Collaborative Trust: A Case Study Of Trust Evolution in a Public/Nonprofit Partnership

Lack of trust between nonprofit organizations and the communities in which they are located is a well-documented problem in the academic literature. The nature of this mistrust is far less understood, and little is known how community-nonprofit collaborations can overcome these gaps in trust. Guided by Simmel\u27s theory of trust, this study examined the role of collaborative trust between public and non-profit organizations with a focus on better understanding how trust evolves. The research questions focused on how trust was defined and the factors that enhanced and inhibited trust evolution within the context of collaborations between nonprofit organizations and communities. Data were gathered through structured, in-depth interviews with 14 staff and stakeholders, a focus group of 4 management committee members, and the examination of partnership documents.Data from the interviews and documents were inductively coded and then organized around key themes. The themes from the content analysis indicated that the 3 chief executive officers in the partnership embraced the concept of collaboration, invested time at trust building activities, and obtained stakeholder support. This study contributes to positive social change by providing information for policy makers and administrators of public and nonprofit organizations facing similar contexts about how the development of trust can remove the barriers and sustain collaboration to deliver social program services efficiently and equitably

A decision-making framework for assessing the safety culture of maritime organizations with commercial cargo-carrying vessels

Maritime safety culture is currently one of the most important aspects of shipping. It enables maritime administrators to assess and manage safety-related issues proactively. However, most maritime organisations have not been able to effectively assess and manage safety-related issues proactively because of the challenges associated with the availability of safety performance data and the suitability of correlational statistical techniques used in safety culture assessments. Hence, researchers and professionals constantly debate which correlational statistical technique would be most suitable for assessing safety culture. This thesis aims to contribute to safety culture assessment from a methodological perspective of developing a decision-making framework for assessing maritime safety culture. Therefore, this PhD study offers an original contribution to knowledge regarding the application of decision-making techniques in a way that researchers have not previously done in assessing the safety culture of maritime organisations with commercial cargo-carrying vessels. Consequently, the integrated decision-making methodology adopted for this study entailed: the application of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in establishing weightage and priority setting of safety factors used in further assessments; the application of Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) in establishing the weighted safety climate performance of both shoreside staff and shipboard staff; the application of Pareto analysis in justifying the findings of the weighted safety climate and gaining insights into issues concerning occupational health and safety, ship safety, and shore-to-ship safety; and the application of Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) in scheduling vessels for safety culture improvement programs. The established weightage and priority setting of safety factors are: COMMUNICATION (COM) 0.15, EMPOWERMENT (EMP) 0.13, FEEDBACK (FDB) 0.11, MUTUAL TRUST (MTR) 0.11, PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION (PID) 0.13, PROMOTION OF SAFETY (POS) 0.12, RESPONSIVENESS (RSP) 0.11, and SAFETY AWARENESS (SAW) 0.14. Subsequently, the weighted safety climate performance of shoreside staff were: (COM) 0.651, EMPOWERMENT (EMP) 0.528, FEEDBACK (FDB) 0.418, MUTUAL TRUST (MTR) 0.365, PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION (PID) 0.543, PROMOTION OF SAFETY (POS) 0.451, RESPONSIVENESS (RSP) 0.448, and SAFETY AWARENESS (SAW) 0.515; while those of shipboard staff were: COMMUNICATION (COM) 0.570, EMPOWERMENT (EMP) 0.523, FEEDBACK (FDB) 0.432, MUTUAL TRUST (MTR) 0.419, PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION (PID) 0.517, PROMOTION OF SAFETY (POS) 0.458, RESPONSIVENESS (RSP) 0.441, and SAFETY AWARENESS (SAW) 0.601. Furthermore, Pareto analysis revealed that amongst all the feedback statements reviewed, MUTUAL TRUST (MTR) represents 30% of the safety factors attributed to feedback statements that are responsible for 70% of the least performing safety factors found in the weighted safety climate of shipboard staff, while PROMOTION OF SAFETY (POS) and PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION (PID) represent 30% of the safety factors attributed to feedback statements that are responsible for 70% of the least performing safety factors found in the weighted safety climate of shipboard staff. Finally, the TOPSIS methodology was applied to provide maritime administrators with a vessel's ranking, from the least performing to the most performing, for safety culture