A.J. Omole, F.O. Ajasin, J.A. Oluokun and O.O. Obi
In the livestock industry in Nigeria, maize is a major source of energy and it is expensive because of competition between man and animal. Dry plantain peel of minimal cost was…
Abstract
Purpose
In the livestock industry in Nigeria, maize is a major source of energy and it is expensive because of competition between man and animal. Dry plantain peel of minimal cost was used to replace the maize fraction of the diet of rabbit in order to reduce cost. The purpose of this paper is to examine the performance characteristics of rabbit fed plantain peel.
Design/methodology/approach
The feeding trial had five treatments, T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 in which the maize fraction in the diet was replaced at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 per cent, respectively. Completely randomized designs were used and each treatment was replicated thrice with three rabbits per replicate. The parameters taken were feed intake and weight gain on a daily and weekly basis. Feed conversion ratio, total feed cost and cost per weight gain were calculated.
Findings
The results show that there was no significant difference in the weight gain between the control diet (T1) and T3 (p < 0.05). The feed conversion ratio was relatively similar in T1 and T4. The cost per weight gain reduced from N53.57 in the control diet to N33.39 in T3 (75 per cent replacement).
Originality/value
In the livestock industry, maize is expensive because it serves as food for both man and animal. The results indicate that the feed cost of rabbit could be reduced by replacing the maize fraction of the diet with 75 per cent dry plantain peel.
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Najlae Mejrhit, Yousra Azdad, Ouarda Azdad and Lotfi Aarab
The purpose of this paper is, first, to evaluate the quality of commonly consumed fish species in Fez region (Morocco) by quantifying the levels of histamine in fresh fish samples…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is, first, to evaluate the quality of commonly consumed fish species in Fez region (Morocco) by quantifying the levels of histamine in fresh fish samples using competitive enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA), and then to study the effect of heating and enzymatic digestion on the level of fish-histamine.
Design/methodology/approach
Histamine content was tested on 80 fresh fish samples of 11 species collected from various local stores in Fez region, from February to March 2016. The analyses were performed using a competitive ELISA assay to measure histamine in fish samples.
Findings
ELISA results showed that 80 percent of 80 fish samples analyzed was found to contain much lower levels of histamine (<1 mg/kg) and can be considered to be safe for human consumption. However, 20 percent of the samples (16/80) had histamine level higher than the tolerance limit of 200 mg/kg established by Moroccan and International regulations, which the maximum level reached up to 7,331 mg/kg in horse mackerel. Concerning the effect of heating and enzymatic treatments on fish-histamine levels, results have shown a low reduction in histamine contents in the majority of fish samples under these treatments.
Originality/value
In conclusion, good quality of the fish product, demonstrated by histamine levels, was found in the most of fish samples analyzed, while 20 percent of the samples are non-compliant and exceed the tolerance limit established by the national and international regulatory limit.
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Research on the living conditions of slum dwellers in the inner cities of developing countries has received much attention. Nevertheless, there is little empirical research on the…
Abstract
Purpose
Research on the living conditions of slum dwellers in the inner cities of developing countries has received much attention. Nevertheless, there is little empirical research on the influence of personal attributes on the poor environmental condition of the slum area. This study aims to examine the relationship between the socio-economic characteristics and the physical condition of the slum environment in the inner city of Ibadan, Nigeria.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected through the use of questionnaire administration from a household survey of 491 slum dwellers. Systematic random sampling was used in the selection of the respondents. The study used descriptive, factor and multiple regression to analyse the data collected.
Findings
The study used descriptive, factor and multiple regression to analyse the data collected. The study reveals an interplay between various socio-economic factors and environmental conditions. The results show that out of ten (10) socio economic variables that were submitted in the regression model, only eight (8) of these variables such as income, household size, occupation, level of education, age, marital status, year of residency and nativity were significant.
Originality/value
The study concluded that despite the fact that the condition of the slum environment is a product of multiple interrelated factors, personal attributes also contribute to the poor environmental condition of the slum area. The study recommended that improving the socio-economic conditions of slum dwellers would lead to improved environmental conditions.
