Do Leadership Structure and Team Trust Drive Organisational Performance? Empirical Approach

Purpose: Over the years, manufacturing firms have struggled to achieve maximum productivity because such organizations lack good leadership, work-team, and persons with the team leading skills to lead work-teams. The problem of leadership structure of work-teams in most Nigerian firms was the motivating factor for this research. Thus, the aim of this paper is to assess the effect of team trust and leadership structure on performance of manufacturing firms in Niger Delta Region of Nigeria.   Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework is hinged on Self-Leadership Theory, which focused on participatory decision making, individual discretion and team work as important motivating factor and suggestions that will lead more committed employees who strive for greater efficiency and effectiveness.   Design/Methods/Approach: Two specifics objectives are considered; the first being team trust and the other being leadership structure. Using a descriptive survey research design, 534 respondents in nine states in Nigeria were examined to obtain their perceptions.   Findings: The results of the analysis indicated that the performance of manufacturing firms is dependent on team-work. In other words, acceptable and planned team-building had direct relationship with performance of firms.   Research, Practical and Social Implication: The study shows that team trust and leadership structure are major drivers of organizational performance.   Originality/Value: The value of the study is vital to manufacturing firms such that top management are advised to create teams whereby members should create increased trust among themselves by communicating openly and avoiding activities purely out of self-interest and reciprocating help from team mates for better results in manufacturing industries

Managing Diversity at Work: Key to Organisational Survival

The indispensible nature of diversity management as a concept is no longer contestable, because it has become a major requirement for any organisation that wants to optimize the productivity of its workforce. Organisations are now faced with intense competition arising from a globalized workforce that necessitates the application of diversified management principles, culture and managerial thinking. One of the effects of a globalized workforce is that it places a high expectation on organisational managers on the need to achieve a higher premium on effective management of diversified workforce.  Globalization in this 21st century has brought with it a higher than normal requirement to strike a balance between mono-cultural and multicultural workforce. This is caused by  heterogeneous background in terms of our biological and physical characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, educational,  political and  religious beliefs, just to mention a few.  It is on the basis of the above, that public and private organisations need to develop a culture that is compatible with diversification of workforce in order to remain relevant in a fast changing and globalized economy. This paper aims at evaluating the various ways in which diversity in organisations can be managed to ensure the survivability of global organisations in fulfilling the need of both the local market and the world market at large. Managing diversity effectively will unfold how to plan and develop a good diversity audit   in an organisation with a view to developing a robust program for your needs as well as creating an organisational culture that encourages diversity in order maximize the productivity of your workforce, build an all embracing multicultural work teams, design interesting meetings that work for everyone, and recruit, select, motivate, and promote a diverse workforce. Furthermore, managing diversity in organisations involves maintaining work-life balance; diversity sensitivity training; improved management information system on diversity; mentoring as part of staff development; and attitude change. Keywords: diversity; organisational survival; cultural diversity; mono-culture;  multi-cultur

Knowledge-Sharing Practice as a Tool in Organizational Development in Nigerian Higher Educational Institutions

AbstractUnderstanding knowledge management is key to understanding organizational development and innovations. Inadequate knowledge-sharing practices in Nigerian educational institutions has impeded innovation and management development. The purpose of this qualitative modified Delphi study was to seek consensus among administrators from Nigerian educational institutions and scholars from Nigerian universities regarding knowledge-sharing practices that nourish innovation in Nigerian higher educational institutions. The organizational development framework was used to guide the study. Data collection included a nonprobability purposive sampling of 25 participants and three rounds of surveys administered online. A consensus was reached on eight factors after coding and thematic analysis: setting knowledge-sharing expectations, developing a culture of respect, holding staff accountable, enforcing a zero-tolerance policy, confidentiality of reporting, communicating expected knowledge-sharing behavior, open communication, and investigating inappropriate knowledge-sharing behaviors. The implications for positive social change include better knowledge-sharing practices for the organization and its communities. Findings may also be used to promote the use of organizational resources due to a better understanding of collecting and sharing knowledge within Nigerian higher educational institutions

