Level Of Patronage Research Articles

The Influence of Maintenance Culture in the Sustainability of Tourism Attractions in Obudu Mountain Resort

This work weighed the influence of maintenance culture in the sustainability of tourist attractions at Obudu mountain resort. From the objectives of the study, this paper identified the various attractions at the study area, identified the maintenance culture practices in place at the resort, ascertained the level of patronage in the study area, determined the role of maintenance culture in the level of tourists patronage and verified the ways of improving the sustainability of the destination through maintenance and the level of patronage. This paper also aimed to review the determinant factors which influence the development of maintenance culture. This study was guided by five research questions and two hypotheses with simple frequency percentage, mean and chi-square statistics used to analyze the data generated for the study. The research work identified and assessed the maintenance strategies as well as sources of maintenance costs of tourism at Obudu mountin resort. The study found out that the most frequently used maintenance strategies at the resort were the Corrective Maintenance (CM) and the Preventive Maintenance; these two methods were considered cost effective but were not efficient for efficient and reliable for sustainability. In conclusion, Assets and facilities are essential to an organization’s resources, thus improving the working environment and well-being of their maintenance is an important aspect that should be given serious attention. This is where the need for the roles of each member of the organization involved in maintenance tasks with a clear understanding that regard to maintenance culture. Based on the finding recommendations were made.

English

This study examined the factors affecting the level of patronage of traditional herb sellers (THSs) in Osun State. The sample of 120 randomly selected registered THSs (those who had full stock of herbal materials/animal parts in their stores) out of a population of 800 in the three senatorial zones of the State. Two hundred and forty members of the public (clients) were also randomly selected from the same senatorial zones in which one hundred and sixty people indicated that they were regular users of herbal medicines. Data generated were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Among others, key findings showed that resources of THSs (the capital base, size of shop, volume of herbal commodities or wares) were the most important factors that determined the level of client’s patronage. Majority of the clients that had patronized the THSs rated them highly (76.2%) and was very satisfied with their services and the herbal medicines used which could be due to the effectiveness of their medicines, availability of variety of needed herbal commodities or wares at any time (91.7%); efficiency in their work (90%); presence of matured assistants/apprentices to attend to clients (92.5%) and so forth. The study concluded that the resources of THSs had influence on client’s patronage due to the availability of varieties of needed herbal wares, clear efficiency in their work, presence of capable assistants/apprentices, and improved hygiene.    Keywords: Client patronage, Herbal medicine, Resources, Socio-economic class, Traditional herb sellers. &nbsp

Investigation of SkyCabs Monorail System in Urban Regions

The increased popularity of the private vehicle and the low budgets available to public-transport (PT) planners have meant that PT patronage has decreased significantly from what it once was. This has led to congestion and pollution problems in many cities around the world. It is thus apparent that a new, high quality and sustainable PT system is needed to open the opportunity to attract more people to use PT. This work describes such a system called SkyCabs. The SkyCabs concept is comprised of many lightweight, driverless cabs running two ways on a single elevated monobeam. With each cab seating up to eight people, the aim is to create a feeling of personal travel, and by doing so increase the level of patronage on PT services. The SkyCabs system is investigated based on the following three criteria: a comparative analysis which involves researching and comparing system characteristics, a computer simulation analysing operational feasibility and an economic analysis which involves calculating and comparing the benefit-cost ratios for each mode analysed. A background section has been included to provide information on existing PT modes which have been compared to SkyCabs throughout this work. The SkyCabs concept has been deemed feasible within an urban context such as the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. This finding is based on a comparison with other options investigated and it is due to SkyCabs favourable characteristics, the high level of service offered and the low cost of implementation relative to return benefits.

