Improving Supply Chain Strategies towards Mitigating the Effect of Crude Oil Theft and Pipeline Vandalism in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry: A Case Study of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)

Generically, SCM may be said to include all activities carried out to ensure proper functioning of the supply chain. The activities included in proper management of a supply chain broadly include logistics activities, planning and control of the flow of information and materials in a firm, management of relationships with other organizations and government intervention, However, crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism are established products supply chain disruptors in Nigeria which are rendering the task of running an efficient petroleum supply chain onerous. This paper aims to establish the importance of effective supply chain strategies for companies in the oil and gas industry with special focus on the Nigerian oil and gas sector and the strategies by which the state oil and gas corporation in this sector may mitigate disruptions to its supply chain. This study investigates the enhancement of supply chain strategies towards meeting the challenge of crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism, using the Nigerian National Corporation (NNPC) as a case study. Based on this study, data were collected from two sources: A summary of incident reports obtained from NNPC and an interview with personnel in the PPMC Department. Incident report refers to a report produced when accidents such as equipment failure, injury, loss of life, or fire occur at the work site. Content analysis is utilized to evaluate data obtained from interview responses, CBN financial stability reports, NDIC annual reports, circulars, banking supervision reports and implementation guidelines. The study found out that NNPC should endeavor to sustain its value chain and ward of pipeline vandals and crude oil thieves by engaging in community partnership, detailing security outfits to ensure its pipelines’ right of way and bridging. Concluded that the oil supply chain of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has been plagued by disruptions in the form of crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism which has had debilitating effects on its value.

Effect of Mental Health Problems on Academic Performance among University Students in Pakistan

Scientific interest in student’s mental health experiences has been increasing in the last years due to their influence on students’learning processes,academic performance,and recently,the suicidal news of a student at a private university due to her mental health condition in Lahore Punjab,Pakistan,captured public attention.That incident also shifted researchers and scholars’attention on the much underexplored and tabooed sphere of the broader public health domain.Hence,the current study aimed to explore the relationship between mental health problems and Pakistani university students’academic performance.Participants were 540 senior semester students within the age range of 20–35 years taken from public and private institutes of Pakistan’s major cities,including Lahore,Islamabad,and Peshawar.Descriptive and inferential statistics was employed for data analysis.Pearson Product Moment Correlation,Hierarchical Regression analysis,and Independent sample t-test were used for data analysis in inferential statistics.The results of the study reveal that there is a strong positive association between mental health and improvement in academic performance.Mental health problems negatively affect the academic performance of university students.The findings of the current study were beneficial for shedding light on the ignorant area within the broader public health domain;the results are also helpful in raising awareness for not only students but also the parents and university administration to plan and design effective intervention strategies to provide proper mental health that resultantly promote academic excellence.

Thai traditional medicine development:The proposed development model of modern Thai traditional medicine

The development of modern traditional medicine in developing countries is facing challenges,and a potential solution was proposed to resolve these problems.Developing countries are trapped in the vicious circle of the natural product development in the modern scientific paradigm.The application of the ethno research strategy is described to resolve these problems.First,Folk Traditional medicine knowledge inquiry is explored,testified and verified similar to R&D practice in modern biomedicine.

Problems of elderly health care and welfare arrangement --Case study of demand on elder care in northeastern of Thailand

This research attempted to explain the problems of elderly health care, the problems and suggestion in elder welfare arrangement and the demand on elder care. The survey underlying this study was conducted in Muang district, Khon Kaen province, Thailand. Eighteen subdistricts were interviewed in the study area. Data were collected in two areas of Khon Kaen province, that are, the city of Khon Kaen and the outside Thesaban Nakhon Khon Kaen. The random sample consisted of 386 elders： 112 elders lived in the city of Khon Kaen and 234 elders lived outside Thesaban Nakhon Khon Kaen, Muang district, Khon Kaen. The analysis of the demand on elderly welfare gave an interesting result that the elders demanded on monthly income to support living cost and medical services at high level; The demand on housing was at low level; The demand on education, religion and culture the demand on club, sport and entertainment, and the demand on job and art were at the moderate level; The main problem of elderly welfare arrangement was the scarcity of budget support, the weakness of elder health, and activities announcement. The analysis of pattern of elder welfare： The case study of elder care identified that 31.87 percent of the elders had demand on elder care. Price of the elder care at 100 Baht per day was mostly selected about one-fourth of all the case occurred. Female elder selected the elder care at 100 Baht per day, while male elder choose at a higher price level, which were 200 Baht per day and 150 Baht per day respectively. The female elder care was the most popular. The elder care age between 30-39 years was mostly selected. Finally, most of elders purposed the working day of the elder care depend on their appointment.

