Impact of Employee Empowerment on Job Satisfaction in First Bank Nigeria PLC, Nigeria

This paper examined the impact employee empowerment has on job satisfaction with specific reference to First Bank of Nigeria PLC.  Employee empowerment is instrumental in achieving organizational performance because employees render the service. Investing in them is investing in the improvement of the services provided. The objective of this study is to determine the impact employee empowerment has on job satisfaction in First Bank of Nigeria PLC. The study also investigated the level of job satisfaction between male and female employees. The study covered nine branches out of the fifteen branches of First Bank in Kaduna State. This is because the nine branches are within Kaduna State metropolis and so, there was easy access. The sample size consisted of all the staff in the various branches with the exception of contract (in sourcing) staff. The study used primary and secondary data. Questionnaires were distributed to two hundred employees across the branches of First Bank and fifteen were not returned. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the data. The study found out that employee empowerment has positive and significant impact on job satisfaction. It recommends that First Bank should continue to promote teamwork amongst employees so that every staff irrespective of gender would work towards a common vision of achieving the objectives of the Bank. A more enabling environment for the female employees should also be encouraged so that there will be a balance in enhancing productivity. Keywords: Employee, Empowerment, Job satisfaction, First Bank

Impact of Marketing Communication on Financial Performance of Banks: A Study of First Bank of Nigeria PLC

This paper examined the impact of marketing communication on the financial performance of banks with specific reference to First Bank of Nigeria PLC. There are several marketing communication methods which may influence a company’s financial performance but this study focused on two aspects of marketing communication methods namely advertising and promotion. Advertising and promotion were chosen because following consolidation, banks have advertised more and various forms of promotion are being implemented. The bank’s financial performance was measured by Return on Assets (ROA). The study used regression analysis and T-test to examine the impact of marketing communication methods on financial performance in First Bank PLC. Findings indicate that there is a positive significant relationship between marketing communication methods and financial performance as measured by ROA. The study recommends promotion and advertising should be sustained and encouraged so that the banks will not only improve financially but operationally. Also bank marketers should be allowed to have more freedom in terms of working hours in order to have flexibility when going out to market products and services. Keywords: Marketing communication, Financial performance, First bank of Nigeri

Analysis of Factors Affecting Brand Loyalty of Product among Consumers in Nigeria

This study attempts to examine factors affecting brand loyalty of product among consumers in Nigeria. These factors include Customer satisfaction, Product involvement, perceived quality and brand trust that could possibly enhance brand loyalty. In this study, brand loyalty is approached based on previous studies and literature, by building a framework to link the dimensions of brand loyalty and brand involvement and also the factors that enhance both. Keywords: Brand Loyalty, Analysis of factors, consumers, product

Brand Loyalty and Consumers of Northern Noodles Nigeria Limited: An Analysis of Factors

This paper examines the factors that enhance brand loyalty in Northern Noodles Nigeria Limited. There are several factors that encourage customers to become loyal to either the company or brand they are using but this study focused on three factors which are Product involvement, Perceived quality and Brand trust. Primary data was used for the study. Questionnaires were distributed among 300 respondents in Kaduna State. The study used correlation coefficient analysis to examine the relationship between these focused factors and brand loyalty. Findings reveal that product involvement, perceived quality and brand trust are factors that enhance loyalty to brand. It is recommended that Northern Noodles Nigeria Limited should continue to make their product more unique in order to sustain their consumers and stimulate their involvement, maintain their quality of product and identify ways in which to gain more trust into the hearts of the consumers. Also they should explore more ways in which to improve on other factors that positively impact on customer loyalty to brand in order to help further strengthen brand loyalty towards their offering brand. Keywords: Brand Loyalty, Consumers, Northern Noodle

Analysis of Theories of Management Relevant to the Marketing Function in Contemporary Times