Investigation of SkyCabs Monorail System in Urban Regions

The increased popularity of the private vehicle and the low budgets available to public-transport (PT) planners has meant that PT patronage has decreased significantly from what it once was. This has led to congestion and pollution problems in many cities around the world. It is thus apparent that new, high quality and sustainable PT system is needed to open the opportunity to attract more people to use PT. This work describes such a system called SkyCabs. The SkyCabs concept is comprised of many, lightweight, driverless cabs running two ways on a single elevated monobeam. With each cab seating up to eight people, the aim is to create a feeling of personal travel, and in doing so increase the level of patronage on PT services. The SkyCabs system is investigated based on the following three criteria; a comparative analysis which involves researching and comparing system characteristics, a computer simulation analysing operational feasibility and an economic analysis which involves calculating and comparing the benefit-cost ratios for each mode analysed. A background section has been included to provide information on existing PT modes which have been compared to SkyCabs throughout this work. The SkyCabs concept has been deemed feasible within an urban context such as the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. This finding is based on a comparison with other options investigated and it is due to SkyCabs favourable characteristics, the high level of service offered and the low cost of implementation relative to return benefits.

Estimating farmers patronage level of informal credit in Imo State: Implication for efficient formal and informal financial linkage and rural development

Low agricultural productivity in Imo State is blamed on poor grassroot financial development. Farmers are caught between maginalization, clumsy, costly and grossly inefficient credit delivery system. An efficient informal credit patronage that engenders informal-formal credit linkage system in Imo State was investigated. Data were collected from 59 arable crop farmers and 15 Informal Financial Agencies (IFAs) in Imo State and analysed using both descriptive ststistics and econometric tools such as frequency/means and Ordinary Least Square regression analysis (OLS) respectively. The result showed that 93.2% of the farmers must have accessed credit from town union/age grade while 55.5 and 33.9% were with Esusu and cooperatives respectively. The mean informal credit patronage ratio of 0.712, ranging from 0.64 (town unions) to 0.97 (esusu groups) was recorded. Average loan of N12,756.61 (town unions) to N12,959.79 (esusu) was obtained. Though there were disbursement with more members in the town unions yet the level of credit patronage was highest (97.0%) with esusu group of farmers. Increase in education, farming experience, household size and social capital each has a significant and positive effect on informal credit patronage while interest rate reduces it. It is recommended that the formal credit sectors should cash on this high informal credit patronage to market loan facilities to informal credit agencies at a lower cost for an informal-formal credit linkage. Key words: Patronage, coperative, esusu, town union, formal and informal linkage and credit delivery.

State of Town and Gown in Nigerian Educational System with Emphasis on Industrial Arts and Design ( 1975 - 2012 )

Nigeria witnessed the best period of oil boom in-between 1975 to 1985. It boosted both technological and educational development of Nigeria as well. “Town” and “Gown” (town refer to the non academic community while gown literarily refers to the university community) was perfectly initiated and implemented then to enhance our educational mission and vision. Different brands of industrial arts products were produced. Consumers developed interest in Nigerian industrial art products which led to the increase in the level of patronage. “Town” and “Gown” perfect relationship was the fundamental factor that led to the popularity of Nigerian industrial art products. The present imperfect relationship between the two giants led to mass unemployed university undergraduates in Nigerian society. The paper therefore examines the relationship between education and society. Their relationship is so strong that it becomes impossible to separate them. The paper viewed education as a tool that contributes to the development of the society. Industrial Art curriculum shall be examined to ensure that the set vision and mission of the educational objectives are achieved. Internship, Curriculum re-design and entrepreneurship study were suggested as practical steps to be taken to enhance perfect town and gown relationship

