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Strategic Planning Systems and Firm Performance in the Export Processing Zones
No full textJournal articleThis study focused on strategic planning systems as predictors of performance
in a developing country context. These concepts have not been adequately investigated
in extant strategy literature. We contended that strategic planning
systems should be emphasized as a configuration and not by its domains. The
influence of resources, management participation and planning techniques on
performance showed positive and significant results. In support of our conceptualization,
the results were that strategic planning systems as an aggregate
factor has a stronger influence on performance than its domains. We conclude
that the configuration of planning systems with its theoretical underpinning
in the dynamic capabilities and resource based view, explains performance
variations among firms
Challenges against Market Participation of Smallholder Livestock Producers in ASALs of Kenya – The Case of Regal-IR
No full textA Project Report Submitted to the School of Business in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for the Degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA)The purpose of this study was to determine challenges against market participation of smallholder livestock producers in ASALs of Kenya. The research objectives for the study were: to examine the socio – economic causes for the poor market performance of smallholder livestock producers in ASALs; Analyze institutional and policy gaps limiting market engagement by smallholder livestock producers in ASALs of Kenya; Assess best practices for adoption to overcome market barriers to smallholder livestock producers in ASALs of Kenya.
This study utilized an explanatory research design. The study population was 940 smallholder livestock producers supported by REGAL-IR in ASALs of Kenya. The sample size of the study was 274 smallholder livestock farmers in Isiolo, Turkana and Garissa Counties. A total of 274 questionnaires were administered and two sixty-nine (269) were fully filled, giving a response rate of 98% which was sufficient. Descriptive statistics utilized to analyze the research findings included frequencies, mean.
The findings of the study related to the first research objective indicated inverse relationship between successful market engagement of smallholder livestock producers’ and socioeconomic factors namely gender relations in the household, complexity of value chains and access to reliable market information currently prevailing in ASALs of Kenya. Majority of the smallholders tend to sell their livestock to middle men which is among the deterrent to their ability to extensively engage in livestock value chains. As a result of selling their livestock to the middlemen, smallholders lose .037 Ksh for every livestock.
The finds of the second research objective reveled that policy and institutional factors do not favor successful participations of smallholders in livestock value chain in ASALs of Kenya. The policy and institutional factors with reckonable negative impact on the participation and benefit of smallholders in livestock trading includes lack of access to market information and distance to livestock markets. The research findings showed a statistically significant negative relationship between the number of livestock sold and the distance to livestock market (rho =-0.148, p<0.05). Number of livestock sold decreased for every 0.062 Kms further distance traveled to the market
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Analysis of the third research objective demonstrated that respondents prefer successful programs in sustainable management of grazing and water resources at the grassroots; affordable provision of veterinary supplies and inputs; best practice in expanding and developing livestock market and provision of loan to smallholder livestock producers. The KII respondents emphasized the need for extensive replication of the co-management model of livestock markets as the best practice to be promoted throughout the ASALs.
The study concluded that as pastoralists get more reliable information about price of livestock, they sale more livestock than when the price information is unreliable. The study also determined that pastoralists better engage with livestock value chain as the distance to market and access to financial services improve. The study proved the need for smallholder producers need to be organized into groups to improve their credit worth. Best practices options including successful programs in sustainable management of grazing and water resources at the grassroots; affordable provision of veterinary supplies and inputs as well as in expanding and developing livestock market and provision of loan to smallholder livestock producers can effectively be replicated in ASALs of Kenya .
The study recommended enhancing efforts by government and non-government organization to avail market information together with complementary intervention aimed at strengthening the capacity of producers to use information to their advantage. It also recommended that the devolved government should double its investment in construction of market infrastructure to enhance market access such that pastoralists in ASALs of Kenya could benefit from participation in livestock value chain. Lastly, the study recommends an in depth research to be conducted to extensively quantify and present economic cost of forgone opportunities from the regressive livestock sector in ASALs
Factors Influencing Small And Medium Size Enterprises Access To Financing: A Case Of Kiambu County, Kenya.
