Intrapreneurial Leadership and Sustainability of Federal Universities in South-South Region Nigeria

The study surveys contributions of intrapreneurial leadership to institutional sustainability particularly, federal universities in the south-south region, Nigeria. Institutional leadership and visionary leadership are both consonant to this study. Descriptive statistics and multiple regressions were used in analyzing the data obtained, aided with statistical package for social science. Obviously, federal universities with more academic programmes enjoyed increase in internally generated revenue (IGR) through fee and other charges. There appeared clear indications that universities with some unique programmes are favoured by donators and sponsors. Internally generated revenues by the universities do not necessarily result from so much diversified investments even though those ventures have their revenue contributions. Federal government should inject more funds into infrastructural development in both physical and human forms with more programmes introduced into universities to achieve the objectives, which gave birth to them. The various ventures entered into by the leadership (intrapreneurship) of the universities should be devoid of personal and political sentiments both in the appointment of management teams and financial prudency. Consequently, succeeding administrations should make effort to improve on the vision of inherited venture projects. University managers and administrators should work harder in sourcing for more funds through donors and collaborations while they remain resolutely focused without getting funds diverted

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, CORPORATE STRATEGY AND CORPORATE PERFORMANCE: EVIDENCE FROM THE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS LISTED ON THE NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE

The study aimed at proving that corporate governance structures should work in tandem with other stakeholders of the company to fashion a robust corporate strategy for effective corporate performance. Undoubtedly, in most situations board squabble, ineptitude, inconsistent tenure of office during which members engage in arbitrage opportunities and rent seeking activities constitute the bane of achievement of corporate prime objectives. The study availed itself of the secondary data from Nigerian Stock Exchange Fact book where thirty three (33) out of forty eight (48) financial institutions were selected, tabulated and analyzed using Ordinary Least Squared (OLS) rule. A multiple regression model was applied in the analysis of the data. The result provided sufficient evidence of relationship between corporate governance and firm performance. It concluded that a talented board is a corner stone of an effective corporate governance system. Key words: Corporate governance, corporate strategy, corporate performance, earnings management

Workload Related Stress and Job Effectiveness of University Lecturers in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States, Nigeria

The strength of any organization largely depends on her workforce but work load related stress can affect the effectiveness of such organizational workforce. As an apex institution of knowledge, the Nigerian university system has a lot to contribute towards the nation’s manpower development, however studies have shown that there is a high level of workload related stress among university lecturers in Nigeria. Against this backdrop therefore, this study was articulated to determine the extent to which such work load related stress influences job effectiveness among university lecturers in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, Nigeria. The Job demand control theory of Karasek and Theorell (1990) provided the theoretical framework for the study, while the cross sectional survey research was deployed as the study design. Samples were drawn from the two Federal Government owned universities in the states under study, namely: University of Uyo and University of Calabar. Data were obtained through structured six (6) point Likert scale questionnaires, while the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized to test the study hypothesis. The results showed that, workload related stress significantly influence the job effectiveness of lecturers in terms of publication, community service and teaching effectiveness. Appropriate recommendations are also made for improvement

Rural Unemployment and Underemployment in Nigeria: Issues and Options

This paper analyzed the problems of unemployment and underemployment as conventionally defined in Nigeria. It noted that the problems had remained intractable and that measures introduced over the years by various governments to curb the problems had made only modest impacts. Whereas data from government surveys report figures that portray the country as having no such problems, the problems of unemployment and underemployment indeed exist, even at levels that are high and growing. While underemployment seemed a rural phenomenon, unemployment indicated a characteristic of urban centers. Also, unemployment rates among those with secondary education and above were higher in the urban than in the rural areas, but the rates for those with no schooling or with primary education only were higher in the rural areas. The paper, therefore, fingered both supply and demand factors in explaining the problems. It reviewed past efforts at redressing them and suggested ways of sustaining existing programs, and drawn attention to the need to revive those that had gone moribund

Occupational Stress and Academic Staff Job Performance in Two Nigerian Universities

