Securing urban land for housing among low‐income earners in Sub‐Saharan Africa: Case study of workers’ co‐operative society, Enugu, Nigeria

Co‐operative societies across the world have age‐old tradition of assisting members gain easy access to vital resources and services through collective efforts. This paper explores the strategies adopted by public sector workers’ co‐operative society in securing urban land for housing development. This study is motivated by dearth of empirical studies on strategies used by low‐ and middle –income earners in overcoming myriad challenges militating against access to urban land and housing in Nigerian cities. We used a qualitative research method to carry out an empirical investigation through one‐on‐one interviews with purposively selected members of Land Acquisition Committee (LAC) of the NEPA District Co‐operative Thrift and Saving Loan Association Enugu, Nigeria. Findings show that a mixture of customary,informal and formal practices involved in securing land from indigenous landowners was principally aimed at ensuring customary and statutory legitimacy as well as secured tenure. The paper concludes that co‐operative approach has great potentials in addressing problems of multiple payments for land, “indigenous land owners’ factor” and high cost of urban land in Nigeria, and therefore, should be encouraged and promoted among disadvantaged urban residents in developing countries

Staffing and Organizational Performance in Nigerian Companies: An Empirical Investigation

This study examines, empirically, the relationship between human resources (staffing) of organizations and their performance. With data from randomly selected companies quoted on the 1st tier if the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), this paper established, using the ordinary least square, a positive relationship between staffing and organizational performance. The practical implication of this finding is that employees training and development impact positively on organizational performance. Consequently, the paper calls for the development of the human capital to ensure organizational effectiveness

Skills and Organizational Performance of Nigeria Quoted Companies

It has been suggested in the literature that skills, among other variables, affect organizational performance. In this study an attempt is made to demonstrate the relationship between skills and organizational performance. With data from randomly selected companies quoted on the 1st tier of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), this paper empirically established, using the ordinary least square, a positive relationship between skills and organizational performance. The practical implication of this finding is that employees training and development impact positively on organizational performance. Consequently, the paper calls for encouragement of the executive management and all cadres of employees to put their individual and collective skills at the disposal of their various organizations to ensure organizational effectiveness

Performance Evaluation Model Used in Nigerian Quoted Companies: Empirical Research Findings

Performance is the outcome of work and it provides the linkage between the goals of an organisation and its effectiveness. Since there are various models of performance, this study seeks to empirically identify the most commonly used model by companies quoted on the 1st Tier of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and the effect of such usage on the development of the companies and the Exchange. Based on a randomly selected sample and descriptive statistics, the study has shown that the most used performance evaluation model is the accounting model, which has led to the neglect of the activities of the companies on the Stock Exchange in their performance measure. The practical implications of this finding are that the management of Nigerian quoted companies are not sensitive to the performance of their securities on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and therefore activities on the exchange are not as dynamic as they should be . Consequently, the paper calls for the use of market based performance evaluation models and the enlargement of performance indicators reporte

Developing Capacity for Competition

Information and Computer Technology (ICT) has broken national economic boundaries and made the world a global village. Also, many economic integrations bodies have been formed to eliminate all forms of trade and economic barriers. Consequently, consumers have access to more information and products. Competition has, therefore, become more intensive as goods and services providers operate across national and economic barriers. Therefore, firms which cannot cope with this competition are lagging behind in all their performance indicators and some of them are folding up. This paper advocates that that for a firm to remain competitive, improve its performance, and relevant to its customers; it has to develop distinctive competencies that would provide what customers do not realize that they need now but which they would appreciate and value when they see it

Shared Values and Organizational Performance of Nigerian Companies: An Empirical Analysis

In this study, an attempt is made to demonstrate the relationship between shared values and organizational performance. With data from randomly selected companies quoted on the 1st tier of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), this study empirically established, using the ordinary least square, a positive relationship between shared values and organizational performance. The practical implication of this finding is that the value system of an organization impacts positively on organizational performance. Consequently, the paper calls for an improvement in the conununication and sharedness of organizational values among organization member

Recent developments in the application of the doctrine of vicarious liability by United Kingdom courts

Tort law may qualify as a soft national constitution guided to fill gaps in rights discourse but with the primary objective of monetary compensation. Vicarious liability is an addendum to the law of torts. It used to be an addendum to the tort of negligence but recent decisions in the Commonwealth, particularly the United Kingdom now indicate otherwise. In many commonwealth jurisdictions, tort law has developed as core judge-driven law. A comparative approach to its application and development is therefore of immense benefit. As a majorly judge driven law, it is also contextualised in a socio-economic framework. Key Words: Tort Law, Vicarious Liability, Comparative Law, Social Cohesion, Judicial Precedents

The Growth of Leasing in Nigeria: 1985-2005

The Nigerian economy is currently beset with multi-faceted socio-political-economic problems. Globalization, deregulation, and the instability of macroeconomic policies have adverse effects on business organizations. Fiscal and monetary policies put in place to nurse the economy back to health have tended to squeeze and curtail credit expansion. In the light of this, this paper examines the growth of leasing in Nigeria. The findings of the paper indicate that leasing has grown immensely during the period under review. Consequently, the paper recommends a strategic legislative action to put the Equipment Leasing Association of Nigeria (ELAN) and other participants in the leasing business on a stronger ground to enhance performance

Turnaround Management in Nigeria: A Conceptual Framework

There are various causes of decline of organizational performance in both developed and developing economies. This paper advocates that in addition to the common causes, organizations in developing economies suffer the inconsistencies of macroeconomic policies and warped value systems of their various countries. It therefore concludes that a positive change in these critical variables coupled with developing sufficient competences by organizations will ensure organizational survival

Application of Arima Models to Nigerian Inflation Dynamics

The objectives of this study were to empirically develop a univariate autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model suggested by Box & Jenkins (1976) for Nigerian inflation and analyze the forecasting performance of the estimated model between 1981 and 2010. In this study, the analyses were carried out with the aid of EViews and Excel softwares. The study used the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) technique for estimation purposes. On the basis of various diagnostic and selection evaluation criteria the best model was selected for the short term forecasting of Nigerian inflation. The study found ARIMA (2,2,3) as the most appropriate model under model identification, parameter estimation, diagnostic checking and forecasting inflation. In-sample forecasting was attempted and the estimated ARIMA model remarkably tracked the actual inflation during the sample period. The study concluded that Nigerian inflation is largely expectations-driven. The major inference that can be drawn in this study is that expectations that are formed about future levels of prices affect the current purchase decisions. It was recommended that, to put inflation under control, there is need for high transparency in monetary policy making and implementation. Keywords: Inflation dynamics, ARIMA, expectation