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Article
Publication date: 1 February 2005

S.A. Mashi, S.A. Yaro and P.N. Eyong

Contamination of the environment by heavy metals is a phenomenon of global importance today. When present in high concentrations in the environment, heavy metals may enter the…

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Abstract

Purpose

Contamination of the environment by heavy metals is a phenomenon of global importance today. When present in high concentrations in the environment, heavy metals may enter the food chain from soils and result in health hazards. Accumulation in street dust is one major way through which heavy metals may find their way into soils and subsequently living tissues of plants, animals and human beings. In this paper, the magnitude and sources of some heavy metals (Cu, Mn, Fe, Cd, Pb and Zn) in street dust samples in and around Gwagwalada, Nigeria, were assessed.

Design/methodology/approach

Street dust samples were collected from 12 sites with and without varying levels of human activities (blacksmithing, motor repair works, metal working and fabrication, vehicular traffic and residential development) in the area and analysed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry to determine the magnitude and sources of accumulation of the above heavy metals in street dust in the study area.

Findings

The mean concentrations were found to be 210, 79, 97, 3.9, 120 and 96 μg g−1 respectively, for Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, Fe and Mn across the various sampling sites. Samples collected from sites with human activities were found to contain concentrations of the metals that are generally higher than those in background areas (without human activities). However, metal working and fabrication, and motor repair works were found to have a stronger influence on the accumulation of the metals in the dust samples than vehicular traffic.

Practical implications

The results indicate that, contrary to what is expected, based on the observations made in several areas by many researchers elsewhere, metal working and fabrication, and motor repair works have a stronger influence on the accumulation of the metals in the dust samples than vehicular traffic in the study area.

Originality/value

Provides information on heavy metal contamination of the environment in an area of Nigeria.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 16 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 June 2015

Aleksandar Zivaljevic

The purpose of this paper is to explore use of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) approach in addressing traffic congestion as the main impediment to improving utility of the land…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore use of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) approach in addressing traffic congestion as the main impediment to improving utility of the land transportation systems. The observed element is a motorway segment with regulated access.

Design/methodology/approach

As the literature addressing this topic is rare or nonexistent, this study employs exploratory design, developing tentative theory through the generation of new ideas and assumptions forming grounded picture as a base for further investigation.

Findings

The study concludes that the most binding constraint is broken in the third out of the TOC’ five steps and that the improvement in the given segment of the land transportation system is possible to be achieved using this framework.

Originality/value

Although the merits of use of TOC have been considered in other than just production-planning environments, its application in land transportation systems has never been examined. This study presents one of the rare, if not the only attempt to make use of this unique theory that is systematised in the systems management paradigm within the realm of land transportation systems.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 26 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2006

P.A. Essoka, A.E. Ubogu and L. Uzu

This paper seeks to examine the concentration of selected heavy metals (Cr, Pb, Cd, and Ni) in oil‐polluted soils of two communities in Warri, Delta state, Nigeria.

1992

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to examine the concentration of selected heavy metals (Cr, Pb, Cd, and Ni) in oil‐polluted soils of two communities in Warri, Delta state, Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

Soil auger samples were collected at a depth of 0‐15 cm from four sites. Two soil samples were collected from two sites observed to have had oil spills and also two samples from two sites without oil spillage. The soil samples were analysed using the UNICAM 969 Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer to determine the level of concentration of the heavy metals in these sites. Their levels in the oil‐spilled sites are compared with those of the control sites and also with the European community standards.

Findings

The results obtained from this study reveal that the concentration of the heavy metals considered were higher in the oil‐spilled sites relative to the control sites. Similarly, when compared with the European community standards, the concentration is said to be quite significant.

Practical implications

The results indicate that the operations of the oil industry in the study area have not been sufficiently accompanied by adequate environmental protection. To safeguard agricultural land in the area and hence human health, there is an urgent need for government to address the incidence of oil spills in this area.

Originality/value

This paper provides information on the contribution of the oil industry in heavy metals contamination in the Niger‐Delta area of Nigeria.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 17 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 January 2022

Kevin Ibeh, Joseph Ebot Eyong and Kenneth Amaeshi

This paper aims to address the main arguments put forward in Grietjie Verhoef’s article and contribute to a wider debate among management scholars on the role of indigenous…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to address the main arguments put forward in Grietjie Verhoef’s article and contribute to a wider debate among management scholars on the role of indigenous theories. It challenges the view of African management as illusory and points to the rising support for indigenous theories as indicative of the weakening of the unquestioned dominance of universal theories.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper takes a conceptual and critically reflective approach, underpinned by a 360-degree evaluation of pertinent literature and theoretical arguments.

Findings

This paper reveals an underlying symmetry and interconnectedness, anchored on a shared communal ethos, among Afrocentric management concepts, specifically Ubuntu, Ekpe and Igbo apprenticeship systems. This symmetry points to an underlying indigenous management theory that begs to be further conceptualised, evidenced and advanced.