Online Advertising and Customer Satisfaction of E-Tailing Firms in Nigeria

This study examined the Impact of Online Advertising on Customers Satisfaction of E-tailing Firms in Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted. The source of data used in this study was mainly primary data from the issuance of questionnaire and secondary data from the review of relevant literature bothering on both variables which formed the basis for the argument. Out of a total of three hundred and eighty four (384) copies of questionnaire distributed, two hundred and eighty five (285) copies was used for analysis and analyzed using Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation Coefficient with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings of the study reveal amongst others that there is a positive and strong relationship between online advertising and customers’ satisfaction;and online advertising significantly affects customer satisfaction. The study concludes that online advertising influenced satisfaction of the customers to a strong extent. However, online advertising is a key determinant of customer satisfaction as it is considered as a point of interaction between customers and the company from which they buy their products. A heuristic model was proposed to show our contribution to knowledge that the relationship between e-mail marketing and measures of customer satisfaction is very strong and is moderate on all other tested hypotheses. And the study recommends that advertising managers of e-tailing firms must develop and formulate e-mail marketing programs that will satisfy the needs of consumers and advert should be placed on stations and places where consumers can easily identify with them and make a purchase. Suggestions for further studies were outlined.

A study of venue marketing mix for MICE industry in Thailand

The objectives of the research are to determine the important factors and the performance factors of the attributes in selecting venues （particularly convention hotels and convention centers） through investigating the meeting planners＇ set of needs and to identify factors and attributes relating to the venue marketing mix for MICE industry in Thailand. This paper has applied the hospitality and the tourism marketing mixes that are important to the MICE destination selection （particularly venues） for creating a new venue marketing mix. Therefore, the study is based on the importance levels of venue selection through each marketing mix factors including all attributes in the meeting planners＇ perspectives on behalf of their organizations, which will be able to reflect a set of their real needs that could bring about development of a venue marketing mix model that exclusively accommodates MICE organizers. The data was collected using self-administered questionnaires from 229 meeting planners. Statistically significant determinants of the meeting planners＇ overall importance levels indicated that in all of the 8 marketing mix factors （68 attributes）, the people factor was perceived to be the most important factor. The package factor was perceived to have a moderate level of importance. The other factors perceived to be important included Product, Price, Place, Promotion, Physical evidence and Process. It is also found from the factor analysis that the new venue marketing mix contained 8 marketing mix factors with 61 attributes for venue business in Thailand. It is recommended from the research findings that venue management be more concerned with and focus on the attributes of the people factor.

Pilot Study: Magnesium Sulphate Administration and Early Resolution of Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy in Severe Perinatal Asphyxia

Introduction: Perinatal asphyxia is one of the leading causes of perinatal death and a recognized cause of neuromotor disability among survivors. About 20% - 30% of asphyxiated newborns who develop hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) die during the neonatal period, and one third to one half of survivors are left with cerebral palsy and mental retardation. Objective of the Study: Was to determine the effect of magnesium sulphate as neuroprotective drug in hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy resulting from severe perinatal asphyxia. Materials and Methods: A prospective administration of magnesium sulphate to 52 severely asphyxiated newborns with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy was conducted over one year period from 1st August 2017 to 31st July 2018. Results: Most (96.2%) of patients were term baby (GA ≥ 37 weeks). Most (90.4%) were in-hospital born, vaginal delivery accounted for 55.8% and 44.2% assisted delivery respectively. About one half (55.8%) of the patients commenced MgSO4 therapy at <6 hours after birth, while 30.6% and 16.6% commenced MgSO4 therapy at 6 - <24 hours and >24 hours after birth respectively. Time of commencement of first enteral feeding (p = 0.018) and time to full enteral feeding (p = 0.015) showed significant correlation with the survival without neurological deficit. The earlier the commencement of MgSO4 therapy, the better the proportion with strong palmar grasp, sucking reflex, tone and early resolution of encephalopathy. Conclusion: All the study subjects treated with magnesium sulphate had impressive improvement;however there is a need to conduct randomized placebo-controlled trial treatment of severe perinatal asphyxia so as to determine its effects on early resolution of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy/neuroprotective activity.