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Olanrewaju Omosehin, Joseph Oseni, Adewale Olutumise and Evans Osabuohien
The economic importance of palm oil produced by its producers in food requirement, income generation, production and consumption has led to a significant increase in its demand…
Abstract
The economic importance of palm oil produced by its producers in food requirement, income generation, production and consumption has led to a significant increase in its demand over the years. Thus, this chapter evaluates the effects of palm oil price fluctuations on the welfare of palm oil producers in Nigeria based on annual time series data (1980–2018). In achieving its objectives, the study employs Autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL). The result establishes the presence of a long-run relationship in the welfare of palm oil producers. The long-run estimates show that palm oil prices had a positive but insignificant relationship with the welfare of palm oil producers. In the short-run estimates, palm oil price and the exchange rate had adverse and significant effects on the welfare of palm oil producers, while the inflation rate positively and significantly influenced welfare. Therefore, the welfare programme should adopt policies that will stabilise the palm oil price and other foodstuffs to increase the standard of living of palm oil producers and raise their literacy levels.
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The joint influence of personality traits, age and gender on environmental citizenship behavior (ECB) is relatively unknown among youth. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
The joint influence of personality traits, age and gender on environmental citizenship behavior (ECB) is relatively unknown among youth. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the independent and joint influence of the Big Five traits, age and gender on the three dimensions of ECB of students in a Nigerian university community.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative cross-sectional survey was adopted to collect data from 290 students in a Nigerian university.
Findings
The findings show that personality traits of openness and agreeableness were more related with eco-initiatives and eco-helping. Likewise, traits of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion and agreeableness were more associated with eco-civic engagement. Age was also consistently associated with the three dimensions. The Big Five traits, age and gender also have joint influence on the dimensions of ECB.
Research limitations/implications
This is a self-reported survey, which limits the ability to draw any firm conclusions regarding the causal relationship between the study variables. Future research needs to consider other methods suitable for establishing causal relationship.
Practical implications
The findings imply that knowing the associations of personality traits, age and gender with environmental actions can help organizers of environmental initiatives to target their recruitment messages toward youth who might be pre-disposed to taking environmental actions, and also consider alternative actions that might appeal to their counterparts.
Originality/value
The originality of this paper lies in combining personality traits, age and gender to gain a better understanding of the three dimensions of ECB in a student sample against monolithic approach of authors of previous studies.
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This study aims to investigate and examine the acquisition practices in the Nigerian University Libraries.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate and examine the acquisition practices in the Nigerian University Libraries.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 42 copies of a questionnaire entitled: “Collection Development in University Libraries Questionnaire” were mailed to all the 42 state and federal university libraries in Nigeria excluding the private university libraries. Only 18 university libraries returned their questionnaires that were used for the study.
Findings
Results show that acquisition of books in Nigerian university libraries is done mostly through purchase. In addition, Nigerian university libraries patronize the British‐based multinational publishers more than the local booksellers for their acquisitions. The study further shows that payments made to book vendors in Nigeria are taxed by Nigerian universities.
Originality/value
The paper provides useful suggestions that can enhance the acquisition practices in Nigerian university libraries.
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Kolawole Ogundari, Adebayo Aromolaran and Joseph Oluwagbenga Akinwehinmi
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many households to experience income shocks because of the unprecedented job loss, resulting in the demand for public and private food assistance…
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many households to experience income shocks because of the unprecedented job loss, resulting in the demand for public and private food assistance programs and a surge in unemployment insurance filing in the USA. This study aims to investigate the association between social safety programs (e.g. supplementary nutritional assistance programs (SNAP), unemployment insurance and charitable food assistance) and household food sufficiency during the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used the Household Pulse Surveys (HPS) conducted by the US Census Bureau from August 2020 to March 2021. And, the authors used an ordered probit model for the empirical analysis because the indicator of food sufficiency constructed from the HPS is an ordinal variable with four categories. The indicator identifies four groups of households: severe food insufficiency, moderate food insufficiency, mild food sufficiency and food sufficiency.
Findings
The results show that food sufficiency is significantly higher among the SNAP, unemployment insurance and charitable food assistance recipients than non-recipients. Furthermore, the results indicate that food sufficiency is significantly lower among black, Asian, Hispanic and other races than white households. Concerning the intersectional effect of social safety net programs and race/ethnicity on household food sufficiency, the authors find that the household food sufficiency is significantly higher among white, black and Asian households who benefited from SNAP, compared with non-beneficiary households. On the other hand, the authors find no evidence that participation in SNAP increases food sufficiency significantly among Hispanics and other races. In addition, the likelihood of food sufficiency increases significantly among white, black, Asian, Hispanic and other races that received unemployment insurance and charitable food assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with those who did not benefit from the programs.
Practical implications
These results underscore the critical role collective America’s social safety net programs played in increasing food sufficiency among Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the results suggest that families' basic needs (food sufficiency) would have been at risk if these safety net programs were not available to households during the pandemic. This, therefore, highlights the important role that government- and non-government-supported food emergency assistance programs can play in preventing people from facing food insufficiency problems in a tough time or during a crisis in the USA.
