Determinants of customer satisfaction in a high-contact service environment: a study of selected hotels in Abakaliki metropolis, Nigeria

This article explores the factors that lead to customer satisfaction, with a particular interest in the hospitality industry of Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.  In a high-contact service industry such as hospitality, service providers and customers usually have an intimate and direct interaction for a considerable  time duration and, as such, sales to and retention of customers is based on the richness or otherwise of such interactions. With this in mind, this study  specifically seeks to find out if customer satisfaction in the hospitality industry (especially hotels) is determined by staff service quality, room quality, value  and security. Hypotheses were formulated vis-à-vis a theoretical background and conceptual models. Survey data generated from 317 consumers  of hotel services in Abakaliki were used as the research database. In analysing the data used for the study, the researchers made use of factor analysis  and multiple regression analysis techniques. It was discovered that all the determinants of customer satisfaction under study have an effect on customer  satisfaction.&nbsp

NMR characterization and free radical scavenging activity of pheophytin ‘A’ from the leaves of Dissotis rotundifolia

Dissotis rotundifolia is used traditionally in various parts of Africa for the treatment of various ailments. The air dried and pulverized leaves of Dissotis rotundifolia was extracted with distilled n-hexane and ethylacetate, using Soxhlet apparatus. Isolation and purification were carried out using column and thin layer chromatographic techniques. Fraction B14 gave a single spot on thin layer chromatography with a retention factor (Rf) value of 0.57. Characterization of B14 was doneusing 1H-NMR, 13C-DEPT, COSY, HSQC, HMBC and by direct comparison with literature values and pheophytin A was proposed as the structure of the compound. Pheophytin A exhibited a free radical scavenging activity of 10.10±0.05 and 19.51±0.02% at minimum and maximum concentrations of 1.00 and 4.00 mg/mL, respectively. The acclaimed ethnomedicinal uses of D. rotundifolia by the African natives could be linked to the presence of pheophytin A and other phytoconstituents in the plant. This is the first report of the isolation of pheophytin A from D. rotundifolia.                     KEY WORDS: Dissotis rotundifolia, Pheophytin A, Chromatographic techniques, Free radicals, NMR   Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2021, 35(1), 207-215. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v35i1.18     &nbsp

Analgesic and Hepatoprotective Activity of Methanolic Leaf Extract of Ocimum gratissimum (L.).

The methanolic extract of Ocimum gratissimum (L.) leaves was screened for analgesic and hepatoprotective activity in albino rats, respectively. The use of the hot-plate method to study central analgesic activity of the leaves extract in albino rats indicated that the extract possesses the ability to significantly reduce pain threshold and also increase the response latency period to thermal stimuli in albino rats, similar to the reference drug acetylsalicylic acid. After treatment reaction time of albino rats was significantly increased to 10.92 sec with 40 mg kg-1 of leaves extract, whereas acetylsalicylic acid also increased reaction time to 12.53 sec with 25 mL kg-1. A decline in the reaction time beyond 1.61 sec was observed by the reference drug and leaves extract. Albino rats whose livers were damaged with a hepatotoxin-Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) 0.5 mL kg-1 i.p. were used to test for hepatoprotective properties of the plant leaves extract. It reduced significantly (p<0.05) liver enzyme levels for animals treated with CCL4 (0.5 mL kg-1) and the methanolic plant leaf extract (40 mg kg-1) concurrently compared to animals treated with CCL4 only. Many histopathological changes in the liver such as marked dilation of the central vein, blood vessel congestion and inflammatory leucocytic infiltrations which were observed in the CCl4 treated animals were not observed in the CCl4 + plant extract treated animals. No apparent disruptions of the normal liver structure by histological and enzyme activities assessment were observed. The results show that the methanolic leaf extract is a potent analgesic and antihepatotoxic agent

The Impact of Information Technology on Global Capital Market Operations: A Critical Appraisal of Some Selected Developed and Emerging Markets

This study evaluates the impact of information technology on global capital markets operation with particular reference to the equity markets using a simple percentage and multiple regression analyses. Technology has fundamentally changed the landscape of the global financial market place by lowering transaction costs and thus leveling the playing field for investors and issuers. The data in the present study were collected from WFE, IMF, WEO from 2001 to 2010 for some selected developed and emerging markets, and through the use of a structured questionnaire. Equity market developments and its indicators as a whole were regressed against ICT developments indicators (i.e. telecommunication industry, internet technology, computer and regulatory industry and cloud computing technology). Using equity markets development as a dependent variable, the results disclose that ICT development indicators were all correct and positively signed. Information Technology have contributed to the growth of the global equity markets, with the effects mostly reflected in the aggregates of the equity markets indicators. Keywords: ICT, Market, transaction, investors, cost, operation, market, developmen

Fiscal Policy and Strategic Financial Management Efficacy in Nigeria: Co-integral Regression Approach