No full textA Research Project Report Submitted to Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Business Administration (MBA)The purpose of this study was to determine factors that influence SMEs access to financing in Kiambu county. This study was guided by the following research questions: What are the types of financing do SMEs? What are the challenges SME’s face in accessing financing? What are the measures taken to enhance access to SME funding?
A descriptive survey research design was adopted to carry out the study. The study had a population of 2, 750 SMEs in Kiambu county, out of which, a stratified sampling technique was used to pick a sample of 384 respondents. The sampling frame was adopted from office of economics and statistical data in Kiambu county. This study utilized primary data. Data was collected using structured questionnaire. A pilot test was conducted using ten questionnaires to ensure data validity and reliability. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 was used for data analysis. The study data was analyzed for descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages), while inferential statistics were analyzed for correlations and regression.
The findings on types of SME financing revealed a significant relationship exists between types of SME financing and access to finance. Under this question personal savings, funds from family and friends, bank loans, micro finance loans, venture capital funds, asset-based financing, SACCO loans, NGO loans and government loans were explored, and were all statistically significant.
The findings on challenges facing SMEs in access to financing also revealed the existence of statistically significant relationship between challenges and access financing. Challenges explored included need for collateral, high loan processing fees, high legal loan processing fees, stringent loan conditions, high interest rates, high loan risks, and lack of information on SME loans. All these components contributed to the significance of the relationship.
Finally, this study findings revealed the existence of significant relationship between measures taken to enhance SME financing and access to financing. Measures considered included government intervention like youth funds, exclusive bank loan products to SMEs, Micro-finance loan products to SMEs, finance skills training, well-wisher’s funds, and utilization of rotating savings and cooperating associations (ROSCAs) all contributed significantly in enhancing access to SME financing.
This study concludes that equity financing including personal savings, funds from family and friends significantly contributes to SMEs access to financing. The study also concludes that debt financing including bank loans, micro finance loans, venture capital funds, asset-based financing, SACCO loans, NGO loans and government loans were statistically significant, and important in enhancing access to finance by SMEs. This study also concludes that banks and financial institutions’ need for high levels of collateral inhibits SMEs access to financing. High loan processing fees, high legal loan processing fees, and high interest rates also inhibits SMEs access to financing. Banks and financial institutions stringent loan conditions, and lack of information on SME loans significantly inhibits SMEs access to financing. Finally, this study concludes that provision of exclusive bank loan products to SMEs, Micro-finance loan products to SMEs, finance skills training significantly contributes to SMEs access to business finance. Finally, the study well-wisher’s funds and utilization of rotating savings and cooperating associations (ROSCAs) are important and significantly enhance SMEs access to financing
This study recommends that SME owners should enhance their personal savings for financing their business ventures since this is regarded as the hallmark of commitment to the business entity. There is also need for banks to develop mechanisms for credit provision that cutter for the SMEs, since SMEs do not have the capability to compete with well-established corporates and businesses for loan products from commercial banks. This also study recommends that banks and other financial institutions should reduce higher level of collateral requirements even for smaller loans. There is need to do a case to case analysis of SME loan applicants, rather than subjecting them to a blanket evaluation and appraisal. Finally, this study recommends that government intervention like youth funds should be enhanced to allow more young entrepreneurs in SME businesses to access financing
Internal Factors Influencing Strategy Implementation in the Banking Sector: A Case Study of the Chase Bank
No full textResearch Project Report Submitted to the Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA)The general purpose of the study is to establish the internal factors affecting strategy
implementation at Chase bank. This study was guided by the following research questions: How does leadership style affect strategy implementation at Chase Bank? How does staff competence affect strategy implementation at Chase Bank? How does resource allocation affect strategy implementation at Chase Bank?
A descriptive research was adopted because the study was aimed at collecting information from respondents on their perceptions in relation to internal factors affecting strategy implementation. The target population comprised of Managers, Heads of departments and assistant managers (who are in the operational level in their structure) in the 77 Chase bank branches where the total population was 152. Stratified random sampling method and using the rule of thumb, the study applied stratified random sampling and a quota of 50% was drawn from each strata. Out of the 76 questionnaires awarded only 71 were filled and returned giving a response rate of 93%.
