EFFECT OF FINANCIAL LEVERAGE ON FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF LISTED CONSUMER GOODS FIRMS IN NIGERIA

The study examines the effect of financial leverage on financial performance of listed consumer goods firms in Nigeria. Proxies to measure financial leverage are long-term debt and debt to equity, while the financial performance was proxied by gross profit margin. The study concentrated on the period from 2018 to 2022. Panel data was used to analyse the data sourced from the individual financial reports of the listed consumer goods firms. The sample adopted sixteen (16) listed consumer goods firms out the twenty (20) listed consumer goods firms in Nigeria due to unavailability of data. The study employed panel regression model to estimate the key relationship between financial leverage and gross profit margin. The result shows that Long-term debt had significant effect on gross profit margin of listed consumer goods firms in Nigeria, while, the result shows that debt to equity had no significant effect on gross profit margin of listed consumer goods firms in Nigeria. The study recommends the management of the consumer goods firms should critically examine the gross profit margin level before deciding the amount of debt or equity to employ to finance the firm’s investment, since debt financing is cheaper than equity financing. The study also recommends that consumer goods firms in Nigeria should consider higher percentage of long-term debt by encouraging more expansion as it will help financial manager to improve the financial performance of the firm

WORK PLACE ENVIRONMENT AND EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION IN THE FEDERAL FIRE SERVICE, ABUJA

This study examined the work environment's effect on employee satisfaction in the Federal Fire Service, Abuja. In order to explain how the physical, social, and leadership aspects of the work environment effect employee engagement, job satisfaction, and work-life balance at the Federal Fire Service in Abuja, a descriptive research approach was employed. Utilizing a quantitative research method, data was gathered via a carefully crafted questionnaire. The study used a census of 138 respondents from the Federal Fire Service in Abuja; however, when the questionnaire was sent, only 97 respondents responded. After using SPSS statistical tools to analyse the data collected, findings demonstrated that employee satisfaction at the Federal Fire Service, Abuja, was positively affected by the workplace environment. The research findings conclusion indicated that there exists a relationship between the work environment and the long-term job satisfaction of Federal Fire Service, Abuja employees. According to the findings, the Federal Fire Service in Abuja can enhance employee engagement, job satisfaction, and work-life balance by implementing effective leadership and creating a sustainable social and physical work environment

EFFECT OF JOB STRESS ON EMPLOYEE JOB SATISFACTION: EVIDENCE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MAIDUGURI, BORNO STATE NIGERIA

This study aims to investigate the effect of job stress on employee job satisfaction among the academic staff of the University of Maiduguri Borno State Nigeria. The study employed a survey research method with data collected using a questionnaire and distributed to different levels of academic staff. The study used a random sampling technique with a sample size of 302. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the relationships between various stress variables and job satisfaction. Results of the analysis revealed a low significant effect of health issues on employee job satisfaction emphasizing the importance of improving employee well-being for increased job satisfaction. Both workload and overtime were found not to have a significant effect on employee job satisfaction. The study concluded that while employees generally perceived their workload, overtime, and health status as manageable, there were significant differences in these perceptions. Job satisfaction levels also varied widely among employees. This variability warrants further investigation to understand its sources and to address factors affecting job satisfaction, which could be crucial for employee retention and productivity. The study suggested that the University of Maiduguri should implement stress management programs, review and adjust compensation packages, and promote healthy work-life balance to improve staff needs and ensure fairness

DEBT AND EQUITY ASSET COMPOSITION ON FIRM VALUE OF LISTED CONSUMER GOODS FIRMS IN NIGERIA

Firm value can be said to be a clear expression of a firms’ worth in the business environment in which it operates and is reflected in its profits generated with the share price as a sign of risk and returns from investment made by investors. This study examines debt and equity asset composition on firm value of listed consumer goods firms in Nigeria. Proxies to measure this are debt to total assets and equity to total assets, while the firm value is proxied by Tobin’s Q. The study concentrated on the period from 2016 to 2022. Panel data was used to analyse the data sourced from the individual financial reports of the listed consumer sectors. The sample adopted eighteen (18) listed consumer goods firms out of the twenty (20) listed consumer goods firms in Nigeria. The study employed panel regression model to estimate the key relationship between debt and equity asset composition and firm value. The result shows that equity to total assets had significant effect on Tobin’s Q, while debt to assets have no significant effect on Tobin’s Q of listed consumer goods firms in Nigeria. The study recommended that the management of the consumer goods firms should minimize debt financing due to the high interest rate and the volatility of market, this might negatively affect firm value while floating of their shares through equity financing, strengthening ownership structure, which will improve existing shareholders confidence and enhance firm value

HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE NIGERIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY: A REVIEW OF LITERATURE

The study examined health and safety in the construction industry in Nigeria. It identified the health and safety practices, the challenges in implementation and how they affect workers’ outcome in the construction industry. The study adopted a comprehensive review of the literature. It identified health and safety practices within the industry as risk assessment and management, proper use of personal protective equipment etc. It identified the challenges in implementing health and safety procedures in the construction industry to include lack of adequate regulatory enforcement and compliance mechanisms, prevalence of informal and precarious employment arrangements and many others. Furthermore, it reveals scarcity of empirical studies that examine health and safety outcomes of workers in the Nigerian construction industry.  The conclusion was that the scarcity of evidence on the effect of health and safety on worker’s outcomes in construction industry in Nigeria underscores the urgency for increased research and data collection initiatives to inform evidence-based policies and interventions within the construction sector. It was recommended among others that government agencies responsible for occupational health and safety regulation should strengthen enforcement mechanisms within the construction industry

