Effects of Marketing Strategy on Banks’ Performance

The purposes of this study are to determine the relationships that exists between banks’ marketing strategies and their performance, and to establish the mediating role of customer satisfaction in this relationships. To achieve these purposes, interview data, which were subsequently analyzed by using thematic analysis method, were collected from a sample of sixteen bank marketing managers - who were selected through quota sampling technique. On top of this, survey data were gathered from two hundred and thirty eight bankers who were selected through simple random sampling technique. Finally, descriptive, correlation, and regression analyses of these data were conducted by using SPSS v25; Sobel test method was used to test the statistical significance of the mediated effect of banks’ marketing strategies upon their performance; and, bootstrapping method was used to test related hypotheses.  Accordingly, the results of qualitative analysis, among other things, show that failures on the part the country’s financial regulatory body in issuing legal instruments and failures on the part of the banks are the main reasons for the deficiencies in the country’s banks marketing strategies and mixes. In addition to these, the results of quantitative analyses confirm that banks’ marketing strategies have statistically significant direct and indirect effects upon banks’ performances; customer satisfaction has statistically significant direct effect upon banks’ performance; and, the mediated effects are partial mediation only. Therefore, these findings are highly important, and have useful implications for the country’s bank executives, policy makers, academics, and financial regulatory body. Keywords: Product, Pricing, Distribution, Communication, Customer Relationship,   Sustainability Abbreviations: CS = Customer Satisfaction, BPR = Banks’ Performance, PS = Product    Strategy, PRS = Pricing Strategy, CMS = Communication Strategy, DS = Distribution Strategy, CRS = Customer Relationship Strategy, SMS = Sustainable Marketing Strategy DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/14-13-01 Publication date:July 31st 202

Climate Risk Management in Agricultural Extension System in Ethiopia

The Ethiopian agricultural system is rain-fed, which makes it more vulnerable to climate variability and change. Climate change is expected to increase the frequencies of extreme climate events such as drought, flood, dry spell, heat, and cold waves, becoming more severe challenges in agricultural activities. Addressing these problems requires improving climate risk prediction capacity, designing preparedness mechanisms, and integrating weathers and climate information services into improved seeds, feeds, and fertilizer technologies. The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) – with the support of the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) – initiated a project called Adapting Agriculture to Climate Today for Tomorrow (ACToday). This project collaborates with the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) East Africa to enhance climate risk under different management practices in agriculture sectors and strengthen the skill gaps. In this regard, MoA, in collaboration with International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), IRI, National Meteorology Agency (NMA), and Ethiopian Institute for Agricultural Research (EIAR), conducted a 15-day long capacity building training on 'Climate Risk Management. The training included basic climate concepts, agro-meteorology advisory, agricultural extension services systems for federal agro-meteorology technical task force experts, and ATVET college instructors

Actors’ post-harvest maize handling practices and allied mycoflora epidemiology in southwestern Ethiopia: Potential for mycotoxin-producing fungi management

Maize plays a key role in household food security in Ethiopia, but its benefit has been limited with high post-harvest losses. This study was initiated to assess post-harvest practices and associated fungi pathogen epidemiology along the maize supply chain in southwestern Ethiopia. The study was conducted in five purposively selected districts and a three-stage sampling procedure was employed for selection of the target groups. In total, 342 participants from different actors were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Maize samples were collected every month from 63 randomly selected actors for mycological analysis during six months storage period. Post-harvest loss was estimated to be 31% and loss during storage was identified as a critical loss point. Comparing all biological agents, loss due to fungal pathogens in the store ranked on top. Moisture content at loading stage could not increase the shelf life of the commodity. Germination tests showed a significant (P < 0.01) decrease as storage duration increased, while mould incidence on cobs and kernels significantly (P < 0.05) increased. In total, seven fungal genera were isolated, characterized and identified, with Fusarium, Penicillium and Aspergillus being predominant. Most of the post-harvest practices are not effective in reducing post-harvest losses. Especially, farmers’ traditional storage structures can be influenced by external climatic conditions and make the grains liable to develop mould during the rainy season. This research, therefore, highlights the need to design, develop or modify existing storage technologies that reduce post-harvest loss due to mycotoxin-producing fungal pathogens. Furthermore, post-harvest drying to obtain optimum moisture content is also crucial to reduce losses

Frequent use of paracetamol and risk of allergic disease among women in an Ethiopian population

