3673 research outputs found
Sort by
Factors Affecting Implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) In the Operations of Kenya Airways
No full textResearch Report Submitted to the Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA)The purpose of the study was to examine the factors affecting impact of implementing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in management at Kenya Airways. The research was guided by the following research questions: How does implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility programs impact the financial performance of Kenya Airways? How does implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility programs impact the company reputation of Kenya Airways? How does implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility programs impact corporate governance in Kenya Airways?
The study utilized a descriptive research design as it aimed to describe, explain and also validate the research findings. Data was collected via questionnaires from top level managers, middle level managers and subordinate staff. The target population for this study was 112 respondents from Kenya Airways. From the initial target population of 112, this being more than 100 but less than 500, and guided by the rule of thumb, the study used stratified random sampling and a quota of 50% was drawn from each strata resulting in a sample size of 56 respondents. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics by employing Statistical Package for Social Scientists and presented using tables and figures. Correlation and regression analysis was utilised in establishing the determine relationship between the dependent and independent variable.
It was established that majority (98.5%) strongly agreed that the company has adopted its own Code of Corporate Governance. Kenya Airways has issued a "mission statement" that explicitly places a priority on good corporate governance and the Company has a policy/culture that prohibits the employment of the under-aged.
Majority of the respondents (81%) strongly agreed that the company supports good causes that benefit the society and environment. It was noted that Kenya Airways contributes actively and voluntarily to the social improvement, economic and the environmental of society, a law abiding company, upholds transparency and upmost respect for people and the environment, the company widely contributes and volunteers to the social improvement, economic and the environmental of society, the company treats customers courteously, communicates with them.
It was established that majority of the respondents (85%) strongly agreed that Kenya Airways has the resources needed to measure performance, activities for measuring performance are listed down or known in the company, the balance scorecard is an effective system for performance measurement, performance appraisal is done at least twice a year, financial performance always reflect profitability, market position, customer relationships, productivity and flexibility.
The study concluded that Kenya Airways has a mission statement that emphasizes on good corporate governance, adopted code of corporate governance to monitor compliance. The company also has policy and culture that prohibits employment of underage. It was also concluded that Kenya Airways is a company of value. It obeys laws, it is transparent and respects people and the environment hence, and contributing to good causes that benefits society and environment. The study also concluded Kenya Airways financial performance reflects their market position and customer relationship.
It was recommended that Kenya Airways should have a well written policy in regard to Corporate Social Responsibility. Through this, the company will be able to share with its shareholders and customers information regarding their financial and non-financial activities hence gaining the trust of their shareholders and customers. Kenya Airways needs to develop strategies that will help them to continue treating customers with courtesy and communicate with them. It is recommended that Kenya Airways should develop strategies that will help them continue to improve on their financial performance hence increase profitability and performance. For Further Studies this research recommends that similar study should be done on other organizations to find out other impact of implementing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into management
Assessing the Effectiveness of Refugee Settlement from Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya
No full textA Thesis Report Submitted to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Award of Masters of Arts in International RelationsCivil war in Africa has brought about a huge influx of refugees into the neighboring countries including Kenya; specifically Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps in Kenya host about 630,926 refugees and asylum seekers with most of them residing in these two camps. The number has never been this high since the fonnation of the UNHCR in the 1950s with the African continent having about 16 million people either displaced or forced to flee from their country of origin.
The study focused on refugees living in Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya while identifying,
analyzing and comparing the different methods of refugee settlement with a main focus on the most viable solution that can be offered to most refugees. The main argument was that local integration and third country resettlement are rarely available to most refugees and therefore, voluntary repatriation can be a very successful solution if executed well. Therefore, most refugees would actually consider returning to Somalia if the conditions are conducive. The study sought to avail information on the three solutions by looking at the effectiveness of each method.
Additionally, it looked into the Tripartite Agreement made between Kenya, Somalia and the UNHCR on the repatriation of Somali refiigees from Dadaab to Somalia while giving
recommendations for the successful implementation of the repatriation process. This was
achieved by using secondary sources of data including books, articles, and journals.
The study is hoped to be beneficial to- all entities that deal with refugees by enhancing an
understanding on the three refugee solutions and some of the issues involved in the
implementation of the three solutions. The study established that voluntary repatriation is the most viable refugee solution to most refugees in Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya but depending on the situation, other solutions can also be used
Effects of Big Data Analytics on Performance: A Case of Selected Telecommunication Firms In Kenya
No full textA Research Project Submitted to the Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA).The study sought to establish the effect of big data analytics on the performance of
telecommunication firms in Kenya. The research was guided by the following three
objectives: To determine the effect of social media data(Facebook and Twitter) on the
performance of telecommunication firms in Kenya, To determine the effect of call logs on
the performance of telecommunication firms in Kenya and To determine the effect of sensor data on the performance of telecommunication firms in Kenya. The study was carried out in the month of July 2016 and limited to Nairobi county as this is where telecommunication firms have their head offices.
