scholarly journals AN Assessment of public relations among certified and non-certified cocoa marketers in Ondo State, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-366
Author(s):  
Shehu Abdulganiyu SALAU

Public relations (PR) are often ignored in agricultural marketing, and organizations with imperfect utilization of PR are usually badly managed, ineffective and generate high labor turnover. Therefore, this study identified the different types of adopted PR strategies, described the structure of the cocoa market, estimated the marketing margin, identified factors affecting PR strategies and outlined the major challenges hindering the use of PR among certified and non-certified cocoa marketers. A combination of purposive and random sampling techniques was used to select 120 respondents for the study. The analytical tools used to achieve the research objectives are descriptive statistics, Likert-scale, Herfindahl Index, marketing efficiency model, marketing margin and multiple regression analysis. The result revealed that the most frequently used PR strategy was phone calls. The Herfindahl Index values of 0.19 and 0.12 suggested that the structure of cocoa markets among certified and non-certified marketers was moderately concentrated and non-concentrated respectively. Moreover, the higher efficiency (122.6%) and marketing margin (18.44%) values for certified cocoa marketers revealed that they are more productive than non-certified marketers. Age, marketing margin, cost of spoilt cocoa beans and household size are important variables explaining the adoption of PR strategies among certified cocoa marketers. On the other hand, marketing margin, cost of spoilt cocoa beans and household size are important variables influencing the adoption of PR strategies among non-certified marketers. The most important factors hindering cocoa marketing are high costs of transportation among certified cocoa marketers, and commission among non-certified cocoa marketers. We recommend the use of mobile phone and training of marketers on the use of PR strategies and modern cocoa processing techniques. The challenges of erratic network performance, high airtime tariff and input subsidies should be addressed by the government to reduce wastage in the industry.

Author(s):  
Shehu Abdulganiyu Salau ◽  
◽  
Temitope Blessing Agbede ◽  

Analysis of factors influencing public relations (PR) in agricultural marketing are scarce in the literature. Thus, this study identified the different types of adopted PR strategies, described the structure of cocoa market, estimated the marketing margin, determined factors affecting PR strategies and outlined the major challenges hindering the use of PR among certified and non-certified cocoa marketers. A combination of purposive and proportional sampling techniques were used to select 120 respondents for the study. To achieve the research objectives, the analytical tools are: descriptive statistics, Likert-scale, Herfindal Index, marketing efficiency model, marketing margin and multiple regression analysis. The result revealed that the most frequently used PR strategies was phone calls. The Herfindahl Index value of 0.19 and 0.12 suggested that the structure of cocoa markets among the certified and non-certified marketers was slightly concentrated and non-concentrated respectively. Moreover, the higher efficiency (122.6%) and marketing margin (18.44%) values for the certified cocoa marketers revealed that they are more productive than the non-certified marketers. Age, marketing margin, cost of damaged cocoa beans and household size are the important variables explaining the adoption of PR strategies among certified cocoa marketers. On the other hand, marketing margin, cost of damaged cocoa beans and household size are the important variables influencing the adoption of PR strategies among non-certified marketers. The most important factors hindering cocoa marketing are high cost of transportation and commission among certified and non-certified cocoa marketer respectively. We recommend the use of mobile phone and training of marketers on use of PR strategies and modern cocoa processing techniques. Irregular network, high airtime tariff and input subsidies challenges should be addressed by the government to reduce wastage in the industry.


Author(s):  
Ananda Mukherjee ◽  
Sarbajit Sengupta

Private expenditure on education is a determining factor for ensuring an individual’s educational progress. Though the government provides a vast infrastructure at minimal cost, the individuals have to incur cost from their pockets for various purposes. In this study, we have analysed the various influences on private expenditure on education based on National Sample Survey 71st round conducted in 2014. We have found that household consumer expenditure, respondent’s age, medium of instruction dummy, private coaching dummy and household computer dummy affect private expenditure on education positively, and household size, rural dummy, female dummy, social group dummies, minority religion dummy and type of school dummy affect private expenditure on education negatively. The important policy implications are the tendency to spend less for the female child needs to be amended and the male and female child needs to be given same preference when it comes to expenditure on education. Family planning should be implemented effectively to keep the household size reasonably small for better educational access of an individual. The weaker social groups such as STs, SCs and OBCs and the minorities should be supported well by scholarships and stipends for furthering their education. The number of government institutions should increase to provide low-cost education to society. English medium schools should be made to offer more seats for the financially weak. Private coaching should be made as redundant as possible by improving teaching in the schools. For having computer in households, the financially weak should get some subsidy or may be community computer centres can cater to their needs at reduced cost or free of cost. JEL: I25, I22


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-248
Author(s):  
Betty Tresnawaty

