Assessment of Rural Entrepreneurs Integration Strategies in Value Chain Activities: With Emphasis to Rural Micro and Small Enterprises Found in Arsi Zone

Entrepreneurship development via value chain is an effective, and often the only route to building prosperous, dynamic, and sustainable economies across rural communities in developing countries, where majority are living in rural area. MSEs are one strategy through which entrepreneurship fostered in Ethiopia. But MSEs are not integrated into the value chain activities accordingly, and most of the time they cease their operation within short period of time because of lack of integration in the value chain activities. Hence, the overall objective of this study is to assess the extent to which rural entrepreneurs (MSEs) participated in the value chain activities and to identify integration strategies for rural entrepreneurs in the value chain activities in selected district of Arsi Zone. MSEs engaged in rural agricultural activities of three districts of Arsi Zone; namely Tiyo, Hetosa, and Digalu and Tijo were taken as target population for this study and considered as strata and proportionate stratified sampling was used to select respondents from the three districts. In order to determine the sample respondents from each stratum simple random sampling was used and the data was analyzed descriptively. The finding of the study revealed almost there is no as such clear integration of rural entrepreneurs in the value chain activities of their produces. Access to credit, access to technology, enterprise resource capability, market information, and enterprise profitability are the five top factors that influence rural entrepreneurs’ participation in to the value chain activities. The research propose the value chain approach development specifically Value chain Upgrading and Financing for rural entrepreneurs found in Arsi Zone so as to ensure integration of them in the value chain activities. Keywords: Value Chain, Integration, Rural entrepreneurs, MSE

Assessing stakeholders perception of corporate social responsibility on Meta Abo Brewery Share Company

In recent years, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has gradually become a leading issue in business. Heightened corporate attention to CSR has not been entirely voluntary. Many companies awake to it only after being surprised by public response to issues they had not previously thought were part of their responsibilities. But despite their intent, the practice and what drives them to engage is not lucid. Thus, the prime essence of this study was to assess the practice of CSR in Meta Abo Brewery S.C. The study used both qualitative and quantitative research approaches and it is mainly dependent on primary source of data in which four types of structured questionnaire was developed to get data from respondents composed of customers, community and employees while mangers of the company were interviewed. To meet the research objective the researcher used different sampling techniques and procedures to select the samples from each stakeholder’s category. Respondents from the total population were selected conveniently. The findings depicts that the employees awareness towards concept of CSR is at its lowest level, but it is good to have basic knowledge about it. It is possible to conclude from the survey different items listed in the study believed practical to views CSR in business organizations. The stakeholders' perceptions on components of CSR include economic, ethical, legal, and philanthropic responsibilities agreed that items listed are important aspects to business organizations socially responsible activities. The prioritization of CSR to the company includes philanthropic, next ethical, then economic and finally legal responsibilities. The company needs to allocate enough amount of budget and focus on training and developing mechanisms that help to communicate with the stakeholders

Community Participation In Tourism Development In Tigray: The Case Of Axum

This thesis discusses the participation of local communities in tourism development using a case study of local communities in Axum. The thesis focuses on three key concepts: community participation in the decision making process; community participation in the sharing of tourism benefits; and the contribution of tourism development to generate income. To achieve this, the research is guided by five interrelated research questions: (1) what are the views of local people towards community participation in tourism development? (2) What are appropriate roles of local people in tourism development? (3) To what extent do local communities participate in the tourism decision making process? (4) To what extent have the tourism businesses developed benefit sharing schemes? And what are the views of the local people on contribution of tourism as a means of income generating. For a better understanding of the context of the research, the thesis employs a case study approach, which enables investigation at the community level to bring together perspectives from the grass –root level and participation of various stakeholders that explores views from a range of stakeholders such as ordinary members of the community, government agencies tourism professionals, tourism businesses and tourism projects. The researcher used household survey, interview and document analysis methods in order to gather the necessary data for the study. The quantitative and qualitative data gathered from these techniques are analyzed and interpreted. According to the results obtained, this research concludes that local communities want to take part in the decision making process of tourism in their local area. In general local people want to see decisions about tourism development in their area made by consulting local people. Local communities acknowledge that tourism provides employment opportunities, encourages a variety of cultural activities and meeting tourists promotes cross cultural exchange. In addition to the decision making process, local communities also want to participate in the sharing of tourism benefits. Tourism businesses have not developed specific mechanisms of sharing tourism benefits. But the tourism businesses create employment opportunities for local people and sponsor different community development activities when they consider it important. The government organizations provide trainings, advice and loans so that local communities can participate in tourism development

OPTIMUM SOIL QUALITY ATTRIBUTE LEVELS AND VALUES

We develop a dynamic optimal cropping systems model for the northern Great Plains, taking into account the impact of the system on soil quality attributes organic and inorganic carbon. Continuous wheat and direct planting is the most profitable system under most economic conditions. This system has low soil erosion and results in high soil quality.Land Economics/Use,

Multilocular Cystic Nephroma of the kidney in a young adult: case report

We report the case of a 20-year-old female patient who presented with a left abdominal mass of 4 years duration. Ultrasonography showed a multicystic left renal mass, and intravenous urography revealed a non-functioning kidney. Based on these findings a multicystic renal cell carcinoma was suspected and radical nephrectomy was performed. Histological examination of the resected specimen confirmed the diagnosis of multilocular cystic nephroma. This is a very rare renal tumor with only few cases described in the literature. Based on our case and a review of the literature the epidemiology, pathogenesis and diagnostic features are discussed.Key Words: Cystic nephroma, renal cell carcinoma, kidne

Seroepidemiological investigations on typhus in Mekele, Dessie and the nearby towns

