Managerial Ownership and Tax Avoidance of Listed Companies in Nigeria with Profitability as Mediating Variable

This paper examines the mediating effect of profitability on the relationship between managerial ownership and tax avoidance of listed companies in Nigeria. The study employed a correlational research design using data from the Nigeria Exchange Group (NGX) over the period of twelve years (2010-2021). Data was extracted from the annual report and accounts of the 121 out of 156 companies that were listed for the period. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were used as techniques for data analysis while Monte Carlo model was used to determine the level of significance of the indirect effects and the hypotheses formulated were tested. The study’s findings demonstrate that managerial ownership affects tax avoidance behavior and that the relationship between managerial ownership and tax avoidance is mediated by the level of profitability. Based on these findings, the study recommended that shareholders need to pay closer attention to corporate tax matters to verify that the business has complied with its tax duties accurately and completely. Also, to reduce the level of principal-agent conflicts and enhance tax avoidance by monitoring management activities, listed companies in Nigeria should encourage managerial shareholding because some directors do not have share in sampled companies. Furthermore, the findings could be employed to inform policy makers on effective managerial shareholding on tax avoidance among listed companies in Nigeria

Renewable Energy, Regulation, Employment and Environmental Sustainability in Sub-Saharan Africa

This paper examines the impact of employment, regulatory quality and urbanization on environmental quality by using renewable energy as a metric of environmental indicator in sub-Saharan Africa. The environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) theory was used as the theoretical framework while the difference Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) was utilised as the estimation technique. 45 sub-Saharan African countries covering the period of 2008 to 2016 were used as the sample size. The result reveals that increase in employment and income is at expense of environmental quality while regulation quality and urbanization increase environmental quality. As such, policymaking in the region should support the development of renewable energy by providing incentives that encourage private sector investment in renewable energy; implement sound policies and regulations that promote private sector employment and smart cities development. Keywords: Renewable energy; environment, regulation, employment, sub-Saharan Africa DOI: 10.7176/DCS/9-7-04 Publication date:July 31st 201

Jatropha curcas oil as a bio-based rejuvenating agent for reclaimed asphalt pavement mixtures

Recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) is the most effective way to reduce the use of fresh asphalt binder and to consider its application at a higher percentage for the preparation of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA). Use of RAP in HMA helps to lower the consumption of virgin aggregates and binder, consequently the construction cost and conservation of energy. This research investigates the performance of Jatropha curcas oil (JCO) as a bio-based rejuvenating agent for reclaimed asphalt binders and mixtures. The optimum JCO content was determined through asphalt binder test. A total of 4% JCO by mass of asphalt binder (40% RAP + 60% virgin binder) was incorporated into the binder and mixtures. The effects of JCO on asphalt binder and mixture were investigated via physical properties test, bleeding test, diffusion test, rheological properties, chemical properties and mixtures performance test, respectively. The test results show that the incorporation of JCO with virgin binder decreased the viscosity and improved the visco-elastic properties of the rejuvenated binder. Viscosity reduction was also observed when JCO incorporated with reclaimed asphalt binder. Hence, this indicates the potential to reduce the production temperature of the RAP mixture. From the rheological master curves, the addition of JCO decreased the complex modulus values compared to the virgin binder sample. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) test results showed the ability of JCO to reduce the effects of aging. The performance of recycled asphalt mixtures was improved in terms of workability, while reducing the fuel requirement and GHG emissions gas released during the production of the mixtures. Moreover, the addition of JCO improves the adhesion between the recycled binder and aggregate, therefore, providing more resistance to moisture damage

Zakah on employment income in Muslims majority states of Nigeria: Any cause for alarm?

This paper aims at adding to reliable solutions of the menace of poverty in the Muslim majority states of Nigeria by providing facts that buttress the payment of Zakah on employment and professional income as a powerful source of funds for dealing with the harsh effect of poverty among Muslim communities.The paper is purely a literature review research that explores the jurisprudential debate and ruling on Zakah on employment income and traces how some Muslim majority jurisdictions benefitted immensely towards eradicating poverty using proceeds from Zakah on employment and professional income.In view of this, the paper recommends to those in authority to take a juristic stance on the matter and generate Zakah funds from employment and professional income as well as ensure proper disbursement of the funds to the target group in order to curb the poverty situations of the Muslim majority states in Nigeria and beyond

The Use of Plastic Fiber for Minimizing Stripping Potential of Bituminous Mixture

One of the effects of water in bituminous pavement is the stripping of aggregates from the mixture causing severe distresses such as potholes. In this study, fiber was produced using recycle plastics and it was used as reinforcement in bituminous mixture against moisture damage. The reinforcements were 0.3%, 0.5% 0.7% and 1.0% of the total weight of bituminous mixture with a view to determine the effective fiber dosage. The stripping potential of control and fiber reinforced mixtures were determined using moisture susceptibility test. From the test results, highest tensile strength ratio (TSR) was obtained in mixtures containing 0.5% recycle plastic fiber. The result also indicated higher indirect tensile strength for both dry and saturated at 0.5% plastic fiber reinforcement. For 0.7% and 1.0% recycle plastic fiber reinforced bituminous mixture, both tensile strength and tensile strength ratio were low compared to that of control mixture. From this study, reinforcing bituminous mixture using 0.5% recycle plastic proved to be effective in improving stripping resistance