CHALLENGES OF ELECTRONIC PAYMENT SYSTEMS IN GHANA: THE CASE OF E-ZWICH

Introduced in Ghana in 2008, the e-ZWICH is Africa’s first biometric electronic payment system. Though it was introduced four years ago to promote a cashless society, the level of awareness and patronage seem to be low and some have even predicted its failure in the near future. It is against this background that the study has been conducted to unravel the challenges and prospects associated with the e-ZWICH. The main task of this paper is to examine the challenges associated with the use of e-ZWICH in retail payments. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to fifty (50) e-ZWICH card bearers and thirty (30) non e-ZWICH card bearers. The Kendall’s coefficient of concordance and the Kruskal Wallis test were employed to analyse data from respondents. The study revealed a number of challenges that are militating against the success of the e-ZWICH service. Among these are link failure, frequent breakdown of machines, slow process of service delivery, long queues and inaccessibility of the point of sale devices before and after banking hours. The findings show that despite these challenges, the prospects of the e-ZWICH payment system are great among both users and non-users. Based on the findings, it is recommended that sensitisation workshops should be organised by the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement System to encourage Ghanaian companies and individuals and in particular the rural folks to patronise the service.

Development of Models for Managing Network Congestion on Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) in Nigeria

Unexpectedly, the level of patronage being experienced in Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) in Nigeria is overwhelming. This is as a result of freedom of calling from anywhere at anytime and clarity of the voice enjoyed in GSM since it is on a digital technology platform. This has brought a lot of congestion in the network resulting in poor services by the operators. This research has developed a management algorithm for the management of the congestion ex- perienced in the GSM network in Nigeria. It explores the use of Erlang-B in determining the appropriate probability level for some range of subscribers. Thereafter, when there is congestion, block time sharing, dynamic allocation without time slicing, dynamic allocation time slicing with signal sensing, frequently recent call allocation, and priority allocation algorithms were developed to manage the congestion. Furthermore, a hybrid algorithm was developed that integrates all the algorithms to- gether in other to manage the congestion considering all the strengths and constraints of each algorithm. If the recommended congestion management algorithm is followed comprehensibly, the congestion problem on the GSM network will be reduced drastically.

미용실 고객의 매스 커스터마이제이션 요구 수준

Abstract The purposes of this study were to analyze factors of mass customization for hair salon's customers and toidentify the differences among groups segmented by mass customization level. The self-administered questionnairewas used for data collection. The respondents were 423 women using hair salons. Factors of hair salon's masscustomization implementation were sanitary condition & hair salon's staff, hair styling technique, communicationservice, tangible service, monetary support, convenience service, and visible service. Hair salon's customers werecategorized into the high-level of needs group, the middle-level of needs group, and the low-level of needs group.Thehigh-level of needs group consisted ofuniversity studentsorwomen with ahighereducation or higherincome.This group selected beauty salons by the promotion or advertisements, preferred their own unique hair style or alittle-fashionable hair style, and showed a lower level of patronage. The middle-level of needs group consisted ofuniversity students or women with a higher education or higher incomes. They selected hair salons by serviceprices,preferredabasichairstyle,and showed amidium levelofpatronage.Thelow-levelofneedsgroup consistedof women with lower education or lower income. They selected beauty salons by career of hair dressers or thepromotion or advertisement, preferred highly fashionable hair style, and showed high level of patronage.Keywords:masscustomization(매스커스터마이제이션),customer'sneeds(고객의요구),beautysalon(미용실)

Water Vending in Nigeria - A Case Study of Festac Town, Lagos, Nigeria

In most developing countries, it has been recognized that conventional water utilities have fallen short in providingadequate water services to populations. Festac Town, Lagos, Nigeria is a typical community that is presently not being servicedby such water utilities due to the inability of the Water Supply Agency (WSA) in supplying water to the area. Householdstherefore seek other alternative sources including water vending. This paper examined the role of water vending in householdwater supply delivery in this community. It identified the sources of water supply by the vendors, assessed their level ofpatronage among households and identified the problems associated with their operations. For the study, a total number of1,139 and 57 households and vendors were selected by simple random sampling respectively. The result showed that there aretwo main categories of water vending namely; formal and informal vendors. All formal vendors obtain their supplies fromimproved sources while most informal vendors obtain theirs from unimproved sources. Majority of the households considervended water as a coping strategy since they are aware of the safety implications. Therefore, most households are willing to payfor water services. The paper canvassed the need for government to recognize the role of water vending in water delivery. Itadvocated for a secondary level of supply mechanism among vendors in a bid to ensure quality water supply. The paperconcluded that the most sustainable strategy would be to resuscitate the moribund piped water supply system earlier initiated bythe WSA.