Available reports provide an account of academic staff’s poor job performance in higher education institutions and universities in particular. Consequently, a growing body of research has been attracted to this area, including those seeking ways to understand the problem and others aimed at proffering solutions. This study contributes to the literature by investigating the influence of occupational stress on the job performance of academic staff in universities. Three null hypotheses directed the study in line with the quantitative ex-post facto research design. A sample of 150 respondents was obtained using the systematic random sampling technique from a population of 400 lecturers in the Faculty of Education from two public universities in Nigeria. A 31-item questionnaire was used for data collection. The null hypotheses were tested at the .05 alpha level using simple linear regression analysis. It was revealed that remuneration is a significant positive predictor of academic staff job performance. The prediction of workload was negatively non-significant on the job performance of academics. The provision of institutional amenities has a positive but non-significant prediction on academic staff job performance in the two public universities. It was concluded that occupational stress significantly influences the job performance of lecturers in universities. The study recommended that the government constantly pay lecturers’ salaries as and when due. Institutional managers should reward lecturers with outstanding performance to boost their morale for effective service delivery

Curriculum Management and Graduate Programmes’ Viability: The Mediation of Institutional Effectiveness Using PLS-SEM Approach

This study used a partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to estimate curriculum management's direct and indirect effects on university graduate programmes' viability. The study also examined the role of institutional effectiveness in mediating the nexus between the predictor and response variables. This is a correlational study with a factorial research design. The study's participants comprised 149 higher education administrators (23 Faculty Deans and 126 HODs) from two public universities in Nigeria. A structured questionnaire designed by the researchers was used for data collection. The questionnaire was duly validated with an acceptable scale and item content validity indices. The dimensionality of the instrument was determined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Convergent validity was based on Average Variance Extracted (AVE), whereas discriminant validity was based on Fornell-Lacker criteria and the Hetero-Trait Mono-Trait (HTMT) ratio. Acceptable composite reliability estimates of internal consistency were reached for the three sub-scales. Following ethical practices, the questionnaire was physically administered to respondents and retrieved afterwards. Smart PLS (version 3.2.9) and SPSS (version 26.0) programs were used for all the statistical analyses. This study uncovered significant direct and indirect effects of curriculum management on the viability of graduate programmes. Institutional effectiveness significantly impacted graduate programmes’ viability while mediating the nexus between curriculum management and graduate programmes’ viability. Curriculum management and institutional effectiveness jointly explained a significant proportion of graduate programmes’ viability variance. The result of this study proved that graduate programmes’ viability depends, to a great extent, on how much curriculum is managed and how effective institutions are with their services. The result of this study can enable institutions seeking to run viable graduate programmes to re-evaluate their curriculum management practices and the effectiveness of their services

ICT deployment for teaching in the COVID-19 era: A quantitative assessment of resource availability and challenges in public universities

Despite the changes in human behaviour and interactions occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, many institutions are yet to adapt to the new normal fully. While some educational institutions switched entirely to e-learning to promote teaching and learning, others could not offer education due to physical and social restrictions. Previous studies in Africa have identified reasons for the poor ICT adoption for educational purposes. However, the degree to which these factors affect ICT utilisation is barely analysed. Using a quantitative approach, this study assessed ICT deployment for teaching in the COVID-19 era by focusing on their availability and challenges. A sample of 344 respondents from a population of 2,867 academic staff at two Nigerian public universities participated in the study. After receiving face validity from experts, a structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Cronbach alpha reliability indices of the questionnaire ranged from 0.72 to 0.94. Descriptive statistics (simple percentages, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (one-way ANOVA) were used for data analysis. Findings generally revealed a moderate extent in the availability of ICT resources in public universities. The cost of data, computer literacy, and electricity supply are challenges that significantly affected ICT deployment in the COVID-19 era. Based on this finding, it was concluded that personal and institutional challenges affect how ICT resources are deployed in public universities. It was recommended, among other things, that the management of each tertiary institution should apportion proceeds from internally generated revenue to procure ICT resources specific to the need of the school. The study provides the ground for further research into students’ use of ICT for educational purposes