Public Relations of the Bandung Regency Government realizes that its area has a lot of potential for various local wisdom and has a heterogeneous society. This study aims to explore and analyze the values of local knowledge in developing public relations strategies in the government of Bandung Regency, West Java province. This study uses a constructivist interpretive (subjective) paradigm through a case study approach. The results showed that the Bandung Regency Government runs its government based on local wisdom. Bandung Regency Public Relations utilizes local insight and the region's potential to develop a public relations strategy to build and maintain a positive image of Bandung Regency. The impact of this research is expected to become a source of new scientific references in the development of public relations strategies in every region of Indonesia, which is very rich with various philosophies.Humas Pemerintah Kabupaten Bandung menyadari wilayahnya memiliki banyak potensi kearifan lokal yang beragam, serta memiliki masyarakatnya yang heterogen. Penelitian ini bertujuan menggali dan menganalisis nilai-nilai kearifan lokal dalam pengembangan strategi kehumasan di pemerintahan Kabupaten Bandung provinsi Jawa Barat.  Penelitian ini menggunakan paradigma interpretif (subjektif) konstruktivis melalui pendekatan studi kasus. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Pemerintah Kabupaten (Pemkab) Bandung menjalankan pemerintahannya berlandaskan pada kearifal lokal. Humas Pemkab Bandung memanfaatkan kearifan lokal dan potensi wilayahnya untuk mengembangkan strategi humas dalam membangun dan mempertahankan citra positif Kabupaten Bandung.Dampak penelitian ini diharapkan menjadi sumber rujukan ilmiah baru dalam pengembangan strategi kehumasan di setiap daerah Indonesia yang sangat kaya dengan beragam filosofi. 


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-96
Author(s):  
Siti Yuliaty Chansa Arfah ◽  
Harianto . ◽  
Suharno .

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji daya saing komoditi kakao di Sulawesi Tengah dan melihat peran pemerintah dalam meningkatkan daya saing komoditi kakao. Data primer berasal dari observasi, wawancara dan kuesioner, sementara data sekunder berasal dari instansi terkait. Metode analisis menggunakan Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM) dan analisis sensitivitas. Penelitian ini menemukan bahwa nilai PCR Kabupaten Parigi Moutong 0,589 dan Kabupaten Sigi 0,396. Sedangkan nilai DRC Kabupaten Parigi Moutong 0,387 dan Kabupaten Sigi 0,319. Hal tersebut mengindikasikan bahwa usahatani komoditi kakao di Sulawesi Tengah memiliki daya saing, namun tidak menguntungkan secara ekonomi karena Sulawesi Tengah menghasilkan biji kakao yang tidak difermentasi akibatnya petani menerima harga rendah. Berdasarkan hasil analisis, pemerintah belum memberikan proteksi terhadap harga biji kakao dalam negeri melalui harga referensi biji kakao sehingga harga biji kakao didaerah penelitian masih tergolong rendah jika dibandingkan dengan harga di pasar internasional. Sementara terhadap input, pemerintah telah memberikan kebijakan subsidi kepada petani, namun implementasinya masih perlu perbaikan terutama terkait penyaluran dan pengelolaan bantuan agar merata. Kajian ini merekomendasikan masih diperlukan kebijakan pemerintah baik terhadap input maupun output untuk meningkatkan produktivitas, menurunkan biaya produksi dan menaikkan harga jual biji kakao, sehingga dapat meningkatkan daya saing biji kakao. The purpose of this study is to assess the competitiveness of cocoa in Central Sulawesi and to investigate the role of government in improving the competitiveness of cocoa. The primary data were generated through observation, interviews and some questionnaires. The secondary data were obtained from the agency or the institution related to the research. This study uses the Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM) and sensitivity analysis. The study found that the PCR value for Parigi Moutong district was 0.589 and Sigi district was 0.396. While, the DRC value for Parigi Moutong district was 0.387 and Sigi district was 0.319. This indicates that cocoa beans farming in Central Sulawesi has competitiveness, but not economically beneficial because Central Sulawesi produces unfermented cocoa beans consequently farmers receive low prices. Based on the results of the government's impact on output analysis, the government did not provide protection for domestic cocoa seed prices through the reference price of cocoa beans, consequently the price of domestic cocoa beans, particularly in the research area, was relatively low compared to the price of cocoa beans at the international market. Seen from the government policy on inputs, the government have provided subsidies to farmers but they need to improve the distribution and management of aid to be evenly distributed. It is necessary to set up good government policy on inputs and outputs in order to increase cocoa seed productivity, decrease production cost and increase the price which simultaneously can improve its competitiveness in the research location.