This study examines the relationship fiscal aggregates and balance of payments, anchored on strategic financial management efficacy. Successive Nigerian governments had pursued various programmes to revitalize and synergize the economy. One of these is the Debt Conversion Programme (DCP). The conversion was for acquisition of government privatized enterprises, establishment of new projects, and enhancement of portfolio management. The proceeds were to be utilized to boost production using local inputs for better employment generation. With strategic financial management, fiscal policy is expected to bring about favourable balance of payments for the economy. Essentially, fiscal aggregates pertaining to regulation and deregulation dispensations in Nigeria are analyzed using co-integral regression approach, with secondary data contained in publications of Federal Ministry of Finance (FMF) and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The results indicate that balance of payments has significant relationship with fiscal aggregates such as government expenditure, private investments, foreign capital inflow, and foreign capital outflow. The strategic imperatives underscore selective import restriction and productive budgetary appropriation. Paradoxically, as much as doing fiscal policy contributes towards curbing inflation, it takes strategic financial management efficacy to make the hypothetical become unequivocal in redefining the nation’s macroeconomic fundamentals. Key Words: Balance of payments, Fiscal policy, Strategic financial managemen

Between a Short‑term and a Long‑term Antimicrobial Prophylaxis in Prostate Biopsy: The Applicability in a Low‑resource Setting

Background: Transrectal needle biopsy of the prostate (TNBP) is a common urological procedure with some attendant infective  complications. Although most urological surgeons give antibiotic prophylaxis, there is, however, no consensus on the duration. This study compares the outcome of a three‑day and seven‑day antibiotic prophylaxis in TNBP. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty men who met the inclusion criteria were recruited and randomized into two equal groups. The patients in Group I received oral ciprofloxacin and metronidazole for three days and Group II received the same drugs for seven days. The antibiotics were commenced 2 h before the biopsy. Urine samples were taken for microscopy, culture, and sensitivity before the biopsy in all patients. For patients in group I, urine microscopy, culture and sensitivity were done on days 5 and 10 after biopsy, and on days 10 and 14 after biopsy for group II patients.  Infective complications were determined by the presence of fever and positive urine cultures post-biopsy. Results: This comparative  prospective study was done between June 2016 and November 2017. Groups I and II had comparable infective complication rates (11.70% for Group I and 3.30% for Group II) (P = 0.212). However, diabetics did better on a seven‑day regimen (P < 0.001). Escherichia coli was the most common organism isolated (63.2%). Cephalosporins were the most effective antibiotics in post-biopsy infections in this study. Conclusion: Three‑day oral ciprofloxacin and metronidazole are effective for prophylaxis in TNBP. However, a seven‑day regimen is better in diabetics before a prostate biopsy. The cephalosporins are a good option in the management of post-biopsy infections caused by quinolone‑resistant organisms

Rethinking terrorism financing and democracy in Africa: The Nigeria case

Terrorism financing has become a threat to humanity and democracy in Africa. Most terrorist organizations in Africa need money to carry out their massacre activities, which threatens African democracy, political stability, and economic development. The wave of terrorism activities and terrorism financing in Africa have remained a major cause for concern. The pervasive widespread of terrorist attacks seem to have defile all situations. Apparently, in Nigeria, terrorist attack reports have become a daily menu. The lethal killings by Boko Haram in Nigeria can be likened to the era of the Nigerian Civil war. This paper therefore, compares and contrasts the terrorism financing vis-à-vis the nascent democracy in Africa with a focus on Nigerian cases of Boko Haram. Terrorism financing misrepresents democratic growth and economic development in Africa, which brought about a rise in terrorist widespread and negative financial growth and progress in Nigeria and Africa. The multi-dimensional of terrorist financing has brought difficulties to trace terrorist funds due to legitimize illegal sourcing of funds to terrorist accounts. The paper finds that the current wave of terrorism financing have made African democracy unstable and pathetically feeble. Keywords: Terrorism, financing, security, democrac

Isolation and NMR Characterization of Ursane-Type Triterpenoid from the Leaves of Peperomia pellucida

Peperomia pellucida is a member of the Piperaceae family. Extraction of plant material was carried out by Soxhlet extraction method using hexane and ethylacetate as solvents respectively. The extract was concentrated using a rotary evaporator, followed by isolation and purification using column and thin layer chromatographic techniques. Fraction C20 showed a clearly defined single spot with Rf value of 0.51. Using 1HNMR, 13C-DEPT, COSY, HSQC and HMBC and by comparison with literature values, the structure of the compound was established as an Ursane-type triterpenoid. The use of P. pellucida in ethnomedicine for the treatment of various ailments could be attributed to the Ursane-type triterpenoid and other bioactive chemical compounds present in the plant. Keywords: Peperomia pellucida, extraction, isolation, chromatographic techniques, ursane-type triterpenoi