INSIGHTS ON AVOCADO

 Nigeria Sleeps on a GREEN GOLD while Kenya Makes over $180m yearly on Avocado.

This Avocado 🥑 value chain always gets me emotional when I discuss it.

The painful part is Avocado Sector can create 10,000 direct & Indirect Job with export earnings of around N80bn for Nigeria.

Nigeria has the perfect Soil, Climate for Avocado production. Avocado can grow in 20 states in commercial quantities from North Central down to the south.

Even in our Vision 20:2020 Avocado was one of the Industrial Crops that would improve Agricultural Industrialization.

With all these Knowledge there was NO strategy to induce commercial production of this Great crop.

Presently Nigeria isn't regarded as an Avocado producing country in Africa.

The Avocado produced are from subsistent farms that does petty trading with it in rural areas

No improvement in seed technology, no off taking plans, no extension service, no strategy to help Avocado producers improve production.

This crop has huge value chain, Especially the Oil, which is used in Cosmetics, Pharmaceuticals and Medical sector.

Here we are toiling

Because we have a Govt that's short sighted and non-chalant in developing policies for economic growth & Industrialization potential

Our leaders esp policy makers are redundant & Future disoriented.

The Avocado world value is breath taking.. but we lost the Game already.

GET THE SCOPES BETWEEN PERSONNEL AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT

 Personnel management and project management are two distinct disciplines that focus on different aspects of an organization's operations. Here are the key differences between the two:

1. Scope and Focus:

   - Personnel Management: Personnel management primarily deals with managing the human resources within an organization. It involves activities such as recruitment, selection, training, performance appraisal, compensation, employee relations, and compliance with labor laws. The focus is on effectively managing and developing the workforce to achieve organizational goals.

   - Project Management: Project management, on the other hand, focuses on planning, organizing, and controlling the activities required to achieve specific project objectives. It involves defining project scope, setting goals, allocating resources, managing timelines, coordinating team members, monitoring progress, and ensuring the successful completion of projects within budget and time constraints.

2. Nature of Work:

   - Personnel Management: Personnel management is an ongoing function within an organization, dealing with day-to-day activities related to human resources. It involves routine tasks such as hiring and firing employees, managing employee benefits, addressing employee grievances, and maintaining employee records. The work is continuous and often repetitive.

   - Project Management: Project management is a temporary endeavor aimed at accomplishing a unique set of objectives within a defined timeframe. It involves initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing projects. Project managers work on specific projects, and once the project is complete, they move on to other projects. The work is typically time-bound and has a distinct beginning and end.

3. Timeframe:

   - Personnel Management: Personnel management focuses on long-term human resource strategies and objectives. It involves developing and implementing policies and procedures that align with the organization's overall vision and goals. The activities in personnel management are ongoing and do not have a fixed duration.

   - Project Management: Project management operates within a specific time frame defined by the project's start and end dates. It involves managing project schedules, milestones, and deadlines to ensure timely delivery of project outcomes. Project managers are responsible for managing time constraints and keeping projects on track.

4. Deliverables:

   - Personnel Management: The primary deliverables of personnel management are a skilled and motivated workforce, effective employee communication, and a positive work environment. The focus is on enhancing employee performance, satisfaction, and retention.

   - Project Management: The deliverables of project management are the successful completion of project objectives, such as the development of a new product, implementation of a system, or completion of a construction project. The focus is on delivering the project within the defined scope, budget, and schedule.

5. Skill Set:

   - Personnel Management: Personnel managers require skills in areas such as communication, leadership, conflict resolution, employee development, and labor relations. They need to have a deep understanding of human resources practices, employment laws, and organizational behavior.

   - Project Management: Project managers need skills in areas such as project planning, risk management, budgeting, resource allocation, stakeholder management, and team coordination. They must be proficient in project management methodologies, tools, and techniques to effectively manage projects.

While personnel management focuses on managing people within an organization in an ongoing manner, project management deals with temporary endeavors aimed at achieving specific objectives within a defined timeframe. Both disciplines are important for organizational success and complement each other in different ways.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT BUSINESS PSYCHOLOGY

BUSINESS PSYCHOLOGY 

Why must you study Business psychology as a course?

