Attaining Global Relevance through Cutting–Edge Competitive Strategies: A Case Study of Babcock University

The study examined the effectiveness of competitive strategies adopted by Babcock University in response to demand for qualitative higher education. The study employs a descriptive research design and involving a population comprising of employees of Babcock University at the main campus, in Ilishan Remo, Ogun State. Structured questionnaires were administered to 60 respondents selected using stratified sampling technique. Data was analysed in form of frequencies and percentages and presented in form of tables and graphs. The study found that Babcock University uses different competitive strategies. Among these include the combination strategy, cost leadership strategy, differentiation strategy, and focus strategy. It was discovered that the main source of competition for Babcock University is international forces (universities outside the country). The study also found that Babcock University possesses various strategic advantages that make it survive in the market or compete favourably against other Universities both public and private within and outside the country. The research established that Babcock University is exposed to opportunities that would enable it to compete favourably against other universities in future. The study found that Babcock University makes organizational changes that make it to remain competitive in the educational Industry in Nigeria. Babcock University is faced with many challenges in the implementation of her competitive strategies. The researchers recommend that through the effective use of TOWS Matrix, Babcock University can ensure that her activities are more feasible and efficient even within the international arena through the proper identification and optimal use of resources. Keywords: Private University, Babcock University, Strategy, Competitive Advantage, Performance DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-22-01 Publication date:August 31st 202

Reproductive Health Information and Practice among Female Undergraduates of Private Universities in Osun State, Nigeria

The research investigated the extent of awareness of reproductive health information and practice of female undergraduate in private universities in Osun State. The study employed the descriptive survey research design. The population for the study consisted of all the female undergraduates of private universities in Osun state. A total of 500 female undergraduates of private universities in Osun state formed the sample for this study. Proportionate sampling technique was used to assigned sample size to each of the three randomly selected universities to ensure fair representation. Simple random sampling technique was employed to select sampled size assigned to each of the selected universities. The instrument used to collect data was questionnaire titled “awareness of reproductive health information and reproductive health practice (APRHIQ). Data collected were analysed using frequency count, mean and standard deviation. The findings showed that young people are sexually active as majority have started engaging in sexual activities while still in secondary schools. The findings also indicated that awareness of reproductive health information is of a very low extent (45.6%) and reproductive health practice of female undergraduate is of a high extent (54.4%). The study concluded that Reproductive Health Information awareness is very low while reproductive health practice of female undergraduate of private universities in Osun state tends to be favourable. The study recommended that in order to avert the imminent threat of explosion of sexually transmitted diseases, there is urgent need to start teaching family life and sex education in schools right from elementary school. Keywords: Information Awareness; Reproductive Health Information; Undergraduate, Reproductive Health Practice DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-16-09 Publication date:June 30th 202

Rast i senzorni pokazatelji afričkog soma (Clarias gariepinus) hranjenog subletalnom dozom ekstrakta lišća nima (azadirahte) i njegovi antibakterijski učinci