Exclusive Indoor Informal Activities in Africa: Community Economic Development at Grassroots without Land Use Planning?

The study examined the economic and environ-spatial activities of exclusive indoor informal sector (EIIS) workers in Africa, citing Lagos as a case study. It randomly sampled 04% of the residential buildings in the study area and showed that nearly al l(91%) the respondents captured in the sample earned about three Dollars per day without any public means of advertisement, and vaded tax (96%). Most of them used open spaces and setbacks within buildings for business activities, creating circulation disturbance within premises (47%) and generating solid and semi-liquid wastes (30%) and air pollution (26%) within residences. There existed positive relationship of 0.502 between customers� level of patronage and profit realised by these respondents, indicating that EIIS attracted high patronage of customers to the sampled residential houses. Implicitly, about half (49%) of the occupants of the sampled houses (inhabited by more than a tenant) would be trading off their privacies to the visiting customers of co-tenants who were into EIIS. The study noted that the environ-spatial and social effects of EIIS activities on residents cannot be traded for the profits made by these workers, hence, advocated for a balance through intervention of land use planners and policy makers.

Empresses, art & agency in Song dynasty China

Empresses, Art, and Agency in Song Dynasty China is the first book in any language devoted to the art of imperial women in China. Utilizing a wide range of historical sources and materials, this groundbreaking, interdisciplinary study pieces together a lost history of female creativity by focusing on the critical role emperors' wives played as patrons, collectors, taste-makers, and artists during the three-century Song dynasty (960-1279), an era noted for spectacular cultural achievements. The Song led China to unrivaled intellectual, socioeconomic, scientific, and urban advances. A flourishing printing culture helped spur a dramatic expansion of literacy that benefited women, whose talent in learning was often paired with virtue and was exemplified by the Song imperial women. Paralleling these developments was an unprecedented level of imperial patronage of the fine arts, including painting and calligraphy. However, while individual emperors such as Huizong (r. 1100-1125) have long been recognized for their importance in this arena, the role played by imperial women has remained largely hidden, subject in part to the biases of Chinese historiography. Drawing against the backdrop of their formidable presence in court politics, Hui-shu Lee recounts and reveals the stories of their lives and art. Lee focuses on such Song empresses as Liu, Wu, and Yang Meizi, artists and powerbrokers whose skill and influence helped shape the development of temple construction, sculpture, painting, and many other aspects of arts and culture. Acting in the shadow of the notorious female emperor Wu Zetian of the Tang dynasty, early Song imperial women began to define themselves through images and modes of expression that purposely concealed their power. In the process, they helped forge an effective and lasting model of female agency in China. In her exploration of Song imperial arts, Lee looks at ghost-writing, art collecting, didactic art, and the use of calligraphy and painting as gendered modes of expression. She draws on a number of disciplines, including art history, literature, history, and gender studies, to provide a unique account of the vital role of empresses in shaping Song art and culture.

Materials Acquisition And Use In Simeon Adebo Public Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State

The paper assesses the use and acquisition of books of Sumeon Adebo Public Library, Abeokuta using records of acquisitions and library use kept by this library between 2004 – 2008. The study was carried out to assess how the library as faired following some recent effort by the Ogun State Government to renovate and equipped the library in year 2003. The data were collected and analysed using tables, charts, percentages and graphs. Findings revealed among other things that most of the books acquired (98.8%) came in as gift and only 2.2% was actually purchased. Subject analysis of books consulted and borrowed showed that books in class 500 (pure sciences) were most consulted and borrowed by the library users. Also more male patronized the library in both the junior and adult sections and level of use by children is low. Some of the recommendations made include beefing up of the library stock, stepping up of reading awareness campaign to increase level of patronage by Ogun State tax payers.