Research limitations/implications

This paper affirms Verhoef’s demand for Ubuntu, Ekpe, Igbo apprenticeship system to be more rigorously developed and theoretically coherent and urges scholars to intensify effort towards advancing the conceptual and empirical foundations of African management. Echoing Mahatma Gandhi’s timeless counsel, this paper calls on critics of African management to join the effort to bring about the change they wish to see in African management theorising.

Social implications

This paper disavows the alleged effort to impose a single “African management” model or perpetuate the “colonial/indigenous” binary divide but equally cautions against an effort to veto scholarly striving for a common identity, to learn from history or not embrace collective amnesia. As examples from the USA and Europe show, diversity, even heterogeneity, needs not to preclude the forging of a commonly shared identity complemented with appropriate sub-identities.

Originality/value

This paper links the African management-centred themes addressed by Verhoef to the wider debate among management scholars about lessening the dominance of universal theories and allowing space for context-resonant indigenous theories. It calls on African management scholars to invest the premium and intensified effort towards building a more robust and coherent body of indigenous theory that will have the capacity and efficacy to inform, explain and advance organisational practice and outcomes across Africa.

Details

Journal of Management History, vol. 28 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1751-1348

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 May 2020

Sasi B. Swapna and R. Santhosh

The miniscule wireless sensor nodes, engaged in the wide range of applications for its capability of monitoring the physical changes around, requires an improved routing strategy…

Abstract

Purpose

The miniscule wireless sensor nodes, engaged in the wide range of applications for its capability of monitoring the physical changes around, requires an improved routing strategy with the befitting sensor node arrangement that plays a vital part in ensuring a completeness of the network coverage.

Design/methodology/approach

This paves way for the reduced energy consumption, the enhanced network connections and network longevity. The conventional methods and the evolutionary algorithms developed for arranging of the node ended with the less effectiveness and early convergence with the local optimum respectively.

Findings

The paper puts forward the befitting arrangement of the sensor nodes, cluster-head selection and the delayless routing using the ant lion (A-L) optimizer to achieve the substantial coverage, connection, the network-longevity and minimized energy consumption.

Originality/value

The further performance analysis of the proposed system is carried out with the simulation using the network simulator-2 and compared with the genetic algorithm and the particle swarm optimization algorithm to substantiate the competence of the proposed routing method using the ant lion optimization.

Details

International Journal of Intelligent Unmanned Systems, vol. 9 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2049-6427

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 15 January 2022

Lorraine Ann and Zahra Aziz

Within education, the online forum is becoming a preferred mode of study across the globe and the COVID-19 era highlights its importance. Research around online education has…

Abstract

Within education, the online forum is becoming a preferred mode of study across the globe and the COVID-19 era highlights its importance. Research around online education has concentrated on the USA and Europe, and this study sought to redress the Western bias by exploring and comparing the perceptions of six post-graduate East-African students and lecturers at Pan Africa Christian University in Kenya on learning leadership online versus on-campus. It is debatable whether leaders are born or made; however, post-industrial theories embrace the concept that leadership is teachable. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed, using a top-down approach, from a critical realist perspective. The results show that participants’ leadership ideals synthesised Afrocentric perspectives of communality, with Western ideals of transformational and servant leadership. Furthermore, there are differences between perceptions of East- African students and lecturers on online leadership learning. Students preferred the online avatar experience, whilst lecturers preferred on-campus or blended methods of leadership studies. Face-to-face connection was deemed important by students and lecturers but impeded by the inability to see facial reactions using the current online platform. This exploratory study gives insight into an East-African experience and sends a clear message to Kenyan institutions to invest further in video technology. Future research could include a longitudinal study of destinations and successes of Kenyan University online leadership alumni. The impact of the global coronavirus pandemic, with lockdowns and social distancing, further underlines the importance of ongoing online leadership research and education across the world.

Details

Journal of Leadership Education, vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1552-9045

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 August 2021

Innocentina-Marie Obi, Katalien Bollen, Hillie Aaldering and Martin Claes Euwema

The present study investigates the relationship between servant and authoritarian leadership, and leaders’ third-party conflict behaviors in followers’ conflicts, thereby…

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Abstract

Purpose

The present study investigates the relationship between servant and authoritarian leadership, and leaders’ third-party conflict behaviors in followers’ conflicts, thereby contributing to integrating knowledge on leadership styles and leaders’ third-party conflict behaviors. This study aims to investigate leadership and conflict management in a context hardly studied: local religious communities or convents within a female religious organization.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected quantitative survey data from 453 religious sisters, measuring their perception of leaders’ behaviors. These religious sisters live in local religious communities within a Catholic Women Religious Institute based in Nigeria (West Africa) and in other countries across the globe.

Findings

Results show that servant leadership relates positively to leaders’ third-party problem-solving behavior and negatively to leaders’ avoiding and forcing. Moreover, authoritarian leadership relates positively to leaders’ third-party avoiding and forcing behaviors.

