Innovation and firms sustainable advantage: a study of the telecommunication industry in Nigeria
Solomon Adejare BabarindeThe relationship between innovation and firm’s sustainable advantage in Nigerian Telecommunications Sector is investigated in this study. The study’s aim was to assess the contribution of specific service offerings on firm’s sustainable advantage in the Nigerian Telecommunication Industry. The system of descriptive survey was used. The primary data source was self-administered from 286 respondents who were staff of four randomly selected GSM firms in Lagos State, Nigeria. At a significant level of 0.05, the hypothesis was tested using linear regression. The results of the analyzed data indicate that telecommunication firms’ specific service-offer led to the telecommunication industry’s sustained growth in Nigeria. By this finding, the study concludes that there is a substantial relationship between innovation and firm’s sustainable advantage in the Nigeria’s telecommunication sector. To enjoy increasing market share, it is important that telecom firms build new product-designs. It was further recommended that Nigerian telecom firms should dissociate themselves from product counterfeit and should steer towards developing product offers that are highly innovative in the industry.
Rural teachers perceptions on challenges and solutions of inclusive education in Zimbabwe
Munyaradzi Chidarikire Prof. Dipane HlaleleThis article interrogated the phenomenon of rural teachers’ perceptions towards challenges and solutions of inclusive education in Zimbabwe rural primary schools. Ubuntuism/ Unhuism theoretical lens was used to interrogate rural teachers’ perceptions on challenges and solutions of inclusive education in rural primary schools. Furthermore, this is a qualitative study located in the broader space of transformative paradigm. We used Participatory Action Research to generate data from the participants. A purposive sample comprising ten primary school teachers from Gutu rural district in Zimbabwe were selected for this study. Data were generated through focus group discussions as participants responded to two questions: what are the challenges facing inclusive education in Zimbabwean rural primary schools? and how can inclusive education be enhanced in rural primary schools? Then generated data was divided into two themes and analysed through Critical Discourse Analysis’s three levels namely: textual, discursive and social practice. This paper found that lack of resources such as lack of qualified inclusive education teachers militate against success of inclusive education in rural primary schools. Consequently, this article recommended that, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary schools should deploy competent and qualified inclusive education teachers in rural schools
Institutional Parliamentary System has been in practice in Ethiopia since the time of imperial Haile Selassie, but it was not powerful until the end of EPRDF. Empirical evidences reveal that Ethiopian parliament system did not adequately consolidate democracy to discharge constitutionally bestowed duties and responsibilities. The aim of this paper, therefore, was to examine the role of parliament in consolidating democracy under the FDRE Constitution. The study employed qualitative research method. To organize the qualitative data, secondary sources such as journal articles, legal documents, governmental, books, non-governmental reports, and media outlets were used. A descriptive data analysis technique was used for data analysis. Accordingly, the study indicated that the Ethiopian parliament highly dominated by executive organ, the safeguard of executive power and its interest rather than the guard of FDRE constitution. The study gave further insight that Ethiopian parliament under the EPRDF government has been formulating various proclamations that violate the basic democratic and human rights of the Ethiopian people. Media, political parties, anti-terrorist, and Civil Society Organization laws were cases in point; among the bottlenecks to exercise democratic and human rights. As a result, the Ethiopian parliament has failed to check whether the executive is acting with the framework of the laws. The study suggests that having autonomous institutions such as independent judiciary system, election board, human rights commission, and ombudsman as well as empowering the parliament is vital for democracy to flourish.
The study aims to analyze the current English language teaching/learning materials in line with the academic and professional needs and interests of diploma theology students in some selected seminaries and theological colleges of Oromia. The study is a descriptive survey that makes use of a mixed-method approach. The data were collected using a questionnaire, interview, and content analysis. The participants of the study were second and third-year diploma theology students, former theology students, theology instructors, and EFL teachers in the seminaries and colleges. All 112 students of 2nd and 3rd the year were chosen using comprehensive sampling technique, and ten former theology students who were working as priests and evangelists using the snowball technique to fill out the questionnaire. Three EFL teachers and three theology instructors were chosen for the interview. Additionally, the contents of three units of the current English language teaching materials’ were evaluated using the checklist. For the evaluation of the units, the researcher prepared checklists that were adapted from the literature and gave them to the two coders. Then, based on that they evaluated the sample units. In this line, the researcher collected quantitative data using a questionnaire and coding form, and he collected qualitative data using the interview. Data were analyzed in both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study revealed that the most needed skills for theology students were identified according to their order of importance: speaking (94%), listening (86.3), writing (77.1), reading (70.1), grammar (55.6), and vocabulary (51.3). Based on the results of the contents analysis, the contents of the teaching materials hardly meet the needs and interests of diploma theology students. Finally, the researcher developed a sample unit (teaching/learning material) that can be used as a model.
Coffee is essential natural resource that plays a great role in social, cultural, economic and political values in the study area. However, it is under production constraint and challenge caused by different factors. One of the most challenging factors in coffee production is coffee leaf miner (Leucoptera coffeella L.). This research was aimed to assess the Agro-ecological distribution and socio economic impact of the pest in the study areas so as to address the challenges of coffee production using pest management strategies of the pest. Both primary and secondary data were used and total of 147 sample households coffee farms were used for the investigation. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics; percentage, inferential statistics and frequency rank weight method. The study discovered the spatialoccurrence of the pest is higher in Woinadega followed by Dega and Kollaagro climate zone, respectively. Woinadega agro climate zone is suitable for severe distribution of pest. This is becauseof moisthumid and warm tropical climatic conditions which is important for best proliferation or multiplication of pest. However, most of the populations in the area depend on coffee product; the pest reduces yield of coffee in relation to other factors. It is suggested that creating community awareness, strengthening the best traditional and community based management system, introducing improved coffee plant, encouraging local people to participate in the protection and management of the pest could be the possible alternatives to overcome problems caused by coffee pest.
Traditional home gardens in southwest Ethiopia is well-known land use practices playing an important role in both biodiversity conservation and livelihood aspects. Home garden is more diverse and provides multiple products for farm households. The objective of this seminar was to review and describe existing tree species agro biodiversity, identifying the socioeconomic contribution of home garden to household livelihood, assess the factors affecting home garden of the practice in Ethiopia. Over population growth and degradation of land reduce the total land area. Thus Home garden Agro fore story plays a significant role in improving livelihood for the smallholders in developing countries like Ethiopia. Some Farmers in Ethiopia are very poor. They have not enough land. They cultivated fruits, vegetables, tree, timber species around their homestead and those are managed by traditionally. The high diversity of species in home garden have a wide socioeconomic and ecological roles including production of food and a wide range of other products such as firewood, fodders, spices, medicinal plants and ornamentals and avoidance of environmental deterioration of climate related hazards commonly associated with mono-culture production systems income generating site.