 Business psychology, also known as industrial-organizational psychology, is a field that applies psychological principles and theories to improve workplace productivity, employee satisfaction, and organizational effectiveness. It focuses on understanding human behavior in the workplace and uses psychological techniques to enhance various aspects of business operations.

Here are some key areas and concepts related to business psychology:

1. Employee Selection and Assessment: Business psychology helps organizations with selecting and hiring the right individuals for job roles. It involves developing and implementing assessment tools such as interviews, personality tests, and cognitive ability tests to evaluate candidates' suitability.

2. Training and Development: Business psychology plays a role in designing and implementing training programs to enhance employee skills, knowledge, and performance. It involves identifying training needs, creating effective training methods, and evaluating training outcomes.

3. Leadership and Management: Business psychology provides insights into effective leadership and management practices. It helps organizations understand leadership styles, motivation techniques, team dynamics, and organizational culture to improve performance and employee engagement.

4. Organizational Development and Change: Business psychology assists companies in managing organizational change, such as mergers, restructuring, or implementing new policies. It involves assessing the impact of change, facilitating communication, and managing resistance to change.

5. Workplace Motivation and Engagement: Understanding human motivation is crucial for businesses to increase employee productivity and engagement. Business psychology explores various motivational theories and strategies to create a positive work environment, reward systems, and job design that foster motivation and satisfaction.

6. Work-Life Balance and Well-being: Promoting employee well-being and work-life balance is essential for maintaining a healthy and productive workforce. Business psychology addresses factors such as stress management, work scheduling, and employee support programs to enhance overall well-being.

7. Organizational Culture and Climate: Business psychology examines the influence of organizational culture and climate on employee behavior and performance. It helps organizations create a positive and inclusive culture, improve communication, and promote teamwork.

8. Consumer Behavior and Marketing: Understanding consumer psychology is crucial for effective marketing strategies. Business psychology explores consumer decision-making processes, perception, attitudes, and behavior to develop targeted marketing campaigns and improve customer satisfaction.

Overall, business psychology leverages psychological theories and research to enhance various aspects of organizational performance, employee well-being, and customer satisfaction. By applying psychological principles to the workplace, businesses can create environments that promote productivity, engagement, and success.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CUCUMBER

Cucumber (cucumis satvis L.) is one of the most important exotic vegetables in the country. It is the fourth most cultivated vegetables in the world and known to be one of the best foods for body’s overall health (National News, 2014). It is one of the most popular members of the cucurbitaccae family. Cucumber are valuable source of conventional antioxidant nutrients including vitamin C, bata-carotene and manganese.It is acknowledge that increased agricultural productivitywould help in attaining the needed food security. Enhanced productivity is a combination of measures designed to increase the level of farm resources as well as to make efficient use of resources. Productivity and efficiency of resource use in the production must be sustained in order to benefit maximally from production practices. Soft and succulent, the vegetable crop is cherishedby man and eaten in salads or sliced into stew in tropical regions. Its juice is often recommended as source of Silicon to improve the health and complexion of the skin. Cucumber is a very good source of Vitamin A,C,K, B6 Potassium, Pantothenic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, copper and manganese. The ascorbic acid and caffeic acid contained in cucumber help to reduce skin irritation and swollen.

