Intellectual Property Rights And Economic Growth In Selected African Countries

The productive behaviour of some selected Africa countries is investigated through protection of intellectual property rights. The study makes use of secondary data spanning within 1995 and 2015 and used dynamic panel GMM technique to analyse the data. It was observed that in the selected countries, protection of intellectual property right had a negative impact on economic growth in the selected countries. The implication of this is that, developing countries must seek ways of protecting intellectual property assets without compromising their objective of industrial growth and development

SUCCESSFUL MODELS IN MANAGING PRIVATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES

This write-up considered the evolution of libraries in Nigeria which of course cannot be separated from the history and development of universities. The development of libraries in private universities can also not be separated from that of public libraries. Therefore, the Management Models of libraries in private universities may not really be different from that of public libraries, however, the uniqueness in the set -up of private universities has warranted the adoption of unconventional management models in running such university libraries. These models include Management By Groping Along (MBGA) or The Chess Management Model, The Participatory Management Model, and The Intersection Management Model. In this study, a robust suggestion was made to Proprietors (Visitors) of Private Universities on ways of making private universities, and by extension, the Libraries World Class and attracting the respect and recognition of stakeholders in the academic world. It is recommended that experienced candidates should be engaged as University Librarians from the inception of universities to occupy the positions. Equally important are issues bordering on the restructuring of personnel and budget deductions which are abnormally and usually experimented from libraries, this practice is expected to be discontinued

Implementation and Utilization of an Open Source Library Management System: Experience with Koha 3.06 at Redeemers University Library, Nigeria

Open source has been the center of attention most especially in academic libraries world for the past several years. The current momentum of open source ILS adoption makes it almost inevitable that it will represent an increasing portion of the library automation landscape. Koha is considered as a highly sophisticated Integrated Library System (ILS) in the open source domain which offers full featured ILS including OPAC, circulation, cataloguing, acquisitions, serials control etc.The purpose of this paper was to describe the redeemer’s university library Koha 3.06 library management system (LMS) implementation, experience and utilization by both library staff and users. The study adopted a survey design, using questionnaire as the instrument for gathering of data, to sample user’s opinion on the software utilization and general perception, and also to evaluate level of satisfaction of library staffs. A total of 17 library staff and 90 undergraduate students participated in the study. The data collected were analyzed using simple percentage tables. The data analysis revealed that its excellent features have made it popular and continues to receive improvement and upgrade by the library patrons. It has also increased the use of OPAC by library patrons in searching for library resources from any comfort zone.The findings also revealed that the level of satisfaction and utilization by library staff were very high due to its friendly interface. It concludes by proffering solutions to the observed problems like staff training and retraining on software design and networking, fostering synergy with some units of the universities such as Information and Communication Technology (I.C.T.) Unit of the university for the purpose of strengthening the system. Keywords: KOHA, OPAC, ILS, LM

Public-Private Partnership as Mechanism for Employment Creation in Nigeria

Public-Private Partnership could be defined as the collaboration between two for improved services to bring about change that will influence employment creation and boost the economy of any country. In this paper, it is perceived as a twin sister that could work together for effectiveness and efficiency to promote employment creation. While on the other hand, employment creation is the process of creating new jobs, especially for people who are unemployed. With the current trend in Nigeria, public-private partnership seems to be the best option in resolving the menace of unemployment. There are valuable physical and mineral resources in Nigeria which could be used to create employment at local, national and international level. However, public sector has been pulling weight in offering employment to Nigerian youths, but due to the series of organizational problems it has been difficult for the public sector to cope with the fast growing population in terms of employment. Hence, this paper discussed the necessity for public-private partnership for employment creation in Nigeria. The paper examines the possible partnership areas between public and private sectors for employment creation in Nigeria. It elucidates the possible benefits and challenges of public-private partnership on employment creation. The paper recommended tapping of resources available in the socio-political zones to create jobs as well as vibrant economic policies and stable political climate which be put in place to enhance effective partnership between public and private sectors for employment creation. Key words: Public-Private Partnership, Employment creatio

EFFECT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION ON BUSINESS PERFORMANCE OF SELECTED SMES IN LAGOS STATE

Small and medium enterprises had been so long recognized as a major contributor of growth of economy of nations and understanding the factors affecting their performances, especially in developing nations, are of paramount. This project work, on aforementioned reason, aims to find out the effect of entrepreneurial orientation; innovativeness, risk-taking, proactiveness and autonomy on business performances; sales-growth, profitability as well as customer satisfaction using case study of SMEs in Alimosho local government area in Lagos. Questionnaires were used as instrument to gather information from a population of 240 which was drawn out randomly from about 600 firms in the area to carry out the study with descriptive research design. The data gathered were sorted then analyzed with regression analysis method and the findings show that: i) innovativeness does not necessarily influence sales growth of SMEs. ii) risk-taking orientation has significant influence on profitability of firm, iii) proactiveness is indeed an influencer of sales growth of firms generally and lastly, iv) autonomous behaviour has a positive impact on customer satisfaction. In addition, the study also provides valuable ideas, figures and facts that can be employed by SMEs owners, academic scholars, researchers, students and government in understanding the significant impact of entrepreneurial orientation on business performance of SMEs. If there is appropriate consideration on the recommendations made in this study, there will be an improvement in business performance and profitability which will have a significant impact on the nation’s GDP, create employment opportunities and more so stimulate economic growth and development. Meanwhile, comparative studies can still be carried out in several other sectors of the economy where these SMEs can be found and other entrepreneurial firms in other parts of the country should also be considered as respondents for further investigation apart from Lagos State where this work is carried out

