Sales Promotion as a Leverage Strategy for Improving Sales and Profitability in Alcohol Beverage Industry

This paper considered the huge amount of money being expended on sales promotion in recent times and sought to know whether organizations that use such strategy have justification for such investment. It sought to know whether the increase in sales promotion expenses resulted to increase in the organizations' sales volume as well as profitability. Nigerian Breweries Plc was used for the study because of its high-level involvement in sales promotion. Personal interview was used to collect relevant information from the key staff of the organization while the published annual report was to collect relevant information from the key staff of the organization while the published annual report was used to source information on the organization's performance in terms of sales of sales turnover, marketing expenditure, and profitability. Findings showed that sales promotion was used because the strategy was very effective in developing and sustaining patronage and loyalty among channel members. It was further found that there was a strong positive correlation between sales promotion expenses and sales volume and between sales promotion expenses and profit. It was therefore recommended that organizations should use sales promotion as a strategy for leveraging sales and profit, provided that such organizations manage the sales promotion programmed effectively to generate desired results

Hypertension Despite Dehydration in an Adolescent with Diabetic Ketoacidosis

In general, information on blood pressure changes in diabetic ketoacidosis in paediatric population is very scarce. Our aim was to report a case of severe DKA in an adolescent girl who unexpectedly had hypertension rather than hypotension.A 17-year-old girl presented in our Children’s Emergency Unit with complaints of excessive eating for 6 weeks, excessive urination for 2 weeks, fever for 1 week, vomiting for 4 days, difficulty with breathing for one day and unresponsiveness to calls for 3 hours. She had moderated to severe dehydration but no hypotension. Laboratory findings included hyperglycaemia (random blood glucose 20.8 mmo/L; 347 mg/dl), acidosis (serum bicarbonate 5 mmol/L),  ketonuria 2+; glycosuria 2+, and urine  specific gravity of 1.015. At admission, the blood pressure was 100/60 mmHg but progressively rose to 140-180/80-100 mmHg by the third day from admission. A significant hypertension can occur in children and adolescents admitted for severe DKA despite the presence of dehydration. Therefore, the attending physician should be aware of this possibility

STRATEGIC MARKETING PRACTICES AND CORPORATE PERFORMANCE OF SELECTED SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISES IN IMO STATE

This paper investigated the influence of strategic marketing on the corporate performance of selected small business enterprises in Imo State. Specifically, this study was set out to find out the nature of relationship between Strategic Marketing tools such as Product, Price, Promotion, Place (Distribution), Packaging and After Sales Services and the Performance of SBEs. The population of this study consists of SBEs owners and managers across all levels who have successfully engaged in small business activities in Imo State, Nigeria. The firms were selected based on the criteria that they started and/or expanded their businesses with the help of strategic management practices in Imo, Nigeria which is 103, according to the Imo State Ministry for Commerce, Industry and Cooperative. The Likert Scale Method of Summated Ratings was used in the assessment of the Population of the Study. It contains the respondents’ marketing strategies on a five-point scale going from Strongly Agree to Disagree. Findings show that there was a significant positive relationship between marketing strategy and corporate performance as follows: (r=0.422; df=6, 97; p.05; r=0.449, df=6, 97, p.01; r=0.603, df=6, 97, p.01; r=0.603, df=6, and a huge negative connection between strategic marketing and SBEs (r=-0.030; df=6, 97; p.01). Following that, it was recommended that SBEs should produce quality goods; charge competitive prices based on consumers ability to pay, place (distribute) accordingly, ensure that products have attractive package, participate in after-sales services and provide the consumer with other distinctive operational benefits

Influence Of Marital Status And Gender On Workers Effectiveness Among Hospital Personnel In Federal Teaching Hospitals

This study investigated the influence of marital status and gender on workers’ effectiveness among Hospital Personnel in Federal Teaching Hospitals. Two hypotheses were postulated and tested from data received from 302 participants who were selected through convenience sampling techniques. Participants comprised 96 Medical Doctors, 114 Nurses and 92 Medical Laboratory Scientist (147 males, 155 females, 157 single, 145 married) with ages ranging from 22 to 49 years (M = 35.41, SD = 9.33). Data was collected using a reliable and validated scale; Workers Effectiveness Scale (WES) developed by Onwuamaegbu Promise (2015). Cross Sectional Survey design was adopted while 2-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to analysis data collected. The study\u27s finding indicated that marital status and gender independently had no significant influence on effectiveness of hospital Personnel (P>.05). A critical recommendation based on this result is that, owners of Organization and Human Resource Managers should not use marital status and gender factors as yardsticks for recruitment since it would not influence or determine how effective a worker could be