BUSINESS STRATEGY

 Business strategy

The strategy defines the
long term goals of the
business. Strategic
management provides
overall direction to the
enterprise. It is the
identification of the
purpose of the organization and the plans and
tactics required to achieve the defined
strategy.
According to Wikipedia, Strategic management
defines the major initiatives taken by a
company’s top management on behalf of
owners, involving resources and performance in
internal and external environments. It includes
specifying the mission, vision and objectives
and developing policies and plans designed to
achieve these objectives, and allocating
resources to implement the policies and plans,
projects and programs.
Strategic management is an ongoing process
that evaluates and controls the business in
which the company is involved.
It used to be the case that businesses had a
one year plan, including a budget, a five year
plan and a ten year plan .These defined the
medium and long term goals of the company
and were the strategic plan.
In today’s fast developing world, a five and ten
year plan may be unrealistic – who knows
what changes technological developments will
have wreaked in five or ten years? So this
timescale is often “telescoped “into a shorter,
more appropriate, time frame to enable the
strategy to be reviewed frequently.
Strategy should be reassessed regularly,
perhaps annually or quarterly, to review how it
has been implemented, whether it is successful
or needs to be replaced by an updated strategy
to meet changed economic factors, new
technology, new competitors, or a new social,
financial, or political environment.
Without a clear strategic vision it is extremely
difficult to effectively manage, change or
develop a business. Any decisions made by the
management team will be entirely arbitrary
without a clear Strategy, with no way to align
decisions with the strategy. Decisions may be
made that take the company in the wrong
direction in the short term.
Well run businesses establish and review
Strategy on a regular basis to ensure it fits
with all external and internal factors.
Employee motivation is linked to the ability of
the management team to create a Strategy
and communicate it throughout the
organization frequently.
Management should ensure that the current
Strategy or strategic direction is embodied into
the culture of their businesses and clearly
understood by their employees, who are then
engaged in the business and more
understanding and supportive of the tactical
decisions or steps taken by the management
team to deliver the Strategy.
Many industrial relations disputes result from a
lack of openness by the management team
and lack of understanding of the motives of
the managers. Communication of the Strategy
and tactical plans to deliver the Strategy are
critical. It is important to simplify the Strategy
so that it can be clearly communicated and
understood at all levels, from the boardroom to
the most junior staff.
In reality Strategy is most often reviewed when
a business is undergoing a change in the
circumstances around it, such as a merger or
acquisition or investing in new plant or
machinery.
If your company is starting out, developing
your business strategy will be part of the
business planning exercise, and there will be
uncertainty about the future prospects of the
business.
Be realistic about sales targets and forecasts,
and build in contingencies where cash-flow is
concerned.
Success in business has much to do with
having a vision, strong focus, and having some
idea of the direction you need to take to
realize the goals and vision.
Many companies compose short concise
mission statements that claim to be their
“vision, mission and values”. Sometimes these
are so clichéd that they are ineffective, and so
ambiguous that it is impossible to measure if
the business is achieving their goals.
Having a strong vision is one thing, but to
achieve growth and success, you need a team
who share your passion and your dream.
Successful leaders are the ones who can
communicate their vision and mission to their
followers, colleagues who will then support
them to achieve the goals.
Turning a dream into reality needs a strategy,
and a plan to drive the business forward. It will
incorporate the approach you are going to take
for every aspect of your business and define
which products and services you are going to
offer and how you are going to deliver them.
Most businesses will need a Business Strategy,
and, if your company is large enough, this will
flow into individual strategies for each of the
business functions. The most common of
these is a Marketing Strategy.
This will consider corporate identity and
branding, products and markets, customer
profile, pricing policy, online presence and
marketing strategy, social media strategy, marketing campaigns
The business strategy needs to address the
key issues of the business;-
Are we positioned to benefit from new technologies?
When a company is established there is usually
a clear vision of its objectives, but as time
goes by this evolves. The company may still
have the same ambitions, but the vision may
have changed as it evolves and grows and
technology changes around the business. The
plan should consider both the present and the
future – what would success look like this time
next year?
This is probably the most important role of the
executive today. To stand still, even for an
instant, is to be left behind as all around you
move forward at speed to exploit new and
developing technologies.
Corporate Social Responsibility
A business needs to be profitable to invest in
growth and innovation, but companies should
have a corporate social responsibility theme in
their strategy. What does the business really
care about? What principles are important to
its owners and management?
What can we contribute to the
world?
Presumably customers want our products or
services. Market research needs to be
undertaken regularly to check what consumers
really value, how much are they prepared to
pay for it, and what they would prefer to
experience. Can the company do it better,
greener, cleaner, more ethically?
Are we compromising?
Does the company’s vision clash with
achieving other goals, such as achieving profit,
or ensuring employment .Perhaps short term
sacrifices need to be made to achieve the
long-term vision.
Are we all in this together?
Is everyone on your team on board with the
same belief in the vision? Are they committed,
do they understand what they have to
contribute? It’s important to listen to everyone
to ensure the business stays on track to
achieve its goals.

Successful entrepreneurs tend to have certain behaviours

 

Topic: Successful entrepreneurs tend to

have certain behaviours;-

Personal

They accept responsibility for their actions. They do

not rely on others to take decisions for them, or to

make their ideas work. If they have a Vision, they,

and only they, can implement it.

