and published works. The study revealed that traditional rulers have a significant role in maintaining security for sustainable development in the local communities in Nigeria. It was discovered that traditional rulers played significant roles in maintaining and sustaining peace in Ekiti State Local Governments by settling conflicts among their subjects in their domains. The study concluded that traditional institutions, mainly traditional rulership, remained a reliable force to be reckoned with in maintaining peace. This has been made possible by the Yoruba traditions and spiritualities' immense strength and tenacity, which have significantly impacted their lives and actions. Keywords: Traditional Rulers, Conflicts, Peace Keeping, Local Communities DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/13-4-02 Publication date:May 31st 202
CHALLENGES OF REWARDS SYSTEM ON EMPLOYEES’ PERFORMANCE IN THE NIGERIA CIVIL SERVICE: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM THE LAGOS STATE CIVIL SERVICE, NIGERIA
No full textRewards play an important role in boosting employees’ performances in an organisation. The management of a rewards system has the potency of stimulating the interest of the employees and directing them towards accomplishing organisational goals. Despite the recognition and implementation of the rewards system in the civil service, employees’ performances have been highly criticized. Data were gathered from 275 respondents across the ministries in Civil Service through the use of questionnaire as well as the conduct of interview session. The findings revealed that leadership style, government policies, inability to pay, inadequate training, rewards strategies, bargaining power of trade union and strict organisational culture were challenges affecting effective management of rewards system. This study concluded that the administration of rewards system in the Nigerian public service has been poorly managed as it has been highly characterised by rewarding loyalty, nepotism, favouritism and godfatherism. This study therefore recommended a well-structured inclusive mechanism to encourage employee’s participation in the service
Indigenous Emotional Intelligence Scale: Development and validation
No full textIn Nigeria, it seems there is sparse of indigenous measure of emotional intelligence. Therefore, this research fills a gap in literature by developing a valid and reliable indigenous scale. To achieve this, the author combined the Bar-On and Goleman’s models of emotional intelligence. In Study 1, 255 items were generated and were reduced to 198 based on expert advice. At the end of several analyses, 52 items were retained. These items were put in a questionnaire form and administered to 850 students in a university. The author determined the factorial validity of the scale using a sample of 834 participants who returned the scale. The scale (using varimax rotation method) was then subjected to principal component analysis and 40 items were retained in a 7 well defined factor structure. The factors/dimensions include interpersonal skill (r = .77), empathetic response (r = .73), stress tolerance (r = .69), optimism (r = .75), assertiveness (r = .78), problem solving (r = .74) and flexibility (r = .80). The scale has convergent validity because of its positive relationship with empathy (r = .67) and social intelligence (r = .79) and negative relationships with aggression (r = -.41) and impulsiveness (r = -.32). A test re-test reliability of .79 was also established for the scale.</p
The IN Vitro Cytotoxic effect of Toxoplasma GondII-Activated macrophages on F1 and F10 B16 melanoma cells, 1979
No full textNon-specific cytotoxicity, mediated by Toxoplasma gondii activated macrophages for the F1 and F10 B16 melanoma cells in vitro, was examined in this study. In vitro cytotoxicity was assayed by measuring the release of tritiated thymidine from pre-labeled tumor cells during twenty four-hour and seventy-two hour assay periods. Pre-labeled cells were incubated with peritoneal macrophages obtained from either uninfected C57BL mice used as controls or mice latently infected with the C56 strain of Toxoplasma gondii. There were significant differences observed in the total percent of tritiated thymidine released spontaneously by the F1 and F10 B16 melanoma cells compared to F1 and F10 melanoma cells incubated with macrophages obtained from either latently infected mice or uninfected mice during both assay periods used. There was no significant difference in the percent tritiated thymidine released by the F1 and F10 melanoma cells incubated with normal macrophages, compared to melanoma cells incubated with macrophages obtained from latently infected mice. When lysozyme activity was measured as an index of macrophage activation, the extracts of macrophages derived from mice with latent infection showed evidence of greater lysozyme activity than the extracts of macrophages obtained from uninfected mice. There is evidence in this study to show that although infection with Toxoplasma gondii did confer increased activation on macrophages, this degree of activation was not sufficient enough to demonstrate enhanced cytotoxic effect of the macrophages on the F1 and. F10 Bl6 melanoma tumor cells, under the conditions of the assays used in this study
The Management of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) System and Its Impact on Mobility in Lagos State, Nigeria
No full textLagos is famous for its high traffic congestion and insufficient road infrastructure. This study examined the effect of BRT management and its influence on mobility in Lagos State. The study adopted a cross-sectional design involving data gathering through the primary data collection method using a closed-ended questionnaire purposively administered to 100 commuters of BRT buses in Lagos. The findings revealed a high positive relationship between managing the BRT system and mobility in Lagos State. Additionally, the findings indicate a robust and positive causal relationship between Lagos State’s BRT system and transportation development. The BRT system contributes to improving transportation infrastructure and other related aspects within Lagos State, and this relationship is statistically significant. With p \u3c 0.05, the relationship is not due to chance. However, the findings revealed that the inaccessibility of BRT buses, insecurity at the BRT stations, and the inability to integrate the BRT service with other transportation systems were the major constraints that bedevilled the BRT project in easing the mobility of Lagos residents. The study concluded that the BRT system management contributed significantly to Lagos State’s transportation development. This study recommended that Lagos should adopt a thorough and well-rounded transportation strategy that views the BRT network as a component of a wider network that includes buses, mini-buses, ferries, and other forms of transit
Psychiatrie Illness in African Students: “Brain Fag” Syndrome Revisited<sup>*</sup>
No full text For 20 years, since Prince originally introduced it, the term “brain fag syndrome” has been used to describe a variety of symptoms frequently reported by students in Africa. In this paper the author questions the validity of the use of the term on the basis of clinical evidence afforded by his work and reports in the literature. It is concluded that brain fag syndrome is a misnomer and that more specific diagnostic terms such as anxiety neurosis and depressive neurosis should be used in its place. </jats:p
Training of manpower in the marine fishing industry of Nigeria
