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The Role of Corporate Governance in the Performance of Banking Industry in Kenya: A Study of KCB Bank Kenya Limited
No full textA Research Project Submitted To Chandaria School Of Business In Partial Fulfilment Of The Requirements For The Award Of The Degree Of Masters In Business Administration (MBA).The main purpose of this study was to determine the role of corporate governance in banking industry in Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were; to examine if, Shareholder’s voting rights, Audit committee’s expertise and experience, Board of Directors remuneration and Board of Directors expertise and experience affect performance of banking industry in Kenya. The expected beneficiaries of the study will be the management of KCB Bank Kenya ltd, other banks in the sector as well as other researchers.
The study used descriptive research design where a sample size of 249 employees was selected from the target population of 659 employees who were categorized into top, middle and low level management. The sample size was 37% of the target population derived using stratified random sampling. Questionnaires containing both closed-ended and open-ended questions were administered to the respondents by the researcher with the help of the human resource department. Data collected was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively where it provided an appropriate analysis that was then used in the preparation of tables, pie charts and bar graphs.
From the study findings 84.2% of the total respondents said that Shareholder rights and responsibilities affect performance of banks while 15.8% said Shareholder rights and responsibilities does not affect. The study also showed that Audit Committee’s expertise and experience affect performance; this was represented by 92.3%. Majority of the respondent’s i.e. 69.2% stated that Board of Directors remuneration affects performance of banks while 30.8% said it does not affect. The respondents stated that Board of Directors expertise and experience affect performance of banks this was represented by 87.2% while 12.8% said it does not affect.
The study recommended that further studies on corporate governance in other financial sectors like Insurance companies and Savings and credit cooperative societies should be conducted. Further research is also recommended on on the relationship between organization’s size and Board of Directors remuneration to evaluate and assess its relationship with overall performance
The Effect of Entrepreneurship Education on the Entrepreneurial Competencies among Graduate Students in Kenya
No full textA Research 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 purpose of the study was to determine the effect of entrepreneurship education on the
entrepreneurial competencies among graduate students in Kenya. The study was limited
to students in an elective entrepreneurship education program - Global Social Sustainable
Entrepreneurship - taught at the United States International University Africa. The study
compared the entrepreneurial competencies namely entrepreneurial mindset, core selfevaluation,
and entrepreneurial attitude of entrepreneurship students against their
colleagues pursuing other electives in the Masters in Business Administration degree
program.
This research used a descriptive research design with a control group to pursue the
objectives of the study. The study population was drawn from Masters in Business
Administration students in the fall of 2016 and was carried out in October and November
of 2016. A questionnaires consisting of 17 questions was selected as the data collection
tool. Descriptive analysis was done using graphs and tables and inferential statistical
analysis was done which included exploratory factor analysis, discriminant, and
convergent validity testing and student t-tests.
From the first research question, the study findings revealed a positive substantive
significant effect of entrepreneurship education on the entrepreneurial mindset of
entrepreneurship students in comparison to their colleagues who did not choose the
entrepreneurship elective.
From the second research question, the study findings revealed that there was no
statistical nor substantive significant effect of entrepreneurship education on the Core
Self-Evaluation of entrepreneurship students in comparison to their colleagues who did
not choose the entrepreneurship elective.
From the third research question, the study findings revealed a positive substantive
significant effect of entrepreneurship education on the entrepreneurial attitudes among
entrepreneurship students in comparison to their colleagues who did not choose the
entrepreneurship elective.
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The key conclusion derived from the study is that entrepreneurship education has a
positive effect on the entrepreneurial competencies of graduate students. This further
validates the findings from other researchers that entrepreneurship can be taught, even the
seemingly harder non – cognitive aspects of it, by applying a variety of teaching
approaches that are experiential.
The recommendations from the research where the continued pursuit by the GSSE faculty
of experiential teaching approaches that would promote the development of the
competencies discussed. This is due to the findings in research that experiential teaching
methods were most effective in teaching competencies of a non- cognitive in nature.
Future studies are suggested to incorporate other entrepreneurial competencies such as
entrepreneurial skill and knowledge
Relationship between Entrepreneurship Education and Entrepreneurial Opportunity Recognition
No full textA Research Report Submitted to Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA)The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial opportunity recognition basing on the entrepreneurial competencies, a framework that outlines some of the key entrepreneurial competencies. The research mainly aimed at assessing whether entrepreneurship knowledge, skills and attitudes affect the recognition of entrepreneurial opportunity among the entrepreneurship students.
