Academic literature on the topic 'Sex role in the work environment – Nigeria'

A qualitative study using in-depth interviews explored the perceptions and views of brothel leaders and HIV program experts on the acceptability and adoptability of using gatekeepers in interventions aimed at improving Female Sex Workers’ (FSWs) condom use in Nigeria. Brothel leaders are an influential group within the FSWs’ social and physical environment and their attitudes, beliefs and actions can influence the immediate brothel environment and the adoption of interventions within the brothel. HIV prevention experts make key decisions on the content and strategies adopted for HIV prevention efforts and also influence the design and implementation of HIV prevention strategies within programs. Four themes illustrating the benefits and barriers of the inclusion of gatekeepers within the immediate environment of the FSW were identified. Results show that brothel leadership inclusion in HIV prevention efforts could exert potential positive influence on the immediate brothel environment. Brothel leaders can support the institution of establishment policies supporting consistent condom use by the FSWs, promotion of HIV awareness, resolution of conflicts and harassments, support to new entrants into sex work and the reinforcement of protective behaviors among the FSWs. The decriminalization of sex work and the inclusion of gatekeepers support into country HIV program guidelines may contribute to mitigating prevalent sociocultural factors limiting FSWs’ rights as well as their access to health services. The present study provides insights into the potential positive roles of brothel leaders in improving condom use and other HIV/AIDs related interventions for brothel based FSWs in Abuja, Nigeria from the perspective of brothel leaders and HIV prevention experts.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the role of small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) as a catalyst to all things good in great economies; however, sadly, Nigeria has been unable to unlock SME development and the many benefits. The paper’s examination revolves around SMEs and entrepreneurial development, employment generation, government policies and financial aid and its availability. With the intention of establishing the relevance of government role in creating vibrant economies via thriving SMEs and its ripple effect on employment generation. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a survey design, using a questionnaire for data gathering and percentile, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) for data analysis. Findings The study established a significant direct relationship between entrepreneurship development and infrastructure development and employment generation. Also, there was a significant direct relationship between government policies and infrastructure development. However, surprisingly, there was an insignificant relationship between government policy and financial aid and accessibility. Practical implications The government’s role in SMEs’ survival and entrepreneurship development is invaluable. The government must live up to their bidding and create an enabling environment to promote SME and entrepreneurship growth. Only this will transform the economy and minimize unemployment to its barest minimum. Originality/value The study’s research model is an interesting contribution to the body of work in SME and entrepreneurship development. The study is also an original attempt at having a good representation of the South-Western part of Nigeria, as research in high impact journals is usually domiciled in one state.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between “high-performance” human resource practices (HPHRP) and organizational performance, using organizational and supervisors’ supports as mediating variables. Design/methodology/approach Using cross-sectional design, the data were obtained from 311 public university lecturers in Nigeria. The study employed partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) in the analysis. Findings The results suggested that the application of HPHRP in the public universities has direct and indirect effects on organizational performance. Also, HPHRP are linked with both organizational support and supervisory support. In turn, the organizational support and supervisory support are strongly linked with organizational performance. Furthermore, both organizational support and supervisory support fully mediate the positive relationships between HPHRP and organizational performance. The mediating role of both organizational support and supervisory support revealed their significance in HPHRP-performance link particularly within the context of public universities. Research limitations/implications The study employed self-report in collecting data for all the major constructs. Practical implications The study demonstrated the importance of HPHR practices (rigorous selection processes; training and development opportunities; information and communication practices; employee involvement in decision making; job security; fair reward system; team working and career management) and how they are directly related to organizational support, supervisory support and performance of organization. Second, for the management to enhance organizational performance (particularly in public universities), the need to emphasize on appropriate and effective HRM practices capable of promoting organizational and supervisory supports is required. This will enable the creation of supportive work environment that will promote better organizational performance. Originality/value The study adds value by providing additional understanding of the significant role of organizational support and supervisors support in HPHRP-organizational performance link.