Abstract: A seroepidemiological study on typhus was conducted in Dessie, Mekele and the nearby towns. A total of 792 serum specimens were collected from patients with acute febrile illness who came to seek treatment in hospitals, health centres and malaria control centres. Also, 246 blood specimens were collected from apparently healthy individuals who donated blood to the blood banks of Dessie and Mekele. The specimen collection was performed during the rainy (July 31 - Sept. 3, 1993) and during the dry (May 21 - June 21, 1994) seasons. All specimens were tested by the WeilFelix test and the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for IgM antibodies specific to Rickettsia prowazekii. The disease prevalence was significantly higher during the rainy season than the dry season. A Weil-Felix test positivity of 5.3% and 13.5% in Mekele (OR=2.78, P<0.05); 6% and 18.7% in Dessie (OR=3.36, P<0.0001) were obtained for the dry and the rainy seasons, respectively. Using the IgM ELISA: the rates for Mekele of 8.7% and 31.1% (OR=4.75, P<0.001) and for Dessie, 21.6% and 28.4% (OR=1.44, P>0.05) were found during the dry and rainy seasons, respectively. Among the various occupational groups, higher prevalence was observed in the student population (up to 36%). A general prevalence which ragned from 6% to 9% and 10% to 22% was observed in blood donors from the two towns by the Weil-Felix test and IgM ELISA respectively. The seroprevalence observed in the various groups, the seasonality of the disease as well as the importance of laboratory diagnostic methods have been discussed in relation to possible future outbreaks of epidemic typhus. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 1998;12(1):9-16

COMPARISON OF TWO GENERATIONS OF WELLCOZYME KITS

ABSTRACT: A study to compare the specificity of two generations of Wellcozyme kits was performed using sera obtained from three different groups with different prevalence rates of HIV-1 infection, namely, females with multi-partner sexual contacts (MPSC) with an average HIV prevalence of 20% representing the high risk group, specimens from patients who have been suspected to have been infected with HIV based on clinical diagnosis, and scholarship winners with a prevalence rate of 3.4%. ELISA was performed on 1000 samples from each of the first two groups and 377 samples from the third group using both generation of kits. The percentage of false positivity using the first generation kit was 16.3% (33/202), 5.1% (14/271),36% (9/39) and using the second generation kit, 7.94% (12/151), 0.25% (1/399) and 5.8% (1/19) in MPSC females, suspected AIDS patients and scholarship students respectively. ELISA false positivity was highest in the group with a low HIV sero-prevalence rate. The result of the study, in relation to the specificity of the kits, is presented. Students who have won scholarships to countries that require HIV testing

SOIL QUALITY ATTRIBUTE TIME PATHS: OPTIMAL LEVELS AND VALUES

We develop a dynamic soil quality model to evaluate optimal cropping systems in the northern Great Plains. Modeling soil quality attributes is feasible, and attribute model results apply to a wide range of soils. A crop production system with continuous spring wheat and direct planting is the most profitable system. This system has low soil erosion and high quality attributes, indicating the benefits of increased soil quality exceed the higher maintenance costs. On-site value of additional soil organic carbon (OC) ranges from $1 to$4/ton OC/hectare/year. These values for soil OC impact the optimum tillage practice, but not the crop rotation.Crop Production/Industries,

Seroepidemiology of hepatitis B virus in Addis Ababa Ethiopia: transmission patterns and vaccine control

A community-based seroepidemiological survey of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was conducted in 1994 to inform on the transmission dynamics and control of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Venous blood from 4736 individuals under 50 years of age from 1262 households, selected using stratified cluster-sampling, was screened for HBV markers using commercial ELISAs. HBsAg prevalence was 7% (95% CI 6–8), higher in males (9%; 7–10) than females (5%; 4–6). HBeAg prevalence in HBsAg positives was 23% (18–29), and less than 1% of women of childbearing age were HBeAg positive. Overall HBV seroprevalence (any marker), rose steadily with age to over 70% in 40–49 year olds, indicating significant childhood and adult transmission. Estimated instantaneous incidence was 3–4/100 susceptibles/year, higher in males than females in 0–4 year olds, and peaking in early childhood and young adults. The age at which 50% had evidence of infection was around 20 years, and the herd immunity threshold is approximated at 63–77%. Addis Ababa is of intermediate-high HBV endemicity, with negligible perinatal transmission. Our main findings are the identification of a significant difference between males and females in the age-acquisition of HBV infection, and marked differences between age groups in HBV incidence rates. These results should target future research studies of underlying risk factors. Furthermore, we generate a crude estimate of the level of coverage of HBV vaccine that would be required to eliminate the virus from the study population

Sero-epidemiology of rubella in the urban population of Addis Ababa Ethiopia

We conducted a community-based cluster sample survey of rubella sero-epidemiology in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1994. Among 4666 individuals for whom complete data were available, rubella antibody prevalence was 91% (95% confidence interval: 90, 92). On multivariable analysis, seroprevalence was lower among individuals who were resident in Addis Ababa for 1 year or less. Approx. 50% seroprevalence was attained by age 4 years, and the estimated average age at infection was 5·2 years. The highest age-specific force of infection was estimated to occur in 5- to 9-year-olds. The early age at infection corresponded with a low estimated incidence of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) of 0·3 per 1000 live births, equivalent to nine cases of CRS in 1994. The predicted critical level of immunity for elimination of rubella via vaccination was 85–91%, requiring 89–96% coverage with a vaccine of 95% effectiveness. Unless very high coverage of rubella vaccine could be guaranteed, the introduction of childhood vaccination could increase the incidence of CRS in Addis Ababa