Social Studies

This study was conducted to investigate the perceptions of male and female students about effects of use of Information and Communication Technology. The research study was a descriptive in its nature. The targeted population was the male and female students of the public sector universities. The purposive sampling technique was used to gather data from the faculty of social sciences of two public sector universities. Data were collected by administering a questionnaire that based on Likert- five point scales. The data were tabulated, analyzed and interpreted. The Chi Square and Mean score were applied to analyze the data. Present study showed the results that Role of Information Communication and Technology is very important to improve learning. Both type of respondents agreed that ICT is an agent of change. Information and Communication Technology helps to integrate the learning and technology. Information and Communication Technology enhances communication ability in students.

This article analyses the influence of the combined effect of the internal (IOE) and external (EOE) operating environments on the accuracy of performance forecasting (APF) in large manufacturing firms (LMFs) in Kenya. The objective of this study was to assess if the combined effect of the operating environments precipitated any change in any of the measures of APF. Against the backdrop of internal management conflicts of interest and exogenous events, poor forecasting in LMFs is commonplace. However, in recent times, LMFs have tended to hire skilled forecasting personnel. This study therefore, assumes that the qualified forecasting staff ensures accuracy in preparing future budgets. Both IOE and EOE are said to influence the performance of manufacturing operations. The study identified IOE and EOE influencers of firm performance and tested these against critical measures of APF. To isolate statistical significance of results, regression analysis was applied using data collected through a structured questionnaire administered among randomly selected LMFs. Results indicated that there was evidence that the combined effect of IOE and EOE had a moderating influence on APF through ROS when objective forecasting was applied, and through EV when combination forecasting was used.

The study was retrospective and cross-sectional study where hospital records were accessed to establish patient-nurse ratio in relation to deliveries conducted monthly between 2011 and 2015 to establish staff workload. 167 nurses were engaged with the aim of determining psychosocial risk factors, prevalence and effects on maternal care outcomes at selected level 4 and 5 private and government health facilities in Mombasa County through a modified Copenhagen Psychosocial questionnaire. Cluster sampling was used to pick hospitals on the basis of levels; stratified sampling to identify the respondents; and systematic sampling to determine every Kth staff involved in the study. Data analysis was done using SPSS package, whose findings indicate that patient/nurse ratio was higher in Government Hospitals compared to private hospitals accounting for approximately 1:4 and 1:3 respectively. Generally, majority of the respondents had a positive perception about their work environment despite 66.9% perceiving to a large extent that their work was emotionally demanding, 80.9% their work exposed them to undue pressure/demands from their patients and relatives and only 58.6% felt somewhat or to a small extent motivated and involved. Due to this perception about current work environment, 70% of the respondents considered looking for work elsewhere with only 22.9% willing to remain working in their respective work places. Further analysis indicated that work environment influenced by 65.8% the decision to change jobs due to lack of motivation and failure to involve them in decision making. This perception, however, differed across private and GoK hospitals, male and female, and across the different age brackets.

The present study aims to investigate the relationship of oil, non-oil exports, capital formation and economic growth in Iran. Empirical results show that there is positive significant relationship between these variables and economic growth. Thus, findings of this study recommend that government should create an enabling environment that would facilitate non-oil exports and augment capital formation.

Developing countries lack proper segregation practices leading to biomedical waste management. (Muhwezi, 2014). This has led to accidental injections with contaminated syringes causing 21 million hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections, 2 million hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, and 260,000 HIV infections globally(HCWMP 2016-2021). The aim of this study was to assess the biomedical waste handling practices amongst healthcare workers in Mombasa County hospitals. Cross-sectional study design, stratified random. Data collection instrument were structured questionnaire and observational charts. Data was analyzed using SPSS Version 22 where comparison of mean by ANOVA was used to test significance of the results at 0.05 significant levels. Despite having knowledge on segregation and risks of exposure to biomedical waste 71.1%(1.17±0.157) of the respondents were exposed to biomedical hazards, sanitary staff(15.6% (2.11±0.123))of the respondents were less educated ( certificate the highest level) and lacked key information on biomedical waste guidelines of precautionary principle and government strategic plan on hospital waste management. 42.2 %( 1.21±0.091) of the respondents lacked adequate supply of color-coded waste containers leading to mixing of biomedical waste. 36.7 %( 1±0.00) of the respondents were informed of government medical waste management plan while 63.3% (1.14±0.46) had no idea P=0.277(>0.05). In conclusion, waste handling practices in Mombasa sub county hospitals are inadequate in relation to WHO,2014 guidelines due to deficient segregation and handling equipment and low level of awareness. I therefore recommend the review of the current waste management program and development of a more proactive approach that will ensure adequate supply of waste handling equipments and improve awareness on proper handling practices.

Financial crisis have led to sharp fluctuations of China’s foreign trade and foreign direct investment (FDI), which in no doubt exert a profound influence on the stabilizing effect of China’s economic growth. As trade and FDI are the primary impetuses of China’s economic growth, will this kind of growth effect fall dramatically during financial crisis? Utilizing data on China’s 36 industrial sectors, this paper conducts panel data regressions in terms of two stages - periods before and after financial crisis, and in terms of classification on the different degree of revealed comparative advantage(RCA). The result shows that financial crisis doesn’t weaken the economic growth effect of trade and FDI; instead, it strengthen the high efficiency of trade and FDI firms and the crowding out effect on other firms; In the group with higher RCA, the direct economic promotion of trade and FDI is stronger in post-crisis period than that in pre-crisis period, while in the group with lower RCA, the result is totally reversed. It demonstrates that financial crisis strengthens the efficiency advantage and resource reallocation effect of trade and FDI. From this point, the steady growth of trade and FDI is more important than enlarging domestic demand and investment to the stabilizing effect of economic growth.