Assessment of agro-marketers’ patronage of private commercial cold rooms in Abakaliki Urban Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria

The study assessed the agro-marketers’ patronage of private commercial coldrooms in Abakaliki Urban area of Ebonyi State. Purposive sampling technique was employed in selecting 120 respondents (30 cold room operators and 90 agro-marketers) used for the study. Data were collected from primary source using structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics such as mean, tables, percentages, difference in means were employed to analyse objectives i and ii, objective iii was analysed using ordinary least squares regression analysis; whereas, objective iv was analysed using gross margin analysis; whereas, and objective v was analysed using mean score (obtained from a 4-point likert rating scale of 2.5 weighted mean). The results obtained have shown that majority of the agro-marketers werefemales (80%) as most of the males were involved in the operation and management of coldrooms. It further, revealed that 66% (R2 = 0.659) of the total variation on the level of patronage were explained by the combined effects of the explanatory variables, as the coefficients of educational and income status of the agro-marketers were both positiveand significant at 5% level. The F-test of the analysis showed that the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents have a significant effect on the patronage of private commercial coldrooms in the study area. Theanalysis revealed further a higher gross marketing margin for unrefrigerated agro-products than refrigerated agroproducts (18.3% and 16.5% gross margins respectively). Factors like cost of refrigerating agro-products (3.3), use of local refrigerating facilities (2.7), inadequate power supply (2.6), and lack of market information (2.5) were identified asthe major constraints to effective patronage of private commercial coldrooms in Abakaliki urban. From the findings, the study recommended that the public power supply should be enhanced to ensure constant power supply; and that agro-marketers should be sensitized towards coldroom patronage and need for market information.

Tourism Participation: Attractions, Influences and Key Trends in Ekiti State, Nigeria

The heart of this research is concerned with the level of participation intourism activities in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The broad objectives of the study are to appraise the tourism potentials of the state vis-à-vis the level of patronage and the influences on the choice of attraction, as well as the constraints to tourism development. The research methods include indept fieldwork, observation, participation, focus group discussions and interviews. The research instrument is questionnaire administration with the aid of stratified random sampling technique. Findings from the study revealed that the natural and man-made potentials for recreation and tourism in Ekiti State are multi-various. In spite of this, the level of tourism development is very low, and thus the level of participation in domestic tourism is equally very low. To this end, the research recommends that all the stakeholders in the tourism industry should formulate and implement development master plan and policy for sustainable tourism in the state. On this note, the report would undoubtedly be of interest and value to researchers, tourists, evaluators, government and those planning new initiatives for the development of recreation and tourism.Key Words: Attraction, Influences, Participation, Recreation, Tourism

Patronage of Ecotourism Potentials as a Strategy for Sustainable Tourism Development in Cross River State, Nigeria

Today, Obudu Ranch Resort is one of the tourism havens in the world which has attracted great number of visitors toNigeria and Cross River State in particular. This resort has not only aided the development of existing tourism potentialsbut has equally transformed the livelihood of most communities in Cross River State through income generation,employment and also provision of basic social amenities such as electricity, water supply, road network among others inthe area. This paper critically examine the level of domestic and international patronage of Obudu Ranch Resortbetween 2001-2008, tourist preference of the resort, major attraction and facilities in the resort, population threshold ofthe enclave communities within the study area and the purpose of tourists visit to the Ranch Resort. Chi-square wasused in testing the stated hypothesis as regards to the amount expended by the tourist as fare to the ranch. Inspite of thetremendous facilities available in the Ranch Resort much is still needed to be done in other to boast the image of theResort and also to attract high patronage of domestic and international tourists. Therefore, the hope of the masses anddevelopment of the Ranch Resort is rested on the government and the private sector.

