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The Impact of Non-State and State Actors on South Africa’s Foreign Policy in Africa
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Masters of Arts in International Relations (MIR)South African foreign policy is not made in a bubble; as a democracy since 1994, its outward orientation is theoretically subject to lobbying and pressure from outside groups as well as jockeying among bureaucratic entities. This study aims to unpack the processes through which governments’ foreign policies are made, specifically in South Africa, to determine whether foreign policy making is in reality open to outside inputs, or whether the foreign policy arena as in many countries globally is an elite reserve. The thesis has a specific focus on the year 2000-2016, during which time President Thambo Mbeki (1999-2008) and later President Jacob Zuma (2010-currently) dominated government’s foreign policy formulation. In addition, the thesis sought to disaggregate the various actors involved in the process both from the influencing and decision making sides of the coin to analyze their individual roles in influencing foreign policy, during both regimes. The study being qualitative in nature found that the dominant actor in South African foreign policy, both during Mbeki’s and Zuma’s era is the Executive himself. This is in part because South African Constitutions vest most decision-making power in the executive, in line with international norms, but also due to a lack of pressure by non-governmental actors. While South Africa’s dispensation allows for greater inputs by the public and other outside actors, the practice of influencing foreign policy either through the ballot box or through concerted pressure between elections changed very little. Public engagement on foreign policy, already weak during Mbeki’s era, did not improve after Zuma took office. Parliament, despite having a dedicated committee on the foreign policy, showed itself largely disinterested. The press, the ANC, and most civil society organizations similarly have showed little desire to weigh in on foreign policy beyond isolated instances. Only academia consistently attempted to influence policy during Mbeki and Zuma’s regime. Ultimately, blame for this lack of change appears to lie mostly with the outside actors, who during the first 14 years of democracy failed to take advantage of political space opened to them. In examining both Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, the thesis found that they took advantage of this leeway to dominate the foreign policy debate and rarely went out of their way to open the foreign policy debate any more than they had to. This research generally aims at analyzing the role of state and non-state actors in South Africa's foreign policy and eventually how the actors impact on its foreign policy with African nations and notes that there is room for improvement in terms of engaging the State and non-state actors in the foreign policy formulation and implementation process
The Interface between the African Union Right of Intervention and Human Rights Protection: Case Study of Somalia
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of Masters in International Relations (MIR)This study looks at the establishment of the AU as a supranational legal entity with significant powers of intervention in domestic crisis situations and how, the constitution of the AU offers an alternative framework for organizing apolitical community.
For over two decades Somalia has been in constant turmoil, and in turn caused the displacement of her people, loss of lives and also affected her stability as a nation. The instability in Somalia led to the breeding of terror cells. The AU intervened in 2005 through African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), to bring peace in the nation. The intervention was under the auspices of article 4 (h) of the Constitutive Act of the African Union. This research aims to determine that the exercise of the AU’s right of intervention, will eventually lead to Human Rights protection.
The AU intervention in Somalia is looked at against the backdrop of the principle of Responsibility to Protect (R2P). This R2P principle mainly determined sovereignty as a responsibility as well as guide states during exercising intervention. This principle also asserts that states are also responsible to assist where other states cannot solve their crises alone. The R2P principle was the conceptual framework for this study. The information was gathered through desktop research, from reading various articles on AU intervention and the Somali crisis.
As a result the study established that the AU has the chief responsibility for establishing and initiating the continent’s peace and security architecture. The AU Constitutive Act enshrines the right to intervene. The AU has adopted the interventionist stance and has embraced the policy of non-indifference towards war crimes and crimes against humanity in Africa
The Effectiveness of Anti-Corruption Strategies: A Kenyan Case Study
No full textThesis Submitted to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the United States International University - Africa in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the award of a Master of Arts Degree in International Relations. (Integrated Studies)The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of anti-corruption strategies in
Kenya; led by the following research questions; what are the some of the main causes of
corruption in Kenya? What are some of the common forms of corruption? What are the
anti-corruption strategies that have been adopted in Kenya? What are the legal and
constitutional frameworks for combating corruption in Kenya? How have the anticorruption
strategies in Kenya influenced the trends of corruption in Kenya? The
methodology used was a descriptive pattern of research design. The population for the
study included 1024 individuals working with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption
Commission (EACC) in Nairobi. The sampling frame comprised of a list of all the staff at
the EACC, obtained at the human resources office. The research used a semi-structured
interview method to gather data from the respondents selected through a randomized
computer generated system. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS) program. The study found that there were several causal factors to
corruption in Kenya; institutional weaknesses, poor pay packages for the civil servants
and lack of transparency and accountability in public institutions were some of the major
causes of corruption in Kenya. It also determined that there were various forms of
corruption; petty corruption, grand corruption, bureaucratic corruption, political