The antibacterial effects of Neem leaf, the growth performance and sensory qualities of African catfish fed with Neem leaf inclusion were investigated in this study. Ninety (90) post-juvenile Clarias gariepinus (42.40 ± 2.50 g) were used. Experimental groups in triplicate were exposed bi-weekly to 3.5% and 7% LC50 of Neem leaves aqueous extract infused in commercial floating feed for four weeks, while the control group was exposed to untreated feed. The whole body length and weight of randomly sampled fish were taken for organo-somatic indices. Gills and skin samples were collected for bacteriological screening, while fish muscles were prepared for sensory acceptability tests. Mean feed intake was significantly (P<0.05) influenced by Neem leaf in the three treatment concentrations with an insignificant difference between the treated groups, but it was higher than in the control group. Mean weight gain was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the Neem fed fish than the control but insignificant the differences between treatment doses were insignificant, while the feed conversion ratio was significantly lower (P<0.05) in the Neem fed groups compared to the control, but the difference was insignificant between the treatment doses. All groups were apparently healthy looking with 100% survival. There was a considerable reduction in total bacterial count in both the gills and skin with the increase in Neem concentration. Micrococci spp. and Bacillus subtilis were not isolated in the gills but were present in the skin, while E. coli and Pseudomonas fluorescens were not suppressed in the skin. There was no significant difference (P<0.05) in all the sensory parameters across all groups. The inclusion of Neem leaf extract was shown to have a high antibacterial effect coupled with excellent growth performance and general acceptability of fish tissue.U ovom su radu istraženi antibakterijski učinci lišća nima, kao i rast i senzorni pokazatelji afričkog soma (Clarias gariepinus) hranjenog ovim lišćem. Upotrijebljeno je 90 odraslih afričkih somova (42,40 ± 2,50 g). Pokusna je skupina izložena tijekom dva tjedna 3,5 % i 7 % LC50 vodenom ekstraktu lišća nima dodanog u komercijalnu hranu tijekom četiri tjedna, dok je kontrolna skupina hranjena netretiranom hranom. Određena je tjelesna dužina i masa nasumično odabranih riba za provjeru organoleptičkih pokazatelja. Škrge i uzorci kože prikupljeni su za bakteriološku analizu, dok su uzorci mišića pripremljeni za senzornu analizu. Prosječna konzumacija hrane bila je pod znakovitim utjecajem (P < 0,05) lišća nima, neovisno o koncentraciji, u odnosu na kontrolnu skupinu. Prosječan prirast bio je znakovito viši (P < 0,05) u riba hranjenih lišćem nima u odnosu na kontrolnu skupinu, dok je konverzija hrane bila znakovito niža (P < 0,05) u skupini hranjenoj lišćem nima, neovisno o dozi. Ribe u svim skupinama bile su naizgled zdrave uz 100%-tno preživljenje. Utvrđen je zamjetan pad brojnosti ukupnih bakterija u škrgama i na koži s porastom koncentracije lišća nima. Bakterije Micrococci spp. i Bacillus subtilis nisu izolirane iz škrga, ali su utvrđene u koži, kao i E. coli i Pseudomonas fluorescens. Nisu utvrđene znakovite razlike senzornih pokazatelja. Dodatak lišća nima ima visok antibakterijski učinak praćen odličnim pokazateljima rasta te općom prihvatljivošću tkiva ribe za konzumaciju

Acute Respiratory Infections in the Middle-Belt Region of Nigeria

Background: ARI continues to be a leeding cause of death among children globally beyond the year 2000. Close 12 million children under the age of 5years die each year in the developing countries, mainly from preventable causes and approximately 2.28 million (19%) were due to acute respiratory infections (ARI). It therefore became necessary to assess the present status of the disease in Nigeria to mastermind workable plans for reducing the mortality and morbidity burden.Methods: A designed pro-forma was used to collect and collate information from mothers or direct care givers of children at both hospital and community levels relating to family background, home setting, anthropometry, clinical presentation of ARI, previous medications, investigations, complications and outcomes of illness.Results: A total of 163 children were recruited for the study. One hundred and six had moderate and severe form of ARI while 57 had mild form. The in-patients accounted for 15.2% of all the admission within the study period.All children were under 12 years of age with male preponderance. Fast breathing, Tarchypnoea, Cough and Fever were the leading ways of presentations. The immunization coverage of study population by various antigens in the EPI were poor. Majority of the hospital children had pre-consultation antibiotics while none of the children from the rural community had pre-recruitment antibiotics. Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus were the leading organisms isolated with good sensitivity to Quinolones, Gentamycin and Cephalosporins. Heart failure was the leading complications. Mortality was 12.3% among the hospitalized patient and none among the community children.Conclusion: It was concluded that ARI is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children with opportunity for burden reduction.Keywords: Acute Respiratory Infection, present outlook, burde

Assessment of Landfill-emitted Gaseous Pollutants and Particulate Matters in Alimosho Local Government of Lagos state, Nigeria