Background The in-service training of frontline health workers (FHWs) in primary health care facilities plays an important role in improving the standard of health care delivery. However, it is often expensive and requires FHWs to leave their posts in rural areas to attend courses in urban centers. This study reports the implementation of a digital health tool for providing video training (VTR) on maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) care to provide in-service training at scale without interrupting health services. The VTR intervention was supported by satellite communications technology and existing 3G mobile networks. Objective This study aims to determine the feasibility and acceptability of these digital health tools and their potential effectiveness in improving clinical knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to MNCH care. Methods A mixed methods design, including an uncontrolled pre- and postquantitative evaluation, was adopted. From October 2017 to May 2018, a VTR mobile intervention was delivered to FHWs in 3 states of Nigeria. We examined changes in workers’ knowledge and confidence in delivering MNCH services through a pre- and posttest survey. Stakeholders’ experiences with the intervention were explored through semistructured interviews that drew on the technology acceptance model to frame contextual factors that shaped the intervention’s acceptability and usability in the work environment. Results In total, 328 FHWs completed both pre- and posttests. FHWs achieved a mean pretest score of 51% (95% CI 48%-54%) and mean posttest score of 69% (95% CI 66%-72%), reflecting, after adjusting for key covariates, a mean increase between the pre- and posttest of 17 percentage points (95% CI 15-19; P<.001). Variation was identified in pre- and posttest scores by the sex and location of participants alongside topic-specific areas where scores were lowest. Stakeholder interviews suggested a wide acceptance of VTR Mobile (delivered via digital technology) as an important tool for enhancing the quality of training, reinforcing knowledge, and improving health outcomes. Conclusions This study found that VTR supported through a digital technology approach is a feasible and acceptable approach for supporting improvements in clinical knowledge, attitudes, and reported practices in MNCH. The determinants of technology acceptance included ease of use, perceived usefulness, access to technology and training contents, and the cost-effectiveness of VTR, whereas barriers to the adoption of VTR were poor electricity supply, poor internet connection, and FHWs’ workload. The evaluation also identified the mechanisms of the impact of delivering VTR Mobile at scale on the micro (individual), meso (organizational), and macro (policy) levels of the health system. Future research is required to explore the translation of this digital health approach for the VTR of FHWs and its impact across low-resource settings to ameliorate the financial and time costs of training and support high-quality MNCH care delivery. Trial Registration ISRCTN Registry 32105372; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN32105372

This article conceptualizes how place-based analysis can generate innovative understandings of sex work and spatial justice, including ways in which stigma, well-being, and marginality are embodied in sex work places. Focusing on three interconnected dimensions of place—geographic location, material environment, and sociopower structures—this article examines the unexplored realm of place and sex work. Beginning with an analysis of existing sex work literature and knowledge relating to dimensions of place, we explicate the role of feminist ideologies, juridical contexts, and the built environment as the conceptual and analytic groundwork for a place-based understanding of sex work. Architectural spatial methods then generate a place-based analysis of two case study exemplars: the Residence in Western Canada and the Strichtplatz in Zurich, Switzerland. We conclude by considering avenues to incorporate place theory into sex work research and the social work discipline, ultimately advocating for research, policy, and practice that concomitantly address sex workers’ social and spatial oppression.

In this article, 25 years of organization science research on work—family is summarized, and its implications for building the human, social, and economic elements of family capital in family business are developed. The impact of work—family conflict; sex and gender roles; role enrichment; work—family benefits, programs, and policies; and work, job, and organization redesign are emphasized. A social systems model of environment—environment fit—work—family fit—is developed. Implications for future research and for investing in family capital are discussed.