Chapter two discussed the existing literature on the relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. Recognition of opportunity was specifically evaluated in previous research on the environment to psychological considerations. The next chapter is chapter three and presents the research methodology.
This chapter stipulated clearly on how the research was conducted and thereafter implemented on some of the ways to accomplish and present the research which involved conducting research design, population and sampling, data collection methods, research procedures and data analysis. The next chapter four basically focused on results and findings of the research.
The findings of this study revealed that a majority of the respondents strongly agreed that entrepreneurship knowledge gained in class is key in entrepreneurial opportunity recognition as shown by the aggregate mean and standard deviation that implies the respondent’s responses were cohesive.
The second research objective was on whether entrepreneurship skills gained in school supports entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. The study revealed that majority of the respondents agreed that entrepreneurship skills gained in school supported entrepreneurial opportunity recognition as shown by their rating with the aggregate mean and standard deviation implies that the respondent’s responses were in agreement.
Lastly the study revealed that majority of the respondents on entrepreneurial attitudes strongly agreed that they were more willing and in a position to start and do business planning and were ready to do anything to be an entrepreneur.
This study recommends that the government should formulate policies that will sustain these entrepreneurship education and trainings. Designing curricula should be taken with a lot of seriousness and care so as to ensure courses like decision-making, effective communication, entrepreneurial negotiation, leadership effective and efficient use of resources, new product development, creativity and critical thinking and service-based and technological innovation
This study recommends that entrepreneurship be taught in all universities in Kenya as a compulsory unit this was because entrepreneurial education has been recognized as a key determinant for a country’s development and productivity. Therefore the study recommended graduates students undertaking the entrepreneurship courses offered by universities curriculum should take them seriously to enable them recognise opportunities
Effect of Digital Marketing on Competitiveness of Automobile Companies in Kenya
No full textA Research 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 study sought to examine the effect of digital marketing on competitiveness of automobile companies in Kenya. The objectives of the study were to assess the effect of search engine marketing, e-mail advertising, online advertising and social media advertising on the competitiveness of automobile companies in Kenya.
This study embraced the use of a descriptive research design. The target population of this study was 335 staff working in the marketing departments at the head offices of 11 major established motor vehicle dealers in Kenya. The study applied stratified random sampling in selecting 30% of the target population. The sample size of the study came to 101 respondents. The study utilized primary data that was gathered utilizing semi-structured questionnaires. Inferential and descriptive measurements of statistics were utilized to evaluate the quantitative data while making use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20). Descriptive statistics utilized percentages, frequencies, means and standard deviations. Inferential statistics in the study included correlation analysis and regression analysis were used to determine the relationship between the study’s independent variable and the dependent variable. The study used figures and tables to present the analyzed data.
The study showed that Search Engine Marketing had allowed firms to create solutions and plans to attract consumers to their products and services, and was used in the organizations to increase the position of the companies and their products in the results listings for selected keywords and phrases. Search Engine Marketing had been used to increase links from other websites to the companies’ web pages, even though its factors were notoriously difficult to enumerate. The companies had good websites with a good design used to attract, and retain customers, and using SEM for advertisement had enabled the companies to gain more new customers, however, search engines’ revenues are typically lower when companies spend more on Search Engine Marketing.
The study indicated that the e-mail marketing model had not been developed from the ground up to avoid the companies playing catch up, and the companies did not use e-mail marketing software to send promotional mails to their consumers. E-mail advertising recipients were normally consumers who had not opted to receive such emails, although the service provided consistent and better customer experience, thus maximizing the companies’ potential in enhancing their competitiveness.
The study showed that technology advancement had created the possibility for the firms to engage with clients who were internet users through online advertising, and this had made it easier for the companies to update product and service information promptly. Online advertising was not used to reach and cover a larger target audience and reach broader geographical areas at a lower cost, but was used by the firms to understand their consumers, and generate and manage close relationships with them.
The study pointed out that the current business environment had compelled the companies to adopt social media marketing, however, they did not use Twitter to promote and answer their customer concerns and complaints in real-time. Social media marketing had enabled the firms and their customers, to be more effective and productive in receiving and providing service and response, but it had not allowed the companies to enjoy the creation and exchange of user-generated content about their products and services.
