Information technology availability, use and job satisfaction of academic Staff at Tai Solarin University of Education, Nigeria: A Correlative study

Job satisfaction may not necessarily be contingent upon availability, accessibility and utilization of facilities, especially technology. This is why this study investigated the relationship among information technology (IT) availability, utilization and job satisfaction by academic staff of Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Nigeria. Ex-post facto research design was adopted. Using the stratified proportionate random sampling technique, data were gathered from the academic staff in the four colleges and the University Library using a questionnaire tagged information technology and job satisfaction questionnaire ITJSQ (α=0.72); 214 questionnaires were retrieved from the respondents out of 286 administered to a population of 286 respondents. This represent 75% response rate. The study found that the IT resources available were internet (x=3.62; SD=1.13) computers (x=3.61; SD=0.92) CD-ROM and Online databases (x=2.72; SD=1.32) printers (x=2.51; SD =1.41) audio visuals (x=2.46; SD=1.29) and local area network (x=2.26; SD=1.46). It also revealed high IT utilization levels for internet (x=3.46; SD=1.07) computers (x=3.17; SD=1.05) photocopiers (x=2.63; SD=1.07) Online/CD-ROM databases (x=2.47; SD=1.23) audio-visuals (x=2.25; SD=1.27) and printers (x=2.19; SD=1.43). IT availability and utilization by the academic staff had no significant relationship with job satisfaction (r=-0.071; p>0.05) and (r=0.102; P>=0.05) respectively. The study recommends improved access and use of IT resources, effici

Numerical simulation for milling processes of thin wall structures

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The Right to Food and the Political Economy of Third World States

Current global events validate the fact that beyond a theoretical analysis of rights discourse and food justice, there is a need to understand and propose ways to address the very fragile global food situation, and especially so in Third World states. At the peak of the high food prices in mid-2008, the world observed how the issue of access to food and the means to acquire food (in the larger context of other socio-economic needs) spurred riots from Egypt to Bangladesh and Mexico. And one cannot definitely say that we are out of the woods yet concerning rising food prices. Furthermore, with the current global financial crises and the implications on the food security of individuals and households, there is a need for research that critically examines the theory of rights and thereafter proposes practical means by which to ensure food security, especially in Third World states. This article therefore seeks to link a rigorous theoretical exercise with the real-life challenges that face millions of people globally, and particularly so in the Third World

Information Technology availability and its utilization by Academic Staff of Covenant University, Nigeria

Information technology (IT) availability in organizations'!\may not necessarily translate to utilization. This study therefore investigated the availability and utilization. of IT among the academic staff of Covenant University Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted. Using total enumeration technique, data were collected from the academic staff in all the 16 academic departments in the institution using a questionnaire tagged Information Technology Availability and Utilization Questionnaire ITAUQ (a=0.72). All th~ 300 academic staff in the university were sampled, however, 175 questionnaire were eventually retrieved and used for the study. This represents 58.3% response rate. The study found that internet ( =3.37; SD=0.97), computers ( =3.06; SD = 1.47), Online/CD-ROM databases ( = 2.97; SD = 1.17), photocopiers ( =2.93; SD='=1.30); local area network ( =2.47; SD=1.60), audio-visuals ( =2.47; SD=1.36) and printers ( =2.14; SD=l.48) were available; while computers ( =3.76; SD=0.73), internet ( =3.53; SD=l.10), photocopiers ( =2.74; SD=1.40), printers ( =2.70; SD=l.41) and Online/CD-ROM databases ( =2.06; SD=l.59) were found to be frequently utilized. IT availability had significant relationship with IT utilization (r=0.666; P<0.01). There was no significant difference in the utilization of IT resources based on gender (t=0.1745, d£=173; P>0.05). The study recommends periodic upgrade of IT resources and staff IT skills improvement through training

Information Technology Accessibility, Utilization and Academic Staff Job Satisfaction at Covenant~University, Nigeria.

Job satisfaction may not necessarily be contingent upon availability, accessibility and utilization of facilities, especially technology. This is why this study investigated the relationship among information technology (IT) accessibility, utilization and job satisfaction by academic staff of Covenant University, Nigeria. Ex-post factor research design was adopted. Using the stratified proportionate random sampling technique, data were gathered from the academic staff in the three colleges and the University Library using a questionnaire tagged information technology and job satisfaction questionnarie ITJSQ (α=0.72). 175 questionnaire were retrieved from the respondents out of 220 administered to a population of 300 respondents. This represent 58.3% response rate. The study found that the IT resources with high accessibility levels were internet (x=3.62; SD=1.13) computers (x=3.61;SD=0.92) CD-ROM and Online databases (x=2.72;SD=1.32) printers (x=2.51;SD=1.41) audio- visuals (x=2.46;SD=1.29) and local area network (x=2.26;SD=1.48).It also revealed high IT utilization levels in internet (x=3.46;SD=1.07) computers (x=3.17;SD=1.05) photocopiers(x=2.63;SD=1.07) Online/CD-ROM databases (x=2.47;SD=1.23)audio-visuals (x=2.25;SD=1.27) and printers (x=2.19;SD=1.43). IT accessibility and utilization by the academic staff had no significant relationship with job satisfaction (r=-0.071;p>0.05) and (r=0.102;P>0.05) respectively. The study recommends improved access and use of IT resources, efficient feedback mechanism, promotion of academic culture and participatory managemen

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) adoption in South African SMEs