Introduction The hypothesis that paracetamol might increase the risk of asthma and other allergic diseases have gained support from a range of independent studies. However, in studies based in developed countries, the possibility that paracetamol and asthma are associated through aspirin avoidance is difficult to exclude. Objectives To explore this hypothesis among women in a developing country, where we have previously reported aspirin avoidance to be rare. Methods In 2005/6 a population based cohort of 1065 pregnant women was established in Butajira, Ethiopia and baseline demographic data collected. At 3 years post birth, an interview-based questionnaire administered to 945 (94%) of these women collected data on asthma, eczema, and hay fever in the past 12 month, frequency of paracetamol use and potential confounders. Allergen skin tests to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and cockroach were also performed. The independent effects of paracetamol use on allergic outcomes were determined using multiple logistic regression analysis. Findings The prevalence of asthma, eczema and hay fever was 1.7%, 0.9% and 3.8% respectively; of any one of these conditions 5.5%, and of allergen sensitization 7.8%. Paracetamol use in the past month was reported by 29%, and associations of borderline significance were seen for eczema (adjusted OR (95% CI) = 8.51 (1.68 to 43.19) for 1–3 tablets and 2.19 (0.36 to 13.38) for ≥4 tablets, compared to no tablets in the past month; overall p = 0.055) and for ‘any allergic condition’ (adjusted OR (95% CI) = 2.73 (1.22 to 6.11) for 1–3 tablets and 1.35 (0.67 to 2.70) for ≥4 tablets compared to 0 in the past month; overall p = 0.071). Conclusions This study provides further cross-sectional evidence that paracetamol use increases the risk of allergic disease

Paternal microbiome perturbations impact offspring fitness

The gut microbiota operates at the interface of host–environment interactions to influence human homoeostasis and metabolic networks1,2,3,4. Environmental factors that unbalance gut microbial ecosystems can therefore shape physiological and disease-associated responses across somatic tissues5,6,7,8,9. However, the systemic impact of the gut microbiome on the germline—and consequently on the F1 offspring it gives rise to—is unexplored10. Here we show that the gut microbiota act as a key interface between paternal preconception environment and intergenerational health in mice. Perturbations to the gut microbiota of prospective fathers increase the probability of their offspring presenting with low birth weight, severe growth restriction and premature mortality. Transmission of disease risk occurs via the germline and is provoked by pervasive gut microbiome perturbations, including non-absorbable antibiotics or osmotic laxatives, but is rescued by restoring the paternal microbiota before conception. This effect is linked with a dynamic response to induced dysbiosis in the male reproductive system, including impaired leptin signalling, altered testicular metabolite profiles and remapped small RNA payloads in sperm. As a result, dysbiotic fathers trigger an elevated risk of in utero placental insufficiency, revealing a placental origin of mammalian intergenerational effects. Our study defines a regulatory ‘gut–germline axis’ in males, which is sensitive to environmental exposures and programmes offspring fitness through impacting placenta function

Human Endogenous Retrovirus K in the Crosstalk Between Cancer Cells Microenvironment and Plasticity: A New Perspective for Combination Therapy

Abnormal activation of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) has been associated with several diseases such as cancer, autoimmunity, and neurological disorders. In particular, in cancer HERV activity and expression have been specifically associated with tumor aggressiveness and patient outcomes. Cancer cell aggressiveness is intimately linked to the acquisition of peculiar plasticity and heterogeneity based on cell stemness features, as well as on the crosstalk between cancer cells and the microenvironment. The latter is a driving factor in the acquisition of aggressive phenotypes, associated with metastasis and resistance to conventional cancer therapies. Remarkably, in different cell types and stages of development, HERV expression is mainly regulated by epigenetic mechanisms and is subjected to a very precise temporal and spatial regulation according to the surrounding microenvironment. Focusing on our research experience with HERV-K involvement in the aggressiveness and plasticity of melanoma cells, this perspective aims to highlight the role of HERV-K in the crosstalk between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment. The implications for a combination therapy targeted at HERVs with standard approaches are discussed

Climate Risk Management in Agricultural Extension for Ethiopia 2nd Edition Handbook

The 2nd Edition Climate Risk Management in Agricultural Extension (CRMAE) for Ethiopia Handbook is an accompaniment and concise summary of the more comprehensive CRMAE Reference Guide, with new and updated content following demand from Ethiopia's Agricultural Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ATVET) colleges. Both the Handbook and Reference Guide are training and reference materials intended to be used during implementation of the CRMAE course designed for Ethiopia’s subject matter specialists (SMS) and extension staff, including development agents (DAs). It may also be used by other actors, such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or community-based organizations (CBOs), who work closely with farmers and those who support them. This Handbook aims to provide foundational knowledge on climate and agricultural decision making; and practical tools to analyze climate-related risks, use appropriate weather and climate information to support agricultural decisions, communicate complex climate information effectively with farmers, and integrate climate services into agricultural extension activities