Work Related Factors and Office and Information Manager’s Performance in Indigenous Organizations in Bayelsa State

This study primarily focuses on the examination of the role of some work related factors and office and information manager’s performance. The major factors investigated are: modern computers, information infrastructure, and office interconnectivity in Yenagoa Metropolis. The study employed the descriptive survey research design. Questionnaire was used as the primary instrument for data collection, after which such data was analyzed using simple percentage and the parametric statistics of Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Findings revealed that there is a strong relationship between modern infrastructure and employee task commitment, thereby enhancing performance. It is also found that there is an association between automation of information infrastructure and office and information manager’s performance. Finally, it is also discovered that there is a relationship between interconnectivity of systems and office and information manager’s performance. It is, therefore, concluded that work related factors are not necessarily financial incentives alone, which stimulate office and information managers’ performance in indigenous work organizations. The study recommends that management should ensure proper training of office and information managers to acquire the necessary skills for optimal functioning. Keywords: Job satisfaction, work commitment, incentive DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/11-20-04 Publication date:July 31st 201

MANAGERS’ RATING OF MANAGERIAL SKILLS CONSIDERED NECESSARY FOR SUCCESS OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES FOR CURBING SOCIAL VICES IN RIVERS AND BAYELSA STATES

This study aimed at finding out the managerial skills considered necessary for the success of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs,) for curbing social vices in Rivers and Bayelsa States of Nigeria. Undertaking this study became eminent considering the failure rate of SMEs which directly or indirectly has lead to increase in social vices in the area of study. The study adopts descriptive survey design. 149 managers of SME’s in Rivers and Bayelsa States were purposively sampled. One research question guided the study and one null hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance. A validated structured questionnaire with reliability co-efficient of 0.87 was used for data collection. The data collected were analyzed using mean scores and standard deviation to answer the research question; while ANOVA was used to test the null hypothesis. The findings of the study revealed that all the identified managerial skills were considered highly necessary by the managers for the success of SMEs for curbing social vices. Also, the managers ‘years of working experiences had no effect on their responses. It was recommended among others that the SME unit of Ministry of Commerce and Industry should constantly organize seminars and conferences in collaboration with business and entrepreneurial education departments of tertiary institutions, to provide management skills to business owners and managers in the states. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, managerial skills, Small & Medium Enterprise

Reward System and Employee Work Attitude among Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State

This study examined the influence of reward system on employees work attitude among small and medium scale enterprises in Rivers State Nigeria. The study employed the survey study design. The study which was carried out in Port Harcourt metropolis, purposively selected a sample size of 125 from five (5) enterprises. The study adopted simple random sampling technique.  Questionnaire was the major instrument for data collection. Data generated were analyzed using the non-method of data analysis. Based on the analysis, findings show that pay influences the employees work attitude. Findings also show that the work environment, remunerations, such as wages, salaries, bring benefits, bonuses and incentives, significantly influence the work attitude of employees, which contribute greatly to organizational success. The study therefore, recommend that pay and other tangible rewards (extrinsic), should be paid to employees in the right quantity and quality. Also, training and re-training programmes should be encouraged to change employee’s attitude towards work. Keywords: reward system, employees, work attitude

DRY MATTER AND PROTEIN DEGRADABILITIES OF SOME FEED INGREDIENTS SOLD IN ABEOKUTA, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

A study was carried out to determine the chemical composition and evaluate the dry matter and crude protein degradabilities of some commercial feed ingredients sold in Abeokuta, Nigeria, viz corn offal, brewers dried grain, soybean meal, wheat offal, groundnut meal and maize meal. The feed samples as obtained from different sources were incubated in triplicates for 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 96 hours in 3 rumen-fistulated goats. The incubation was used to estimate the in sacco dry matter (DM) and N degradation characteristics. The dry matter contents of the feedstuffs ranged from 799.3 – 956.0 g/kg. All the feedstuffs recorded low crude protein contents and high washing loss at 0 hour. They recorded more than 70% dry matter degradability at 48 hours, which implied that they were all highly degradable in the rumen. Feeding these feedstuffs in large quantities terminants may lead to diarrhea and bloat due to the accumulation of methane and ammonia gases in the rumen. However, their incorporation into high fibre diets may be advantageous in supplying rumen degradable nutrients to complement the undegradable dietary nutrients from fibrous feeds.Â

The impact of high-mix, low volume products in semiconductor manufacturing

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering; in conjunction with the Leaders for Manufacturing Program at MIT, 2003.Includes bibliographical references (p. 75).by Vida A. Killian.S.M.M.B.A

Water demand forecasting accuracy and influencing factors at different spatial scales using a Gradient Boosting Machine

Understanding, comparing, and accurately predicting water demand at different spatial scales is an important goal that will allow effective targeting of the appropriate operational and conservation efforts under an uncertain future. This study uses data relating to water consumption available at the household level, as well as postcode locations, household characteristics, and weather data in order to identify the relationships between spatial scale, influencing factors, and forecasting accuracy. For this purpose, a Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM) is used to predict water demand 1–7 days into the future. Results show an exponential decay in prediction accuracy from a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 3.2% to 17%, for a reduction in group size from 600 to 5 households. Adding explanatory variables to the forecasting model reduces the MAPE up to 20% for the peak days and smaller household groups (20–56 households), whereas for larger aggregations of properties (100–804 households), the range of improvement is much smaller (up to 1.2%). Results also show that certain types of input variables (past consumption and household characteristics) become more important for smaller aggregations of properties, whereas others (weather data) become less important.Sanitary Engineerin