Ecological Marketing Practice and Issues of Agricultural Economic Sustainability: A Focus on Oil Firms’ Activities in Niger Delta

This study was carried out to examine the extent to which the ecological marketing practice of the oil firms: Shell BP, Agip Oil Company, and Elf Oil Company have improved agricultural economic wellbeing of the oil-bearing communities in Niger Delta. A descriptive survey research design was employed in this study. The population of the study was 37,965,391 drawn from Niger Delta States based on which a sample size of 400 respondents was determined using Taro Yamane’s sample size determination techniques at 0.5 percent level of significance. The purposive sampling procedure was employed to enable the researcher to select the representative sample elements of the population interest from the right respondents who have adequate knowledge of the study under investigation from the different strata that makes up the population of the study. A structured instrument for data collection containing twenty (20) item questions was used for the study. The face and content validation of the instrument was obtained through the judgment of experts. A test-retest method was used to determine the reliability of the instrument and the reliability index of .83 was obtained. The data collected for the study were analyzed using the mean score test and the percentage test method to answered the research questions; while the inferential statistics of the Z-score test was used to test the null hypothesis at .05 level of significance. Results obtained revealed that “Ecological marketing practice of the oil firms does not significantly improved agricultural economic poverty, agricultural market failure, agricultural economic frustration, and agricultural land limitation in the oil-bearing communities in Niger Delta”. The implication of this finding is that the oil firms’ ecological sustainability marketing activities was considered to lack the needed proactive improvement values which, if ethical based ecological effort is not adopted to create sustainable improvement; oil firms might experience unpredicted operational interruption by the oil-bearing communities. It was therefore, recommended that oil firms should consider employing proactive ecological marketing efforts in a more ethical and responsible manner to sustain the agricultural economic wellbeing of the oil-bearing communities.

Service Quality and Passengers’ Loyalty of Public Transportation Companies

This study examined service quality and passengers’ loyalty of public transportation companies. It was carried out to determine the effects of passengers’ safety, passengers’ comfort, drivers’ competence, travel time and vehicle cleanliness on passengers’ loyalty of public transportation companies. The study adopted cross-sectional survey research design. Primary data were obtained from 228 passengers of public road transportation companies using an adapted structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics while multiple linear regression was adopted to test the hypotheses of the study with the aid of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 23) software. The findings of the study revealed that passengers’ safety, passengers’ comfort, drivers’ competence and vehicle cleanliness had significant positive effects on passengers’ loyalty of public transportation companies, while travel time had a non-significant effect on passengers’ loyalty in this regard. Therefore, the study concluded that, to a large extent, service quality has a significant positive influence on passengers’ loyalty of public transportation companies. Practical implications and suggestions for further studies were made consequently.

Effect of Relationship Marketing on Customer Retention in the Telecommunications Industry

This study centered on the effect of relationship marketing on customer retention in the telecommunications industry. It was conducted to assess the effects of customer care, communication, trust-building and service quality on customer retention in the telecommunications context. The study adopted survey research design. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain primary data from 198 customers of MTN Nigeria Plc and Globacom Nigeria Plc in Calabar. The data were analyzed and interpreted using descriptive statistics, while the hypotheses developed for the study were tested using multiple linear regression. Consequently, the findings of the study revealed that customer care, communication, trust building and service quality had significant positive effects on customer retention of telecommunication firms in Calabar. Therefore, the study recommended that: telecommunications companies should strengthen their customer care capability by using trained service professionals to elicit and promptly resolve customers enquiries and complaints; telecommunications companies should improve communications with customers by opening up more channels such as phone calls, direct messaging, social media and email through which information can be transmitted to subscribers to enhance informed patronage decisions; and it is imperative for telecommunications companies to consolidate customers’ trust in their delivery capabilities by demonstrating through effective service delivery that they are capable of satisfactorily meeting the service needs of subscribers.