Mediation Roles of Transformational Leadership andPsychological Empowerment on Work-Life Balance and In-role Performance of Vocational Educators in Nigeria

This study is necessitated by the dire need to determine the mechanisms of leadership transformation approaches that explain why 360-degree feedback is effective in helping supervisors and subordinates identify weaknesses and strengths and take positive actions for institutional health, growth, and productivity. The study ascertained whether transformational leadership and psychological empowerment jointly mediate work-life balance and vocational educators’ in-role performance in Nigeria’s TVET institutions. The study tested several hypotheses based on survey responses from 754 TVET stakeholders (Deans, HODs, educators, undergraduate and postgraduate students). Data was elicited from the participants using four Scales(Transformational Leadership, In-role Performance, Psychological Empowerment, and work-life balance Questionnaires). The reliability of the instruments was determined using the Cronbach alpha technique. At the preliminary level, data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The hierarchical Multiple Regression method was employed to test the hypotheses and to determine the total, direct and indirect effects of the variables studied. The result indicated that psychological empowerment and work-life balance jointly and significantly mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and the in-role performance of vocational educators. Similarly, a positive significant association exists between psychological empowerment and educators’ in-role performance. This study contributes to the extant literature on quality management theory by contributing to strategies that promote supervisors’ transformational leadership styles, vocational educators’ in-role performance, and work-life balance. The practical implications for institutional practitioners and researchers, limitations, and suggestions for future research were discussed

Skipping Meals and its Possible Effects on Lipid Profile of Purposively Selected Civil Servants in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria

Skipping meals and its possible effects on lipid profile of purposively selected civil servants in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria was carried out by purposively selecting a total of 35 volunteer human adults. Questionnaires were used to assess the dietary habit while standard biochemical methods were employed for the lipid profile. The results from the anthropometric measurements showed that the mean weights (kg), heights (m), and body mass indices (BMI) (kg/m2) were 80.13 ± 13.41, 1.66 ± 0.18, and 26.98 ± 5.17 respectively for the males and 79.00 ± 16.14, 1.61 ± 0.12, and 26.89 ± 4.78 respectively for the females. The desirable BMI for both males and females are 18.5 to 24.9. Lipid profile result showed that the mean total cholesterol (TCH) was within desirable range of 188.13 ± 45.04 for the males and 196.42 ± 42.39 for the females and the mean high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was within low range of 44.87 ± 10.83 and 43.26±8.58 for the males and the females respectively. However, the mean low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was within the optimal range of 95.56 ± 38.86 and 114.37 ± 30.75 for males and females respectively. The mean triacylglycerols (TG) was within the borderline range of 173.63 ± 113.41 for the males and within normal range of 149.32 ± 100.28 for females. The total cholesterol/ high density lipoprotein ratio (TCHDL ratio) showed that the mean values for males and females were 4.64 ± 1.13 and 4.56 ± 2.02 respectively. The desirable range of TCHDL ratio for both males and females are 3.5 to 6.0. Correlation analysis showed positive correlations between BMI and LDL-C, Waist to hip ratio (WHR) and TAG, Waist circumference (WaistCir) and TAG. The implications of these findings as it relates nutrition and health are discussed

A Comparative Study of Faculty Members’ Expectations of Academic Library Services in Three Universities in Ogun State, Nigeria

This study assessed the library services provided in federal, state and private universities in Ogun State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Questionnaire was the tool used for data collection. The study population consisted of 110 respondents from University of Agriculture (UNAAB), Abeokuta, 287 respondents from Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ijebu-Ode and 215 respondents from Redeemer’s University (RUN), Mowe, given a total of 612 respondents from the three selected universities in Ogun State, Nigeria. Purposive sampling was used to select the universities and the respondents. A total of 612 questionnaires were administered on all the respondents and 403 questionnaires were retrieved and analyzed given a response rate of 70%. A descriptive statistical method was used to analyze the data displayed in tables and percentage while hypotheses formulated was tested using the Kruskal-Wallis analysis and Chi-Square. A pre-test of 65 questionnaires were first administered and analyzed to estimate reliability co-efficient. The instrument yielded reliability co-efficient of 0.866%. We therefore concluded that the instrument was reliable. Finding from the study shows that electronic information resources services, internet services and circulation services were the services fully provided and utilized by the respondents, as displayed on Table 3; while CD ROM services, online public access catalogue (OPAC), user education, selective dissemination of information (SDI) and current awareness were the services moderately provided. It was also evident from this research that reprographic services, abstracting and indexing and literature search services were the least provided as shown on Table 3. The result of the formulated hypotheses shows there was significant difference in the library services provision and services expectation by Academic staff of federal, state and private universities. The findings affirmed that service provision in any library is an essential activity. University libraries should ensure to provide effective and adequate services to match with the expectations of library users especially the academic staff.Key words: Service provision; Library services; University library; Faculty expectations; Academic library service

