Determinants of the Development of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Nigeria

The pivotal roles played by Small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in transforming the economies of the developed countries had long been established in the literature. It is disheartening however to observe that the contributions of SMEs to GDP in Nigeria in the last three decades has been quite insignificant and haphazard. Therefore, this paper examines the various factors that determine the growth of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria during 1980-2013. The study utilizes the Ordinary Least Square method within the framework of the multiple regression model. The results emanating from the analysis suggest that credit facilities, interest rate as well as inflation rate are key determinants of the growth and survival of SMEs in Nigeria. Thus, the government, through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), should relax the restrictive regulations and operations which discourage borrowings as well as promote intervention programmes through which adequate funds will be easily accessible to prospective investors. Keywords: Economic growth, Inflation rate, Interest rate, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises JEL Classification: O40, E31, E40, L60

Asymptomatic intestinal protozoa in school age children in Pategi, Pategi LGA of Kwara state, Nigeria.

Introduction: Intestinal protozoan infection is one of the principal diseases contributing to human illness and suffering in tropical countries with significant morbidity and mortality effect on children. The prevalence of intestinal asymptomatic protozoan infection was assessed (November, 2012 through May, 2013) among school age children in Pategi, Pategi Local Government area of Kwara State, Nigeria.Materials and methods: Four public primary schools with nursery, prebasic and basic sections were used for the study. The age range was from 1 to 15 years old. Seven hundred and forty eight (748) stool specimens were collected and examined for protozoan cysts using the direct wet preparation and formol-ether concentration methods.Results: One hundred and ninety seven (26.3%) of the samples were positive for intestinal protozoan parasite. The distribution of the parasites was E. histolytica/dispar (75.1), E. coli (18.8) and G. lamblia (6.1%). Balantidium coli cyst was not detected in the stool samples of the pupils. Highest prevalence of E. histolytica was observed among Gboke primary school (35.0%), closely followed by Nyamkpan (31.7%) and Sudan Interior Mission (SIM) (5.9%). Though males (28.0%) were more infected than female (24.7%), the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05) except for G. lamblia infection (P<0.05).Conclusion: The public health implication of asymptomatic carriage in cysts of intestinal protozoan among the children with poor personal hygiene was discussed. The use of mass chemotherapy and integrated measures of parasitic control would be of utmost importance in reducing the level of symptomatic infections among children.Key words: Asymptomatic, amoebiasis, giardiasis, rural area, children

Aspects of the Growth and Reproductive Biology of the Guinean Tilapia, Tilapia guineensis (Bleeker, 1862) in a Tropical Freshwater Lake, Nigeria

Aspects of the growth and reproductive biology of the Guinean Tilapia, Tilapia guineensis from Asejire Lake was investigated from January, 2013 to December, 2013. Significant relationships(r> 0.89) occurred between the length and weight of T.guineensis for the combined, male, female and every month.  The values of the parameter slope (b) in the length-weight relationship being less than 3 indicated negative allometric growth. The mean condition factor (2.023 ± 0.01) being greater than one showed the fish is in good condition in the freshwater environment.  The multiple peaks observed in the gonadosomatic index signify the species is a multiple spawner. Fecundity of Tilapia guineensis ranged from 3418 – 9852 eggs for a fish with total length 18.9 cm to 29.7 cm respectively Keywords: Tilapia guineensis, length weight relationship, gonad maturity stages, fecundity, freshwater environmen

Offshore Banking and the Financial Performance: A Study of Selected Nigerian Banks with Offshore Branches