Economic complexity and environmental sustainability in eastern European economies:Evidence from novel Fourier approach

Globally,economies have become complex and new technologies have transformed and facilitated the modernization of economies.In the previous literature,economic complexity approach has become one of the popular tools in the development and innovation studies of economic geography.Researchers have found that green technology and eco-innovation approaches should be used to decisively reduce the effects of carbon emissions on the environment.However,debates about the impact of economic complexity on environment remain unsettled since some emerging production technologies have far-reaching pollution effects.This study explored the impacts of economic complexity on environmental sustainability in Turkey using the novel Fourier-based approaches,namely:Fourier Augmented Dickey-Fuller(FADF)and Fourier Autoregressive-Distributed Lag(FARDL)models.The Fourier-based approaches indicated that all variables(economic complexity index(ECI),GDP,energy consumption,and CO_(2)emission(CO_(2)E))are cointegrated in the long run.Additionally,the FARDL model implied that(i)in the long run,the effect of ECI(as a proxy for economic complexity),GDP(as a proxy for economic growth),and energy consumption on CO_(2)E(as a proxy for environmental quality)are important;(ii)economic complexity decreases environmental degradation in Turkey;and(iii)economic growth and energy consumption negatively affect environmental quality.The results also showed that economic complexity could be used as a policy tool to tackle environmental degradation.The findings also revealed that the fossil fuelbased economy will continue to expand and undermine Turkey’s efforts to meet its net zero emission target by 2053.Therefore,policy-makers should take actions and establish diversified economic,environmental,and energy strategies.For policy insights,the Turkish governments can use the combination of tax exemptions and technical support systems to support knowledge creation and the diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies The governments can also impose strict environmental regulations on the knowledge development phases.

Volatility and Dynamic Herding in Energy Sector of Developed Markets During COVID-19:A Markov Regime-Switching Approach

This study examines a novel relationship between volatility and dynamic herding behavior during COVID-19 by examining the relationship of oil market volatility,Global volatility and Infectious disease equity market volatility with time-varying herding behavior in energy stock of Developed markets.Using country level data,this study observes that market switch between anti-herding to herding state during pandemic and all three volatility measures have significant impact on dynamic herding state under high dispersion regime.However,in low dispersion regime only global volatility has significant impact on time-varying herding behavior.This study suggests that the level of speculation in energy sector affect investor behavior;therefore,policy makers should monitor and model possible signals related to health crisis that can be transformed in to financial market crisis.

Managerial perspectives of scaling up robotic-assisted surgery in healthcare systems:A systematic literature review

Objectives Robotic-assisted surgery(RAS)is a minimally invasive technique practiced in multiple specialties.Standard training is essential for the acquisition of RAS skills.The cost of RAS is considered to be high,which makes it a burden for institutes and unaffordable for patients.This systematic literature review(SLR)focused on the various RAS training methods applied in different surgical specialties,as well as the cost elements of RAS,and was to summarize the opportunities and challenges associated with scaling up RAS.Methods An SLR was carried out based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses reporting guidelines.The PubMed,EBSCO,and Scopus databases were searched for reports from January 2018 through January 2024.Full-text reviews and research articles in the English language from Asia-Pacific countries were included.Articles that outlined training and costs associated with RAS were chosen.Results The most common training system is the da Vinci system.The simulation technique,which includes dry-lab,wet-lab,and virtual reality training,was found to be a common and important practice.The cost of RAS encompasses the installation and maintenance costs of the robotic system,the operation theatre rent,personnel cost,surgical instrument and material cost,and other miscellaneous charges.The synthesis of SLR revealed the challenges and opportunities regarding RAS training and cost.Conclusions The results of this SLR will help stakeholders such as decision-makers,influencers,and end users of RAS to understand the significance of training and cost in scaling up RAS from a managerial perspective.For any healthcare innovation to reach a vast population,cost-effectiveness and standard training are crucial.