improvement programs as follows: MT DIDI (0.0908), MT SEA ADVENTURER (0.1124), MT SEAS GRACE (0.1726), MT UMBALWA (0.1815), MT SEA PROGRESS (0.2307), MT SEA VOYAGER (0.3816), MT ASHABI (0.4693), MT MOSUNMOLA (0.5365), MT AMIF (0.9243), and MT KINGIS (1.0000). Conclusively, this thesis adequately demonstrates how decision-making techniques can be simply and successfully applied in assessing the safety culture of maritime organisations without encountering the challenges associated with the availability of safety performance data and the suitability of correlational statistical techniques. It also demonstrated how safety culture could be assessed and managed like other areas of the organisation and business: thereby making safety culture more assessable to continuous improvement programs of maritime organisations with commercial cargo-carrying vessels.Maritime safety culture is currently one of the most important aspects of shipping. It enables maritime administrators to assess and manage safety-related issues proactively. However, most maritime organisations have not been able to effectively assess and manage safety-related issues proactively because of the challenges associated with the availability of safety performance data and the suitability of correlational statistical techniques used in safety culture assessments. Hence, researchers and professionals constantly debate which correlational statistical technique would be most suitable for assessing safety culture. This thesis aims to contribute to safety culture assessment from a methodological perspective of developing a decision-making framework for assessing maritime safety culture. Therefore, this PhD study offers an original contribution to knowledge regarding the application of decision-making techniques in a way that researchers have not previously done in assessing the safety culture of maritime organisations with commercial cargo-carrying vessels. Consequently, the integrated decision-making methodology adopted for this study entailed: the application of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in establishing weightage and priority setting of safety factors used in further assessments; the application of Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) in establishing the weighted safety climate performance of both shoreside staff and shipboard staff; the application of Pareto analysis in justifying the findings of the weighted safety climate and gaining insights into issues concerning occupational health and safety, ship safety, and shore-to-ship safety; and the application of Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) in scheduling vessels for safety culture improvement programs. The established weightage and priority setting of safety factors are: COMMUNICATION (COM) 0.15, EMPOWERMENT (EMP) 0.13, FEEDBACK (FDB) 0.11, MUTUAL TRUST (MTR) 0.11, PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION (PID) 0.13, PROMOTION OF SAFETY (POS) 0.12, RESPONSIVENESS (RSP) 0.11, and SAFETY AWARENESS (SAW) 0.14. Subsequently, the weighted safety climate performance of shoreside staff were: (COM) 0.651, EMPOWERMENT (EMP) 0.528, FEEDBACK (FDB) 0.418, MUTUAL TRUST (MTR) 0.365, PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION (PID) 0.543, PROMOTION OF SAFETY (POS) 0.451, RESPONSIVENESS (RSP) 0.448, and SAFETY AWARENESS (SAW) 0.515; while those of shipboard staff were: COMMUNICATION (COM) 0.570, EMPOWERMENT (EMP) 0.523, FEEDBACK (FDB) 0.432, MUTUAL TRUST (MTR) 0.419, PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION (PID) 0.517, PROMOTION OF SAFETY (POS) 0.458, RESPONSIVENESS (RSP) 0.441, and SAFETY AWARENESS (SAW) 0.601. Furthermore, Pareto analysis revealed that amongst all the feedback statements reviewed, MUTUAL TRUST (MTR) represents 30% of the safety factors attributed to feedback statements that are responsible for 70% of the least performing safety factors found in the weighted safety climate of shipboard staff, while PROMOTION OF SAFETY (POS) and PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION (PID) represent 30% of the safety factors attributed to feedback statements that are responsible for 70% of the least performing safety factors found in the weighted safety climate of shipboard staff. Finally, the TOPSIS methodology was applied to provide maritime administrators with a vessel's ranking, from the least performing to the most performing, for safety culture improvement programs as follows: MT DIDI (0.0908), MT SEA ADVENTURER (0.1124), MT SEAS GRACE (0.1726), MT UMBALWA (0.1815), MT SEA PROGRESS (0.2307), MT SEA VOYAGER (0.3816), MT ASHABI (0.4693), MT MOSUNMOLA (0.5365), MT AMIF (0.9243), and MT KINGIS (1.0000). Conclusively, this thesis adequately demonstrates how decision-making techniques can be simply and successfully applied in assessing the safety culture of maritime organisations without encountering the challenges associated with the availability of safety performance data and the suitability of correlational statistical techniques. It also demonstrated how safety culture could be assessed and managed like other areas of the organisation and business: thereby making safety culture more assessable to continuous improvement programs of maritime organisations with commercial cargo-carrying vessels

