Business Ethics, Corporate Philosophy and Regulatory Challenges in the Confectionary Industry: An Evaluation of the Bread Market in Nigeria

This study sets out to identify why - in the process of “doing business”- most organizations in Nigeria resort to offering sub standard products to the public, particularly as regards food products. This approach allows businesses to make excess profit without recourse to best ethical practices, the supposed corporate philosophy of their organizations, and to the detriment of the customers. Indiscriminate profit maximization” mentality is now on the increase within the confectionary industry in Nigeria; thus the paper considered the theory of public interest and gives an insight to Kant’s ethical philosophy with a view to critically evaluate the role of The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC); the agency charged with the responsibility of upholding best ethical practices among confectionary and related industries in Nigeria. The study also identified some lapses in the discharge of NAFDAC’s regulatory functions which have contributed to the incidence of unethical practices among Nigerian business organisations. The paper therefore recommends that NAFDAC operations be re-evaluated for better operational performanc

Analysis of Physical and Chemical Composition of Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis) Peels

Sweet orange is one of the most common fruits in the World. The waste generated from the fruits needs to be put into a beneficial use. In this study some physical and chemical properties of the primary waste of sweet orange was investigated. The result showed sweet orange rinds (peels) as the major waste and contains 45-50% of the total mass of sweet orange fruits. The chemical analysis showed sweet orange rinds to be rich in protein of 7.15% and crude fibre of 12.79% which can be used as ingredients in processed food. These uses will promote sustainable disposal of orange rinds

Information Needs and Characteritics of the Users of Rural Libraries in Ekiti State, Nigeria

The paper examines the information needs and characteristics of the users of rural libraries in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Users of libraries in three rural areas of the three senatorial districts of Ekiti State were surveyed. This was aimed at investigating the reading needs, sources of information, level of education of users and benefits of rural libraries to them. Questionnaire was used to collect data; tables and simple percentage were adopted in the data analysis. A major revelation of the study is that the library constitutes the major source of information for rural dwellers. Books are the major reading materials of rural people. It concluded by giving recommendations towards the improvement of information needs of rural dwellers by improving the provision of library services to them

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Organisational Support and Employee Engagement:Case Study Approach

Corporate social responsibility is how committed an organisation is in order to contribute to sustainable economic development by working with all stakeholders to improve quality of life. Today, every society expects a lot from companies to be socially responsible of providing developmental services to the community it operates (i.e., in local palace, ‘giving back to the society’). Many organisations are not practicing it and unwittingly toying with their reputation and probably their bottom line (social, environmental and economic performance). In lieu of this, this study assesses Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), organisational support and employee engagement: Adopting Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Akure as case study. This study uses primary sources of data through a questionnaire. Twenty-five (25) questionnaire is administered to employees of DPR Akure through a purposive sampling method. However, only 11 questionnaire is correctly filled and returned, which represents 44% response rate, while remaining 14 represents 56%. This low percentage recorded reveals that DPR Akure is an annex of the corporation with few number of employees. Both descriptive statistics (tables, frequencies, percentages) and one-sample ‘t’ test for means statistics are used to analyse the collected data. Recall, n<30. The result, t = 1.51 shows relationship between CSR, organisational support and employee engagement. The paper recommends that organisations should review their CSR policy bi-annually in accordance with best international standard practice on how to promote relationship between stakeholders and to adopt best strategy on how to reduce menace – environmental pollution caused by activities of corporation on immediate employees and society at larg

Stakeholders Perception of Factors Determining the Adoptability of Green Building Practices In Construction Projects In Nigeria

Within the Nigerian construction industry there has been a lack of research profiling the adoptability of green building practices in construction projects. The aim of this study is to investigate factors determining the adoptability of green building practices. The objectives of the study are to compare perception of stakeholders on factors determining the adoptability of green building principles in construction projects and also to find out the constraints in implementing green building principles. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information from various respondents who were built environment professionals. Random sampling technique was used to select one hundred and fifty (150) respondents out of which ninety-one (91) responses were used for the data analysis. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results indicated that green building practices adoptable by  building industry professional include, site sustainability, material and resource conservation, energy conservation, maintenance and building operation, occupant health and safety, water conservation, recycling and waste reduction.  Barriers affecting green practices include lack of awareness, expertise and higher cost. The findings have important implications for policy and practice. The study recommends full establishment of Green Building Council of Nigeria (GBCN) that will be responsible for awareness creation, introduction of guidelines, tools and techniques that will drive green building practices for future project. KEYWORDS: Adoptability, Green Building, Nigeria, Perception, Stakeholders

Response of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) to weed control by mulching

The effects of mulching material on okra performance during the rainy seasons of 1999 and 2000 were evaluated at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria. Three mulch types–plastic mulch, grass mulch (Panicum maximum) and wood shavings (of Tectonia grandis)– were compared with hand weeding and no weeding control in a randomized complete block experiment with three replications. Growth and yield characteristics of okra were assessed together with weed control efficiency under the five treatments. Okra growth and yield were significantly (P hoe weeding > wood shavings > grass mulch.Les expériences se sont déroulées au champ d'enseignement et de recherche de l'Université de Technology de Ladoke Akintola à Ogbomoso pour évaluer les effets de matériel de paillis sur le rendement de gombo pendant les saisons des pluies de 1999 et 2000. Trois types de paillis-paillis en plastique, paillis en herbe (Panicum maximum) et paillis en copeaux de bois (de Tectonia grandis) étaient comparés avec le désherbage à la main et le contrôle de non désherbage dans une expérience de bloc complet choisi au hasard avec trois reproductions. Les paramètres de croissance et de rendement de gombo étaient évalués ensemble avec l'efficacité du contrôle de mauvaise herbe sous les cinq traitements. La croissance et le rendement de gombo étaient considérablement (P sarclage > copeaux de bois > paillis en herbe. Ghana Journal of Agricultural Science Vol. 39 (1) 2006: pp. 35-4

Nigeria Paper Currency Serial Number Pattern Recognition System for Crimes Control

Only secured and conducive environment void of robbery, kidnapping, fake currency and all forms of insurgencies will foster production and distribution of goods, investment and saving that enhance national economic growth and development. This is a mirage in a country generally believed and tagged the giant of African; Nigeria. Crime, in whatever name or nomenclature, has a significant negative impact on the welfare and economy prosperities of our society. The urge to get rich promotes Crime like armed robbery, kidnapping for ransom and production of counterfeit banknotes to mention but a few. Innocent people have suffered psychological distress, fear, anger, depression, physical harm, financial loss and in most cases untimely death during the operations by these hoodlums. Banks, Cash-In-Transit Vehicle, and ATM points are often robbed by gangs in search for paper currency. Kidnappers as well demand for paper currency as ransom while some other gangs are involved in the production of counterfeit banknotes so as to enrich themselves no minding the negative effect on the nation’s economy.  The banknotes collected during the operations by the hoodlums are taken to banks. Yet, the banks will not detect or recognize any of these notes which attest to the fact that our system lacks check and balance. The system is very porous without a recourse to this era of technology when machine is trained to do virtually everything for our convenience. Currency as an entity has a unique identification number. The identification number is an alphanumeric currency issuance of about 10 digits comprises two (2) capital letters and eight (8) numbers usually positioned at a strategic location on either front or back of the 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 naira notes. It is a reliable and intelligent system developed to track banknotes unique identifiers numbers- serial numbers, in order to control financial related crimes. Keywords: Nigeria Paper Currency Serial Number, Pattern Recognition DOI: 10.7176/IKM/11-3-04 Publication date: April 30th 202