A Cultural E-Government Readiness Model

E-Government is defined as a system utilizing the Internet and the world-wide-web for delivering government informa-tion and services to citizens. This system reduces the processing costs, improves service delivery, and increases trans-parency and communication between a government and its citizens. The aim of this paper is to propose a new model to measure the readiness of e-Government according to cultural factors. By assessing to which degree these cultural factors are present/absent in a country and which of them have a significant impact on government readiness, the government will be able to identify their weakness and strength points, then build a preparing plan that can help them to achieve the readiness required toward a successful implementation of the e-Government systems.

Heat and Mass Transfer by Natural Convection during Transpiration trough a Porous Plate

Cooling by evaporation through transpiring porous walls is expanding in various industrial applications such as air conditioning. It is also used to cool water in a clay jug. This process deserves to be studied, understood and valued. This paper deals with the transpiration phenomenon through a saturated porous plate coupled with heat and mass transfer by natural convection. Conservation Equations (mass, momentum, energy and concentration), associated with adequate boundary conditions, have been numerically solved using an implicit finite difference iterative method. The numerical model has been validated by experimental measurements from holographic interferometry. The used method to obtain temperature and concentration profiles was explained. They are evaluated from the refractive index of moisture air in the boundary layer. The main numerical results presented are: Nusselt and Sherwood numbers, temperature, humidity, and velocity profiles within the boundary layer as well as the different heat fluxes exchanged between the plate and the surrounding environment. Besides, the present model allows showing the important effect of the equivalent thermal conductivity and the surface emissivity on temperature and heats flux.

Stumbling Blocks in Cloud Computing Adoption Pathway： A Charter

Cloud computing is currently an embryonic domain in the area of information technology that possesses the power of transforming the way information technology （IT） services are delivered and maintained in the business world. Pay as per the usage kind of cost structure coupled with delivery of computing services through internet makes cloud computing an exciting and potential growth oriented information technology model compared with conventional computing services delivery models. Various additional features like scalability, flexibility and easy deployment process creates a window for the organizations even relatively smaller in size to get benefitted by the highly advanced ＆ modern technologies without incurring substantial cost. In spite of so many benefits of this new delivery model, concerns are beginning to grow about how safe an environment it is. Despite of all the hype surrounding the cloud, enterprise customers are still reluctant to deploy their business in the cloud. Security is one of the major issues which reduces the growth of cloud computing and complications with data privacy and data protection continue to plague the market. Other related concerns associated with the adoption of cloud computing include trust on service providers, loss of control and compliance issues. This paper is an attempt to explore security ＆ trust issues linked with cloud computing adoption in the Small and Medium Enterprises （SME） sector.

A countermeasure designed to restrain self-serving behavior and strategic rating disclosure of credit rating agencies

This study examines an incentive of the credit rating agency(CRA)to exert effort to observe projects’signals and strategically disclose ratings when the upfront fee and performance-based fee scheme are imposed.Under the upfront fee scheme,the CRA obtains an upfront fee in exchange for its services but gains a performance-based fee only if its ratings accurately foresee the rated project’s outcome.In the setting,an issuer solicits a rating from the CRA,whose conduct of inflating and deflating ratings is considered.In addition,the CRA can endogenously exert effort to observe a project’s signal,which specifies the signal accuracy and how much operating costs the CRA incurs.After receiving the observed signal,the CRA can strategically decide to announce a rating corresponding to or contradicting the observed signal.The findings reveal that the performance-based fee scheme incentivizes the CRA to exert greater effort and truthfully disclose a more accurate rating.

Government Intervention and Support on SMEs Firm Performance

The small and medium enterprise firms are renowned for improving the na­tion’s economy through the provision of job opportunities for its populace,improving the financial and investment status of the countries and provi­sion of innovative products that meets the need of the people.SMEs are key players in the economy,through sustainable development goals(SDGs)enabling them to thrive in the open business environment and actively applying the digital transformation,promoting inclusive and sustainable in­dustrialization should be the core of any country government.This research is designed to explore the influence of government intervention and support on enterprise performance and growth in five business sectors-Hospitality,Education,Health care,Bottled Water Production and Transport and Logis­tics organizations.The research paper had a descriptive research design with a randomly selected sample size of one hundred and ninety-seven respondents.The research hypotheses were tested using(Factor Analysis and Ordinal Logistic Regression Analysis)with Statistical Packages for Social Science(SPSS)version 25.The results of the study reveal that gov­ernment intervention policies and intervention programmes when instituted will promote the growth of business firms in Nigeria.Also identified are relevant recommendations that serve as motivation for policy administra­tors,entrepreneurs,and business managers to ensure that relevant interven­tion programme is adopted to boost performance and growth of the SME sector in Nigeria.