A descriptive research design was deployed and stratified random sampling was used to
determine the sample size. The target population was drawn from the major
telecommunication firms in Kenya: Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom Kenya. Respondents were employees in managerial positions, particularly in Finance, Operations, Marketing and Customer Service departments. Primary data was collected using questionnaires which will be administered with the help of research assistants. Thereafter the data was coded and analyzed using Excel and Statistical Package for Social Studies to obtain descriptive and inferential statistics of regression analysis which were presented in figures and tables.
The study confirmed that there was a positive relationship between big data analytics and the performance of telecommunication firms in Kenya. The study ascertained that the
independent variables: big data from social media, sensors and call logs had an infiuence on performance. The study found that big data from social media helps telecommunication firms manage customer churn, enhances service delivery, informs new product development, leads to targeted offers leading to growth in sales and it enhances communication with customers.
Similarly big data from sensors was found to be beneficial to telecommunication firms in the following ways: it leads to detections and resolution of network issues hence better network availability, it contributes to customer satisfaction through enhanced service quality and it contributed to the management of maintenance costs. The findings also showed that telecommunication firms used big data from call logs for network resource planning hence minimization of congestion and they used big data analytics to manage fraud and avoid losses. The findings showed how performance of telecommunication firms was influenced by big data and also highlighted the challenges limiting telecommunication firms from reaping maximum benefits which included lack of right skills in employees and lack of the right analytics tools.
The study,concluded that big data analytics had positive effects on the performance of
telecommunication firms. It enhanced customer service, led to cost saving in marketing and maintenance costs, it led to optimization of network resources and informed decision making.
Companies using big data analytics can be assured of return on investment more so i f they eliminate challenges that could limit the full capabiHties of big data analytics.The key
performance pillars ent^nced by big data analytics include revenue, customer service, and
OPEX and network management.
The study recommends the adoption of big data analytics as it enhances performance various functions of an organization like marketing, operations and customer service. Other industries should deploy big data analytics to reap the benefits of quick decision making, enhanced customer service, improved customer retention and management of chur
The Influence of Ethical Leadership on the Financial Performance of Listed Firms in Kenya
No full textdissertation report Submitted to the Chandaria School of Business in partial fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)A review of meta-analyses and various constructs relating to ethical leadership as presented in prior studies indicate a gap in endeavors to link ethical leadership practices and financial performance of listed firms in Kenya. This study attempted to address this gap. This study was inspired by the emerging ethical issues in the contemporary business environment as witnessed in listed firms, both regionally and locally. The study sought to evaluate the influence of various ethical leadership practices on financial performance of listed firms in Kenya. The research hypothesized that ethical practices on human resources, advertising, investor relations and consumer relations affect the financial performance of the listed firms.
The study adopted a causal research design to determine the relationship between ethical
leadership and financial performance of the listed firms in Kenya. Collection of primary data was done by use of a semi-structured questionnaire containing both open and closed ended questions. Secondary data was collected from websites of the listed firms and the resource centre of the Capital Markets Authority (CMA). The primary data collection tool was administered in the form of hardcopy questionnaires and online Google-Forms.
Descriptive analyses were used to generate quantitative reports through tabulations,
percentages, and measures of central tendency for enhanced visualization and discussions.
Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS Version 21) was used for the analysis of the collected data. The following were carried out for each of the independent variables of the study: Component factor analysis; Tests for assumptions for regression analysis; Principal component analysis; Generation of descriptive statistics table and; correlation analysis of the variables. Thereafter, regression analysis was done to assess the significance of each independent variable.
Upon analysis, the study determined that there exists a strong association between ethical
human resource practices and financial performance of listed firms in Kenya. Similarly, the
study determined that each of the ethical practices on advertising, consumer relations, and investor relations significantly influence financial performance of listed firms in Kenya. A joint regression test for the combined effects of the ethical leadership practices established that the practices jointly have a significant relationship with financial performance of the listed firms.
Regarding ethical human resource practices, the study established that the greatest conducts that the listed firms greatly upheld are adherence to labour laws during recruitment, with recruitment always considering skill and academic qualifications of the candidates. For ethical advertising practices, the study established that no firm whichsoever condoned unethical conducts during advertisement of their products and/or services‘. For ethical consumer relation practices, the study established that listed firms uphold consumer relation policies, putting consumer interests first, before profitability. For ethical investor relation practices, the study established that information disclosure is one key practice upheld by management of listed firms.