Industrial Relations and Labour Management and Productivity: The Imperative for Sustainable Development in Nigeria

Industrial relations, labour management and productivity have their roots in the industrial revolution which created the modern labour relationship by spawning large-scale industrial organizations. As society wrestled with these massive economic and social changes, labour problems aroused coupled with societal reconstruction challenges. Premised on this background, this paper is set to discuss the conceptual meaning of labour and industrial relations, assess the roles and prospects of labour in Nigeria, examine the consequential effects of labour-industrial relations and examine challenges of labour productivity and management in Nigeria. The paper also discusses some frameworks for labour-industrial relations. It focuses attention on the changing structure of the labour environment and the rise of precarious working conditions orchestrated by various unrests and acrimonies from nonchalant attitudes and behaviours of government and private sectors towards labour/workers’ welfare and patronage. The data for this study were collected through secondary sources. The secondary data were obtained from textbooks, journals, newspapers, internet materials and literature from academic journals in relation to the subject studied. The study adopted Industrial Relations Theory as a theoretical framework. The paper concludes that labour and industrial relations are part of the critical factors and are tools in advancing industrial productivity and attaining sustainable development in Nigeria.

Integrating Trust into Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Conceptual Framework for E-Payment Platform Acceptance

Innovations acceptance is attracting increasing attention. Researchers are particularly interested in factors that affect the adoption of IS and IT innovations. However, despite numerous advantages of e-payment usage such as convenience, speed, efficiency and reduced cost, the economic ecosystem is skeptical to embrace e-payment systems (Adeyelure, Pretorius & Kalema, 2014). This research develops extended TAM model by integrating the three dimensions of trust (integrity, benevolence a0nd competence) and two key constructs from technology acceptance models (perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of e-payment) to explain online consumers’ intentions to engage in the business relationship with e-payment. Through this framework, researchers can have a more accurate explanation of the consumer behavior and intention to accept new technology. This framework will be used to examine consumer’s behavioral intention to accept e-payment by researchers.

Influence of Cooperative Societies on the Wellbeing of Staff Among Universities in Ekiti State, Nigeria

The study examined the effect of cooperative societies on the well-being of staff among Universities in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The specific objectives are to access the effects of educational loans on the well-being of the staff, investigate the effect of land acquisition on the well-being of the staff and determine the effect of commodity purchase (household Asset) on the well-being of staff among Universities in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The total population of this study is three thousand two hundred and five (3,205) comprising the entire cooperators in the three Universities in Ekiti State, namely Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti and Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti. The study employed a stratified random sampling technique for selecting a sample size of 355 respondents which are further divided among cooperators in the three Universities in Ekiti State. Data gathered were analysed using frequency tables and multiple regression analysis to achieve the objectives of the study. The results showed that cooperative societies significantly affect the well-being of staff among Universities in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Specifically, the sub-variables of the cooperative societies were considered significant in the order of educational loan (p= 0.000), land acquisition (p= 0.000) and commodity purchase (household asset) (p= 0.000). This implies that cooperative societies have an effect on the well-being of staff among Universities in Ekiti State. The study concluded that access to educational loans, land acquisition and commodity purchases (household assets) have a significant positive relationship with the well-being of staff among Universities in Ekiti State, Nigeria at a 5% level of significance.

Macroeconomic Variables and Nigerian Agricultural Sector Development

The study investigated the impact of some macroeconomic variables like exchange rate and inflation on the development of the Nigerian agricultural industry. Annual time series secondary data covering a period of 33 years (1986- 2020) was utilized in the study while the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) was the estimation technique used to analyze the data. Findings revealed that the exchange rate was positively significant in impacting the dependent variable while the inflation rate was negatively significant. The interest rate was insignificant in impacting the agricultural sector. From the findings, one recommendation arrived at was that the monetary authorities should make policies that would reduce inflation, for example, reduction of the money supply. Reduced inflation would positively impact the development of the agricultural sector as it would boost and increase the consumption of agricultural products.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Work Attributes of Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives during COVID-19 in Nigeria

The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) study on the work attributes of pharmaceutical sales executives in Nigeria using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and furthermore to evaluate the relative importance of the work attributes. An analytical study design used a 13-item, 5-point Likert scale questionnaire administered to 226 pharmaceutical sales executives using a simple random sampling method. Data analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) with a significance level set at p<0.05. The measurement model was evaluated using the maximum likelihood method. Model fit criteria measures for CFA were satisfactory (CMIN/df=2.297; NFI=0.017; TLI=0.905; CFI=0.950; RMSEA=0.064). The study showed that the most dominant attribute was involvement in community education programs with a regression coefficient of 0.892, and the least was limited access to customers (0.446). Convergent validity measures were acceptable. Divergent validity can be enhanced by including more items. The study confirmed the validity of the EFA study outcomes obtained from the previous research work. The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) study on the work attributes of pharmaceutical sales executives in Nigeria using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and furthermore to evaluate the relative importance of the work attributes. An analytical study design used a 13-item, 5-point Likert scale questionnaire administered to 226 pharmaceutical sales executives using a simple random sampling method. Data analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) with a significance level set at p<0.05. The measurement model was evaluated using the maximum likelihood method. Model fit criteria measures for CFA were satisfactory (CMIN/df=2.297; NFI=0.017; TLI=0.905; CFI=0.950; RMSEA=0.064). The study showed that the most dominant attribute was involvement in community education programs with a regression coefficient of 0.892, and the least was limited access to customers (0.446). Convergent validity measures were acceptable. Divergent validity can be enhanced by including more items. The study confirmed the validity of the EFA study outcomes obtained from the previous research work.

