Journal of Hope Enterprise University College

Determinants of Financial Performance of Floriculture Companies in Oromia Regional State of East Shoa Zone

Haile Kassaye — 2023-09-28

This study aimed to investigate the determinants of the financial performance of floriculture companies in the Oromia Regional State - East Shoa Zone. The study used an explanatory research design with panel data for the period of 2011 to 2020 by selecting purposively 10 samples out of 11 farms. Financial performance is represented by the return on assets. Liquidity, leverage, asset utilization, operating expense, cash conversion cycle, innovation, farm size, and age were used as independent variables, and an exchange rate as a control variable. Furthermore, the collected data were analyzed by using descriptive, correlation, and regression analysis techniques. The random effects model was chosen, and the data were summarized using E-views 10 statistical software. The findings revealed that leverage, asset utilization, cash convection cycle, and farm size had a positive and significant effect on return on assets, whereas liquidity, operating expenses, innovation, and farm age had negative and significant effects, yet exchange rate had a negative and insignificant effect. The findings of the study suggest that reinvestment of idle resources, maintaining an optimum level of debt, arranging group exporting, capital-intensive approach, outsourcing non-operating activities, locally supplying rose seeds, and diversifying the asset base are recommended to be in place to sustainably enhance the return for flower farms.

The Effect of Covid-19 Pandemic in Ethiopian Online Market,

Taye Esayas — 2023-09-28

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the Ethiopian online market. The study found that the majority of respondents had never used the online market before the pandemic, and that more than two-thirds of those who did access social media did not make any purchases. The study also found that using the Internet market in Ethiopia was difficult due to a lack of awareness and inadequate Internet infrastructure. The study recommends that companies that provide services to online markets in Ethiopia focus on creating and designing simpler, easier-to-use platforms that do not necessitate a lot of mental and physical effort to complete transactions. The study's findings are important because they provide insights into the challenges that the Ethiopian online market is facing and the potential opportunities for growth. The study's findings can be used to inform the development of policies and strategies to support the growth of the Ethiopian online market.

Challenges and Implications of Online Education in Higher Education Institutions in Addis Ababa during COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown- from the Perspectives of Teachers

Girma Zewditu — 2023-09-28

This study investigated the challenges that higher education (HEI) teachers faced during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and their implications on the quality of online teaching, advising, and assessment processes, and competency of graduates. The study found that the most dominant modes of instruction were teachers sending reading materials and written communications through the Google Classroom platform followed by online in real-time with video conferencing. The most challenging factors found were weak internet connection, difficulty in having a definitive measure of students' performance, online security and privacy, and students' digital incompetence in meeting deadlines for submission of examinations and assignments. The study also found that internet strength and online security and privacy had a significant effect on the quality of online teaching, advising, and assessment procedures. The study finally suggested that HEIs in advancing a blended mode of delivery and assessment, as a regular mode of instruction, would adopt supportive applications and computerized adaptive testing for effective course delivery and interaction with students. The study's findings are important because they provide insights into the challenges that HEI teachers faced during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and their implications on the quality of online teaching, advising, and assessment processes, and competency of graduates. The study's findings can be used to inform the development of policies and strategies to address these challenges and improve the quality of online education.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Students’ Academic Performance of: The Case of Hope Enterprise University College,

Abebe Behailu — 2023-09-28

COVID-19 brought worldwide crises to all levels of education and Ethiopia is not an exception. This research was conducted on the teaching-learning process of HEUC to learn from the experiences of a sudden shutdown of regular classes and a shift into e-learning platforms during the pandemic. The assessment was conducted looking into the perspectives of students involving survey interviews, comparison of grade-based assessments between online and face-to-face classes, observations, and informal interviews with students and instructors. A random sample of 106 students participated in the research in addition to comparing grades of 512 first-year undergraduate students and 181 graduate students in the online and face-to-face classes. Some of the locally validated instruments named “Model for E-Learning Systems Success” was used for the survey adding an open question section to collect the perspectives of students. The results of the study showed that students generally had a negative view of online learning. They reported feeling isolated and disconnected from their teachers and classmates. They also found it difficult to stay motivated and focused on their studies. The findings of this study suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on education in Ethiopia. Students and teachers have struggled to adapt to online learning, and this has led to a decline in academic performance. One way to address these challenges is to provide students with more support and resources. This could include offering tutoring, counseling, and other forms of support. In addition, this could include providing more interactive and engaging content, as well as making sure that the platforms are user-friendly. Finally, it is important to provide teachers with training on how to teach effectively online.

Internationalization Experiences of Ethiopian Higher Education in the Pandemic Era.

Alemu Yekunoamlak — 2023-09-28

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are undergoing institutional reforms including curriculum revisions, university-industry linkages, twinning programs, joint research, etc. in an attempt to cope with fast-changing global and local situations. The three missions of HEIs incorporate teaching learning, research, and community service. Some HEIs are in the ivory tower detached from real-life situations and far from addressing existing and emerging problems of society. This shows that the third wing of HEIs, i.e., community service has been given less attention. In Ethiopia, there are expansions at all educational levels. However, the education system needs to travel a long distance in order to improve the quality. Inequality of education is observed between urban–rural (nomadic areas) and boys – girls. The pandemic also posed limitations on face-to-face learning. Moreover, HEIs focus on knowledge with inadequate consideration for value and skill development. By way of addressing these issues, the paper aims at exploring practices, gaps, and emerging trends in the internationalization of Ethiopian higher education. In order to achieve these objectives, different methods including desk review, theoretical sketch, and reflections from practice coupled with institutional examples were employed. Based on the above desk review, research results, and institutional examples, internationalization of higher education in Ethiopia can be labeled at the infant stage with heavy reliance on Western approaches and considered weak in resources and networks. In order to counter this, HEIs in Ethiopia need to make use of the current virtual and blended learning environment so as to initiate flexible platforms without neglecting indigenous and lifelong practices. Hence, parallel to promoting the internationalization of higher education, the de-internationalization HEIs also has to be exercised so as to scale up homegrown strategies.