Job stress affects and influences the mental, physical, and well-being of an entrepreneur. The objectives of this study were to examine the relationship between work-family conflict, role overload, and the business environment on the commitment of microentrepreneurs in Abuja. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design, data were obtained via an online survey, only the 65 questionnaires were returned. Data were analyzed using SPSS 23 and hypotheses were tested with linear regression. Findings from the study indicate a positive relationship between work-family conflict, role overload, and work environment. and the study recommended that future studies should enlarge the sample size of this study and identify other job stress variable that was not included in this study.

This study examined the influence of information culture and work environment on employee job performance in Lagos state internal revenue service. A validated survey instrument was tested on 210 employees in Lagos State Internal Revenue Service and showed that information culture positively influenced employee job performance. (R = 0.676; R2 = 0.458; Adj R2 = 0.455; F (1, 190) = 160.43; Sig. = 0.000). Work environment positively influenced employee performance. (R = 0.488; R2 = 0.238; Adj R2 = 0.234; F (1, 190) = 59.53; Sig. = 0.000). The results further reveled that information culture and work environment both have positive influence on employee performance. (R = 0. 691; R2 = 0.477; Adjusted-R2 = 0.472; F (2, 189) = 86.40; Sig. = 0.000)The study concluded that information culture and work environment plays an important role in enhancing employee job performance in Lagos State Internal Revenue Service. The study recommended that Information culture and good working environment should be maintained in the organization. Keywords: Employee Job Performance, Information Culture, Work Environment, Internal Revenue Service

The goal of this thesis is to question conventional definitions of work through the detailed study of a professional group---specifically rural clergy---whose work falls outside the parameters of accepted definitions of work. According to the feminist literature, work and non-work are differentiated typically by dichotomies which privilege a masculine model of work and devalue women's experience; thus, "real work" is defined as an activity which is paid rather than unpaid, public rather than private, instrumental and intellectual rather than emotional. Professional work definitions also obscure the way in which "work" relies on activities which are linked with the feminine in these dichotomies. Through in-depth qualitative interviews with rural clergy, I explore the extent to which women and men draw on these gendered dichotomies to define work. In some ways, the approach of clergy counters conventional work norms: for them, emotional labour is a priority, work is not limited to a specific time or place, and public and private lives frequently overlap. I demonstrate how clergy define their work in terms of obligation, context, visibility, and time. Furthermore, I also argue that clergy delineate work in terms which still reflect a masculinized work norm specific to their profession. This "clergy masculinized mode" professionalises emotional labour by separating it from the facilitating work of female volunteers; it assumes a worker free from domestic demands in order to fulfil professional obligations within a flexible time frame; and it overlooks how the overlap of the public and private spheres is sustained by the work of wives. Thus, delineating work is particularly problematic for female clergy because professional demands are confounded with demands for adjunct work typically performed by women. My findings (1) highlight alternative markers of work which are suggestive for feminist theory; (2) point to a gap in theorizing about the gendering of work when con

This dissertation is located within debates around post heroic leadership. It takes as axiomatic the argument that we need to rethink leadership in ways that are not irredeemably bound to ideals of instrumental rationality, hegemonic masculinity and competitive individualism but are, instead, informed by the ‘feminine’ principles of mutuality, care and what Deborah Kerfoot (1999) terms ‘emotional intimacy’. I call this alternative construct ‘relational leading’ in order to underline my position that leading is about connecting (in an authentic, empathic and ethical way) with others and across functions. This alternative understanding of leadership draws on Joyce Fletcher's (1999) model of a relational practice grounded in the ‘disappeared’ feminine. While positing relational leading as a feminist alternative to dominant masculinist conceptions of leadership, this dissertation attempts to avoid reinvoking dualistic representations. It does this by thinking leadership as a practice undertaken by complex, embodied subjects whose capacity to creatively transcend binaries of masculine/feminine, reason/emotion, and power/powerlessness opens up possibilities for, in the words of Amanda Sinclair (1998), ‘doing leadership differently’. There is, however, a cautionary note in the recognition that identities and practices are discursively regulated or culturally patterned, so that men and women who ‘do’ leadership face constant pressures to masculinise or feminise their identities. Such processes perpetuate both gender stereotypes and the privileging of a masculinised notion of leadership that Sinclair (1998) calls the heroic archetype. Nonetheless, the dissertation ends on an optimistic note, proposing reflexive practice as the agent of change and the condition for being/becoming a practitioner of relational leading, against the grain of masculine heroism and rational instrumentalism.

