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Table of Contents :
Editorial
Nnamdi O. Madichie7
This study is based on a survey of 20 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Enugu metropolis and the environmental Sustainability practices. The sample was selected through stratified random sampling. A structured questionnaire was administered to owner/manager of selected firms, Controllers, Coordinator and Managing Director of Federal and State Government Environmental Agencies in order to elicit their views on the practice of among SMEs. Descriptive statistics were used to present responses whereas data were analysed with one sample t-test using SPSS 15. The major findings show that absence of enabling environmental law in Enugu State to complement Federal Environmental law, multiple taxations and absence of Private-Public Partnership with respect to the provision and maintenance of environment friendly technology by SMEs are constraints to environmental sustainability behaviour adoption among SMEs in Enugu metropolis. The implication is that most SMEs operate below the radar (join the informal sector) which is outside the control of law resulting in heavy unsustainable environmental behaviour. This study strongly recommend immediate enactment of environmental law, harmonization of taxes, levies, fees targeted at SMEs and public-private partnership with regards to the acquisition of environmentally-friendly technologies by SMEs in this early stage of advances toward environmental sustainability.
Keywords: Ecosystem, Environmental Sustainability, climate change, Public Policy, Small and Medium Enterprises, Nigeria
The paper analyses the situational forces in the Business Development Services (BDS) market in Kenya showing how BDS Providers’ (BDSPs) strategically respond to the forces in their environment. The study was done through the use of grounded theory methodology on eleven BDSPs, four micro and small enterprises (MSEs) and two BDS facilitators in Kenya over twelve months between May 2008 and August 2010. The study established that BDSPs operate under weak regulatory framework which encourages unfair competition alongside donor agencies who continue to give free and/or subsidized services. The study also revealed that BDS services are largely unappreciated by MSEs many of who are operating under serious resource constraints. In addition, some of the MSEs do not appreciate professionalism. BDSPs respond to the situational forces in their environments using a number of strategies which evolve over time namely: client, product, differentiation, price, self-regulation diversification, and a simultaneous competition and collaboration. The study revealed paradoxical relationship between donor agencies and BDSPs showing how on one hand, BDSPs perceive donor agencies negatively as distorting the market by compromising small scale entrepreneurs’ willingness to pay for services and on the other hand, benefiting from the donor support.
Key words: Business Development Services, BDSPs’ strategic response, situational forces, MSEs.
The aim of this paper is to explore the switching attitudes of young mobile phone users in Nigeria. To explore this research aim, two sets of studies were conducted. The first study was purely descriptive wherein 160 respondents randomly selected from Abakaliki, a Southeastern city in Nigeria. In the second study, a quantitative approach was employed, using 17-item, 5-point Likert scaled questionnaire administered to 60 participants randomly drawn from the 160 participants of the first study. Data was analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach α internal consistency and Chi-square analysis for scale suitability, usability, reliability and test of association respectively. Though findings reveal that within the young mobile phone users segment, switching costs and customer switching are inversely related and as such the later diminishes as the former increases, this relationship is context-specific. It was also found that customer satisfaction is a prime but not a sufficient condition for customer retention. The study therefore reinforces that a potential entrant into the mobile phone market must be ready to integrate unique and innovative acquisition and retention strategies into its marketing scheme of policies. It will also make great marketing sense if existing mobile phone services providers can embrace customer retention strategies rather than undue emphasis on short-term promotional programmes. Finally, an agenda for further research on customer switching was set.
Key words: Customer switching, customer satisfaction, Services, telecommunication Industry, Nigeria.
This study examines how the relationship between gender and traditional and modern conceptions or expressions of gender identities developed during the Eritrean war of liberation and will explain the subsequent regression to submissive gender roles for women in the period of independence. The changes in gender roles were generated within the context of a military liberation structure, with an administrative structure of governance that has not fundamentally changed since the end of military liberation struggle. The Eritrean state is based on a one party – one command system under martial rule, justified by the authorities in terms of the ongoing threats perceived of an invasion from neighbouring country and former occupier Ethiopia. While military structures tend to emphasise stereotypes of masculinity and femininity, it can allow for new directives of gender-roles. However, if changes in gender-roles are not matched by supporting conceptions of masculinity and femininity, this may evolve to a conflicting and confusing social definition of gender-relations and contribute to further conflict.
Keywords: Liberation Struggle, Women & Politics, Human Rights Violations, Post-conflict Eritrea
Many researchers and food aid analysts have conducted several studies on the food aid issues for the last five decades. This paper critically reviews the different food aid literatures in order to examine the impact of food aid on food security of the recipient. The empirical findings show that food aid has both positive and negative effects. It facilitates the attainment of food security through improving production, increasing the choice for consumption, constructing infrastructure services, creating employment and so forth. However, it also retards the achievement of food security through labour supply and production disincentive effects, and dependence syndrome. It is less likely to conclude the net effect of food aid on food security using the existing studies. In order to produce research output that shows the net effect of food aid on food security, there should be comprehensive and advance studies (e.g. CGE) that accommodate multi-countries, multi-activities, and multi- programs and- factors
Tourism is clearly of great significance to developing countries. But is it important in those countries with the highest proportion of poor people? The small island economies which are most dependent on tourism tend to be middle income and contain few of the worlds’ poor. Achieving poverty reduction requires actions on a variety of complementary fronts and scales, but a prerequisite of significant progress is pro-poor growth – growth which benefits the poor. As an industry that is clearly important in many poor countries, can tourism can be one of the elements of economic growth and how? This research aims to answering such questions using a case study methodology. The research investigates how tourism can help in developing the economic situation of the Comoro Islands. It holds a situation analysis of the current situation of the islands and proposes tourism development strategies and their impacts on economic development of the islands.
Key words: economic development, pro-poor tourism, sustainable tourism, Comoro Islands
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