The Influence of Emotional Stability on Employees’ Performance: A Review

Abstracts

The research argues that employees’ emotional stability will enable workers of the organisation to achieve better performance. This study interrogated and affirms the nexus between emotional stability and employees’ performance, zeroing – in on self-awareness as the taxonomy for guaranteeing the ability for employees’ to meet the organisation expected requirement from time to time and establish the relationship existed between self-management and employees’ commitment. The research engaged a qualitative method with reliance on secondary data; the study also used the self-efficacy theory (ability to execute a particular behaviour pattern) as the framework for the textual analysis of apprehensions/themes floodlit the discussion, conclusion, and recommendations. Findings of this study revealed that employees’ performance is a product of emotional stability. The recommendations proffered are capable of addressing the holes and challenges.

Keywords :

Self-awareness; self-management; organisation expectations; commitment.

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Traditional Bureaucratic Culture as an Impeding Factor in Implementing New Public Management in Bangladesh

Abstracts

Since the independence in 1971, Bangladesh has made a commendable progress in all sector of the state in its 47 years of journey. Over this period it has come across to a long way in administrative reforms under different political regimes. Most of the reforms in the administrative section could not achieve the desired results due to different reasons. This paper particularly tries to find out how traditional bureaucratic culture has been an impeding force on the way of implementing New Public Management in Bangladesh. Public servants have been a strong body in Bangladesh due to different political incidents. Basically military backed governments at different times were highly dependent on bureaucratic administration. Such political practice has grown a peculiar culture of reform resistant behavior among administrative members. As a result, they are not enough open to new changes in the administrative system and thus impeding the implementation of new administrative reforms frequently as there remain uncertainties of power distribution.

Keywords :

Administration; reform; bureaucratic culture; new public management; governance.

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Credit Management Practices and Bank Performance: Evidence from First Bank

Abstracts

The study examined the influence of credit management practices on financial performance of Nigerian banks with specific reference to First bank Plc. Data was collected using Purposive sampling technique from thirty (30) respondents as a sample size used to collect data from the respondents. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data, such as frequency, percentage, weighted mean score, and multiple regression. The result revealed that credit management practices have a significant positive influence on the financial performance of First bank. The result concluded that client appraisal, credit risk control, and collection policy are major predictors of financial performance of First bank. Subsequently, the study recommended that management of other banks should learn from First bank by enhancing their client appraisal techniques, credit risk control and adopting a more stringent policy to improve their financial performance.

Keywords :

Client appraisal; credit risk control; collection policy; credit management; Nigeria.

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Compositional, Elemental, Phytochemical and Antioxidant Characterization of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) Pulps and Seeds from Selected Regions in Kenya and Uganda

The number of people affected by nutrition insecurity worldwide in 2016 was 815 million, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. This has been attributed to starvation and overdependence on a few crops for nutritional needs. There is therefore need to find alternative nutrition sources. This study sought to determine the nutritional profile, mineral composition, phytochemical and antioxidant properties of Jackfruit seeds and pulps, collected from selected regions in Kenya and Uganda. The moisture contents were found to be higher in the edible pulp region (62.67-70.42%), compared to the seeds (44.76-50.54%). The ash, lipid, carbohydrate and protein contents of fresh weight, on the other hand, were found to be higher in the seeds than in the edible pulp region. The ash contents were (1.12 -1.64%) and (0.34 -0.48%), the lipid contents were (0.41-0.50%) and (0.09-0.12%), the protein contents were (14.11 to 16.26%) and (10.56 to 13.67%) and the carbohydrate contents were (31.41%-34.95%) and (21.65 to 24.91%) for the seeds and pulps respectively.  The mineral analysis showed that Jackfruit seeds and pulps were rich in essential minerals. The seeds and pulps, were found to both rich in potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, zinc and iron minerals. The phytochemical composition and antioxidant activities, were also found to be higher in the seeds than in the pulps. The phenolic contents were (17.37 to 18.69 mg/g) and (12.10 to 14.55 mg/g), while flavonoids contents were (0.5 - 0.89 mg/g) and (0.18 -0.29 mg/g) for the seeds and pulps respectively. The DPPH scavenging activities were (21.70 - 24.44%) and (15.49 - 17.47%), while the reducing powers were (51.05 -58.00 µg/ml) and (43.54-45.38 µg/ml) for the seeds and pulp respectively. Jackfruit seeds and pulps are therefore highly nutritious, rich in minerals and can be used as natural antioxidants.