The first objective set to establish how leadership style affected strategy implementation and it was established that that dynamic business environment affects realization of goals and the leadership skills were critical in realization of goals. The study also revealed that relationship with employees influences goal achievement. In addition, it was also revealed that leadership commitment enhances achievement of sufficient results.
The second objective set to establish how staff competence affected strategy
implementation. The findings reveal that organization rarely undertake competence
evaluation and analysis of the competence level of the employees revealed that a majority believed it was not very competent, while others claimed they needed training. The findings also established that talent deficiency hampered the implementation process. It was also discovered that offering rewards facilitates realization of goals, however there was uncertainty on whether staff remuneration influences attainment.
The third objective set to establish how resource allocation affected strategy
implementation. The findings revealed that Chase bank had a budget for strategy
implementation although a majority stated that resource allocation towards strategy
implementation needed improvement. Leadership commitment and monitoring resources influences attainment of results and innovative IT strategies and e-business improve competitiveness.
The study concluded that maintenance of a policy manual is necessary in the sector and
needs regular updates to be up-to-date with the dynamic changes in the sector. The skills adopted by the leaders not only affect realization of goals but also influences employee’s performance. It was also concluded that competence evaluation is vital however the bank has not embraced it and this could maybe explain why the managers response that most employees are not very competent and require training. In addition, the institution is focused towards ensuring its strategies are implemented and to facilitate that a budget for the process exist. Institutions also need to adopt innovative IT strategies and e-business to guarantee improved competitiveness in the sector.
The study recommended that the bank should ensure they have in place policies to help
guide the firm to overcome dynamic changes in the sector. The institution needs to employ skilled employee in order to facilitate realization of goals. Chase bank also needs to embrace competence evaluation and where there is a need ensure that training programs are put in place to enhance strategy implementation. The firm also need to ensure that employee have the right skills and knowledge necessary for goal realization. The institution needs to put aside enough funds that would ensure a successful strategy implementation process. However, proper mechanisms should be put in place to ensure that the funds are used for the intended purpose. Where applicable the institutions should adopt innovative IT strategies and e-business to enhance competitiveness of the firm in the dynamic sector
Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Corporate Competitiveness: Case Study of Chandaria Industries Limited
No full textA Research Project Report Submitted to the Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for the Degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA)The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of corporate social responsibility on cooperate competitiveness a case study of Chandaria Industries Limited. The study will be guided by three objectives which are; to determine the role of CSR in enhancing customer satisfaction, to determine the effects of undertaking CSR initiatives on the organization’s market share and establish the impact of implementing CSR initiatives on stakeholders’ engagement.
The study will adopt a descriptive research design to address the research objectives. The study will adopt a population of 100 staffs and 100 distributors. The study adopted convenient sampling method. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire, analysed using descriptive statistics and presented using tables and figures.
On role of CSR in enhancing customer satisfaction, majority of the respondents strongly agreed that customer prefer green products, however majority of the respondent strongly disagreed CSR reduces innovativeness. A large proportion of the respondents agreed that green products should be convenient, affordable and have good quality for customers to buy. Moreover a large number of the respondents strongly agreed that consumers expect something in return from the company when the engage in CSR.
Regarding the effects of undertaking CSR initiatives in the organization market share, most of the respondent’s disagreed that CSR has a significant impact on the profitability of the company. However respondents agreed that consumers want more than a product from the company. Moreover respondents strongly agreed that CSR programs done by the company increase brand image. Majority of the respondents agreed that company engaging in positive effects in the society increases its business level.
The findings on effect of CSR initiatives on stakeholder’s engagement, majority of respondents disagreed that CSR leads to attract talent in the organization. On the other hand majority of respondents agreed that CSR helps shareholders to understand their goals. A large proportion of respondents disagreed that organizations that practice CSR are ethical.