Some Nigerian banks have found it worthwhile to extend their branch expansions to some offshore locations. However, this move also made the Central Bank of Nigeria to issue a circular in 2008 to all Banks to ensure the viability of the offshore branches while protecting the shareholders’ funds and interests. The study employed ex post facto research design, descriptive and empirical analysis methods. Analyses were based on published data on relevant performance index of the banks and operating indices of their offshore branches. Three banks were selected for the study from the seven banks that operated offshore branches. Data were extracted from the annual reports for 2009-2012 period. Empirical analysis was anchored on regression model. Profit before tax was treated as the performance index and, thus, entered the model as the explained variable while operating income, deposits, loans and advances, other assets and profit before tax of the offshore branches entered as the explanatory variables. The intercept of the model and the coefficients of the operating indices were estimated via the Least Squares (LS) techniques. The results revealed that banks recorded varying values in offshore operating indicators. Ghana proved to be a more lucrative location for banking business. Operating incomes and deposits did not significantly affect the profit before tax of the banks as evidenced by the p-values of the t-statistic of their coefficients (p-value = 0.1309 > 0.05 and p-value = 0.3311 > 0.05) respectively, and that loans and advances exerted negative but insignificant effect as shown by the p-value of 0.8594 which was less that the relevant level of 0.05. The aggregate effect of the operating indices was found to be significant. The operating indicators exhibited high strength (99%) in explaining variations in performance of the parent banks as evidenced by the very high R-Squared 0.99. Consequently, the study concluded that offshore banking possesses great potentials to determine and explain banks’ performance. Recommendations, amongst others, were that Nigerian Banks currently operating offshore branches should deepen their banking business for optimal performance. The Central Bank of Nigeria should enhance its supervisory capacity with additional monitoring strategies. Key Words: Offshore Branches, Operating Indices, Performance Index, Financial Performanc

Life cycle carbon emissions and comparative evaluation of selected open source UK embodied carbon counting tools

Life cycle carbon emissions (LCO2), made up of operational and embodied carbon, have become a major metric of building environmental performance and energy efficiency. Whilst there are now standard methods for operational carbon assessment due to its significance in LCO2, there is still less emphasis on embodied carbon counting. However, the relative contribution of embodied carbon is on the rise as buildings become increasingly energy efficient. Following the rule that only something which is measurable is manageable, it is essential that we are able to accurately count embodied carbon. This study therefore reviews the concept of LCO2 in buildings and further investigates the open source UK tools for embodied carbon counting. A comparative evaluation case study, which validates an earlier review, showed that there is no logic and consistency in the carbon figures produced by embodied carbon counting tools. This is mainly due to different system boundaries, varying underlying assumptions and methodological differences in calculation. The findings suggest that an industry-agreed data structure and common methodology is needed for embodied carbon counting. Generally, the study provides insights into the use and capabilities of the identified open source UK embodied carbon counting tools, and is relevant to the on-going debate about carbon regulation

Effect of Substitution of Bovine Rumen Epithelial Tissue Scrapings for Fishmeal on the Growth Performance, Nutrient Utilization and Carcass Characteristics of Broiler Chickens

. An eight-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the performance, nutrient utilization and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens fed varied levels of bovine rumen epithelial tissue scrapings (BRETS) in replacement for fish meal at 0, 50 and 100% levels of substitution. Fifty four birds were used for the study and the birds were randomly distributed into three (3) dietary treatments which were randomly assigned to the rations. Feed and water were supplied ad libitum and data were collected on the feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio and nutrient utilization. Data were also collected on the carcass characteristics after some birds had been slaughtered at the end of the experiment. Data collected were subjected to one-way analysis of variance and significant differences were indicated using Duncan multiple range test to separate the means. Results indicated that there was significant difference (P0.05) in the weight gain, heart and lung weights. It was concluded that up to 50% BRETS inclusion as substitute for fish meal protein could be employed without any adverse effect, to maintain the quality of the broiler chicken while minimizing the high cost of whole fishmeal since BRETS is an abattoir by-product that is readily available locally

Prevalence of intestinal protozoan parasites in stray and domicile dogs in Ilorin, North Central, Nigeria

Uncontrolled population of stray and domicile dogs with intestinal protozoan in close proximity to increasing densities of human population in urban environments is a common fact in developing countries, in conjunction with the lack of veterinary attention and zoonotic awareness, increases the risks of disease transmission. We examined using standard method 108 stool specimens of stray and domicile dogs collected randomly from Ilorin, state capital of Kwara State, Nigeria for intestinal protozoan. The prevalence of intestinal parasites from both stray and domicile dogs was 64(59.3%). Three parasites were encountered; Anchylostoma sp, Cryptosporidium sp and Isospora sp. Female dogs were more infected (48.9%) than male dogs (11.1%) (P<0.001) while the stray dogs had more intestinal parasitic infection (68.3%) than domicile dogs (46.7). More of Cryptosporidium sp was observed among strayed dogs (36.5%). Double infection was highest in stray dogs (12.7%) than in domicile dogs (4.4%) but not statistically significant (p=0.051). Consistent sanitary education must be included in public health government actions as a first step for the control of intestinal parasites in dogs and good sanitation and hygiene should be encouraged minimize environmental contamination and contact with the infectious oocysts that may be shed by dogs.Keywords: Stray dog, domicile dog, zoonoses, Crysptosporidium, Isospora