The study concludes that search engines play a great role in linking firms when using the Internet to build company image and find target customers. Interactive e-mail responses to the company’s e-mail advertisements helped them to develop a strong relationship with their customers, and their e-mail marketing campaigns had produced twice the return on investment compared to other forms of online marketing.
The study recommends the management of the Kenyan automobile companies to secure a system that would facilitate their ability to enumerate SEM factors in their organizations. This would enable them to understand their ROI from SEM investment which would facilitate their ability to make it advantageous to the firm since search engines’ revenues are lowered by huge spending on SEM
The Implications of Sudan’s Lack of Cooperation with the International Criminal Court on Darfur’s Peace Building Process
No full textThesis Submitted To The School Of Humanities And Social Sciences In Partial Fulfillment Of The Requirement For The Degree In Masters Of Arts In International Relations (MIR)In pursuit for peace in Darfur, both regional and international involvement has been witnessed after a decade of killings, destruction of properties and lawlessness. Nevertheless, not much has been achieved in terms of restoring peace as a result of these diplomatic initiatives. This study is an analysis of the implications of the actions of Sudan’s government against the issuance of arrest warrants to its leaders by the International Criminal Court, on Darfur’s peace building process. Furthermore, the reaction of civil society groups on issuance of arrest warrants to Sudan’s leaders on Darfur’s peace-building prospects has been analyzed. The study is qualitative in nature and motivated by the fact that the approach pays significant attention to detailed observation in an attempt to produce a deep description of a study area. The qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis method. The study findings show that the International Criminal Court’s intervention, and particularly the request for an arrest warrant for the Sudan’s President Omar Al-Bashir, triggered attention for the topic of transitional justice by the civil society groups like the NGOs, religious groups and the media. The study findings further show that, both African Union and International Criminal Court have stepped efforts in ensuring accountable justice in Darfur. The study concludes that, the disagreements between the International Criminal Court and the African Union mostly outshine one important aspect that Africa is trying to deal with impunity and this has not improved pursuit for justice in Darfur. The study recommends that it is critical that the International Criminal Court coordinates with other judicial institutions in its plans, taking into consideration that these other bodies work for the same purpose of providing justice to the victims. Civil society organizations should engage more comprehensively by not taking sides but ensuring delivery of justice no matter the intimidations faced. There is need for a more robust application of fair mechanisms by African Union in ensuring justice and the adoption of additional measures that will ensure effective justice in Darfur. Thus peace in Darfur should rely mostly on home grown solutions by solving African problem with African solution philosophy
A Study on the Impact of Ethiopia’s Foreign Policy towards Somalia From 1991- 2015
No full textThis thesis is submitted to the School of Humanities and Social Science in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Masters of Arts Degree in International RelationsFrom the Ancient period to the modern day, the relation between Ethiopia and Somalia has been marred by religious and ethnic rivalries as well as territorial dispute and competition for regional hegemony. With the collapse of Somalia state in 1991 shifted the balance of power in favor of Ethiopia; the latter repeatedly intervened Somalia politically and militarily in order to keep the new status quo. This thesis examines the nature and the impact of Ethiopian foreign policy towards Somalia from 1991 - 2015. The study, which is divided into five parts, is guided by three objectives that are to identify factors that drive the foreign policy of Ethiopia towards Somalia, to analyze its interests, and to examine the impact of such foreign policy on the efforts of rebuilding the Somalia statehood
Millennium Development Goal 1 and Africa: An Investigation into the Factors That Hindered Its Achievement in Kenya.
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the School of Humanities and Social Science in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for Master’s Degree in International RelationsThe issue of poverty and hunger continues to be a great challenge in the world. The millennium development goals was a framework that was implemented for the purpose of assisting the world towards its endeavors of halving poverty and hunger. The implementation of MDGs in Kenya began in 2002.Critiques have argued that the time set to achieve the MDGs in Africa was unfair given the fact that most African countries were in extreme poverty following the implementation of the IMF and World Bank policies that left most of the regions impoverished. Kenya was not an exception to this predicament. Therefore, the achievement of MDG1 was a major challenge to most countries in Africa. This study is an investigation into the factors that hindered the achievement of MDG1 in Kenya. The study identified that there exists a research gap, given the fact that most studies have paid more attention into the policies implemented into the achievement of the goals in Kenya. The study found out that some of the factors that hindered the achievements of these targets included; corruption, lack of funds, unreliable donors, lack of inclusive economic growth, global financial crises among others. This study will be of great impact in the implementation of SDGs for the purpose of learning from the mistakes of the past for efficient and effective achievement of goals in the future. As John Maynard Keynes asserts, “To understand the present, it is important to have a light of the past for the purpose of the future.