Author(s):  
Mohd. Shuhaimi Ishak

 Abstract Generally speaking, media is extensively used as the means to disseminate news and information pertaining to business, social, political and religious concerns. A portion of the time and space of media has now become an important device to generate economic and social activities that include advertising, marketing, recreation and entertainment. The Government regards them as an essential form of relaying news and information to its citizens and at the same time utilizes them as a powerful public relations’ mechanism. The effects of media are many and diverse, which can either be short or long term depending on the news and information. The effects of media can be found on various fronts, ranging from the political, economic and social, to even religious spheres. Some of the negative effects arising from the media are cultural and social influences, crimes and violence, sexual obscenities and pornography as well as liberalistic and extreme ideologies. This paper sheds light on these issues and draws principles from Islam to overcome them. Islam as revealed to humanity contains the necessary guidelines to nurture and mould the personality of individuals and shape them into good servants. Key Words: Media, Negative Effects, Means, Islam and Principles. Abstrak Secara umum, media secara meluas digunakan sebagai sarana untuk menyebarkan berita dan maklumat yang berkaitan dengan perniagaan, kemasyarakatan, pertimbangan politik dan agama. Sebahagian dari ruang dan masa media kini telah menjadi peranti penting untuk menghasilkan kegiatan ekonomi dan sosial yang meliputi pengiklanan, pemasaran, rekreasi dan hiburan. Kerajaan menganggap sarana-sarana ini sebagai wadah penting untuk menyampaikan berita dan maklumat kepada warganya dan pada masa yang sama juga menggunakannya sebagai mekanisme perhubungan awam yang berpengaruh. Pengaruh media sangat banyak dan pelbagai, samada berbentuk jangka pendek atau panjang bergantung kepada berita dan maklumat yang brekenaan. Kesan dari media boleh didapati mempengaruhi pelbagai aspek, bermula dari bidang politik, ekonomi, sosial bahkan juga agama. Beberapa kesan negatif yang timbul dari media ialah pengaruhnya terhadap budaya dan sosial, jenayah dan keganasan, kelucahan seksual dan pornografi serta ideologi yang liberal dan ekstrim. Kertas ini menyoroti isu-isu ini dan cuba mengambil prinsip-prinsip dari ajaran Islam untuk mengatasinya. Tujuan Islam itu sendiri diturunkan kepada umat manusia ialah untuk menjadi pedoman yang diperlukan untuk membina dan membentuk keperibadian individu dan menjadikan manusia hamba yang taat kepada Tuhannya. Kata Kunci: Media, Kesan Negatif, Cara-cara, Islam dan Prinsip-prinsip.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashis Acharya ◽  
Nabaraj Poudyal ◽  
Ganesh Lamichhane ◽  
Babita Aryal ◽  
Bibek Raj Bhattarai ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 global pandemic has affected all aspects of human life, with education, not an exception. In an attempt to stop the SARS-CoV-2 spreading like wildfire, the Government of Nepal has implemented nationwide lockdowns since March 24, 2020, that have enforced schools and universities to shut down. As a consequence, more than four hundred thousand students of various levels in higher education institutions (HEIs) are in a dilemma about restoring the situation. Several HEIs, nationwide, have leaped forward from the traditional concept of learning—limited within the boundary of the classroom—to choosing digital platforms as an alternative means of teaching because of the pandemic. For this research, the descriptive and inferential analysis was carried out to investigate the effects and challenges of learning via digital platforms during this pandemic. Data were collected from students and faculty at various levels of higher education and analyzed statistically with different factors using t-test and ANOVA, and variables were found to be approximately normally distributed. The study revealed that 70% of the respondents had access to the Internet, but 36% of the Internet accessed did not continue online classes due to unexpected disturbance in Internet and electrical connectivity. Likewise, 65% of students did not feel comfortable with online classes, and among attendees of online classes, 78% of students want to meet the instructor for a better understanding of course matters. According to the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model, three factors, such as institutional policy, internet access, and poverty, are found to be significant factors affecting the online higher education systems in Nepal. On the brighter side, this outbreak has brought ample opportunities to reform the conventional teaching-learning paradigm in Nepal.