They have a can-do approach, to business and to life.

They often create a culture around them of likeminded people

They don’t prevaricate, they face facts, (having

checked their accuracy) accept them, and deal with

them.

They accept failure with the same attitude-they just

dust themselves off and move on. And learn lessons

from it.

They have passion and belief in what they are doing.

They don’t procrastinate, they have an idea, a vision,

and they grasp the opportunity

They are always alert to new opportunities

They see problems as opportunities

They set themselves deadlines, sometimes audacious

ones!

And they are not perfectionists. They launch on the

deadline with what they’ve got and accept they may

have to further develop the product.

They understand that it’s not the idea, but the

implementation of it that sets them apart; that they

need to do something significantly different, but good

enough to be a great business.

They constantly develop their business, adding value.

They evolve it, keep it fresh, dynamic and exciting,

and critically, ahead of the competition.

They delegate, which helps to build a good team who

are able to develop professionally. At the same time

they free themselves up to do what they enjoy the

most –creating new products and businesses.

They delegate, which helps to build a good team who

are able to develop professionally. At the same time

they free themselves up to do what they enjoy the

most –creating new products and businesses.

HOW TO ORIENTATE YOURSELF IN A NEW ROLE

 

   Topic: How To Orientate Yourself In a new Role


You should have a formal induction covering all the immediate practical  information you need. If not, ask for information such as “What is the fire drill procedure”, “where can I get lunch”, “what about car parking”?
Get passwords and login details for email and any other systems you need to access. Make a note of them!
It is useful to have a small, pocket or handbag sized notebook on you at this stage to note down things you need to remember, or follow up. Using one will probably massively improve your performance. Or else use the calendar and notes function in your phone or tablet -but do remember to follow up!
You will probably have a meeting scheduled with your manager, where they will be able to provide guidance. If not, ask for one.
If you are senior enough to have a secretary or assistant, then it would be reasonable to assume they will be able to guide you through a lot of  the difficulties you will face, and supply answers to your questions.
If you are not that senior though, many large companies will nominate a “buddy “to help you during the first few days or weeks and perform that function for you.
The first thing you have to do now is consider the business of the day.
What is in your in-tray or email account? What do you need to do, or manage, today, this week, next week? What immediate deadlines are there to be met? Is anything waiting for your decision?
Do you have time to do some research or do you need to “hit the ground running “now, and orientate yourself as you go?
If immediate decisions are required and you don’t have the information you need, discuss them with your line manager before issuing instructions.
Only make the decisions you must right now, until you can “find your feet“.
What needs to be put into your diary and plans for the next few days and weeks? Has anything been booked on your behalf? Do you need to attend meetings or conferences in the immediate future, are there hotels and flights to be booked?
Is your predecessor available for a handover meeting? If not, get a status report from your manager, peers, or staff. And discuss any queries you have at this point.
Then as soon as you are up to speed with all that, you need to start gathering the information you need to perform your role effectively. You need to gain an understanding of the people and departments around you, how everything fits together. Orientate yourself.
Ask for a departmental organisation plan if there is one, and also your own job specification, and that of your direct reports.
It would be useful to have access to your own staffs’ performance review files at some point, but it may be a little early to ask for them now. Sometimes it is better to form your own opinions, rather than rely on your predecessor’s judgement. Use your discretion about the timing of that request.
Then you need to access any departmental reports produced daily, weekly, monthly or annually. If you have an assistant or secretary, they should have prepared a file for you. If not, ask them to do that.
How is your department performing, and specifically what are the issues and challenges you need to address in your role?
How is the business doing?
Are there market intelligence reports you can read?
Is there a list of suppliers or contacts?
Have you worked with any of them before?
Can they help you by meeting soon and explaining their relationship with your new company?
Do your main suppliers and contacts have information, analysis or market intelligence they can share with you?
At this point, your best bet is to listen rather than to talk. You probably know the least of everyone in the business about how this company works. Give yourself the benefit of the experience of those around you before you start changing things or making important decisions.
You may not agree with others opinions that you hear at this point, but before you start taking action, listen and at least give yourself the time to thoroughly evaluate them.
Humans normally have two eyes, two ears, one mouth. It’s a good idea to use them in that proportion until you have a good understanding of your role, and your way forward.