Investigation explored gender role stereotypes and the effect of stereotyping on the career adjustment of women. Occupational gender type ratings obtained from employed women were similar, although less extreme, than those observed in earlier studies (Shinar, 1975; White, Kruczek, Brown, White, 1989). Traditionally employed women provided more extremely stereotyped ratings than did their nontraditionally employed counterparts. All women were administered the Personality Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ) to assess the level of instrumental and expressive characteristics representative of their behavior. All women displayed a higher level of instrumental behaviors at work compared to home. Further, all women reported the level of instrumental behaviors they displayed at work surpassed the level that was characteristic of their overall personality orientation. Differences in gender role behaviors between traditionally and nontraditionally employed women were present across conditions: home, work, overall personality orientation. These two, groups differed with regard to the level of gender role behaviors they perceived as necessary for successful job performance. Job satisfaction (as measured by the Job Descriptive Index and Hoppock Satisfaction Questionnaire) was used as an index of career adjustment. Women employed nontraditionally expressed greater levels of dissastisfaction with their work, supervisors, and coworkers.
Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

The following article presents male and female management styles. The article shows results of research carried out by domestic and foreign researchers, including the author’s own work about sex-related management styles. It also presents management styles in hard times. A particular focus was placed on skills and competences that are of growing importance in the uncertain business environment. Furthermore, the article underlines the role of business leaders’ emotional intelligence, the latter being a supplement to rational intelligence. An emphasis was placed on the role of emotional intelligence in the economic activity, determining social relationships between employees. It is also an essential variable in the field of company management.

Abstract Every industry that seeks to remain efficient and relevant in this millennium should constantly be looking for ways of becoming more environmentally responsible — no business may call itself efficient if it threatens the environment within which it operates. As the quest for hydrocarbons intensifies in our deeper waters, we see environmental performance quality playing an increasingly critical role in every company’s business performance. In the last couple of years, reports from onshore E&P activities in Nigeria have shown that operating in the Niger Delta region poses some of the toughest challenges in the world. This region has witnessed a spate of attacks on oil and gas facilities, staff and contractors. Consequently, major oil and gas players have to contend with complex operational uncertainties due to increased pressures from the local communities for improved environmental control measures. In this project, we have outlined safe and effective plans, actions, and procedures to help pre-empt these pressures; maintain harmony with local communities, and effectively manage operational uncertainties within complex environmental settings like the Nigerian Niger Delta area. A proactive environmental management style based on continuous consultation, goal-oriented monitoring, as well as a continuous improvement attitude (CIA) are some of the various solutions proposed in this work. Finally, we are confident that this kind of environmental management system will undoubtedly enhance the economic viability, as well as the global competitiveness of our deep-water fields in offshore West Africa.