Facies and Granulometric Analysis as Proxies for the Paleodepositional Environment of the Imo Formation, Southeastern Nigeria

Facies and granulometric analysis were carried out so as to decipher the paleodepositional environment of the Imo Formation in the study area. Results suggest the presence of eleven lithofacies, which are grouped into six lithofacies association, namely; swaly cross-bedded sandstone, laminated shale, sandstone / shale intercalations, bioturbated sandstone, fossiliferous shale and planar crossbedded sandstone facies associations. Results of pebble morphometric indices suggest a high energy (beach) environment for the sandstones of the Imo Formation. Pebble form indices for the formation have coefficient of flatness (F.R. %) =37.342 ± 8.916 (beach), elongation ratio (E.R.) = 0.743 ± 0.138 (torrents, brooks and rivulets), maximum projection sphericity index (M.P.S.I.) = 0.565 ± 0.090 (beach) and oblate - prolate index (OP index) = -2.313 ± 5.72 (beach). Scatter plots of coefficient of flatness versus sphericity and sphericity versus oblate-prolate index suggests that pebbles were formed in a shallow marine high energy (beach) environment. Bivariate plots of sand textural parameters such as graphic skewness versus graphic standard deviation and second moment skewness versus second moment standard deviation also confirm the high energy (beach) origin of sandstones. These results thus suggest a generalized spectrum of marine environments ranging from upper offshore through lower to upper shoreface to the foreshore for the Imo Formation Keywords: Imo Formation, Lithofacies, Sphericity, Oblate – Prolate Index, Coefficient of Flatnes

Macro-financial and geopolitical analysis of African equity capital markets

Over three chapters, this thesis pursues a research agenda that seeks to reconcile global risk appetite and perceptions rooted in narratives, with respect to Africa capital markets more broadly, and a global landscape defined by economic and financial shocks derived of, or determined by, geopolitical rivalries or alignments. Our research effort seeks evidence of resilience, specifically in public equity capital markets in Africa, to identify patterns of its evolution that could be critical to future development. We collect an array of macroeconomic and financial market time series monthly data to build an eleven-country panel. We use standard econometric tools to perform rigorous empirical analysis on a combination of structural (push and pull) factors to consider key events and scenarios over a 13 year sample period. Our empirical analysis incorporates assessing individual capital markets, Africa as an economic bloc and various regional configurations. We consider market resilience in the context of the transmission of policy, namely conventional and unconventional international monetary policy and global risk appetite through the Global Financial Cycle (GFCy). For external influence, beyond the US dollar dominant GFCy, we innovate to consider an initial 4 variations, kGFCy, represented by 3 other key centre economies (CHN, EU, UK). We also consider market resilience in the context of the transmission of shocks. For internal influence our innovation was initially constructing 3 geoeconomic zones from the country sample, representing regional ecosystem dynamics (ECO, ESA, RND). In Decomposing the influence of the GFCy on local equity index performance in Africa we are able to reject the strongest form of our null hypothesis that African capital markets are sui generis. We develop a panel regression (pReg) model to estimate the influence of the k/GFCy, determine its effects over time, specifically before and after the GFC, using a set of grey rhino variables related to 2 of 3 policy objectives of the standard open economy trilemma, monetary independence (MI) and exchange stability (ERS). We find the GFCy (US) and one kGFCy variant (EU) are statistically significant influences and established a clearly different linear relationship pre- and post-GFC for the panel. We also find asymmetric integration to be a key driver of the heterogeneity evident in African equity capital markets. Structural break analysis highlights the importance of the exchange rate channel. Market size is a mediating factor in both cases. In Analysing the geopolitical economy of public equity market behaviour in Africa we link to the previous chapter and continue to exploit the same data set with different tools to focus on the dynamics of responses. We use a series of panel vector autoregression (pVAR) GMM style estimations to analyse the interaction of a set of time invariant and time varying structural features of African economies and the behaviour of public equity markets. We construct 3 regional geoeconomic zones to help identify patterns. Through systematic tracking of forecasted response functions of local stock index variables to key economic bloc impulse variables, we find unexpected results about the relative influences of the US and China on African risk asset prices, but confirmatory results about the dominance of South Africa and the importance of market size. A proposal for capital market development in Africa: A geoeconomic solution to a macro-financial trilemma is structured as a white paper, given its applied nature. Our contribution in this chapter is a policy proposal to grow the supply and increase demand for African risk assets and on a regional basis. We present the proposal as the result of an integrated theory model we introduce, synthesising inferences from previous chapters, supplemented by nascent frameworks of geoeconomics, in the context of an evolving global macrofinancial system. We explore the implausibility of a de novo institution and the possibilities of monetary innovation before settling on the more probable but optimal solution, for which we offer a set of three recommendations we discuss and critique