Originality/value
This study highlights the dynamic relationship between Americans’ social safety net programs and household food sufficiency during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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In researching into workplace pro-environmental behaviors, there is sparse evidence on self-construals with dimensions of organizational citizenship behavior for the environment…
Abstract
Purpose
In researching into workplace pro-environmental behaviors, there is sparse evidence on self-construals with dimensions of organizational citizenship behavior for the environment (OCBE), particularly among university employees. To fill this gap, the purpose of the study is to investigate the associations of self-construals with eco-civic engagement, eco-helping and eco-initiatives among 256 (men = 139 and women = 117) employees of a University.
Design/methodology/approach
Through the use of cross-sectional survey method, data were collected to investigate theoretically deduced hypotheses. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
Results showed that independent self-construal was positively associated with eco-civic engagement, β = 0.25, t = 2.55, p < 0.01, eco-helping, β = 0.42, t = 4.51, p < 0.01 and eco-initiatives, β = 0.36, t = 3.73, p < 0.01, whereas interdependent self-construal had significant positive relationship with eco-civic engagement only, β = 0.27, t = 2.73, p < 0.01.
Research limitations/implications
Future research can manipulate self-construal and collect observational data on eco-civic engagement, eco-helping and eco-initiatives. The findings should be further developed using larger samples among other higher education institutions (HEIs).
Practical implications
This study provides a basis that self-construction can influence OCBE, particularly, focusing on independence can drive eco-civic engagement, eco-helping and eco-initiatives while focusing on interdependence can motivate eco-civic engagement. The findings may guide future development of workplace environmental sustainability programs and policies to aid university managers, practitioners, organizers and promoters of environmental sustainability on the university campuses.
Originality/value
The findings contribute to environmental sustainability literature in HEIs by providing information on the usefulness of self-construal types in motivating employee participation in OCBE.
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Bosede Victoria Kudaisi, Titus Ayobami Ojeyinka and Tolulope Temilola Osinubi
International remittances are an important segment of external financial flows in Nigeria, currently superseding official development aid (ODA) in terms of volume, and foreign…
Abstract
Purpose
International remittances are an important segment of external financial flows in Nigeria, currently superseding official development aid (ODA) in terms of volume, and foreign direct investment (FDI) in terms of stability. This study is motivated by the recent increase in remittance flows in Nigeria as the highest recipient in West Africa, and the fact that the growth impact of remittances is weak within the country. The financial liberalization index developed by Chinn and Ito (2006) is employed in this study to examine the role of financial liberalization in the remittances-growth nexus in Nigeria over the period 1990–2018.
Design/methodology/approach
To address the possibility of endogeneity among the variables in the model, the study employs the generalized method of moments (GMM) as a technique of analysis.
Findings
Remittances and financial liberalization are found to have negative significant impacts on economic growth. However, the effect of the interaction term of financial liberalization and remittances on economic growth is positive and significant. This suggests that the two variables act as complements in the enhancement of economic growth in Nigeria. The study thus concludes that financial liberalization is a strong transmission channel through which remittance inflows positively affect economic growth in Nigeria. The study also advocates for a well-developed financial sector in order to attract more growth-enhancing remittances into the country.
Research limitations/implications
The implication of the research findings is that an unrestrained financial sector is necessary to encourage and optimize the benefits of remittance flows on economic growth in Nigeria.
Originality/value
Previous studies have considered the effects of financial development on the remittances-growth nexus in Nigeria. However, this study examines the role of financial liberalization in the nexus between remittances and economic growth in Nigeria by using the Chinn and Ito (2008) index of financial openness.
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The purpose of this paper is to assess the ethnicisation of corruption in Nigeria. This paper examines the role of ethnicity in promoting corruption, the impact of ethnicity on…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the ethnicisation of corruption in Nigeria. This paper examines the role of ethnicity in promoting corruption, the impact of ethnicity on corruption and the challenge it poses for its combat.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses descriptive analysis and evidence-based research.
Findings
The paper found evidence that corruption was deeply rooted in various ethnic groups that people Nigeria, and this is the major factor militating against measures to combat it. The findings are relevant for understanding the dynamics of corruption and strategies to combat it.
Originality/value
The paper’s uniqueness is its departure from the overly researched problems, consequences and causes of corruption to a new area of linking ethnicity to the virulent nature of corruption in Nigeria. It shows a number of evidences of ethnic dimension to corruption escalation in the country.