GPT Models in Construction Industry: Opportunities, Limitations, and a Use Case Validation

Large Language Models(LLMs) trained on large data sets came into prominence in 2018 after Google introduced BERT. Subsequently, different LLMs such as GPT models from OpenAI have been released. These models perform well on diverse tasks and have been gaining widespread applications in fields such as business and education. However, little is known about the opportunities and challenges of using LLMs in the construction industry. Thus, this study aims to assess GPT models in the construction industry. A critical review, expert discussion and case study validation are employed to achieve the study objectives. The findings revealed opportunities for GPT models throughout the project lifecycle. The challenges of leveraging GPT models are highlighted and a use case prototype is developed for materials selection and optimization. The findings of the study would be of benefit to researchers, practitioners and stakeholders, as it presents research vistas for LLMs in the construction industry.Comment: 58 pages, 20 figure

A Review on the Causes, Effects and Mitigation of Climate Changes on the Environmental Aspects

Abstract Climate change is often used interchangeably with the term global warming but, it is a much broader term which includes global warming and some other climate changes that are observed on our planet over the last few decades. In recent time climate change impacts are being felt, the average global temperature is on the rise every decade since the 1970s. Sea ice and glaciers are disappearing, rising sea levels, species are becoming extinct, droughts that render landscape more susceptible to wildfires, changing seasons and severe weather events are becoming more common. These are problems primarily caused by the emission of greenhouse gases into the environment that results to rise in global temperature. There seems to be a consensus among scientist, researchers and all other stakeholders that climate change is already happening and primarily caused by human activities, a few disagree with this view and attribute climate change as a natural phenomenon. The objective of this paper is to (i) introduce climate change in our world today, (ii) enumerate significant causes of climate change in our environment, as well as the effects (iii), suggest ways the impact of climate change due to GHG emissions and other contributors can be mitigated

Artificial neural network application in sediment prediction: a review

The development of an accurate sediment prediction model is a priority for all hydrological researchers. Several conventional approaches showed an inability to predict suspended sediment correctly. These approaches fall short in understanding the transport of sediments behaviour in rivers because of its complex, non-stationary, and non-linear nature. There have been important advances in the theoretical understanding of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) over the last few decades, as well as algorithmic techniques for their implementation and applications of the approach to hydrological and practical problems. ANN and other machine learning models have been used in predicting complex non-linear relationships and patterns of large input parameters to achieve the desired output. This chapter reviews several relevant works of literature on sediment transport prediction while focusing on a wide range of ANN applications. ANN sediment transport models have increasingly attracted several researchers over the past years. Therefore, the need to acquire in-depth knowledge about their theory and modelling approaches. Besides, this chapter provides an overview of the ANN approach and other emerging machine learning hybrid models, which have yielded satisfactory results. Also, provided in this review are several examples of successful applicability of ANN in sediment prediction

CONSUMPTION OF EDIBLE-INSECTS: THE CHALLENGES AND THE PROSPECTS

Alternative sources of proteins are necessary to tackle the foreseeing challenge of protein scarcity. Insects were among the foods consumed by early man and they are still vital components in the diets of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Social barriers are limiting their global acceptance, their consumption is intimately attached to location and culture, and their nutritional values are not known to many. Their consumption is associated with taboos and pessimisms, and are seen as something filthy, not something decent to be consumed. Literature used was gathered through an online search on Google Scholar and Science Direct database. Disgust, food neophobia, lack of awareness, unavailability, and personality traits are the major barriers to edible-insect acceptance among consumers. Accepting edible-insects as food depends greatly on location, eating habit, prior experience, age, gender, and religion of a consumer. Follow-up studies after the first introduction will give clues on the acceptance level, help understand reasons for the rejection, and allows the application of alternative and better solutions to rejection problems. Entomophagy advocate should intensify their efforts and attract more consumers in the West and other parts of the globe. Research collaborations between applied and social sciences are necessary to win the affection of new consumers and convinced their psych and emotion during the first introduction. Creating awareness on the nutritional, health, and environmental benefits of using insects as a novel protein, processing to completely mask insect presence, and producing products with a close resemblance with meat will certainly promote global insect consumption

Air voids characterisation and permeability of porous asphalt gradations used in different countries

This paper presents the evaluation made on the properties of porous asphalt mixtures practiced in different countries. In order to fully understand the properties of porous asphalt mixtures, investigation should be conducted from different perspectives. Therefore this study was carried out to investigate the air voids properties and functional performance of porous asphalt simultaneously. An image analysis technique was conducted to analyse the air void properties within the gyratory compacted samples captured using a non-destructive scanning technique of X-ray Computed Tomography (CT). The results were then compared to the functional performance in terms of permeability. Four aggregate gradations of porous asphalt used in different countries i.e. Malaysia, Australia, Singapore and the United States were adopted for comparison. From the analysis, Australian mixture was found with the most homogeneous air voids distribution throughout the sample compared to other mixtures. The air void properties investigated have successfully described the air voids formation within the mixtures which reflects the result of permeability. This shows that air voids distribution within the sample plays an important role in determining the effectiveness of water transmission