“Effect of giant rat’s tail grass (Sporobolus pyramidalis p.beauv) on Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) and Heavy metals content of crude oil polluted soils”

Soil contamination by crude oil has been an issue within the oil producing areas of the Niger Delta Nigeria and so, many remediation methods; including  phytoremediation, the use of plants, have been adopted for the remediation of the affected soils. Such plants are expected to be safe and effective in the clean-up of hydrocarbons and heavy metals from oil polluted sites. Giant rat’s tail grass (Sporobolus pyramidalis p.beauv) is among the plants being proposed. This study therefore investigated in eight-weeks, the effects of giant rat’s tail grass (Sporobolus pyramidalis p.beauv) on the total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) and heavy metals content of contaminated soils. Residual TPH and heavy metals (chromium, Cr and lead, Pb) were quantified as an index for assessing the post-phytoremediated crude oil contaminated soils. Crude oil pollution levels of 25ml/kg, 50ml/kg and 100ml/kg on soils were respectively done alongside the unpolluted control. Remediation treatments of the test soils and the control with the plant were done after two weeks of pollution using three young seedlings of giant rat’s tail grass. Results from eight weeks remediation period showed that TPH (mg/kg) reduced from 496.55 to 257.90, 578.09 to 241.37, 602.61 to 198.80 and 21.27 to 6.22 on the test soils and the control respectively; Cr (mg/kg) from 5.86 to 1.23, 7.96 to 1.38, 9.76 to 1.65 and 4.26 to 0.63 on the test soils and the control respectively; and Pb (mg/kg) from 4.25 to 1.21, 5.26 to 2.31, 5.12 to 3.93 and 1.96 to 0.43 on the test soils and the control respectively. Soil analysis results from the study indicated that giant rat’s tail grass (Sporobolus pyramidalis p.beauv) has the potential to ameliorate crude oil toxicity at different crude oil contamination levels because of its ability to significantly (p>0.05) decrease the TPH and heavy metals content of the soil.Keywords: Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon, Heavy Metals, Phytoremediation, giant rat’s tail, crude oil contaminatio

Pebble Morphometric Study of the Ogwashi-Asaba Formation at Ubakala and Environs in Southeastern Nigeria

Pebble morphometric study was carried out for the Ogwashi-Asaba Formation so as to understand its paleodepositional environment. The three axes; the long (l), the intermediate (i) and the short (s) were measured for the two sets of one hundred and forty (140) and one hundred and fifty (150) pebbles collected from two outcrops of the Ogwashi-Asaba Formation. Pebble form indices such as Maximum Projection Sphericity (MPSI), coefficient of flatness (FR %), elongation ratio (ER) and oblate-prolate (OP) index were computed from these measurements. Roundness was estimated using Sames image sets. The mean values of the pebble form indices ranges from 49.78 to 52.02 for coefficient of flatness (FR %). 0.71 to 0.73 for sphericity, 2.60 t0 3.53 for oblate-prolate index, and 0.66 to 0.69 for elongation ratio. The calculated indices are suggestive of fluvial sedimentation for the Ogwashi-Asaba Formation. Bivariate plots of coefficient of flatness (FR %) versus maximum projection sphericity index (MPSI) and plots of sphericity (MPSI) versus oblate-prolate index (OP) are also indicative of fluvial origin. Scatter plots of roundness versus elongation ratio shows that 100% of the pebbles are in a littoral field. Plots of bivariate parameters such as simple skewness versus simple standard deviation, and second moment skewness versus second moment standard deviation  suggests the Ogwashi-Asaba Formation as a product of the fluvial depositional processes. Keywords: Niger Delta Basin, Ogwashi-Asaba Formation, Pebble morphometry, Pebble Form indices. DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/9-6-06 Publication date:March 31st 201

The Paleoenvironmental Significance of Trace Fossils from the Paleocene Imo Formation, South-eastern Nigeria