An Investigation on the Influence of Knowledge Management Frameworks Integration in Kenyan SMEs on Their Business Operations
No full textA Project Report Submitted to the School of Science and Technology in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Science in Information Systems and TechnologyOver years, the economic impact of Small and Medium Enterprises in our societies has been significant. For instance, In Kenya, over 50 percent of jobs were created by this sector in 2005 leading to the growth of the country’s GDP. But despite its impact, SME’s often take the biggest blow in periods of slow business. When there are reduced orders, cancelation of orders, delayed payments by creditors, the impact is immediate as most of these firms don’t have a wide array of products or services compared to large organizations. Due to their limited resources, they operate without structures and have adopted informal business processes to manage their knowledge asset.
For the last two decades, previous researchers have proposed a number of knowledge management (KM) frameworks. Indeed there is abundant of literature on how large organizations have adopted and are practicing KM using some of these frameworks with outstanding results in their businesses. Unfortunately this is not the case for small and medium enterprise (SMEs). Prior studies have posited the general consensus in relation to the fact that the benefits of KM have not been fully exploited by small firms. Worse still, they argue that there is very little contributions on the critical success factors for KM adoption in SMEs. A more disappointing revelation from prior studies is the fact that empirical studies have been rarely conducted on this topic. To address these gaps, this study aims to investigate: knowledge management frameworks and practices infusion and adoption by Kenyan SME’s; the effect of the Knowledge management frameworks and practices adopted by the Kenyan SME’s on their achievement of their business strategy; and develop a more appropriate Knowledge management Framework for SMEs achieving business efficiency.
The methodology adopted for this study is descriptive taking a mixed method approach with three main stages as follows: a) A literature review on knowledge management frameworks, practices and adoption in small business; b) A semi-structured self-administered survey questionnaire developed and validated in a number of focus group discussions. The questionnaire survey conducted through self-administration, and/or interviews with managers of small firms belonging to the representative sample to be investigated; and (c) Experiment with a new design of a simple knowledge management framework to demonstrate the adapted SME Knowledge management Framework for achieving business efficiency. The project looks to share insights on how knowledge management frameworks and practices are adopted by Kenyan SME’s, the effects of the Knowledge management frameworks and practices adopted by the Kenyan SME’s and their achievements in line with their business strategies and how a refined knowledge management framework towards the Kenyan SME’s would aid in achieving business efficiency and effectiveness hence success.
The approach used for this case provided a practical experience into SME’s and knowledge management practices adopted by the Kenyan SME’s. Also, it provided key lessons that can be borrowed by any other SME’s interested in managing their knowledge more effectively in order to achieve efficiency, continued innovation and success. Startups and small organizations looking for a practical way of managing and implanting knowledge in their organizations may have point of reference. With the results, the study proposed a refined knowledge management framework designed for SME’s in Kenya. This aids in implementation and management of the Knowledge resource within any startups and SME’s. The suggested practices and elements served as key component when any of the small organizations planned on how to manage new and existing knowledge in order to achieve a competitive edge. Firms that leverage on knowledge, experience efficient operations, successful innovations, ability to predict trends, increase in customer service experience. Lack of reference material in relation to Knowledge management practices for Kenyan SME’s made it a challenge to harness the necessary data. The project provides a reference point for scholars and businesses in relation to knowledge management practices within the Kenyan SME, a knowledge management strategy and framework that can easily be adopted by SME’s
Role of Online Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction: Case of Online Retailing Sites in Nairobi Kenya
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 Business Administration (MBA)The purpose of the study was to determine the role of online service quality on customer satisfaction. Online retailing sites in Nairobi were used as a case for the study. The research objectives of the study were: To determine the role of online security and privacy on customer satisfaction, to determine the role of efficiency of online retailing service on customer satisfaction and to determine the role of responsiveness on customer satisfaction.
A descriptive research design was used to carry out the study with respondents being United States International University-Africa students who are customers of popular online retailing sites in Nairobi. Convenient sampling method was used to get the population of respondents for the study. 157 structured questionnaires were handed out to respondents and subsequently140 questionnaires returned representing an 89% response rate. Statistical Package for Social Services (SPSS) software was used to analyze data with results presented in models and tables.