This study recommends that listed firms need to adhere to conducts of ethical leadership. The Departments of Human Resources should at all time implement their HR policies with great caution as their mandates, influence their firms‘ performance. The Marketing Departments of firms should uphold zero tolerance to unethical advertising practices. Quality is a priority to consumers. Listed firms should formulate ways of always adhering to the provision of quality services to consumers. Ethical investor relations call for truthful disclosure of information, especially regarding financial statements of the firms
Gut feeling should never substitute for facts, analysis
No full textA Newspaper article by Scott Bellows, an Assistant Professor in the Chandaria School of Business at USIU-AfricaWhen sifting through the product offerings of multiple Kenya-based training and consulting firms, one may notice that invariably many human resources related topics available for delivery include sessions on how to trust one’s gut with either the managerial decision making process or while interviewing potential job candidates.
Additionally, enter into any sizable bookstore in Kenya and invariably you will come across some variation of a leadership or management title indicating “go with your gut” that espouse the perceived value of listening to one’s own instinctive reaction as a highly accurate way for executives to make decisions.
Unfortunately, such simplistic concepts lull supervisors into thinking that they retain the truth inside of them without much effort of deliberate time consuming analysis. In certain narrow parameters, following instincts does prove useful. The social scientists who advocate for gut reactions in workplace settings often derive their results from simple often non-workplace-realistic experiment settings in controlled environments.
Joseph Mikels and team delineated specific scenarios in workplaces where feelings rather than deliberation resulted in superior results. Erik Dane, Kevin Rockmann, and Michael Pratt detailed that managerial decision making relying on intuition over deliberation only increases in validity commensurate with many years of experience in the specific domain of their jobs. Years of experience enable one’s unconscious mind to learn many correct conscious decisions and summate those experiences in that specific line of work and internalise it into the unconscious mind
How to tell if you are a victim of bullying at the workplace
No full textA Newspaper article by Scott Bellows, an Assistant Professor in the Chandaria School of Business at USIU-AfricaThe recently reported episodes of secondary school bullying, torture and hazing shocked the nation in the past week. In its wake, Kenya ponders what sick institutional cultures must exist in order to promulgate regularised repeated physical violence by and against students in varying high schools.
Many might not realise that the depravity of bullying exists beyond schools and sports fields. Duncan Chappell and Vittorio Di Martino of the International Labor Office highlight deviant behaviour at workplaces as one of the most pertinent emerging issues in organisations across the globe.
Executives and social scientists alike maintain many terms to describe deviant counterproductive behaviour in work settings including delinquency, deviance, retaliation, revenge, violence, emotional abuse, mobbing, bullying, misconduct, and organisational aggression.
Social scientists Eleanna Galanaki and Nancy Papalexandris define workplace bullying as recurring persistent negative acts directed to one or more persons that create a negative work environment. In bullying, the targeted person experiences difficulty in defending and protecting themselves. Therefore, bullying does not refer to conflicts between two parties of equal strength but rather a more influential aggressor in an imbalance of power
Bureaucracy that kills good business
No full textA Newspaper article by Scott Bellows, an Assistant Professor in the Chandaria School of Business at USIU-AfricaIn the 1990s, a thread of research emerged showing that organisations pass through three phases on their way to large dominant status. First, a firm or NGO starts as a grassroots effort.Perhaps a group of women in a village outside Oyugis desires to come together and find a solution for lack of clean water in their community. The women put their money together and purchase pipes to bring water out of a nearby river and onto their farms. Such an initiative clearly represents a grassroots type of effort.
Later, the women decide to expand and begin supplying water to neighbouring villages. To facilitate the expansion, they start to develop processes and procedures from everything, including client acquisition to collection of water usage fees. The women also begin to hire professionals to run the business. The nascent water company would then reach the professional stage of growth.
Finally, the water company might serve an entire county and beyond whereby it exists on a massive scale such as organisations like Nairobi Water, Airtel, the University of Nairobi, Unicef, or Uchumi. The large scale hints that the organisation now operates in the institutional phase of growth. As your firm grows, be mindful not to fall into some of the pitfalls of institutional phase growth.
Look for signs of highly mechanistic processes. In order to perform tasks, executives must discourage procedures that seem to go against natural organic flows in order to undertake it. Does your firm’s bureaucracy defy logic and create too many levels of approval that hinder your accomplishing tasks quickly and efficiently
Be consistent when treating employees
No full textA Newspaper article by Scott Bellows, an Assistant Professor in the Chandaria School of Business at USIU-AfricaMuriithi and Omar work in the energy sector with undergraduate degrees from JKUAT and Kenyatta University respectively earned in 2007.
Mr Muriithi enjoys his career in the sector while Mr Omar dreams of escaping into the international energy field. Both employees joined the firm in different months within 2009.
Over the past eight years, Mr Muriithi frequently rates the company higher on staff perception surveys than Mr Omar. Both men report to Mrs Akinyi who leads the Project Development team since 2013.
During a recent human resource audit of the department, external consultants grew puzzled at why two men with almost identical qualifications and experience could hold such drastically different levels of job satisfaction despite equal salaries