No full textAlthough specialised agencies of ‘\u27the United Nations Organisation have assisted in the development of the Nigerian fishing industry, this assistance has been directed mainly to the organisation and management of traditional fishermen of the riverine villages whilst the less labour intensive and more productive industrial fishing at sea has been left to the exploitation of foreigners. More than 160 trawlers, some being more than 3,500 CRT, currently operate under licence in the exclusive economic zone of Nigeria and not one of them is manned entirely by Nigerians. The subject of manpower development in the sea-fishing industry of Nigeria is therefore one that is in need of urgent attention and so the purposes of this project are to direct attention to it, to the main problems associated with it and to offer some constructive suggestions concerning it. In the achievement of these ends, the author examines the international provisions for training, the relevant laws and regulations of Nigeria, the School of Fisheries already established in Nigeria and the general maritime training in the country. Using his experience of the training systems of some other countries, he then highlights the lessons to be learned and proposes possible solutions to the main problems identified
Factors Motivating Employee Participation in Decision-Making Process on Organisational Performance: Evidence From Osun State University, Nigeria
No full textEmployees play a vital role in the development of an organisation’s growth and continuous existence. Employees who are incorporated in the decision-making process see themselves as an imperative member of the organisation and as such commit their skills, ideas, initiatives, and expertise to the realisation of organisational set goals and objectives. However, in most organisations today, adequate attention has not been given to the participation of personnel in critical organisational decision-making process. Therefore, this study examined factors motivating personnel participation in decision-making process using Osun State University Nigeria. The study utilised primary and secondary data and adopted a descriptive research design. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. The population of the study (422) comprised academic staff, non-teaching staff and management team while 20% of the population 84 respondents were used as sample size for questionnaire administration. The findings of the study revealed that decentralisation of decision-making process, adequate feedback mechanisms, transparency, and accountability in the management of the institution, and proper clarification of procedures and rules regarding the administration of the institution among others were factors deployed for personnel involvement in decision-making process of the institution. The study concluded that employee contributions to the development of institutions cannot be undermined in today’s contemporary society. The study recommends among other bottom-to-top approaches to the implementation of the institution’s decision-making processes
The effectiveness of face coverings and the development of surface-functional masks against severe acute respiratory syndrome
No full textThe use of face coverings (FC) became prevalent globally in response to the COVID-19 pandemic caused by rapidly spreading severe acute respiratory syndromes virus (SARS-CoV-2). Masking is useful because SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted via respiratory droplets and the droplets can be removed by the fibers of fabrics through a series of filtration mechanisms. The use of barrier FC is also an anticipated public response in the face of future pandemics related to SARS. However, the use of FC as a measure of protection against infection was highly debated and not fully embraced. The controversy was because of lack of understanding of the effectiveness of masks, variation in experimental results, and limited available data-based evidence. As a result, the implementation of FC measures varies greatly from one location to another. The aim of our first study was to examine the effectiveness of FCs as a mitigating measure in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed the trends of daily new COVID-19 cases, cumulative confirmed infections, and infections per number of people in different states. Regression model was used to predict prevented number of cases among the states that implemented FC mandates. The high coefficient of determination values (R2) of our models ranged from 0.9774 to 0.9987. A distinctive downward trend was observed in the number of daily new cases and total confirmed infections in most states after state-wide FC mandates were enacted. Our results also indicated that FC may have prevented approximately 78,571 and 109,703 cases within 21- and 28-days post face coverings mandate, respectively. The results indicated a statistically significant (p < 0.05) negative correlation between the rate of infection and days since FC mandate began.
During the 2019 pandemic, there was an increase in demand for protective equipment, including face masks, which caused a global shortage. Therefore, homemade barrier FCs were recommended as alternatives by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control in situations where certified masks are not available or reserved for healthcare workers because of supply limitations. While alternative FCs were widely used during the pandemic, there were no standards outlining their minimum design, fit, performance, and testing requirements. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) later approved ASTM F3502-21 standard in 2021. The standard was primarily introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The intention was to ensure that barrier face coverings meet performance requirements. While this is good news, specialized equipment recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for mask certification and filtration efficiency testing may not be affordable to the manufacturers of homemade face coverings. We addressed these limitations in our next study that characterized and evaluated the performances of barrier face coverings and household fabrics commonly used during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods in the ASTM F3502-21 were used for the assessments. Results revealed that filtration efficiency and breathability varied considerably among fabric samples. Of the 16 mask types included in the study, 81.25% met the minimum breathability but only 31.25% met the minimum filtration efficiency in the standard. The efficiency of FC can be improved by increasing the number of fabric layers in FC; however, this may compromise breathability. Therefore, the selection of fabric materials with overall optimum or high performance is important for effective protection against respiratory infection through droplets and aerosols. We provided datasets on characterized fabric samples that can guide the selection of fabric for barrier FC.
In our last study, we explored the possibility of developing surface-functional PVA/ZnO electrospun nanowebs as a component of multilayer barrier face coverings to enhance blocking performance against SARS-CoV-2. We electrospun PVA/zinc acetate nanofibers as a precursor to PVA/ZnO that was obtained after calcination of the precursor samples under a controlled atmosphere. The formation of PVA/ZnO was examined by using an attenuated total reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer. The study inspired the possibility of surface-functional materials that can be incorporated into masks.Restricted until 06/2023. To request the author grant access, click on the PDF link to the left