Information on landfill-emitted pollutants in Nigeria cities has consequently become a priority. This study was designed to assess the air quality of landfill sites and the nearby communities in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos state, Nigeria. Five public landfills in use since about thirty years ago were chosen for this study. A lightly populated area, free from other sources of air pollution served as control. Target points for the study were the centre of landfill (CLF), 50M from CLF, 100M from CLF, and a radius of 100M away from landfill. Levels of selected gaseous pollutants (NO2, O3, H2S and CO) and particulate matters (PM2.5 and PM10) were determined in the landfill environments and control (unpolluted area), using Aeroqual Series 500 with sensors for NO2, O3, H2S, CO, PM2.5 and PM10. The result showed that levels of H2S were significantly (p&lt;0.001) higher at the CLF, 50M from CLF and 100M from CLF compared with unpolluted area. There was no significant (p&gt;0.05) difference when the level of H2S in 100M radius was compared with the unpolluted area. Levels of CO were significantly (p&lt;0.001) higher at the CLF, 50M from CLF, 100M from CLF and 100M radius compared with unpolluted area. The levels of O3 were significantly (p&lt;0.001) higher at the CLF, 50M from CLF, 100M from CLF and 100M radius compared with unpolluted area. Levels of VOC were significantly (p&lt;0.001) higher at the CLF, 50M from CLF, 100M from CLF and 100M radius compared with unpolluted area. The levels of NO2 were significantly (p&lt;0.001) higher at the CLF, 50M from CLF, 100M from CLF and 100M radius compared with the unpolluted area. The levels of PM2.5 increased significantly (p&lt;0.001) at the CLF, 50M from CLF, 100M from CLF and 100M radius compared with the unpolluted area. The levels of PM10 were also significantly (p&lt; 0.001) higher at the CLF, 50M from CLF, 100M from CLF and 100M radius compared with the unpolluted area. In conclusion, communities close to landfills may be polluted with toxic gases and particulate matters. Further investigation is needed to validate the safe distance of residential areas from landfills to avert the risks of toxicity associated with gaseous pollutants

Community engagement and compliance monitoring of COVID-19 safety protocols: innovative approach combining indigenous practice and GIS technology in Oyo State, Nigeria

Background: One of the major challenges that has driven the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide is the burden of enforcing the preventive measures required to contain the pandemic. Enforcement of COVID-19 precautionary behaviour should not be homogenous; every country needs to be creative to ensure that humane considerations guide all decisions during the extraordinary experience that COVID-19 pandemic portends. The model of self-policing is acceptable and maintained principally because the citizens of any communities operate, recognize, and accept them as preferred alternatives to the official models of policing for enforcement. Hence the approach presented in this paper, which deployed existing indigenous alternative systems in ensuring compliance with COVID-19 precautionary behaviour. This article therefore documents the unique approach deployed for the containment of COVID-19 in Oyo State, Nigeria. Objective: This intervention was designed to explore established indigenous alternative systems and models of control, justice, law, security, and enforcement in Nigeria. Additionally, geographic information system (GIS) technology and investigative journalism was used to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. Method: The method employed was community conversation; a method of increasing inclusive, community-based engagement harnessing the expertise and motivation of key stakeholders. The community conversations were convened after the pattern of a traditional Town-hall meeting. Community conversations were organized as a qualitative framework focusing on deploying the indigenous practice of self-policing associated with Nigerias trade unions and aims to inform COVID-19 preventive behaviour at the community level. Geographical information system technology was used to develop COVID-19 Containment Compliance Citizens Reporter App. The App was developed using ESRI ArcGIS online platform to crowd source public feedback on compliance or contravention of COVID-19 protocols. Social media platforms were also deployed for monitoring and evaluation of the intervention post townhall meeting. Results: The establishment of a State-wide Containment response network provided the required inroad for advocacy and deployment of state-wide community conversation framework in the different communities comprising diverse ethnic groups, religious leaders, market leaders, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and so on. Testimonials from the various communities showed that the people have embraced the self-policing strategy and the network system was effective with good outcomes in terms of response to decontamination, containment, and advocacy. The COVID-19 Containment Compliance Citizens Reporter App, investigative reporting by mass media were highly effective tools for monitoring and evaluation of the outcome of the intervention as well as possible evidence for melting out incentive and disincentive measures as necessary. This approach is a template, which could be adapted and replicated in other parts of Nigeria and other African societies with similar structures, demographics, and indigenous practices