Comparative analysis of drivers to BIM adoption among AEC firms in developing countries : a case of Nigeria

Purpose – Building information modelling (BIM) adoption is vital to productivity and competitive nature of the construction sector. However, BIM adoptions have not been generally embraced by many Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) firms, particularly in developing countries; and studies that investigate the important drivers to BIM adoptions among construction professionals through quantitative approach are limited. The study purpose is to address the aforementioned gap. Design/methodology/approach – The study used a literature review, a pilot study and a questionnaire survey. The primary data were carried out using structured questionnaire distributed to the four different, selected BIM adopters’ AEC firms. These comprised architectural firms, facility management firms, quantity surveying firms and structural engineering firms in Lagos, Nigeria. Data obtained were analyzed using mean score, standard deviation, Kruskal-Wallis test, and factor analysis. Findings – The study identified 23 drivers to BIM adoption and the relative importance of the identified drivers was gauged from each selected BIM adopters’ AEC firm category. The result of the Kruskal-Wallis test showed that there is no statistically significant difference in the perceptions of the four selected AEC firms in the mean ranking of the identified 23 drivers to BIM adoption. The findings from factor analysis categorized the identified drivers into two major factors to include: cost and time savings, and improved communication; and BIM awareness and government supports. Practical implications – The study empirically identified important drivers to BIM adoption which will be useful for construction stakeholders to formulate strategies to adopt the full implementation of BIM in the Nigerian AEC firms and other developing countries. Also, this study is very important as it identified, analyzed, and compared the drivers to BIM adoptions from four different AEC firms; thereby providing robust and more reliable findings. Originality/value – The study findings would inform the decisions of policymakers and construction stakeholders to make some policy recommendations capable of positively influencing the widespread adoption of BIM in AEC firms and construction industry at large. This study is important because the studies that comparatively and empirically analysed BIM drivers in AEC firms are rare, particularly in developing countries. Hence, this study could be used to benchmark future studies in developing countries

On the Effect of Autocorrelation in Regression Model due to Specification Error

The main cause of autocorrelation is omitted variables from the model. When an important independent variable is omitted from a model, its effect on the dependent variable becomes part of the error term. Hence, if the omitted variable has a positive or negative correlation with the dependent variable, it is likely to cause error terms that are positively or negative correlated. There are number of tests for specification error in detecting the errors of omitted variables from a regression analysis, one rarely knows the best test to use. This research uses bootstrapping experiment and some properties which estimators should possess if they are to be accepted as good and satisfactory estimates of the population parameters, the models investigated in the bootstrapping experiment consist of two autocorrelation models with autocorrelation level ρ = 0.5 and 0.9. A bootstrap simulation approach was used to generate data for each of the models at different sample sizes (n) 20, 30, 50, and 80 respectively each with 100 replications(r). For the models considered, the experiment reveals that the estimated β’s were seriously affected by autocorrelation which may be due to omitted variables as the autocorrelation level varies in the different models (i.e. it produces a bias and inefficient estimator)

Effect of Omitted Variable due to Misspecification Error in Regression Analysis

The practical problem is not why specification errors are made but how to detect them. There are number of tests for specification error in detecting the errors of omitted variables from a regression analysis. Using the observations on the dependent variables generated from Microsoft Excel according to the specification labeled true, a bootstrap simulation approach was used for the data generated for each of the models at different sample sizes 20, 30, 50, and 80 respectively each with 100 replications. Using bootstrapping experiment and some properties which estimators should possess if their estimates are to be accepted as good and satisfactory estimates of the parameters, namely, the bias, variance, mean square error, and root mean square error. The models investigated in the bootstrapping experiment consist of the problem of omitted variables. For the models considered, the experiment reveals that the estimated changes the effect of omitted variable as the coefficient varies in the different models. The effect of omitted variable becomes unstable which produces a bias and inconsisten