The advancement in technological development is now altering the conventional order in the diffusion of IT innovation from a top-down approach (organisation to employees) to a bottom-up approach (employees to organisation). This change is more notable in developed economies and has led to the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) phenomenon which promises increased productivity for employees and their organisations. There have been several studies on the corporate adoption of BYOD but few have investigated the phenomenon from a small and medium enterprise (SME) perspective and from developing countries specifically. This study investigated the BYOD phenomenon in South African SMEs. The goal was to identify contextual factors influencing BYOD adoption with the purpose of understanding how these factors shaped and reshaped by SME actions. The Perceived EReadiness Model (PERM) was adopted to unearth contextual BYOD adoption factors, while the Structuration Theory was adopted as the theoretical lens from which the social construction of the BYOD phenomenon was understood. The study adopted an interpretive stance and was qualitative in nature. Data was collected from SMEs using semi-structured interviews, and analysed using a thematic analysis approach. The findings show that for BYOD to be adopted and institutionalized in an SME there needs to be organisational readiness in terms of awareness, management support, business resources, human resources, employees' pressure, formal governance, and technological readiness. Specifically, business resources, management support and technological readiness were perceived to be of the outmost importance to the success of BYOD. Environmental factors of market forces, support from industry, government readiness and the sociocultural factor are identified. Findings from the structuration analysis reports the presence of rules and resources (structures) which SMEs draw upon in their BYOD actions and interactions. It provides understanding on the guiding structures such as "no training" and "no formal governance" within which BYOD meanings are formed, and actions such as allowing employees to use their devices to access organisational resources without the fear of security breaches and data theft, are enacted. While it is true that the successive adoption of ICTs in organisation depends on the availability of a conducive formal policy, findings in the study show that SMEs used their business resources and management support as guiding structures of domination which were legitimized by internal informal verbal rules, lack of an institutional BYOD specific policy, minimal industry support; and the presences of social pressure

Personal Variables, Knowledge and Disposition to Peace Education Concepts among Junior Secondary School Social Studies Teachers in Ogun State, Nigeria

Peace education has become a means of catching them young to minimize the spirit of intolerance that engenders conflict all over the world. This paper attempted to investigate the correlation between the knowledge, preference and attitude/disposition of JSS social studies teachers towards peace education concepts/themes in JSS social studies curriculum. Using the percentages, ranking and Pearson chisquare method of analysis; it was discovered that only 41.4% of the teachers believed that peace education is about promoting a culture of tolerance and give-and-take and 20.7% equally believed that cooperative learning is a most suitable method of teaching peace education. Furthermore, both the professional and non-professional teachers (X2=5.957, P&gt;0.05) believed that peace education can promote unity in diversity in Nigeria. Gender (sex) factor equally accounted for the believe of the teachers in ‘catching them young’ for peace education (6.193, P&gt;0.05). While across different teaching experience, the teachers were in agreement that peace education may not overload the JSS social studies curriculum (12.080, P&gt;0.05), they all equally agreed (9.488, P&gt;0.05) that peace education skills require additional training for social studies teachers. In ranking however, the concept of ‘tolerance’ was ranked first ‘cooperation’ second and ‘rule of law’ third as preferences for the teaching of peace education. It was therefore recommended that all the current JSS social studies teachers teaching in Ogun State, Nigeria needs post-qualification training (with more emphasis on the use of cooperative learning strategies) for effective teaching of peace education in schools. Keywords: Personal Variables, Peace Education Concepts,  Social Studies Teachers

Toxicological Response of Poecilia reticulata, Hyla species and Culex species to Leachates from Olusosun Landfill, Lagos State, Nigeria

The effect of leachate samples from Olushosun dumpsite in Ojota, Lagos on the toxicological response of Poecilia reticulata, Hyla and Culex species was investigated using acute and chronic toxicity tests. Physicochemical parameters were analysed in the leachate prior to toxicological assessment against test animals. Computed results showed that pH 7.62 while the acute toxicity assay of leachate sample against test animals revealed a 96hr LC50 of 71.53ml/L, 58.34ml/L and 60.643ml/L for Poecilia, Hyla and Culex species respectively. On the basis of the 96hr LC50 values, the leachate was found to be more toxic against Hyla than Poecilia. The exposure of the Poecilia and Hyla species to sub-lethal concentrations (1/10th of 96hrs LC50) of leachate revealed varied biochemical responses over a 28 day period. The activity of Catalase, Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST) showed significant increase (p&lt;0.05) when compared to control in Hyla while the activity of GSH, SOD and CAT showed significant increase (p&lt;0.05) when compared to control in Poecilia sp. Results from this study showed that leachate can induce adverse environmental effect on organisms. The acute and chronic toxicological response of the test animals could be incorporated into risk assessment of dumpsite leachate, design and management of landfill sites

The Performativity of IS implementation outcomes: the case of an Enterprise System Implementation at Ìwádí University

IS implementation failure is high, yet uptake of these systems is still on the rise. This inconsistency might be because of the rational and narrative approach which characterizes how IS implementation success and failure are currently assessed and defined in research. This study challenges these dominant approaches (rational and narrative) which views outcomes as static and fixed by adopting a performative view. Hence the question: How are the realities of IS Implementation outcomes performed? This study adopted a case study methodology and used Actor Network Theory (ANT) in reconstructing the implementation story and producing knowledge claims. Findings indicate that the realities of IS implementation outcomes are performed by and within the groups in which the IS implementation is assessed. In this study, the IS implementation was assessed in two different groups and performed concurrent competing realities of IS implementation outcomes. This study elicits how factors such as expectation management, organizational politics, market recognition and the conditions of possibility played a key role in the intra-actions that enacted the realities of IS implementation outcomes. These factors were not pre-given rather they were locally produced within the IS implementation actor network