Trace fossils and lithofacies associations were studied to understand the paleodepositional environment of the Paleocene Imo Formation. The methodology involves lithologic logging to obtain sedimentological and ichnological data. Bioturbation index were used to estimate the intensity of biotubation of the various lithofacies associations. The trace fossils observed in the Imo Formation includes Ophiomorpha and Altichnus belonging to the Skolithos ichnofacies and Chondrites, Thalassinoides, Planolites, and Rosselia which belongs to the Cruziana ichnofacies. Six lithofacies association were distinguished and interpreted as follows; swaly cross-stratified sandstone represents a middle shoreface environment, laminated shale representing offshore to lower shoreface transition sediments, interbedded sandstone and shale as well as bioturbated sandstone deposited in upper shoreface environments, fossiliferous shale representing an upper offshore deposit while crossbedded sandstone is inferred to as foreshore-upper shoreface sediments. The gross depositional environment suggests sediments deposited in shallow marine environments lying between the foreshore-shoreface to offshore depositional settings. Keywords: Trace fossils, Ichnofossils, Lithofacies, Imo Formation, Niger Delta Basi

Geochemistry and Industrial Applications of Brown Coals of the Ogwashi-Asaba Formation in Parts of Anambra State, Nigeria

Geochemical studies have been carried out on brown coal of the Ogwashi-Asaba Formation in parts of Anambra State, Nigeria, using proximate and ultimate analytical results to evaluate its potentials for industrial utilization. An understanding of the physico-chemical characteristics such as moisture content    , volatile matter content, fixed carbon content, and ash content are essential for establishing the quality of the coal. The chemical analysis of the brown coal samples results suggest that fixed carbon varies from 1.51 to 37.50 wt%, moisture content varies from 2.40 to 39.80 wt%, volatile matter varies from 2.44 to 39.92 wt%, and ash content ranges from 6.60 to 70.75 wt%, carbon content ranges from 11.59 wt% to 59.33 wt%, oxygen content ranges from 0.06 to 13.87 wt%, hydrogen content ranges from 0.13 to 4.59 wt%, sulfur content varies from 0.04 to  2.48 wt% and the nitrogen content varies from 1.30% to 1.85 wt%. The high-moisture content poses several challenges for the utilization of lignite, because it lowers the energy density of the fuel and makes its transportation uneconomic over long distances. The analytical results show that the coal cannot be employed in the steel industry for the generation of substantial heat for the working of the furnace but can be used as a steam coal. Proximate analysis and calorific data suggest that the coal belongs to the lowest rank i.e. lignite. The brown coal is less hazardous to the ecosystem because of its significantly low sulfur and nitrogen contents. Based on the results of the study, the brown coal can be used for power generation, gasification, production of industrial chemicals and cement production. Keywords: Coal, Proximate Analysis, Ultimate Analysis, Calorific values DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/12-12-03 Publication date:June 30th 202

Characterization of Diagenetic Processes of the Late Maastrichtian – Danian Limestones in Ohafia, Ozu Abam and Arochukwu Areas of Southeastern Nigeria

Vast deposits of limestones of Late Maastrichtian to Paleocene age occur in the Ohafia, Ozu-Abam and Arochukwu areas of southeastern Nigeria. The present study sought to gain insight into the evolutionary history and conditions of formation of the limestones, through detail investigations and characterization of the diagenetic processes that affected the rock. The diagenetic processes considered include cementation, neomorphism, micritization, compaction and dissolution. Dolomitization process was not considered because it was conspicuously absent in all the thin sections examined. The cement types observed include blocky or equant mosaic calcite cement, drusy mosaic calcite cement, micritic calcite cement with a meniscus fabric, and acicular aragonite cement. Micritization of bioclasts in the limestones is very low and is characterized by thin micritic envelopes covering the grain surfaces. Neomorphism is a prominent feature of the limestones and is responsible for the formation of large sized crystals in the limestones. Compaction is discernible by a parallel alignment of fractures in a thin section. Dissolution in the limestones is shown by the presence of solution cavities in the thin section. Dolomitization were not observed in the limestones. The various diagenetic transformations that the Late Maastrichtian to Paleocene limestones of Ohafia, Ozu-Abam and Arochukwu areas of southeastern Nigeria have undergone corroborates development under shallow marine conditions. In particular, the presence of drusy mosaic as a cement type is an indication of the relevance of meteoric phreatic conditions in the evolutionary history of the rock. Keywords: Diagenesis, Carbonate, Petrography, Nigeria