This paper reviews some Management theories namely: the Scientific Management theory, the Classical organizational theory, the Behavioral theory and recent developments in Management theory. The paper analyzed how the theories relate to the Marketing Function as well as review the extent of success achieved by these theories. The paper concludes that though the Management theories help in interpreting the rapidly changing nature of today’s markets, not all have been successful in influencing, interpreting or explaining the marketing functions. Keywords: marketing functions, theories of management, contemporary time

The Effects of Covid-19 Pandemic on Purchasing Habits of Kaduna State Citizens

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown, consumers around the globe are facing difficulty in purchasing essential goods. This study examined the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the purchasing habits of Kaduna state citizens. For this purpose, it adopted an exploratory research design and concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic has a significant negative impact on the purchasing habits of Kaduna State citizens in terms of fast-moving consumer goods. The study recommended that the Kaduna state government and its private sector should employ flexible supply chain strategies in order to ensure effective and efficient distribution of goods and services for the benefit of consumers

Choice of antihypertensive medications among physicians and its impact on blood pressure control among Nigerians living with hypertension

Background: Hypertension, if untreated or uncontrolled, leads to damage of vital organs such as the brain, heart and the kidneys among others. These complications have been shown to be severer in black Africans. Benefit of treatment has been repeatedly demonstrated by many studies. Therefore, many guidelines have been produced by relevant bodies in different countries in order to assist physicians in making the right choices for blood pressure (BP) control. Most of these bodies produce the guidelines based on the peculiarities of hypertension in their respective population. Several reports have shown how different hypertension is, in black Africans, still there is no published unified guideline for its treatment in this population.Methods: This was a survey of known hypertensives who were on follow up visit. Their prescriptions were assessed for drug name, class and number. Their blood pressures at that visit were also recorded. Prevalence of single therapy and combination therapy were determined. Compliance with the AHA recommended 2 – drug combination was determined. The percentage of BP control as well as the prescribed drugs in each group were also obtained.Results: Those on single agents were 13% out of which 52% were controlled. 87% were on various combination of 2 or more drugs of whom 41.9% of those on 2 drugs and 21.1% of those on more than 2 drugs had controlled BP. BP control in those on 2 drugs was better than in those with > 2 drugs, (p=0.0027).ACEI were the commonest used drug either as single agent (55.9%) or as 2 – drug combination as seen in 54.8% of the subjects on 2 – drug combination. 13 different 2 – drug combinations were identified with the best control in ARB + Diuretic, ACEI + Diuretic and CCB + Diuretic. The least control was observed in the ACEI + CCB group. Compliance with AHA recommendation was good but still 7.7% were under unacceptable group while another 7.7% were unclassified.Conclusion: ACE-Is are becoming the drugs of choice both as monotherapy and as combination therapy. Despite good compliance to AHA recommendation on drug combination, overall control is still a problem which calls for a revisit of these recommendations in Africans.Keywords: Ahtihypertensives; Physicians; Impact; Blood Pressure; Nigerian

Diagnostic characteristics of the 20-minute whole blood clotting test in detecting venom-induced consumptive coagulopathy following carpet viper envenoming

Introduction Envenoming by Echis spp. (carpet or saw-scaled vipers) causes haemorrhage and coagulopathy and represents a significant proportion of snakebites in the savannah regions of West Africa. Early diagnosis of envenoming is crucial in the management of these patients and there is limited evidence on the utility of the 20-minute whole blood clotting test (20WBCT) in diagnosing venom-induced consumptive coagulopathy (VICC) following envenoming by Echis ocellatus. Methods A prospective observational cohort study was conducted at the Kaltungo General Hospital in North-eastern Nigeria from September 2019 to September 2021. Standardised 20WBCTs were conducted by trained hospital staff and citrated plasma samples were collected at numerous timepoints. Prothrombin time (PT) and international normalised ratio (INR) were determined using a semi-automated analyser and INR values were calculated using international sensitivity indices (ISI). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values (PPV), negative predictive values (NPV), and likelihood ratios of the 20WBCT compared to an INR ≥ 1.4 were calculated, alongside 95% confidence intervals. Results We enrolled 121 patients into our study, with a median age of 26 (18.0–35.0) years and a male predominance (75.2%). The 20WBCT was positive (abnormal) in 101 out of 121 patients at timepoint 0h, of which 95 had an INR ≥ 1.4, giving a sensitivity of 87.2% (95%CI 79.4–92.8). Among patients with a negative 20WBCT (normal), six had an INR < 1.4 giving a specificity of 50% (95%CI 21.1–78.9%). The positive and negative likelihood ratios were 1.7 (95%CI 1.6–1.9) and 0.3 (95%CI 0.1–0.4) respectively. Conclusion The 20WBCT is a simple, cheap, and easily accessible bedside test with a high sensitivity for the detection of patients with venom induced consumptive coagulopathy (VICC) following envenoming by E. ocellatus, although false positives do occur. Repeated 20WBCTs can identify patients with new, persistent, and rebound coagulopathy