The Impact of Entrepreneurship Education in Higher Education: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

Using a teaching model framework, we systematically review empirical evidence on the impact of entrepreneurship education (EE) in higher education on a range of entrepreneurial outcomes, analyzing 159 published articles from 2004 to 2016. The teaching model framework allows us for the first time to start rigorously examining relationships between pedagogical methods and specific outcomes. Reconfirming past reviews and meta-analyses, we find that EE impact research still predominantly focuses on short-term and subjective outcome measures and tends to severely underdescribe the actual pedagogies being tested. Moreover, we use our review to provide an up-to-date and empirically rooted call for less obvious, yet greatly promising, new or underemphasized directions for future research on the impact of university-based entrepreneurship education. This includes, for example, the use of novel impact indicators related to emotion and mind-set, focus on the impact indicators related to the intention-to-behavior transition, and exploring the reasons for some contradictory findings in impact studies including person-, context-, and pedagogical model-specific moderator

Assessment of job satisfaction of employees of University of Ibadan Zoological Garden

Job satisfaction is the degree to which individuals like their jobs. Some people enjoy work and find it to be a central part of life. Others hate to work and do so only because they must. There are a variety of factors that can influence a person’s level of job satisfaction, some of which include: nature of work, pay and benefit, relationship with supervisor and co-workers and working environment. Determining factors for motivating, retaining, and enhancing job satisfaction of demographically diverse productive employees is a practical problem facing industries in Nigeria. Research on job satisfaction in Nigeria has focused on the public, banking, manufacturing, and education sectors. Job satisfaction has important implications for work outcomes within an organization. The quality of employee performance in the tourism industry depends primarily on their job satisfaction, as it directly and indirectly affects visitors satisfaction. This study was therefore aimed at assessing the job satisfaction of workers in University of Ibadan Zoological Garden (UI Zoo). The UI Zoo is located on the University Campus. The target population (n=41) for this research were the workers of the zoological garden. Primary and secondary data was used for the study. Data was collected through a well structured questionaire, indepth interview and direct observation. Therefore, a total number of 41copies of the questionaire was administered and the representatives of each unit of the zoo were interviewed. A convenience sampling technique was adopted. The data acquired was analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (correlation, regression and thematics). The workers had a high level of job satisfaction with an aggregate mean score of 53 according to the stipulated questionnaire grading system. The zoo workers were least satisfied with their pay and allowance and most satisfied with the nature of their work. The major causes of job dissatisfaction among the workers of the University of Ibadan Zoological Garden were inadequate compensation packages, followed by unfavourable management policies and inadequate provision for the proper welfarism of the animals. The workers of the University of Ibadan Zoological Garden were satisfied with their jobs despite inadequate pay and allowances. Hence, the management of the University of Ibadan Zoological Garden should consider improving on the level of the zoo workers’ job satisfaction through provision of adequate benefit packages, promotion of favourable management policies and career development, and good supervisor-supervisee relationship

Computer Literacy Level AMONG Primary School Teachers in BIDA: Implications for E-Governance Deployment

The adoption of electronic government (or e-government) by any country is a direct implication that the majority of its citizens; if not all must possess high level of computer literacy. This paper therefore investigates the computer literacy levels of primary school teachers in Bida with a view to find out their degree of acceptance of e-governance as a system. The study uses descriptive survey of a hundred (100) teachers who were randomly selected from 10 schools in Bida as respondents. The research instrument used was a selfreporting questionnaire titled: Teachers Computer Literacy Questionnaire (TCLQ) with internal consistency of 0.65. The result, which was presented using group percentages and barcharts, shows that there is high level of computer literacy among the teachers as well as revealing highest percentage of respondents with positive feelings for e-products- a factor of acceptance of e-governance