Structural and implementation issues around the new Nigerian Labour, Safety, Health and Welfare Bill (2012): lessons from UK, USA, Australia and China

This paper, which is the Part II of a bipartite series, critically reviews the structural and implementation issues around the new Nigerian Labour, Safety, Health and Welfare (LSHW) Bill (2012). The study uses the vast Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) management experiences gained by UK, USA, Australia and China as bases for reviewing the LSHW Bill. The paper identifi es some of the potential OSH management opportunities, challenges and some practical lessons for countries seeking to adopt a more centralised and result oriented OSH regulatory model. Nigeria is used as a reference case study only; most of the recommendations made may be useful to other developing countries

Cinema semiotics: An application of Hodge and Tripp’s Paradigm/Syntagm approach

Abstract. Various scholars have defined the term semiotics according to their understanding but with a unifying central meaning which is the study of signs. Two important aspects of semiotics are syntagm and paradigm. The organization of signs by chain is referred to as syntagm, while by choice it is referred to as paradigm. According to Hodge & Tripp (1986), as far as syntagmatic structures are concerned, texts are examined from three different angles or variables: space, time, and continuity. Moreover, in film the interpretations of individual, shots depend on both paradigmatic analysis (comparing it, not necessarily, with the use of alternative kinds of shots) and syntagmatic analysis (comparing it with preceding and following shots). This paper, applies the concept of Syntagm and Paradigm given by Hodge and Tripp to analyse the structure of two films from Nigeria’s film industries i.e. Kanywood and Nollywood industries.Keywords. Cinema, Semiotics, Syntagm, Paradigm, Film, Kanywood, Nollywood.JEL. Z00, Y90, H80

The mediating infuence of entrepreneurial empowerment on the linkage between Islamic microfinance services and clients’ well-being in Malaysia: perceived assesment of service provider

Understanding clients’ well-being from the perspective of service provider is important in Islamic microfinance services. The objective of the study was to examine the relationship between Islamic microfinance services with entrepreneurial empowerment and clients’ well-being. Three research questions and seven hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The study covered within peninsular Malaysia. The sample was chosen from east coast states of Malaysia (Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan states) because these states attracted more than 50% of funds disbursement by Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM). The study population was 400, defined as a group of employees of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) who are directly involved in the delivery of Islamic microfinance services. This comprised of branch manager and nine (9) members of staff from operations department in each of the 40 branches in the region. The sample for the study was 291 survey respondents from these staff of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM). A structured questionnaire consisting of closed-ended multiple choice questions was presented to the respondents, selected by a stratified and simple random sampling. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) were used to test the validity and reliability of the conceptual research model. The survey results supported four hypotheses, confirming that Islamic microfinance services have positive relationship with entrepreneurial empowerment. The results rejected three hypotheses on the relationship between Islamic microfinance services and clients’ well-being. The unique finding of the study is that, it has espoused the importance of entrepreneurial empowerment as a full mediator towards achieving clients’ well-being. The researcher concludes that Islamic microfinance services can improve clients’ empowerment and well-being by emphasising human, physical and social capital development

AN ELUCIDATION OF THE POSITION OF WOMEN BEFORE THE ADVENT OF ISLAM AS DESCRIBED IN THE GLORIOUS QUR’AN

Before the advent of Islam, the position of women varied widely across different regions and cultures. It is important to note that the following information provides a general overview and may not apply uniformly to all societies of that time. Pre-Islamic Arabia: In pre-Islamic Arabia, women's status varied greatly depending on tribal customs and traditions. Some tribes practiced female infanticide, considering daughters a burden, while others valued women as members of the community. Women were often married off at a young age and had limited rights in matters of inheritance, divorce, and property ownership. Polygamy was prevalent, and women were sometimes treated as objects of trade. The position of women in pre-Islamic Arabia was varied, depending on their social status and tribal affiliation. However, in general, women had few rights and were often treated as second-class citizens. They were not allowed to own property, inherit, or testify in court. They could be married off without their consent, and they could be divorced by their husbands at will. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to expose these issues in details. Also, the paper explains the status of women in Roman period, in Jews period and in the Christian era. The method used in conducting this research is analytical method

Public relations perspectives on electoral reforms as a panacea for consolidating Nigeria’s democracy

Abstract. Electoral reforms have been considered as sustainable means of improving on the quality of elections in Nigeria, this is especially as it avails the country, tremendous opportunities in admitting new policies such as new techniques, technologies and improved systems of protecting the welfare of electorates. It is evident from the literature that, public relations overtime has been a unifying factor in accelerating Nigeria’s democracy and sustaining its need for periodic elections and encouraging the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).  Based on the level of malpractices and issues associated with the conduct of elections in Nigeria, it was concluded in this paper that, there are several benefits attached to the process of electoral reforms in Nigeria, hence, it gives government the opportunity to revamp its electoral policies through campaigns, introduction of new technologies, voting and more importantly, the nature of conducting elections bearing in mind that, poorly adopted electoral policies normally lead to the outbreak of crisis from aggrieved parties.  It is recommended amongst others that, government at all levels should consider periodic electoral reforms as a strategy for development and as such; they should ensure that only people with credibility are charged with the mandate of presiding over electoral reform committees (ERC).Keywords. Electoral reforms, Public relations, Democracy and elections.JEL. D72, D73, D78