IMPACT OF ICT ON INSURANCE BROKING IN NIGERIA

Information Communication Technology is playing a vital role in insurance broking in the Nigerian insurance industry. This study examined the use of this technology in driving insurance broking in Nigeria. The main aim of the study is to access how modern IT like Insurtech and Fintech could be used in insurance broking operations in the country. The simple research design was adopted for the study with a total of 100 insurance brokers were randomly selected for the study. The analysis of the collected primary data showed that majority of the respondents believed that the level of information communication technology awareness among insurance broking firms in Lagos State was low and as such there was low level of acceptance of information communication technology among board members of some insurance broking firms in Lagos State. The analysed data also showed that there was significant relationship between the adoption of information communication technology awareness and efficiency of insurance broking in Lagos State

EXTERNAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AND THE OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF SELECTED NIGERIAN DOMESTIC AIRLINES

This study aims to investigate external business environment on the operational performance of selected Nigerian domestic airlines. A descriptive survey research design was employed to systematically examine the relationship between the external business environment and operational performance. The population of the study was 3941 staff of the selected domestic airlines in Nigeria and using Taro Yamane statistical formula to determine the sample size of 363 respondents. Primary data was collected from 361 respondents working in selected domestic airlines in Nigeria using a structured questionnaire. Multiple regression technique, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and coefficient analysis were used to test the hypotheses in this study by using Statistic Package for Social Science (SPSS Version 27.0) to analyse the effect of external business environment on the operational performance of Nigerian domestic airlines. The findings revealed significant relationships between various external environmental factors and operational performance metrics in Nigerian domestic airlines. Based on the findings, it is concluded that the external business environment has a substantial effect on the operational performance of Nigerian domestic airlines. Therefore, it is recommended that airlines in Nigeria should adopt strategic measures to adapt to and leverage the opportunities presented by the external business environment

MODERATING ROLE OF FINTECH ON BUDGETARY CONTROL AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF NIGER STATE GOVERNMENT REVENUE GENERATING INSTITUTIONS

This study attempts to investigate the moderating role of Fintech on budgetary control and financial performance of Niger state government revenue-generating institutions. The study engaged quantitative, survey, and explanatory research strategies to achieve the study objectives. The study's population comprises 6,064 staff members from ten revenue-generating institutions in Niger State. The study uses purposive random sampling technique to select 381 sample size as indicated by Krejcie and Morgan's sample size determination table. The study uses partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) for data analysis. the study findings reveal that Budget Funding has a significant positive effect on financial performance. Additionally, it was found that FinTech significantly moderates the relationship between Budget Funding and Financial Performance, However, FinTech did not moderate the relationship between Budget Monitoring and Evaluation and Financial Performance. The study recommends that policy makers, revenue-generating institutions, and financial managers invest in and adopt advanced FinTech solutions.&nbsp

ORGANISATIONAL JUSTICE, ETHICAL LEADERSHIP AND NURSE QUALITY OF WORK-LIFE (QWL) IN PUBLIC HEALTHCARE FACILITY IN LAGOS STATE

As a significant predictor of the quality of work-life, organisational justice describes the degree to which a corporate organisation keeps to norms showcasing fairness and due diligence in its decision-making process. This study explores the relationship between organisational justice and nurses’ quality of work-life and investigates the mediating role of ethical leadership between organisational justice and quality of work-life among nurses in public healthcare facilities. The study investigates four dimensions (distributive, procedural, interactional and informational justice) of organisational justice on ethical leadership behaviour. The study used a cross-sectional design to administer the research instrument to the participants. It surveyed 297 nurses from the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) on a simple random basis. The study utilised both simple linear and multiple regression analysis to investigate the data from the nurses. Also, it used PROCESS Macro Hayes to analyse the mediating impact of ethical leadership between organisational justice and quality of work-life. The findings of the study discovered that procedural justice, distributive justice and interactional justice are related to ethical leadership in the public healthcare facility. The outcome of the study indicated a combined relationship between the dimensions of organisational justice in relationship with quality of work-life of nurses. It also demonstrated a direct and full mediating impact of ethical leadership between the constructs of organisational justice and quality of worklife.  The study concluded that the perception of organisational justice by the healthcare workforce is the beginning of improved work performance and better quality of work-life in public healthcare organisations

EMPLOYEE BURNOUT AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS IN AUCHI, EDO STATE, NIGERIA

This research work focuses on Employee Burnout and Organisational Performance of health care providers in Auchi Edo State Nigeria. Health care providers in Auchi Edo State is the focus of the study and attention is given to the extent to which emotional exhaustion, role ambiguity, Personal accomplishment, excess work load and depersonalization affects organizational performance. The population of the study consist of three hundred and fifty (350) staff from seven (7) hospitals in Auchi, Edo State. A sample size of one hundred and eighty-six (186) was determined using Taro Yamane formula. The questionnaire is the major instrument used in collecting data for this research and the data were further analysed using Pearson product Moment Correlation Coefficient and regression analysis with the help of statistical packages for social sciences (SPSS). Findings from the study reveal that there is a significant relationship between the emotional exhaustion, role ambiguity and excess workload with organizational performance. Personal accomplishment and time pressure had no significant relationship with organizational performance in this study. The study concludes that Burnout is high among healthcare workers, with greater prevalence among workers with poor health status, longer years of experience etc. The study recommended amongst others that; Managers should work towards improving the design of jobs in their organizations to increase motivation as high levels of motivation can result in reduced burnout rates and also management needs to pay attention to the effects of emotional exhaustion and carryout regular checkups for the psychological state of each member of staff