Perceived Influence of Entrepreneurial Intention on Business Success of Start-ups in Food and Beverage Sector of Rivers State

This study investigated the perceived influence of entrepreneurial intention on the business success of start-ups in the food and beverage sectors in Rivers State. Two specific objectives, two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. A descriptive survey using a quantitative approach was adopted for the study. The population of the study consists of 1,167 small scale businesses across 23 local government areas of Rivers State who are registered with the State Internal Revenue. A sample of 117 small scale business owners in the food and beverage sector of Rivers State was selected using the purposive quota sampling technique. The sample consists of 60 supermarkets and 57 neighbourhood market stores in the business of distributing food and beverages. A self-designed structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The instrument was face validated by the researcher’s peers within Federal College of Education (Tech.), Omoku, Rivers State. The instrument was further subjected to reliability using Cronbach alpha to obtain a reliability index of 0.74 and 0.82 for sections A and B, with an average index of 0.78 which shows that the instrument is reliable based on data collected from 15 food and beverage start-ups supermarkets and neighbourhood stores from Bayelsa State. Data collected for the study were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean, cluster means and standard deviation to answer research questions. An independent t-test was used to test the hypotheses raised at a 0.05 level of significance. The major findings of the study revealed that supermarket and neighbourhood market stores startups in the food and beverage sector of Rivers State are of the opinion that entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial experiences help to increase sales volume and enhance customers’ retention which was the proxies of business success in this study. The results also show that there is no significant difference in the opinion of the respondents on the perceived influence of entrepreneurial intention on the business success of startups in the food and beverage sector of Rivers State. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that entrepreneurs who want to succeed in the food and beverage sector of Rivers State should endeavour to render voluntary services in order to accumulate entrepreneurial experiences and develop the right entrepreneurial mindset for success.

An Assessment of the Impacts of the Pension System Reforms on Employees’ Performance and Retention in Nigeria Distilleries Limited, Lagos Nigeria

Consequently, upon many decades of inefficient and corrupt pension management system in Nigeria, public servants in Nigeria dreaded retirement because of the reported plight of retirees who were seen dying on queues or living under the bridges at the Federal Capital City of Abuja. While an average worker in other parts of the world looks forward to a decent and enjoyable post-work life, Nigerians lived in fear of ageing and retirement resulting in several malpractices such as multiple declarations of age with intent to keep them at work far past the official retirement age. Factors arising from pension inadequacies, poor funding, embezzlements and long arrears especially in the public sector led to the initiatives for restructuring of the country’s pension system and the enactment of the Pension Reform Act of 2004 and its review Act of 2014. The reforms aimed at making pension administration more effective, efficient, to make and improve on the question of adequacy and fund security. However, key problems in the management of the new pension system involve the perception of the degree and significance of its impact and whether key objectives are satisfied according to the intent of the reforms. This study was designed to examine whether the reforms have contributed significantly to addressing employees' post-work-life concerns and how such assessments impact their performance. Specifically, the paper examines if a relationship exists between the new pension reform act and employee retention, as well as organizational performance using a sample of employees of Nigerian Distilleries Ltd. Three hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 level of significance, using the inferential statistics of Regression Analysis with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20). The findings show that there is a significant relationship between the New Pension Reform Act and employee’s performance. Also, the New Pension Reform Act has a positive effect on employee retention, compensation design must reflect this option in order to attract, motivate and retain employees. With further evidence that the pension system has the propensity to align the individual and corporate goals by increasing their job commitment, performance and motivation, the paper concludes that proper implementation of the provisions of the pension reform act is a prerequisite for achieving its objectives.