On role CSR in Creating Customer Satisfaction the study suggested that amongst others CSR leads to customer satisfaction in the organisation. For customer to increase satisfaction they recommend green products over the other product which is less environmentally friendly.On the effects of undertaking CSR initiatives on the organization’s market sharethe study suggested that customers choose to consume products which affects his/her identity, so consumers can improve their own identity and reputation by identifying with a corporation’s commitment to CSR initiatives.
On effects of CSR initiatives on shareholders engagement, the study suggests that organization should demonstrate commitment through, for instance, health and safety programs and employee-volunteer programs to increase stakeholder’s engagement in the company. An organization needs to understand its environment to identify threats and opportunities that could arise, so that it can adapt and secure its long-term survival.The study also suggest that organization does not treat employees well and promote responsibility towards them and society, it may risk losing their competence.
For recommendations on future research, there is a need to fill knowledge gap on the discrepancies of the study that company can have great CSR programs yet the company has low brand image and less customer satisfaction
The Effects of Social Media Marketing On Churches: A Case Study of PCEA Evergreen Church, Nairobi
No full textA Research Project Report Submitted to the Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Science in Management and Organizational Development (MOD)The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of Social Media Marketing on churches. This study sought to answer the following research which guided the study: To what extent does Social media marketing effect churches? To what extent does social media marketing effect brand visibility? and to what extent does social media marketing effect customer/member satisfaction?
To investigate on these questions a cross-sectional descriptive design was used to sample 88 church members, non-members and parish staff from PCEA Evergreen Church in Nairobi. The study population comprised of 875 individuals who attend services at the same church every Sunday. Data was collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire after prior notification. Multistage sampling was used to recruit respondents for the study whereby each member and non-members of the church were required to fill in the questionnaire by themselves. The questionnaire was administered in English language and comprised four major sections. It was simple and easily understood with Likert scales that were used to generate additive indices for the data analysis. Each respondent was allowed 5-10 minus to complete the questionnaire to avoid interference with the church services. Data analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS® version 24 and Microsoft Excel and was presented using tables and figures displayed in data patterns and use of narrative for continuous data. For categorical data frequencies and proportions were used to aid in presentation of the findings. A church growth index was generated from each questionnaire and used to identify the effect of social media marketing on churches using Pearson’s correlation and Multiple Linear Regression. All tests were two-sided and the level of statistical significance was set at p<0.05.
The study established that social media marketing had to some extent brought some growth or improvement. Areas that registered notable growth were church in reach, brand visibility, revenue, and communication as well as member/customer relationships. Other areas seem to have lagged despite adoption and use of internet and social media for a long time and that the rate of internet usage was still low. However, the membership believed that social media and internet had the capacity to increase church membership as well as spiritual growth, church’s revenue although there was some evidence the church revenue increase could be tied to social media use and could suggest there were other means used to improve the church revenue.
In terms of social media and brand visibility there was need to improve on brand revenue which involves improvement on social media evangelism, establish other factors that bring in revenue to the church and pursue them as strategies. Additionally, it would also be imperative to establish other factors that affect member retention or leaving the church. The study also found that social media enhanced communication and brought the church closer to its members and improved social relationships amongst membership. Further to that the findings were that brand loyalty was not influenced by use of social media alone which signified that other factors attracted membership to the PCEA Evergreen church to either stay or leave.
On social media and customer/member satisfaction, the study established that the quality of service was found wanting although it was felt as an appropriate tool that could be used in church and because it was not irreverent and it had improved member involvement and response time of the church to member complaints and queries, there was challenge in the adoption of the various social media platforms to deliver sermons and they still felt that members should be involved more in decision making of church activities. Key to the findings was that adoption of social media marketing had failed to attract young people to church despite some consensus that social media had improved the way the church served its membership and visitors.
From the findings, it can be concluded that social media marketing has positively impacted church growth, brand visibility and customer satisfaction at PCEA Evergreen church. This is similar to other studies that indicate that churches must now take advantage of social media not only for their core business of evangelism but also for growth, visibility in the market and for communication with their members.