Keywords :

Nutritional profile, phytochemical composition, mineral analysis, antioxidants.

Uterotonic Potential of Selected Plants Used by Ugandan Local Communities in the Treatment of Malaria

Malaria is a major cause of death among pregnant women and children under the age of five in Uganda. It is the leading cause of anemia among pregnant women and low birth weight in infants [1]. Majority of the rural population rely on herbs for treatment of various diseases. The leaf extracts of various plants including Bothlioclines longipes, Vernonia amygdalina, Rhus natalensis and Maesa lanceolata are used to treat various diseases including malaria in Uganda. The local communities prefer herbal preparations from the leaves of the plants. Extracts from the leaves of the plants were proven efficacious against P. falciparum in earlier studies in vitro. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of Diethyl ether and methanol extracts on the contractility of an isolated rabbit uterus and also to quantitatively analyze for iron and zinc in the leaves of these plants. The diethyl ether extracts of V. amygdalina, M. lanceolata and R. natalensis at a concentration of 0.4 mg/ml and 0.8 mg/ml exhibited contractility amplitudes of 26.0 mm, 21.5 mm and 27.5 mm and 22.5±1.10 mm, 15.0±1.78 mm and 24.5 ±0.99 mm respectively. The methanol extracts were 25.5±0.70 mm, 23±1.34 mm, 22±1.01 mm and 37.8±1.26 mm, 16.7±2.01 mm, 24.3±0.06 mm respectively, while oxytocin showed 22.8±0.57 mm and 31.0±0.36 mm respectively.  The plant leaves were found to have high levels of iron ranging from 2516.587±17.983 (mg/100 g) in B. longipes to 583.317±9.505 (mg/100 g) in V. amygdalina. Rhus natalensis and V. amygdalina had low levels of Zinc. Anti-nutritive phytocompounds such as saponins and Tannins were also detected in some of the test extracts. The study concludes that plants used by pregnant women may have either a positive or negative effect on expectant mothers. There is need to formulate evidence based effective medicines for their safe use in the management of malaria.

Keywords :

Medicinal plants, malaria, pregnant women, uterine contractility, micro-elements, anti-nutritive phytocompounds.

Documentation of Medicinal Plants from the Undivided Area of Puri District, Odisha, India

The present study was done   to record the ethnobotanical information from hill -dwelling aboriginal tribes of the undivided Puri district (Khurda and Nayagarh), Odisha, India. The aim was also to gather the information on medicinal uses of plants by conducting personal interviews with socio-economically backward tribals and to record the accumulated knowledge with the snowball technique. Plants were identified by the users on forest floor and were botanically classified. This study recorded the use of different parts of 52 plant species belonging to 51 genera of 28 different flowering plant families, against 61 human ailments, with special reference to Asthma, Stomach disorder, and Fever.  The healers use these plants to cure several diseases like asthma, stomach disorder, skin diseases, piles, constipation, diabetes, fever, cough, toothache, wound healing, headache, leucorrhea, infertility in women, mouth ulcer, heart pain, pimples, indigestion, snake bites, ring worms, thirst, eczema, dysentery, diarrhoea, blood purification, high blood pressure and sore throat. These plants are used as herbal healing sources as a part of cultural practice of local traditional healers down the ages. Among these plants, many are specific to the climate identified zone of the hilly forest patches of the district. The present record of ethnomedicinal data indicated that the backward local ethnic people use plants from their surroundings, as healing sources for all possible ailments. It was revealed from the study that the commonly used plants for the treatment of asthma and malaria, are A. vasica, A. marmelos, A. galangal, C. crista, C. sepiaria, N. arbor-tristis, R. dumentorum, S. indicum and V. negundo.

Keywords :

Ethnobotany; medicinal plant; tribal people; Puri.