Abstract Accurate knowledge of Pressure-Volume-Temperature (PVT) properties is crucial in reservoir and production engineering computational applications. One of these properties is the oil formation volume factor (Bo), which assumes a significant role in calculating some of the prominent petroleum engineering terms and parameters, such as depletion rate, oil in place, reservoir simulation, material balance equation, well testing, reservoir production calculation, etc. These properties are ideally measured experimentally in the laboratory, based on downhole or recommended surface samples. Faster and cheaper methods are important for real-time decision making and empirically developed correlations are used in the prediction of this property. This work is aimed at developing a more accurate prediction method than the more common methods. The prediction method used is based on a supervised deep neural network to estimate oil formation volume factor at bubble point pressure as a function of gas-oil ratio, gas gravity, specific oil gravity, and reservoir temperature. Deep learning is applied in this paper to address the inaccuracy of empirically derived correlations used for predicting oil formation volume factor. Neural Networks would help us find hidden patterns in the data, which cannot be found otherwise. A multi-layer neural network was used for the prediction via the anaconda programming environment. Two frameworks for modelling data using deep learning viz: TensorFlow and Keras were utilized, and PVT variables selected as input neurons while employing early stopping which uses a part of our data not fed to the model to test its performance to prevent overfitting. In the modelling process, 2994 dataset retrieved from the Niger Delta region was used. The dataset was randomly divided into three parts of which 60% was used for training, 20% for validation, and 20% for testing. The result predicted by the network outperformed existing correlations by the statistical parameters used for the same set of field data. The network has a mean average error of 0.05 which is the lowest when compared to the error generated by other correlation models. The predictive capability of this network is found to be higher than existing models, based on the findings of this work.