Prevalence and Determinants of Endothelial Dysfunction among Adults Living with HIV in Northwest Nigeria

Background: Endothelial dysfunction constitutes an early pathophysiological event in atherogenesis and cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to assess the prevalence, determinants, and degree of endothelial dysfunction in antiretroviral therapy (ART)–treated people living with HIV (PLWH) in northwestern Nigeria using brachial flow-mediated dilatation (FMD). Methods: This was a comparative, cross-sectional study. A total of 200 ART-treated adults living with HIV with no evidence of kidney disease were compared with 200 HIV-negative participants attending a tertiary hospital in Kano, Nigeria, between September 2020 and May 2021. Endothelial function was evaluated by measuring FMD with a high-resolution vascular ultrasound transducer. FMD was calculated as the ratio of the brachial artery diameter after reactive hyperemia to baseline diameter and expressed as a percentage of change. Blood and urine samples were obtained from participants in both arms. Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) was calculated using the 2021 CKD-EPI estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) creatinine-cystatin C equation without the race variable, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was measured using enzymatic method. Results: The overall mean age (± standard deviation) of the study participants was 42 ± 11 years. Participants in the comparison arm were younger than PLWH (38 ± 11 versus 46 ± 10 years, respectively). The median (interquartile range) uACR was 41.6 (23.2–162.9) mg/g for the ART-treated PLWH versus 14.5 (7.4–27.0) mg/g for healthy controls. PLWH had a significantly lower mean percent FMD when compared to HIV-negative participants (9.8% ± 5.4 versus 12.1% ± 9.2, respectively). Reduced FMD was independently associated with HIV infection (β = –2.83%, 95% CI, –4.44% to –1.21%, p = 0.001), estimated glomerular filtration rate (β = –0.04%, 95% CI, –0.07% to –0.01%, p = 0.004) and LDL cholesterol (β = –1.12%, 95% CI, –2.13% to –0.11%, p = 0.029). Conclusion: HIV-positive status, lower estimated GFR, and higher LDL cholesterol levels were independently associated with endothelial dysfunction. Future prospective studies with larger cohorts of persons living with HIV (and age- and sex-matched HIV-negative controls) are needed to gain further insight into these important findings. In the interim, aggressive management of modifiable risk factors is warranted

TRANSFORMING TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT: EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

This study discusses the concept of transforming training as a unique management system. It also traces its root to the evolution of psychology and education in the 1990s. The study also conceptualizes transforming training in some diverse ways. It argues that for a healthy and smooth running of a system of administration, there is need for transforming training. Therefore, it sees transformation as a necessary tool of national development and stability. The study adopts transformative learning theory which says that the process of perspective transformation has three dimensions: psychological (changes in understanding of the self), convictional (revision of belief systems), and behavioral (changes in lifestyle). The methodology adopted for these researchwork is via context analysis. It is therefore concluded that organizations are been plugged by the efforts of individuals in transforming training in order to bridge this gap in the chain of events. The concept of experimental approach as an aspect of educational psychology formally surfaced in the study