Knowledge-Sharing Practice as a Tool in Organizational Development in Nigerian Higher Educational Institutions

AbstractUnderstanding knowledge management is key to understanding organizational development and innovations. Inadequate knowledge-sharing practices in Nigerian educational institutions has impeded innovation and management development. The purpose of this qualitative modified Delphi study was to seek consensus among administrators from Nigerian educational institutions and scholars from Nigerian universities regarding knowledge-sharing practices that nourish innovation in Nigerian higher educational institutions. The organizational development framework was used to guide the study. Data collection included a nonprobability purposive sampling of 25 participants and three rounds of surveys administered online. A consensus was reached on eight factors after coding and thematic analysis: setting knowledge-sharing expectations, developing a culture of respect, holding staff accountable, enforcing a zero-tolerance policy, confidentiality of reporting, communicating expected knowledge-sharing behavior, open communication, and investigating inappropriate knowledge-sharing behaviors. The implications for positive social change include better knowledge-sharing practices for the organization and its communities. Findings may also be used to promote the use of organizational resources due to a better understanding of collecting and sharing knowledge within Nigerian higher educational institutions

Assessment of Oxidative Stress Indices in Tissues of Cadmium-challenged Female Wistar Rats Treated with Combined Ethanolic Leaf Extract of Manihot esculenta and Citrus sinensis

This research assessed the oxidative stress indices in tissues of cadmium-challenged female Wistar rats treated with combined ethanolic leaf extract of Manihot esculenta and Citrus sinensis. Eighteen female rats (150±20g) were divided put into three (3) groups:  Group 1 (received feed and water only); Group 2 (received single dose of cadmium, 30mg/kg body weight at the start of the experiment) and Group 3 (received cadmium as in group 2 above and 200mg/kg body weight of combined extract of orange and cassava leaf, daily for two weeks). Cadmium load in the tissues of the rats were analyzed using AAS after acid digestion and oxidative stress indices were analyzed using standard procedures. Data obtained showed that the cadmium tissue load (̅±SD, μg/g tissue) were 0.005±0.0007 (liver), 0.007±0.0004 (kidney); 55.4±5.2 (liver), 28.3±4.6 (kidney); and 13.6±2.3 (liver), 20.7±2.5 (kidney) for Groups 1, 2 and 3 respectively. There was a higher concentration of Cd in the liver and kidney of rats exposed to Cd alone (Group 2) compared to the control (Group 1) and Cd-challenged rats treated with combined leaf extract of Manihot esculenta and Citrus sinensis (Group 3).  Exposure to Cd alone caused significant (p<0.05) increase in lipid peroxidation and glutathione peroxidase in the liver and kidney compared to the control. Conversely, the administration of Cd alone to rats caused significant (p<0.05) reduction in the level of glutathione and the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase compared to the control in both tissues. Significant amelioration was witnessed in all the parameters in Cd-challenged rats treated with the extract compared to rats challenged with Cd alone. The results show that Cd-induced oxidative stress can be countered effectively by combined leaf extract of Manihot esculenta and Citrus sinensis which is rich in antioxidant molecules

Effect of Imbibition Time on Hormonal Changes of Germinating Tamarindus indica and Prosopis juliflora

Imbibition time and hormonal changes play a significant role in seed germination. This study, evaluated the effects of some phytohormones; indole acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellin and cytokinins) and imbibition time (0, 48 and 96 hours) on Tamarindus indica and Prosopis juliflora. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine the concentrations of the hormones. Results indicated significantly higher and faster in P. juliflora than T. indica. The germination rate was 4.1 - 68.1% and 4.0 - 61.4%, and model for inhibition time 28.256ln(x) and 25.791ln(x), respectively. Similarly, results also expressed highly significant variable changes in the concentrations of the four studied phytohormones between T. indica (0.491 - 0.705 mg/ml) and P. Juliflora (0.109 - 1.130 mg/ml). The concentrations of IAA and ABA were significantly higher by 60.6% and 77.7% in the seeds of T. indica than P. juliflora, respectively. P. juliflora had 37.6% and 12.5% higher cytokinin and gibberellin than T. indica, respectively. Cytokinin (0.7951 - 1.0939 mg/ml), gibberellins (0.535 - 0.757 mg/ml), IAA (0.363 - 0.419 mg/ml) and ABA (0.250 - 0.335 mg/ml) also varied significantly over the periods. In general, cytokinin and gibberellins increased by 8.1 - 27.3% and 22.9 - 23.0%, while that of IAA and ABA decreased 13.6 - 15.4% and 26.4 - 34.0%, over the imbibitions time of 0-96 hours. In conclusion, higher germination of P. juliflora is attributed to cytokinin and gibberellins, and the lower germination in T. indica to the higher inhibitory effects of IAA and ABA