It is fact that an Islamic society has different religious teachings and different values for its members as compared to non Islamic society. Therefore, in an Islamic society, cultural, social and moral values should be different; and consumer crimes should be also different. In practice, it is seen that in the era of globalization, mostly developing societies whether these are Islamic or non Islamic societies, all have similar consumer crimes. This shows that whether the Islamic societies are not acting upon Islamic teachings, or members of Islamic society have same worldly objectives like others. Or, these members are also giving preference to this mortal life over hereafter world. Therefore, in this article an overview about the consumer crimes of modern and globalized era is presented. In these crimes, some are committed by consumers while some others are committed by sellers and manufacturers. The purpose of both parties is to deceive the other which is not true, morally, socially and religiously also.

The degree of violence in Nigeria’s Niger Delta has become endemic and are too far-reaching to be ignored: for the inhabitants of this area, there are constant environmental hazards and security threat, The study, therefore, examined the community relations strategies used by oil companies in managing the crises in the Niger Delta. The study population comprised the community relations units of oil companies in the Niger Delta (among which Shell, Chevron and Agip were selected) and the indigenes of Omoku and Obrikom communities in Rivers State and Eruemukohwarien, Tisun and Kolokolo communities in Delta State. Both quantitative (survey) and qualitative (key informant interview and focus group discussion) methods of data collection were employed. The respondents for the survey were randomly selected while those for the interviews and focus groups were purposively selected. The study established that conflicts between oil companies and host communities had serious implications for the two parties and that the community relations strategies adopted by the selected oil companies were not adequate in preventing and resolving conflicts in the Niger Delta. That was because there was a lacuna between the strategies the oil companies believed host communities preferred for conflict resolution and the ones actually preferred by those communities. The research, therefore, recommend that to reduce conflict between oil companies and host communities in the Niger Delta, companies should be mindful of conflict propelling factors identified by the respondents and stated in the work, they should improve on their community relations strategies in order to impress the community and most importantly, they should introduce grassroots approach to the implementation of their strategies

Healthcare workers(HCW) are at risk of medical sharps injuries. According to the Kenya national policy on injection safety, 58% of healthcare workers have suffered these injuries. It has long been recognized that needlestick and other injuries from sharp objects place healthcare workers at risk of infection. The main objective of this research was to determine the outcomes of preventive and controls measures against medical sharps amongst HCW at Sub-County hospital in Mombasa County. The study sought to determine health workers adherence to safety guidelines available and determine the prevalence of needle-stick injuries at the county hospitals. This study focused on the HCW of different cadres. Questionnaire were distributed to the respondents of different job cadres of healthcare workers at the hospitals including Nurses, Clinical Officers, Lab Technologists, Public health officers, dentists, waste handlers/support staff who were selected proportionate to the sample frame. Interviews were done on the chosen wrkers. The research adopted a Descriptive cross sectional research design by employing both qualitative and quantitative data collection tools. A checklist was used to observe occupational risks and adherence related to exposure to medical sharps including needle sticks. The findings were collected and analysis done by use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 22.0 and presented using pie charts, contingency tables, and bar charts. Dentists were found to have the highest level of exposure to sharp injuries [X2 (DF= 1, N= 117) = 0.408, p= 0.05].This was consistent with the findings that all dentists indicated that they re-cap used sharps. Recapping of sharps being a critical risk to sharp injuries was practiced more by those who got lower frequency of on-job training. On-job training on infection control had no effect on knowledge of risks involved with sharps injuries where those without exhibiting awareness and practiced safe disposal of sharps to a great extent [X2 (DF= 4, N= 117) = 0.109, p= 0.05]. The use of sharp disposal containers was one of most commonly used method and had significant reduction in exposure to sharp injuries. Personal protective equipment use such as safety boots increased level of protection against medical sharps injuries while others such as hand gloves had insignificant importance. The level of adherence to preventive control measures was found to be quite low and significantly affected the outcomes of the available control measures. Low level of adherence was established at both management level and personnel level where enforcement and practice respectively were found to be deficient. With a prevalence of about 43%, medical sharps injuries at Sub-County hospitals in Mombasa County is found to be of great concern as established in this study.

There exist a linkage between poverty- corruption – and insecurity in Nigeria and these vices affect the socio-economic and political development of Nigeria. The objective of this work therefore, is to underscore the vices of corruption and insecurity as banes to the socio- economic development of Nigeria, and consider the powers of the economic and financial crime commission in curbing these vices. Using questionnaires and in-depth interviews, data were drawn from 100 members of staff of the EFCC. he work adopted the Yaro Yameni formula in order to determine its sample size and a simple random sampling technique to give each element of the population an equal chance of being selected. Findings revealed that the EFCC is incapacitated in the performance of its duties especially when offenders are high profiled elites/members of the ruling party, leading to delays in court trials, unsubstantiated judgment, or outright dismissal of cases. The work recommends that considering the linkage between poverty, corruption and insecurity in Nigeria, public funds should be utilized to create more job opportunities and sincere or transparent empowerment programmes should be created to engage the youth thereby distracting them from being used to perpetrate violence. Again, a prerequisite for holding political or public office should be the prospective holder’s reputation in previous workplace, fear of God, corruption history, and love for humanity.