Based on the findings it can be recommended that in order to improve on the study, there is need to consider other areas of church growth besides social media particularly on member retention or factors for leaving the church to come up with retention strategies. It is recommended that the use of social media marketing be maintained and enhanced to ensure continued growth, increased brand visibility and customer satisfaction at PCEA Evergreen Church
Factors Influencing Adoption of ICT Strategy in the Kenyan Public Health Sector – A Case Study of the Kenyatta National Hospital
No full textResearch Project Report Submitted to Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBAThe use of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) is of benefit to many sectors. ICT can enable an organization to have a one stop shop of information and records of customers which enhances service delivery. The Kenyan public health sector can also benefit from the use of ICT in managing patient data nationwide. The Kenyan government is making significant strides in the adoption of ICT strategy in public health care. Despite the efforts to adopt the use of ICT in the Kenyan public health sector, most health care facilities are still registering patients using pen and paper. Therefore, this report sought to investigate the factors that influence the adoption of ICT strategy.
The study was guided by the following objectives: To establish the influence of financial
factors on ICT strategy adoption; to determine the infrastructure factors influencing adoption of ICT strategy and to establish the influence skills and knowledge gaps have on ICT strategy adoption at the Kenyatta National Hospital. This report assumed that the samples collected were a representative of the total population of health professionals in the Kenyatta National Hospital, and that the respondents would cooperate to give honest and objective information when answering the research questions.
The research methodology for this project report was the descriptive research design. Data was collected using structured questionnaires which were administered to the personnel in the hospital. The project report aimed at sampling a minimum of seventy-seven staff at the Kenyatta National Hospital. This represented ten percent of the total population from the selected departments. The data was analyzed using measures of central tendency, measures of dispersion and presented in charts, graphs and tables after analysis using the SPSS software analysis tool.
The finding from the analysis showed that the most significant financial factors influencing the adoption of ICT strategy in Kenyatta National Hospital was procurement procedures. This was followed by cost of equipment and business practices. The following infrastructure factors were found to most affect ICT strategy adoption: The hospital had a dedicated IT department and most staff were able to access IT equipment. Patient exposure to technology was found to have a moderate influence. Patient medical history as well as distance from the hospital were found to significantly influence the adoption of ICT strategy. Privacy and security of patient and hospital data were found to affect ICT strategy adoption to a very great extent. The organization was found to utilze ICT in preparation of online objectives and budgets and creating awareness of vaccinces. Skills and knowledge gaps influence the adoption of ICT
strategy. The study found that lack of training as well as low level of literacy in technology to be a hindrance of adoption of ICT strategy in the organization. Effective leadership was also found to be paramount in the adoption of ICT strategy in Kenyatta National Hospital.
The following conclusions were drawn from the research. The hospital can ensure that they have a robust procurement office that is in sync with the management on the needs of the hospital in order to make purchases early and in bulk in order to get the most competitive rate which will bring down the cost on goods and equipment to the organization and in turn bring down the cost of services to patients. In order for an organization to fully implement an ICT strategy, all proceses must be fully automated to ensure efficiency. The capturing of patient medical records using ICT can also enhance service delivery for patients who are far away from Kenyatta National Hospital. It is important for the organization to invest in information securtiy measures such as network security, security software such as anti-malware and antivirus aimed at protecting patient information as well as hospital records. Lack of training and low level of literacy in technology can severely impact the adoption of ICT strategy. The management should therefore seek ways to increase the frequency and availability of trainings to staff. This will in turn improve the literacy levels in technology among all staff and their willingness to embrace the ICT in all their operations. The hosptial was found to have effective and competent leadership.
From the analysis of the data, it is recommended that the organization should have an effective procurement department that understands the needs of the hospital’s equipment and supplies required ahead of time in order to avoid delays of service delivery. The management should integrate the use of ICT in all functions of the day to day running of the organization. The organization should put in place a yearly training calendar of trainings with clear roadmaps indicating the various competencies to be attained by the trainees upon completion of the training. The organization should ensure that top leadership embrace technology in order to successfully adopt ICT strategy
Determinants of Strategic Risk Management in Projects: A Case of AMREF Health Africa
No full textA Project Report Submitted to the School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA)The purpose of this study was to examine the determinants of strategic risk management in projects at Amref Health Africa. The study was guided by the following research questions: how does strategy formulation process contribute to effective strategic project risk management in Amref Health Africa, how does the allocation of organizational resources contribute to effective strategic project risk management in Amref Health Africa and how do the systemic factors contribute to effective strategic project risk management in Amref Health Africa.