A majority of respondents were satisfied with the efficiency of online retailing websites in Nairobi. 81% of respondents agreed that the online retailing sites that they used make it easy to find information that they are looking for, 67% agreed that they can get anywhere on the site, 60% indicated that the sites that they used had well organized information, 53% indicated that online retailing sites load their pages fast, 67% agreed on the simplicity of using online retailing sites while 64% of respondents agreed that online retailing sites are well organized.
From the findings, security was found not to have a strong statistical significance to customer satisfaction. 49% of respondents agreed that the online retailing sites protects their online activities, 49% of respondents agreed that online retailing sites do not share their personal information with other sites while 62% of respondents agreed that online retailing sites protect information about their transaction cards/methods.
A majority of respondents were satisfied with the responsiveness of online retailing websites. 49% of respondents indicated that the online retailing site gives them an option of returning and cancelling orders on products, 50% of respondents indicated that the online retailing site can handle returning of product or cancelling a service well, 48% of respondents indicated that the online retailing site offers a guarantee will be replaced or repaired if it does not meet good standard and expectations of customers, 62% of respondents indicated that the online retailing site gives them further instructions if their order is not processed and 36% indicated that the online retailing sites rectify problems promptly.
It was concluded that customers of online retailing sites are generally satisfied with the efficiency of online retailing sites in Nairobi Kenya. Secondly, Security was not a major factor in customer satisfaction. Thirdly, respondents were satisfied with responsiveness of online retailing sites. Customers were likely to recommend the online retailing sites and purchase from the websites in future. Therefore, it was recommended that online retailers maintain good standards of efficiency of their online retailing websites. Online retailing sites should document user security policies and customer agreements to enhance customer trust. Better terms of warranty policies and guarantee should be given to customers and there should be better response to customer concern by competent technical personnel. Further comparative studies should be done in Africa on the online retailing phenomena and more facets of online security should be studied to determine how they relate to customer satisfaction
Effect of Employee Engagement on Employee Retention within an Organization: A case study of Peach Consulting Limited
No full textA research project submitted to the School of Business in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of a Master of Science degree in Organizational Development.Retaining talented employees is a critical management issue in the both private and public companies. Poor morale and productivity can reduce profitability even if the employee remains with the organization. Recently, employee engagement has taken a central role in discussions on organizational efficacy. This is due in part to its touted impact on employee outcomes, describing a deeper level of involvement, passion and enthusiasm for work than other similar constructs such as organizational commitment and job satisfaction. In addition, employees form a key component of any organization. However, as a result of globalization, economic growth and shortage of skilled labor, many organizations including banks are finding it difficult to retain valued employees. Turnover is even occurring against a background of varied HRM interventions to improve employee retention. Employee retention is one of the challenges facing many organizations both public and private. Retention of talented employees has become an even greater challenge confronting human resource practitioner because talented candidates in the global job skills market have the luxury of choice. The purpose of this study was to establish the effect of employee engagement on employee retention within an organization with reference to Peach Consulting Limited. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population comprised of 45 Peach Consulting Limited employees. Primary data was collected using questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, mean score and standard deviation was estimated for all the quantitative variables and information presented inform of tables and graphs. Correlation analysis was used to establish the relations between the independent and dependent variables. The respondents strongly agreed that employees in Peach Consulting Limited willingly and voluntarily make changes within their department. The respondents agreed that the organization culture puts emphasis on staff engagement, that strategic HR policies and initiatives promote employee engagement at all levels and that in the past year. The study revealed that Peach Consulting Limited employees love their work because they feel secure and that the management exchanges experiences with junior employees to improve job problems in the workplace. The study sought to examine the effect of nature of employee engagement on employee retention within an organization and concluded that it positively affects employee retention. The study sought to explore the effect of antecedents of employee engagement within an organization and concluded that it positively and significantly affects employee retention. The study further sought to establish the effect of employee engagement affect within an organization and concluded that it positively and significantly affects the employee retention. Therefore the study recommends that the employees should be encouraged to be willingly and voluntary be involved in making changes in their respective departments. The study therefore recommends that employees should be encouraged to give and offer ideas on how to improve the organisation. The study recommends that the duration taken to evaluate employee performance should be long enough to allow comprehensive assessment and the process of evaluation should involve wide consultations especially in setting performance targets