2020 ◽  
pp. 097674792096686
Author(s):  
Yudhvir Singh ◽  
Ram Milan

Public sector banks have been merged by the government in the last few years. This is the rationale behind conducting this study. The purpose of this article is to determine the factors affecting the performance of public sector banks in India and the interrelationship between bank-specific determinants and performance of public sector banks. In this article, we shall analyse the financial data of all the public sector commercial banks for a period spread across 11 years (2009–2019); Capital adequacy, Assets quality, Management efficiency, Earning, and Liquidity (CAMEL) has been used as a performance determinant; system generalised method of moments (GMM) analysis has been used to find the effect of determinants on the performance measurement of public sector banks; and CCA (canonical correlation analysis) has been used to find the interrelationship between the bank-specific determinants and the performance of public sector banks. The finding has important implications in terms of performance in the banking sector. Certain limitations of this study are: It is based on secondary data. The study only covers the financial aspects and not the non-financial aspects. It is found that the asset quality is negatively related with performance of public sector banks. Liquidity and inflation are inversely related to performance of public sector banks in India. Capital adequacy is positively related with banks’ performance, but inversely related with banks’ interest margin. GDP growth has a significant positive impact on banks’ performance, but inversely related with banks’ interest income. Inflation rate is inversely related with banks’ performance. Banking sector reforms are insignificantly related with banks’ performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 348-363
Author(s):  
Damian Boniface Sambuo ◽  
Stephen Kirama ◽  
Kitala Malamsha

Determination of fish landing price is important, as the same contributes to the structure, conduct and performance of the fish market in Lake Victoria. Determination of relevant landing price is a gap to console between fishermen, agents (middlemen), processors and the government. The main objective of this study was therefore to examine fish price determination. Specifically, to examine the methods for fish price determination and analyse factors that affect fish landing price in Lake Victoria, a cross-sectional design was employed, and 300 respondents were randomly selected from two district councils, namely, Sengerema and Buchosa. Both qualitative and quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential analysis. Findings show that landing price is determined through formal negotiation with processors, consultation with other traders, informal negotiation with buyers and Beach Management Unit (BMU). The study concluded that these are the common methods used to determine landing prices. Also, distance from fishing to onshore landing centres, market information channels, age and experiences of the fishermen are the factors significantly found affecting landing price. It is recommended that the mechanism for setting up fishery price, fish market structure, fishery information and the formation of fishery regulatory body needs fishery policy and sector reforms that mark the determination of fish landing price.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
PEMA KHANDU ◽  
GEORGE A. GALE ◽  
SARA BUMRUNGSRI

Summary White-bellied Heron Ardea insignis (WBH) is critically endangered, but we lack data on many aspects of its basic ecology and threats to the species are not clearly understood. The goal of this study was to analyse WBH foraging microhabitat selection, foraging behaviour, and prey preferences in two river basins (Punatsangchhu and Mangdechhu) in Bhutan which are likely home to one of the largest remaining populations of WBH. We also explored the relationship between the relative abundance of the WBH and prey biomass catch per unit effort within four foraging river microhabitats (pool, pond, riffle and run). Prey species were sampled in 13 different 100-m thalweg lengths of the rivers using cast nets and electrofishing gear. Riffles and pools were the most commonly used microhabitats; relative abundance was the highest in riffles. The relative abundance of WBH and prey biomass catch per unit effort (CPUE) also showed a weak but significant positive correlation (rs = 0.22). The highest biomass CPUE was observed in riffles while the lowest was found in the ponds. From the 97 prey items caught by the WBH, 95% of the prey were fish. The WBH mainly exploited three genera of fish (Garra, Salmo, and Schizothorax) of which Schizothorax (64%) was the most frequently consumed. This study provides evidence in support of further protection of critical riverine habitat and fish resources for this heron. Regular monitoring of sand and gravel mining, curbing illegal fishing, habitat restoration/mitigation, and developing sustainable alternatives for local people should be urgently implemented by the government and other relevant agencies. Further study is also required for understanding the seasonal variation and abundance of its prey species in their prime habitats along the Punatsangchhu and Mangdechhu basins.


Author(s):  
Amani Salem Alqahtani ◽  
Meshael Mohammed Alrasheed ◽  
Ada Mohammed Alqunaibet

This study aims to investigate public response attitude, anxiety, practices and trust in the authorities’ mitigation plan during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. A national cross sectional phone survey was conducted among Saudi residents aged 16 years and above. A total of 90,421 (45.2%) individuals participated in the study. Of those, the overall rate of COVID-19 correct knowledge was 82% (mean: 9.84); social media was the most reported source of knowledge. Younger age, low levels of education and foreign residents were associated with poor knowledge. Overall, 49.5% scored 5 or more on the GAD-7 test, indicating anxiety symptoms, 19.2% of them scored 10 and above, suggesting moderate to severe anxiety. Majority of participants (>78%) trusted and supported the interventions implemented by the government to control COVID-19. Social distancing practices among participants was as following, 72.5% stayed at home and avoid going out for nonessential business and 49.5% avoided attending social events and family gatherings. Trust in authorities, being anxious, worry and levels of knowledge about the disease, were the most common factors affecting adoption of the recommended practices. Continuous evaluation of public response about COVID-19, and the effectiveness of protective measures is essential to better inform policy-makers and identify ways of encouraging behaviour change among public during pandemic.


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