AN ANALYSIS OF THE WOMEN’S RIGHT IN ISLAM FROM THE QUR’ANIC VERSES AND AHADITH

Allah (SWT) has created both men and women without subordination of one another. Islam has ensured gender equality and women’s rights in every sphere of their life. Islam has guaranteed rights of men and women in an equal degree and there is no discrimination between men and women. But due to the prevailing socio-cultural norms and practices in Bangladesh sometimes the guarantee of Islam do not get translated into tangible actions. Islam is the religion which liberated Muslim women by ensuring equal rights to them in comparison to their male fellow.. The prime object of this study is to pick out how rights of women are ensured in Islam. This study concludes with an allusion that women are not subordinate of men and indicate an avenue to identify properly women in the light of Islam. This research is actually qualitative in nature where only secondary data has been used. Analytical method was also used in this research. Data has been collected from various books, journals, Glorious Qur’an and Sunnah (tradition) of the Prophet (peace be upon him). This research finds that Islam does not deprive the women rather ensuring proper rights, dignity and status this research includes only those rights of the women as guaranteed by Islam and it does not include constitutional rights or other rights ensured by the existing laws of the country

AN ANALYSIS OF THE WOMEN’S RIGHT IN ISLAM FROM THE QUR’ANIC VERSES AND AHADITH

Allah (SWT) has created both men and women without subordination of one another. Islam has ensured gender equality and women’s rights in every sphere of their life. Islam has guaranteed rights of men and women in an equal degree and there is no discrimination between men and women. But due to the prevailing socio-cultural norms and practices in Bangladesh sometimes the guarantee of Islam do not get translated into tangible actions. Islam is the religion which liberated Muslim women by ensuring equal rights to them in comparison to their male fellow.. The prime object of this study is to pick out how rights of women are ensured in Islam. This study concludes with an allusion that women are not subordinate of men and indicate an avenue to identify properly women in the light of Islam. This research is actually qualitative in nature where only secondary data has been used. Analytical method was also used in this research. Data has been collected from various books, journals, Glorious Qur’an and Sunnah (tradition) of the Prophet (peace be upon him). This research finds that Islam does not deprive the women rather ensuring proper rights, dignity and status this research includes only those rights of the women as guaranteed by Islam and it does not include constitutional rights or other rights ensured by the existing laws of the country

Validitas, Reliabilitas, Dan Kepraktisan Ujian Melalui Observasi Dan Bentuk Lisan Bagi Kelas Besar Pada Prodi Pai Fakultas Tarbiyah Dan Bahasa Iain Surakarta

Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif terhadap pelaksana an ujian mandiri (non-terjadual)dosen pengampu matakuliah paralel (kelas besar/ lebih dari 30 mahasiswa dalam satu kelas) pada Prodi PAI semester genap tahun 2011/2012. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsi kan validitas, reliabilitas dan kepraktisan soal dan penyelenggaraannya. Data diperoleh dari angket dan observasi terhadap mahasiswa. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa: a) Tingkat validitas soal ujian lisan dilihat dari butir-butir pertanyaan nya cukup meng ukur kompetensi mata kuliah yang direncanakan, namun sering kali di dapati soal yang sama pada beberapa mahasiswa untuk kelas paralel. Demikian pula dalam pelaksanaan ujian kecenderung an soal berkembang sesuai situasi dan kondisi Dosen pada waktu itu yang mengakibatkan mahasiswa kesulitan untuk men jawab pertanyaan yang diberikan karena lebih sulit dari materi yang telah diajarkan atau tidak konsisten terhadap kompetensi yang dituju. Tes lisan dengan cara tidak terjadwal serempak dan mandiri sangat baik untuk menanyakan perbedaan-perbedaan pendapat (judgment) perorangan terhadap kasus tertentu. Tetapi tes lisan tidak efektif untuk menanyakan kompetensi referensial dan normatif sebagaimana dalam buku sumber. b) Reliabilitassoal yang diujikan rendah hal ini dipengaruhi oleh tingkat subyektifitas dosen sangat tinggi karena kondisi psikologisnya dan respon mahasiswa terhadap soal yang di ujikan. c) Tingkat kepraktisan soal ujian lisan juga rendah, karena soal rawan bocor danuntuk menjawabnya memerlu kan waktu yang lebih longgar dari jadwal akademik yang telah ditentukan

Soil and Water Contamination due to Illegal Artisanal Refinery Activities: A Case Study of Okarki Community, Niger Delta Area, Nigeria

Using a combination of field visits, laboratory experiments and analyses, this study examined the impacts of illegal artisanal crude oil refineries on the environment. Total Hydrocarbons (THC) and heavy metals in the soil and water bodies as well as pr were determined and compared with both national international standards. The study found THC and heavy metals such as Iron and Manganese to be significantly high in both soil and water samples. It was found that the artisanal crude oil refining activities in the Niger Delta Area of Nigeria generate and discharge environmental safety hazards that are far beyond the statutory and intentional acceptable limit