Living without the State: A Rear View Mirror of Nigeria\u27s 50 Years of Independence

The purpose of this analysis is twofold. First, it undertakes a critical review of Nigeria’s performance within the five decades of its nationhood. Second, it compares its performance vis-à-vis a number of new states which started almost at the same time in both Africa and Asia using basic economic and political indicators. The article, however, infers that Nigerian political-economic performance is appalling, which has subjected citizens to living almost without the state in all ramifications. For a balanced view, the analysis argues that although there are few giant strides in terms of educational development and reduction in infant mortality as a result of improved health facilities, the gap between intent and actual practices is still very wide. The analysis recommends that the policymakers should visualize the next five decades and formulate appropriate reforms so that Nigeria may not eventually become a failed state

The Role of Road Transportation in Local Economic Development: A Focus on Nigeria Transportation System

The transport sector is an important component of the economy; impacting on development and the welfare of populations. Road transportation penetrates further into the nooks and cranny of the human environment than other means of transportation. This study probes again into the relationship between a viable transport system and economic development. Specifically, the intertwine between local economic development and road transportation is revealed. It pinpoints the unique functions and the associated benefits of road transportation in the development of local economies in Nigeria. Furthermore, a brief assessment (involving issues of road condition, adequacy and maintenance) of the road transport system in Nigeria is carried out. Drastic measures which include a holistic or integrated approach to road transportation planning and management are suggested in order to move the economy of the nation forward. Keywords: economy, economic development, road, transportation, Nigeri

Precision Medicine of Autoimmune Diseases

Genomic-based information is an essential key to precise therapy referred to as personalized medicine. Its application in autoimmune disease treatment will bring the required breakthrough in medicine. Autoimmune diseases are the disease conditions where the body’s immune system recognizes and generate an immune response against self-antigens. There exist different approaches of which precision medicine data can be utilized in the clinical management of autoimmune diseases; this includes diagnosis, prognosis, stratification and treatment response prediction. Different markers exist to guide clinical decision while several others are still being identified and proposed. This chapter highlights data and databases in precision medicine of autoimmune diseases and the pathway for data sharing. The precision medicine of selected autoimmune diseases was discussed, and the different biomarkers utilized in the diagnosis, prognosis, stratification and response monitoring of such condition were considered

Participation and Hindrances to Students’ Recreation at Selected Universities in Ondo State, Nigeria

Recreation has several benefits, one of which is the health advantage that it brings to those who engage in it. Apart from being beneficial to health, one of the other benefits is in connection with good academic performance that it stimulates. This study focused on three selected public universities in Ondo State, Nigeria. It investigates the availability of recreational facilities, students' level of participation in recreational activities, and hindrances to students’ recreational participation in the selected universities. A purposive sample of 300 students was adopted and disaggregated into 106, 139 and 55 for the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), and Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa (OSUSTECH) respectively, using the relative population of students in the three universities. Data acquisition instruments included a questionnaire, interview and observation. The questionnaire administration involved a multi-stage sampling procedure that cumulated in obtaining data from the final-year students of each university's faculties and departments. Findings revealed that students' participation in recreation was at low ebb in the three universities with varying degrees of hindrances to participation across the institutions. Poor or absent facilities were the most dominant hindrance to recreation. The worst case was in OSUSTECH where the school authority did not provide any recreational facility on campus. Recommendations include sensitization programs to enlighten students on the need for recreation and the benefits of same to their health and educational pursuit; and upscaling of recreational facilities in the studied institutions

Towards a Crime-Free Housing: CPTED versus CPSD

Attempts to keep a crime-free residential neighbourhood have variously necessitated the adoption of the concepts of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) and Crime Prevention through Social Development (CPSD). However, there had been a sharp argument between environmental design professionals and sociologists cum criminologist for and against the suitability of the concepts in crime prevention. There has been a paucity of study analysis on the veracity of these criticisms. Sequel to this, the study carefully analyses and explores the various criticisms for and against the two approaches with a view to enhancing better implementation and performance. The strengths and weaknesses of each of the concepts were drawn from an in-depth search into related literature like journals, textbooks, unpublished theses and research reports. Findings show that most of the criticisms were constructive and have resulted in theory/policy improvement. This paper recommends a synergy between the two to form Crime Prevention through Social and Environmental Development (CPSED) having certified that the two concepts are beneficial in crime prevention. Efforts towards this direction should be intensified to achieve a crime-free residential neighbourhood. Keywords: Crime, crime prevention, CPTED, CPSD, Housing security