Managing the Accessibility on Mass Public Transit: the Case of Hong Kong

Public transit services (PTS) improve mobility and accessibility, and reduce car dependence. It is ideal if PTS are financially sustainable, with affordable fares and expedient quality. The success of PTS on accessibility improvement can be reflected by their level of patronage: do travelers choose to use them in lieu of their private cars? PTS in Hong Kong are renowned for their quality and profitability, superbly addressing the accessibility need for the city; they carry over 90% of the 11 million daily trips. A comparison of the per capita train-car and bus-vehicle kilometer run of PTS in Hong Kong with those in London and Singapore, however, suggests that it is not purely the supply that affects the use or accessibility of PTS in Hong Kong. By tracing and analyzing the development of PTS in Hong Kong over the past two decades, we found evidence that the high level of accessibility on mass public transit in the territory can be attributed to the land use policy of developing compact, high-density township, accompanying transport policies of granting high priority to the development of mass transit facilities and providing ways to ensure the financial viability of privately operated PTS, especially the innovative approach of integrating the development of public transport facility and property so as to exploit their synergy. In this paper, we study and highlight elements that contribute to the development of high accessibility on mass public transit in Hong Kong.

Increasing the Market Acceptance of Local Food Drinks Through Concept - Testing: A Pilot Study of Kunnu Drink

3 Abstract: The present state of some locally produced food drinks in Nigeria has not been sufficiently attractive to a wide spectrum of the prevailing market. Kunnu, a cereal-based food drink, is one of suc h indigenous drinks in Nigeria. The economic gains from these entrepreneurial activities are thus being limited. This pilot study explores the possibility of repositioning Kunnu drink for increased acceptability among present and prospective consumers of the drink. Data for the study were collected from one hundred randomly selected students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria. Ninety-Eight percent of th e respondents were aware of the drink. In addition, the strawberry flavour was indicated as most preferred by 36.84% of the respondents. The results of the study suggest that the drink might enjoy a higher level of patronage if it is reformulated, as well as hygienically processed and appropriately packaged. The study suggested that processors of the drink be exposed to some form of training to enhance their skill.

CONSUMER ASSESSMENT OF THE SAFETY OF RESTAURANTS: THE ROLE OF INSPECTION NOTICES AND OTHER INFORMATION CUES

ABSTRACT This paper explores the ways in which consumers assess the safety of food in restaurants and other eating‐out establishments, and the resulting impact on restaurant choice. The analysis builds on the existing literature on restaurant choice more generally and a growing body of studies on the impact of official inspection information on the perceived safety of restaurants. Based on a two‐stage consumer study in the City of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada, involving focus groups and a postal survey, the research highlights how consumers base their assessment of food safety in restaurants using a range of visible indicators of the experience and/or credence characteristics associated with foodborne illness. These include their observed judgments of restaurant hygiene, the overall quality of the restaurant, external information, including official inspection certificates, and the level of patronage. The use of these broad groups of indicators varies across consumer subgroups according to gender, age, level of education and recollections of past incidences when a restaurant was closed and/or convicted for food safety reasons.

Introduction: Social Capital in Scandinavia

In this special issue ofScandinavian Political Studiesit is explored how the concept of social capital relates to the Scandinavian context. It is common knowledge that Scandinavia performs well with regard to many aspects of social capital, such as the level of trust and the density of membership in voluntary associations. Contrary to developments in the United States, there is little evidence of a decline in social capital in Scandinavia. There are thus several reasons why Scandinavia offers an especially interesting testing ground for many of the hypotheses and problems generated by social capital theory. What kind of empirical evidence do we have for the changes of social capital in Scandinavia? If high levels of social capital are indeed an important attribute of Scandinavian society, how can such high levels be maintained? What is the relation between, on the one hand, social capital in the form of norms about reciprocity and, on the other hand, the Social Democratic type of encompassing and universal welfare state? Is there something special about the types of mechanisms that are behind the abundance and maintenance of social capital in Scandinavia? It is argued that the high level of social capital in the Scandinavian countries can be explained by (a) the high degree of economic equality, (b) the low level of patronage and corruption and (c) the predominance of universal non‐discriminating welfare programmes.