prefix: doi.org/10.52283/1.ajbmr |
Volume :4 Issue :1 Year : 2014
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NEW-TECHNOLOGIES AS A RECIPE FOR MITIGATING THE ILLS OF CAPITALISM AND UNDERDEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA
►Obah-Akpowoghaha, N.G, B.T. Badejo and Ogunmilade, A.
10.52283/NSWRCA.AJBMR.20140401A01
ABSTRACT
Capitalism as a concept that is alien to Africa traditions have been regarded as a philosophy that engendered inequality and conflict between and among Africans. Scholars like Karl Marx, Kwame Nkrumah, Walter Rodney, Jomo Kenyatta and other Marxism’s subscribers have always stressed the ills and the contradictions that are inherent in the capitalist system and attributing underdevelopment as a by-product of a capitalist system. However, the unprecedented nature of Information Technology (IT) in this 21st century has reformed and cause a paradigm shift in the practices and the interaction of political economy of emerging economy especially the operations of capitalism. While thousands of literature have laid emphasized on Adam Smith’s concepts of the market system and paying little attention to the dynamics of New Technology in the global system vis-à-vis capitalism. Hence, the paper examines new technologies as a means of mitigating underdevelopment and ills of capitalism in Africa and further made salient suggestions how New Technologies can be use to mitigate the ills of capitalist system in emergent economy in Africa. Consequently, in achieving this objective, the paper relies on secondary data such as textbooks, internet materials, etc.
Keywords: Capitalism. Capitalist-Contradictions. Underdevelopment. New-Technologies.-
AWARENESS, APPRECIATION AND FAMILIARITY WITH OPERATIONS RESEARCH AMONG MANAGERS IN QUOTED MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN NIGERIA
►C. J. Agorzie, G. O. Akinola, J. U. Monday and J. E. Ekpudu
ABSTRACT
Unconscious or informal application and failure to acknowledge the use of operations research (OR) approach by corporate managers has been going on globally for a very long time. This largely accounts for the inability of scholars to make accurate assessment of the level of application of operations research in the non-academic environment. It is therefore evident that asking an operations manager whether OR models or methodology is applied by his company may likely not produce a response that truly represents reality as some may be unknowingly making such applications. This study therefore examined the level of awareness of OR among corporations in the Nigerian manufacturing sector. It also assessed the extent of familiarity with OR models among managers in the manufacturing sector and their appreciation of OR techniques as a viable business decision-making tool. Consequently, steps that constitute the decision-making procedure of firms in the manufacturing industry of Nigerian economy were examined to determine the extent to which OR methodology or philosophy may have been incorporated.
Keywords: Operations Research, Managers, Business Decision-making, Manufacturing Sector-
EMPOWERING WOMEN THROUGH MICRO-FINANCE: Evidence from Nigeria
►Oladayo Nathaniel Awojobi
ABSTRACT
There have been contentious academic debates on the validity of Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs) impacting women’s empowerment positively. Some empirical findings have revealed that micro-finance services act as a panacea toward empowering women. However, there has been sharp criticism from some economic experts on the notion that micro-finance can aid women’s empowerment. This paper examines the impact of micro-credit on women’s empowerment in Lagos, Nigeria. Using the quantitative method from Lagos, the study shows women who take part in MFIs projects have been empowered economically and socially. In all, a total of 40 women who are clients to micro-finance institutions participated in the survey. The data obtained were analysed and transcribed. The results show a significant improvement in the household well-being, income and employment, and women’s empowerment, as a result of participating in micro-finance programmes. However, all the respondents bemoaned the high interest rates being charged by the MFIs, as a result of this, the paper recommends that the regulatory authority should monitor the conduct of most of the MFIs vis a vis the high interest rate.
Keywords: Empowerment, Income, Micro-finance, Micro-credit, Well-being, Women-
ASSESSMENT OF ERGONOMIC HAZARDS AND TECHNO-STRESS AMONG THE WORKERS OF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY, ILE-IFE, OSUN STATE, NIGERIA
►Emmanuel Olaniyi, Dunmade, Jonathan Funminiyi, Adegoke and Ayodeji Akinlolu, Agboola
ABSTRACT
Advances in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) provide organization opportunities for access to information and enable new work arrangements that were previously not possible. However, ICT have also brought about increasingly complicated ways of doing business in the workplace with its attendant physical and emotional stress on workers which resulted in higher levels of turnover and absenteeism, higher cost of retraining staff and negative effect on productivity. The main focus of this paper therefore, is to examine the prevalence of ergonomic hazards and associated techno-stress among the academic and non-academic staff and also to ascertain the effect of techno-stress on the performance of individual university employee. Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria was used as a case study. Cross sectional survey design using questionnaire to collect primary data to assess the degree of ergonomic hazards experienced by the staff, the relationship between ergonomic hazard and techo-stress as well as the impact of techno-stress on their productivity was adopted as the methodology for this study. Descriptive and inferential statistics were then used to analyse data. Findings revealed that university staff are suffering from ergonomic hazards; quite a number of them lack knowledge of health problem and stress associated with ICT usage; and that there is positive relationship between ergonomic hazards and techno-stress; and finally techno-stress have negative consequences on individual worker’s performance.
Keywords: Ergonomic, Ergonomic Harzards, Techno-stress, Information and Communication Technology
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