The research design used in this study was descriptive correlational. The target population of the study consisted of Amref Health Africa‟s executive committee members, senior management teams, program managers, project managers, operational managers and senior officers across the 7 countries where the organization has presence. A list of management teams was obtained from employee records maintained by the Human Resources Directorate. A census approach was adopted given that the target population for the study is relatively small (N=125). Questionnaires were used to collect data from the selected respondents. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. For this study, data analysis tool used was statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) computer software.
The findings revealed that there was a strong positive correlation between strategy formulation process and strategic project risk management in Amref Health Africa. The strongest positive relationship was noted between the consideration of the views of program personnel during strategy formulation and strategic project risk management. There was also a very strong positive correlation between resource allocation and strategic project risk management in Amref Health Africa. Investing in innovative resources to support organizational objectives had the strongest correlation with strategic project risk management. The study revealed that there is a strong positive correlation between systemic factors and strategic project risk management. Most of respondents noted that Amref Health Africa has high focus on the task to be undertaken and has a high focus on people. The organizations focus on key programmatic impact of activities had the strongest relationship with strategic project risk management.
The research concludes that the strategy formulation process, resource allocation and systemic factors have a very strong positive correlation with strategic project risk management. It further concludes that strategy formulation process, resource allocation and systemic factors contribute to effective strategic project risk management in Amref Health Africa.
The research recommends that there is need for the organization to integrate strategy formulation, resource allocation and systemic factors to strategic project risk management. All the three components would be considered key for there to be effective strategic project risk management. Further, the study recommended that Amref Health Africa could consider ensuring that risk management plans are a mandatory program document for all projects within the organization so that key strategic risks that could hinder the achievement of the organizational goals are identified in good time. Strategic project risk management could also be formally included as a responsibility within the project managers‟ job descriptions. Investment in an automated system that will present all data regarding project specific strategic risks to management through a dashboard would be a very useful resource. The formal selection of country risk management champions so that the strategic project risk management process is decentralized from the headquarters would also help ensure that there is effective strategic project risk management
Effect of Organizational Citizenship Behavior on Employee Performance: A Case of Rattansi Educational Trust, Kenya
No full textA Project Report Submitted to the Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA)The general objective of the study was to examine the effect of organizational citizenship behavior with a specific focus on Rattansi Educational Trust. The specific objectives of the study were: to investigate the effect of loyalty on employee performance at Rattansi Educational Trust, to investigate the effect of personal initiative on employee performance at Rattansi Educational Trust and to investigate the effect of self-development on employee performance at Rattansi Educational Trust.
The study adapted a descriptive research design. The population of the study was 100 employees of Rattansi Educational Trust. A census sampling method was applied where the whole population of 100 comprised the sample. Data was collected using standardized structured questionnaires guided by the specific objectives of the study. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) tool. Descriptive statistics like mean, percentages, and frequency. Pearson correlation was computed to determine the relationship between the independent and dependent variables.
The findings of the study show that loyalty has a positive effect on employee satisfaction. Loyal employees are inspired to improve service quality and performance. Employee performance and loyalty tend to increase as the organization invests on employees. Loyalty improves employee performance because employees are motivated to work hard and a high level of employee loyalty improves organizational effectiveness.
With regard to personal initiative, it positively improves relationships among employees and work performance at Rattansi Educational Trust. Proactive behavior encourages commitment and improves institutional performance at Rattansi Educational Trust The relationship between personal initiative and employee performance is significant in encouraging proactivity and ensures that damages associated with bad decisions are minimized in the organization.