Sales promotion as a leverage strategy for improving sales and profitability in alcohol beverage industry: A study of Nigeria breweries plc

This paper considered the huge amount of money being expended on sales promotion in recent times and sought to know whether organizations that use such strategy have justification for such investment. It sought to know whether the increase in sales promotion expenses resulted to increase in the organizations’ sales volume as well as profitability. Nigerian Breweries Plc was used for the study because of its high-level involvement in sales promotion. Personal interview was used to collect relevant information from the key staff of the organization while the published annual report was to collect relevant information from the key staff of the organization while the published annual report was used to source information on the organization’s performance in terms of sales of sales turnover, marketing expenditure, and profitability. Findings showed that sales promotion was used because the strategy was very effective in developing and sustaining patronage and loyalty among channel members. It was further found that there was a strong positive correlation between sales promotion expenses and sales volume and between sales promotion expenses and profit. It was therefore recommended that organizations should use sales promotion as a strategy for leveraging sales and profit, provided that such organizations manage the sales promotion programmed effectively to generate desired results

Growth Response and Differentiation of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells in the Presence of Novel Multiple Myeloma Drug Melflufen

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are self-renewing and multipotent progenitors, which constitute the main cellular compartment of the bone marrow stroma. Because MSCs have an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma, it is essential to know if novel drugs target MSCs. Melflufen is a novel anticancer peptide–drug conjugate compound for patients with relapsed refractory multiple myeloma. Here, we studied the cytotoxicity of melflufen, melphalan and doxorubicin in healthy human bone marrow-derived MSCs (BMSCs) and how these drugs affect BMSC proliferation. We established co-cultures of BMSCs with MM.1S myeloma cells to see if BMSCs increase or decrease the cytotoxicity of melflufen, melphalan, bortezomib and doxorubicin. We evaluated how the drugs affect BMSC differentiation into adipocytes and osteoblasts and the BMSC-supported formation of vascular networks. Our results showed that BMSCs were more sensitive to melflufen than to melphalan. The cytotoxicity of melflufen in myeloma cells was not affected by the co-culture with BMSCs, as was the case for melphalan, bortezomib and doxorubicin. Adipogenesis, osteogenesis and BMSC-mediated angiogenesis were all affected by melflufen. Melphalan and doxorubicin affected BMSC differentiation in similar ways. The effects on adipogenesis and osteogenesis were not solely because of effects on proliferation, seen from the differential expression of differentiation markers normalized by cell number. Overall, our results indicate that melflufen has a significant impact on BMSCs, which could possibly affect therapy outcome

Growth Response and Differentiation of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells in the Presence of Novel Multiple Myeloma Drug Melflufen

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are self-renewing and multipotent progenitors, which constitute the main cellular compartment of the bone marrow stroma. Because MSCs have an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma, it is essential to know if novel drugs target MSCs. Melflufen is a novel anticancer peptide–drug conjugate compound for patients with relapsed refractory multiple myeloma. Here, we studied the cytotoxicity of melflufen, melphalan and doxorubicin in healthy human bone marrow-derived MSCs (BMSCs) and how these drugs affect BMSC proliferation. We established co-cultures of BMSCs with MM.1S myeloma cells to see if BMSCs increase or decrease the cytotoxicity of melflufen, melphalan, bortezomib and doxorubicin. We evaluated how the drugs affect BMSC differentiation into adipocytes and osteoblasts and the BMSC-supported formation of vascular networks. Our results showed that BMSCs were more sensitive to melflufen than to melphalan. The cytotoxicity of melflufen in myeloma cells was not affected by the co-culture with BMSCs, as was the case for melphalan, bortezomib and doxorubicin. Adipogenesis, osteogenesis and BMSC-mediated angiogenesis were all affected by melflufen. Melphalan and doxorubicin affected BMSC differentiation in similar ways. The effects on adipogenesis and osteogenesis were not solely because of effects on proliferation, seen from the differential expression of differentiation markers normalized by cell number. Overall, our results indicate that melflufen has a significant impact on BMSCs, which could possibly affect therapy outcome