This report maps the African landscape of Open Science – with a focus on Open Data as a sub-set of Open Science. Data to inform the landscape study were collected through a variety of methods, including surveys, desk research, engagement with a community of practice, networking with stakeholders, participation in conferences, case study presentations, and workshops hosted. Although the majority of African countries (35 of 54) demonstrates commitment to science through its investment in research and development (R&D), academies of science, ministries of science and technology, policies, recognition of research, and participation in the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI), the following countries demonstrate the highest commitment and political willingness to invest in science: Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. In addition to existing policies in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), the following countries have made progress towards Open Data policies: Botswana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, South Africa and Uganda. Only two African countries (Kenya and South Africa) at this stage contribute 0.8% of its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to R&D (Research and Development), which is the closest to the AU’s (African Union’s) suggested 1%. Countries such as Lesotho and Madagascar ranked as 0%, while the R&D expenditure for 24 African countries is unknown. In addition to this, science globally has become fully dependent on stable ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) infrastructure, which includes connectivity/bandwidth, high performance computing facilities and data services. This is especially applicable since countries globally are finding themselves in the midst of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), which is not only “about” data, but which “is” data. According to an article1 by Alan Marcus (2015) (Senior Director, Head of Information Technology and Telecommunications Industries, World Economic Forum), “At its core, data represents a post-industrial opportunity. Its uses have unprecedented complexity, velocity and global reach. As digital communications become ubiquitous, data will rule in a world where nearly everyone and everything is connected in real time. That will require a highly reliable, secure and available infrastructure at its core, and innovation at the edge.” Every industry is affected as part of this revolution – also science. An important component of the digital transformation is “trust” – people must be able to trust that governments and all other industries (including the science sector), adequately handle and protect their data. This requires accountability on a global level, and digital industries must embrace the change and go for a higher standard of protection. “This will reassure consumers and citizens, benefitting the whole digital economy”, says Marcus. A stable and secure information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure – currently provided by the National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) – is key to advance collaboration in science. The AfricaConnect2 project (AfricaConnect (2012–2014) and AfricaConnect2 (2016–2018)) through establishing connectivity between National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), is planning to roll out AfricaConnect3 by the end of 2019. The concern however is that selected African governments (with the exception of a few countries such as South Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia and others) have low awareness of the impact the Internet has today on all societal levels, how much ICT (and the 4th Industrial Revolution) have affected research, and the added value an NREN can bring to higher education and research in addressing the respective needs, which is far more complex than simply providing connectivity. Apart from more commitment and investment in R&D, African governments – to become and remain part of the 4th Industrial Revolution – have no option other than to acknowledge and commit to the role NRENs play in advancing science towards addressing the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals). For successful collaboration and direction, it is fundamental that policies within one country are aligned with one another. Alignment on continental level is crucial for the future Pan-African African Open Science Platform to be successful. Both the HIPSSA ((Harmonization of ICT Policies in Sub-Saharan Africa)3 project and WATRA (the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly)4, have made progress towards the regulation of the telecom sector, and in particular of bottlenecks which curb the development of competition among ISPs. A study under HIPSSA identified potential bottlenecks in access at an affordable price to the international capacity of submarine cables and suggested means and tools used by regulators to remedy them. Work on the recommended measures and making them operational continues in collaboration with WATRA. In addition to sufficient bandwidth and connectivity, high-performance computing facilities and services in support of data sharing are also required. The South African National Integrated Cyberinfrastructure System5 (NICIS) has made great progress in planning and setting up a cyberinfrastructure ecosystem in support of collaborative science and data sharing. The regional Southern African Development Community6 (SADC) Cyber-infrastructure Framework provides a valuable roadmap towards high-speed Internet, developing human capacity and skills in ICT technologies, high- performance computing and more. The following countries have been identified as having high-performance computing facilities, some as a result of the Square Kilometre Array7 (SKA) partnership: Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zambia. More and more NRENs – especially the Level 6 NRENs 8 (Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, and recently Zambia) – are exploring offering additional services; also in support of data sharing and transfer. The following NRENs already allow for running data-intensive applications and sharing of high-end computing assets, bio-modelling and computation on high-performance/ supercomputers: KENET (Kenya), TENET (South Africa), RENU (Uganda), ZAMREN (Zambia), EUN (Egypt) and ARN (Algeria). Fifteen higher education training institutions from eight African countries (Botswana, Benin, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, and Tanzania) have been identified as offering formal courses on data science. In addition to formal degrees, a number of international short courses have been developed and free international online courses are also available as an option to build capacity and integrate as part of curricula. The small number of higher education or research intensive institutions offering data science is however insufficient, and there is a desperate need for more training in data science. The CODATA-RDA Schools of Research Data Science aim at addressing the continental need for foundational data skills across all disciplines, along with training conducted by The Carpentries 9 programme (specifically Data Carpentry 10 ). Thus far, CODATA-RDA schools in collaboration with AOSP, integrating content from Data Carpentry, were presented in Rwanda (in 2018), and during17-29 June 2019, in Ethiopia. Awareness regarding Open Science (including Open Data) is evident through the 12 Open Science-related Open Access/Open Data/Open Science declarations and agreements endorsed or signed by African governments; 200 Open Access journals from Africa registered on the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ); 174 Open Access institutional research repositories registered on openDOAR (Directory of Open Access Repositories); 33 Open Access/Open Science policies registered on ROARMAP (Registry of Open Access Repository Mandates and Policies); 24 data repositories registered with the Registry of Data Repositories (re3data.org) (although the pilot project identified 66 research data repositories); and one data repository assigned the CoreTrustSeal. Although this is a start, far more needs to be done to align African data curation and research practices with global standards. Funding to conduct research remains a challenge. African researchers mostly fund their own research, and there are little incentives for them to make their research and accompanying data sets openly accessible. Funding and peer recognition, along with an enabling research environment conducive for research, are regarded as major incentives. The landscape report concludes with a number of concerns towards sharing research data openly, as well as challenges in terms of Open Data policy, ICT infrastructure supportive of data sharing, capacity building, lack of skills, and the need for incentives. Although great progress has been made in terms of Open Science and Open Data practices, more awareness needs to be created and further advocacy efforts are required for buy-in from African governments. A federated African Open Science Platform (AOSP) will not only encourage more collaboration among researchers in addressing the SDGs, but it will also benefit the many stakeholders identified as part of the pilot phase. The time is now, for governments in Africa, to acknowledge the important role of science in general, but specifically Open Science and Open Data, through developing and aligning the relevant policies, investing in an ICT infrastructure conducive for data sharing through committing funding to making NRENs financially sustainable, incentivising open research practices by scientists, and creating opportunities for more scientists and stakeholders across all disciplines to be trained in data management.