With regard to self-development and employee performance the study confirms that self-development improves employee performance. Self-development positively influences employee performance. Self-managing employees have a higher chance of achieving their career goal at Rattansi Educational Trust. Employees tend to engage in self-development programs because they see it as an opportunity to contribute towards the organizational growth.
The study concludes that Loyalty supports the creation of a safe working environment, improves the quality of service and enhances employee satisfaction. Loyal employees give their best to the company because they believe in the cause of the organization. Personal initiative provides the desire to achieve the highest level of performance; proactive employees tend to perform better than individuals who are less proactive. Self-development empowers employees with skills and experience that helps improve organizations overall effectiveness.
The study recommends that the organizations should create or come up with loyalty programs that will make employees feel valued and satisfied at the work place. A culture that encourages personal initiative among employees to help them thrive at the workplace. A culture that supports self-development among employees to change their attitude by gaining new skills and advancing the existing ones. The above will help improve the overall performance in the organization because employees are motivated to give their best in everything they do. It can help with employee retention and development in different organization
Effects of Environmental Factors on Performance: A Case of Barclays Bank
No full textA Project Report Submitted to the Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA)The performance of Barclays Bank is key in determining the overall performance of Kenya’s banking sector against that of other countries in the world. This is because Barclays Bank is an institution with worldwide spread branches and other investments. The performance is usually measured by both financial and non-financial indicators according to the institution’s set objectives. This is normally affected by a number of environmental factors both micro and macro. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of environmental factors on performance; a case study of Barclays Bank. The study sought to answer the following research questions: 1) what macro environmental factors does Barclays Bank face? 2) what micro environmental factors does Barclays Bank face? and 3) what are the effects of environmental factors on Barclays Bank’s performance?
A descriptive design was employed in this study and a sample selected from the targeted population of 180 where 54 respondents were picked using stratified sampling technique. The respondents were picked from the Board of Directors, the top level management, the middle level management and non-managerial employees. The study required primary data which was collected by the use of questionnaires and interview schedules. Data collection took a period of two weeks after which the data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS software. Descriptive statistics such as standard deviation, means, frequency, and percentages were used to summarize the data. Correlations were used to determine degree of associations between two linearly related variables and regression used to determine the association between the dependent and independent variables. The analyzed data has been presented using pie charts, graphs and frequency distribution tables to provide a simplified and clear picture of the outcomes.
The research findings reveal that environmental factors significantly affect the performance of the Bank. Macro environmental factors, which include political and legal factors, socio-cultural factors, economic factors and technological factors, affect the direction in which performance move most of them having a significant effect. On overall, they have a significant effect on the performance of Barclays Bank. Micro environmental factors, on the other hand, which include: competitors, customers, subtitute products, suppliers, market intermediaries, financiers, the public and labor resourse, also have a significant effect on the performance of Barclays Bank, with competitors having the highest impact. Both micro and macro environmental factors play a significant role in determining the overall performance of Barclays Bank with none being given much weight than the other. They have a synergistic form of relationship in which both environments affect performance in the same direction. When regressed against performance, environmental effects revealed a significant effect implying the need to focus on both macro and micro environments of the bank for achievement of optimal performance.
It is recommended that Barclays Bank adopt environmental management into her strategic planning to achieve optimal performance. This should be done through frequent surveillance to align strategies to environmental changes. Each aspect of the environment should be carefully considered and given weight for maximum results. Qualified and competent individuals who understand how the market functions in different environments should be consulted to do periodic studies and offer expert advice and opinion on the same. The strategies adopted should then be measured progressively against performance so as to check if Barclays Bank is progressing or retrogressing in terms of performance.
The information gained from this study will be useful in enhancing positive performance in the Bank and hence improving her overall performance. It will also be useful to organizations working with Barclays Bank such as the government, non-governmental organizations, and research institutions among others by providing a means to strengthen and guide policy making processes. The institutions may also use the information provided to enhance their own individual performance against macro and micro environmental factors by conducting a similar research specific to their operating environments. This will, thereafter, lead to an overall economic enhancement. Other institutions in the banking industry will also benefit from the information by implementing the recommendations forwarded. They may also conduct such investigations specific to their own micro and macro environments