Originality/value

This study expands theory development and practices on leadership and leaders’ third-party conflict behaviors. The authors associate servant and authoritarian leadership with leaders’ third-party conflict behaviors: avoiding, forcing and problem-solving, in followers’ conflicts. The authors offer practical recommendations for religious leaders on servant leadership and leaders’ third-party conflict behaviors.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 32 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 May 2019

Shamshad Ahmed, Farhat Rehman and Arslan Sheikh

This paper aims to identify the personality traits (agreeableness, openness to experience, extraversion, conscientiousness and neuroticism) of library and information science…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to identify the personality traits (agreeableness, openness to experience, extraversion, conscientiousness and neuroticism) of library and information science (LIS) students in Pakistan. The difference among the personality traits of LIS students toward their information needs and seeking behavior is also analyzed.

Design/methodology/approach

Two instruments, namely, BFI scale and a self-structured instrument were used to collect the data. Kruskal–Wallis test was applied to find out differences among the personality traits of LIS students toward their information needs and seeking behavior.

Findings

Findings of the study revealed that out of 320 respondents, 186 possessed openness to experience, while only 7 possessed extraversion personality trait. Moreover, the students having extraversion personality trait were, generally, more concerned toward information needs. On the other hand students having conscientious trait were increasingly more seekers of information. Overall, the conscientiousness was identified as the most suitable personality trait for LIS students. A significant difference was also observed among all the personality traits of LIS students.

Practical implications

The findings of this study will help in the identification of LIS individual’s personality. The library managers can use these personality traits for the selection of suitable library professionals for their libraries.

Originality/value

This study can be valuable for the induction of new library professionals and also help managers in assigning the duties based on these personality traits.

Details

Information Discovery and Delivery, vol. 47 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-6247

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 August 2023

Daniel S. Alemu

The purpose of this study is to investigate the views of African higher education scholars about effective leadership and if those views reflect a unique, African meaning of…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the views of African higher education scholars about effective leadership and if those views reflect a unique, African meaning of leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

The study sought to explore the views of African higher education scholars about leadership in general and if those views reflect a unique, African meaning, that does not necessarily fit the widely accepted western theories. Using a researcher-designed questionnaire, higher education faculty and administrators were asked their understanding and beliefs about leadership. Data from quantitative responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-test. In addition, qualitative answers, from one open ended question, were utilized to possibly triangulate with quantitative responses.

Findings

This study found that most research participants believe that the widely used western leadership theories are not fully applicable to Africa's context. However, the list of qualities of effective leadership, these participants suggest to be unique to Africa, included mixed attributes from Western, Non-Western and Culture-Neutral theories.

Research limitations/implications

This study has some limitations. First, the data for this study was collected electronically which might have affected the potential responses from those with limited Internet connection or who have not updated their current email addresses. Second, the participants of the study are higher education professionals whose insight about leadership may not necessarily reflect the views of others from different background.

Practical implications

By examining leadership effectiveness in Africa's context, this study adds to the body of literature on the ongoing discussion on the topic of culture and leadership. It is hoped that the findings of the study provide important insights regarding the debate on “western vs non-western” leadership theories.

Originality/value

The universal understanding of leadership and the application of leadership theories across cultures have been an issue of debate for leadership scholars and practitioners around the globe. Many authors argue that the widely used leadership theories are “too western” in value and character (Bass, 1990; Hofstede, 1993; House and Aditya, 1997). This study adds the perspectives of African scholars to the ongoing debate and expands the understanding about leadership across culture.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. 16 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 September 2012

Eyong B. Kim, Kijoo Kim and Michael Bzullak

The purpose of this paper is to survey the current status of internship programs for Management undergraduate students and to introduce a well‐established internship program.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to survey the current status of internship programs for Management undergraduate students and to introduce a well‐established internship program.

Design/methodology/approach

A web page analysis was conducted on 473 institutions that have AACSB (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accreditation in the USA. The list of these institutions is from the AACSB web site (member school list) as of July 2010. A description of a well‐established internship program is provided. The 15 item questionnaire is developed to get the students feedback on the required internship course described in this paper. Based on that survey and web search findings, suggestions for internship course improvement are provided.

Findings

Most schools (96.5 per cent) offer some type of internship course but only a few schools (4.5 per cent) require students take an internship course. The pass/no pass grading system was preferred by a majority of universities (85 per cent). Students need to work an average of 169 hours for three credit internship courses. The most popular prerequisites are: GPA of 2.5 or higher; permission from an advisor or coordinator (62.5 per cent); and various other restrictions such as school minimum accumulated credit hours (22.5 per cent) and specific courses (33 per cent). The well‐established program introduced has dedicated advisors to supervise the required internship courses.

Practical implications

Internship program advisors/coordinators can assess the compatibility of their internship program with the introduced program. In addition, universities can benchmark against the introduced internship program to improve their current programs or establish a new program.

Originality/value

If any universities want to improve their current internship courses, or establish an internship program, the paper's findings offer some guidelines.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 26 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

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