Flood Resilience Building in Thailand: Assessing Progress and the Effect of Leadership

Disaster risk reduction has become a global strategy for making cities more resilient since the establishment of the Hyogo Framework for Action in 2005. The question that still challenges emergency management scholars and professionals, however, is what contributes to the progress of resilience building. Previous literature suggests that disaster resilience can be attributable to multiple factors, including leadership. But the specific abilities that help leaders promote resilience have not yet been examined empirically. To address this problem, using the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction 10 Essentials for Making Cities Resilient as guidelines, we assessed the progress of flood resilience building in Thailand and its relationship to local government leaders' abilities. Our research showed that, since the flood disaster in 2011, municipalities in Thailand have made moderate progress in flood resilience building. The results of a multiple regression analysis revealed that disaster resilience leadership abilities have had a statistically significant, positive effect on the progress of flood resilience building. Our findings underscore the role of leadership in making cities more resilient and shed light on how local government leaders can contribute to the progress ofdisaster risk reduction. We also outline the academic implications and practical contributions of our research.

A model of vehicle replacement time with overloading cost constraint

Vehicle replacement time depends mainly on the rate of deterioration.Overloading has been found to be a significant factor of deterioration and cost accumulation.We examined the impact of overloading on vehicle deterioration and its total costs and hence the replacement time of vehicle fleets in Nigeria.The research design was a mixture of field survey and a longitudinal study of vehicle fleets of three transport companies in Benin City,Nigeria.The population of the study consisted of all interstate transport companies in Benin City.Multi-stage sampling was used to select the three transport companies studied.An overloading factor was developed and used to estimate the cost of operating overloaded vehicles.Research data were analysed using discrete dynamic programming,which was implemented using computer software developed through Pascal Programming.Results indicate that overloading significantly precipitates vehicle deterioration,increases operating and total cost and thus affects replacement time of vehicles.

Novel Coronavirus and Emerging Mental Health Issues—A Timely Analysis of Potential Consequences and Legal Policies Perspective

The present outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)has swiftly crossed borders,and inflicted the global mental health issues.It is also affecting peoples’daily behaviours,economics,prevention strategies and decision-making among policymakers,healthcare organisations and medical centres that may unintentionally weaken COVID-19 control strategies and lead to increased morbidity,as well as mental health care needs globally.Ultimately,this outbreak is leading to further health complications worldwide,such as stress,fear of the unknown,anger,anxiety,denial,depression symptoms,and insomnia.Notwithstanding all the resources used to counter the spread of the virus,further universal strategies are desirable to address the associated mental health problems.The present study uses the qualitative means to investigate the potential impact of COVID-19,the consequences and legal aspects,then recommend policy implications,in an attempt to cover any apparent loopholes.It presents a unique analysis of its kind on the policy and legal aspects of the ongoing pandemic,as regards mental health.It concludes that there is an acute need to prioritising the health care and curative issues,strengthen awareness and address the psychological syndromes or similar complications afflicting members of the general public during this pandemic.

Does green growth in E-7 countries depend on economic policy uncertainty,institutional quality,and renewable energy?Evidence from quantile-based regression

Environmental degradation is one of the most debatable topics at international forums and it is considered a prime concern for the entire world.Therefore,researchers and policymakers have turned their attention from conventional economic growth to green growth.Although the existing literature has discussed several determinants of green growth,the impact of economic policy uncertainty(EPU),renewable energy consumption(RENE),and institutional quality(IQ)on green growth(GGDP)is relatively unexplored.Hence,this study is the earliest attempt to investigate the impact of EPU,IQ,and RENE on GGDP for emerging seven(E-7)countries from 1996 to 2019.In doing so,we apply panel quantile regression(PQR).The empirical findings delineate that EPU has a negative impact on GGDP,whereas IQ and RENE enhance the GGDP in E-7 countries.Based on the outcomes,this study suggests policy implications for achieving targets of the SDG 07,SDG 08,SDG 13,and SDG 16.The governments of these countries can achieve higher GGDP by ensuring political stability and reliable macroeconomic policies and through making such flexible policies that can easily control or address unpredictable future economic issues.