TINDAK GURU PAI-BP DALAM PENGELOLAAN PEMBELAJARAN DARING BERBASIS EDMODO DI SMPN 1 KOTA MOJOKERTO

Penelitian ini berangkat dari pengamatan penulis terhadap kegiatan pengelolaan kelas daring dan pembelajaran daring berbasis Edmodo yang berlangsung di SMPN 1 Kota Mojokerto pada kelas VIII.A. Dimana kegiatan ini merupakan kegiatan yang menarik untuk dikaji, karena pengelolaan kelas daring dan pembelajaran daring dilakukan di dalam aplikasi Edmodo, penelitian ini berjudul “Tindak Guru PAI-BP Dalam Pengelolaan Pembelajaran Daring Berbasis Edmodo Di SMPN 1 Kota Mojokerto” . Tujuan penelitian ini adalah sebagai berikut: (1) Mendeskripsikan tindak guru PAI-BP dalam pengelolaan pembelajaran daring berbasis Edmodo di SMPN 1 Kota Mojokerto. (2) Mendeskripsikan faktor pendukung dan penghambat guru PAI-BP dalam pengelolaan pembelajaran daring berbasis Edmodo di SMPN 1 Kota Mojokerto. Metode yang digunakan adalah pendekatan kualitatif deskriptif. Metode pengumpulan data yang digunakan adalah wawancara, observasi, dan dokumentasi. kemudian dilakukan pengecekan keabsahan data dengan cara: (1) reduksi data, (2) penyajian data, (3) penarikan kesimpulan. Hasil penelitian ini dapat diketahui bahwa, tindak guru PAI-BP berupa peran meliputi: (1) peran sebagai pendidik (2) peran sebagai pengajar (3) peran sebagai pembimbing. Faktor pendukung dan penghambat dalam pengelolaan pembelajaran online berbasis Edmodo antara lain: (1) faktor siswa (2) faktor fasilitas (3) faktor lingkungan. Kata Kunci : Tindak Guru, Pengelolaan, Pembelajaran Daring, Edmod

Analysis of stomatal and convective resistances to transpirational flow

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47839/1/484_2005_Article_BF01554062.pd

The Relationship between School District Tobacco Policy and Smoking Rates of 10th Grade Students in Montgomery County, Ohio

Tobacco use is responsible for a multitude of preventable deaths each year in the United States. Smoking is the most common form of tobacco use and tends to begin during the adolescent years, thereby resulting in a prolonged lifetime exposure to the harmful effects of tobacco. Smoking behavior among students has been shown to be influenced by school tobacco policies, thus the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) recommends all school campuses adopt a 100% tobacco-free policy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between school district tobacco policies and student smoking rates. Survey responses from students in the 10th grade were obtained from the 2012 Dayton Area Drug Survey (DADS) and compared to tobacco control policies of the school districts in Montgomery County, Ohio. Seven school districts met the criteria for inclusion in the analysis. Self-reported prevalence of smoking among adolescents participating in the 2012 DADS was 7.0%, while the proportion of students who reported never smoking was 74.4%. When compared to a school with a more strict tobacco policy, students attending a less strict school were more likely to have a history of smoking (OR = 2.01) and more likely to have initiated smoking prior to the 10th grade (OR = 1.39). Tobacco use among adolescents remains a significant public health issue in Montgomery County, Ohio. There does appear to be value in following the ODH recommendations for a 100% tobacco-free campus