corruption as well as private sector corruption. Various anti-corruption strategies were
found to be existent and implemented by the government. These strategies range from
legal, institutional through to financial. It also found out further that the government has
put in place institutional frameworks to reduce the level of bureaucratic corruption in the
country. It found that there were mixed results with regard to the effectiveness of the anticorruption
strategies employed in Kenya. The study concludes by contending that there
are several factors to blame for the existence of corruption in Kenya which are mostly
associated with the political culture in Kenya and the lack of political will to resolve and
combat them. It also contends that the existence of the legal and institutional frameworks
for combating corruption provides a credible opportunity for dealing with the vice. The
study recommends that the specific institutions charged with combating corruption should
be strengthened and provided with prosecutorial powers
Strengthening a Vibrant Domestic Investment Market for Economic Growth in Kenya
No full textThesis Report Submitted To The School Of Humanities And Social Sciences In Partial Fulfilment Of The Requirements For The Award Of The Degree Of Master Of Arts In International RelationsA thriving private sector is central to achieving the objectives of Kenya’s Vision 2030. In fact, the success of Vision 2030 is largely premised on the role of the private sector in achieving the countries growth objectives and, thereby, creating greater wealth and employment opportunities. In general, the private sector in Kenya is vibrant and in good health. Kenya is a promising place to do business, with growing markets and good opportunities. Importantly, there is a widespread intellectual appreciation amongst Kenyans, including government officials, that the private sector is important and will be the main driver of growth, rather than the state. Positively, the business climate has improved over the last decade. Frustratingly, it is the same recurrent challenges that prevent the private sector from reaching its full potential: political uncertainty, corruption, infrastructural deficits, and an untapped informal sector. The purpose of this study is to measure the private sector’s actual contribution to the Kenyan economy and, as a result, the progress and success of the aforementioned policies. The findings of the study are that private sector still has a lot more muscle to exercise in order to valuably contribute to economic growth in Kenya. It proposes the adoption of several items under the ambit of political factors; economic factors and social factors that can be strengthened further in an effort to increase the contribution of private investments in promoting rapid economic growth
Intercultural Communication in Conflict Management: A Case Study of the Karamoja Cluster
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 RelationsCommunities in the Karamoja cluster have been embroiled in conflict for many years, occasioned by competition for resources especially grazing land and water. The general objective of the study was to establish the role of intercultural communication in conflict management with special focus on Karamoja cluster. The study specifically aimed to: determine the role of culture in fueling conflict among the Karamoja cluster communities; ascertain the impact of cultural diversity on peace building efforts among the Karamoja communities; and, establish the importance of intercultural communication in resolution of conflicts among the Karamoja cluster communities.
The study sought to establish why in spite of diverse efforts to deescalate the conflict it still occurred among the communities. This was established by answering these three research questions: how does culture fuel conflict among the Karamoja cluster communities? to what extent does cultural diversity impact on peace building efforts among the Karamoja communities?, what is the importance of intercultural communication in resolution of conflicts among the Karamoja cluster communities?
Descriptive research design was employed to conduct the study and generalize the findings to all the communities. The study population comprised of the Provincial Administration Officers, representatives of Civil Society Organization and Faith- based groups, and local residents in both Turkana and West Pokot districts. The study used stratified random sampling approach to get the study sample population. Questionnaires were used as the main tool for collecting primary data while secondary data was derived from books, journals, internet and other publications.
The study was able to establish the role of intercultural communication in conflict management in Karamoja cluster. A lack of clear understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity has led to misconceptions between the cluster communities leading to recurrent conflicts. The study was also able to determine the role of culture in fueling conflict among the Karamoja cluster communities, ascertain the impact of cultural diversity on peace building efforts among the Karamoja communities, and establish the importance of intercultural communication in resolution of conflicts among the Karamoja cluster communities
An Investigation of the Factors That Influence the Adoption of Secure Cryptographic QR in Counterfeit Goods Authentication: A Case of Nairobi
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 TechnologyThe purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing adoption of secure cryptographic QR application by focusing on alcohol vendors who engage in the business of selling alcoholic beverages in Nairobi and its environs. This research was based on four specific objectives which were: to study the influence of cryptographic embedded QR code characteristics on the adoption of secure QR technology; influence of merchant attitudes; government factors on adoption of secure QR; and developing a secure QR prototype that was used by participants.
The conceptual model adopted included the encrypted QR code characteristics, merchant attitudes and government factors which constituted the independent variables. The behavioural intention to use the secure QR application was the dependent variable. The research therefore sought to investigate the influence of the independent variables on the dependent variable. Additionally, the relationship between some variables and their indirect influence on the dependent variable was included in the model.
The research adopted two approaches that is a behavioral approach in which a quantitative research design using a survey questionnaire was issued to the selected sample of 120 alcohol vendors located in Nairobi County. Primary data was used and the questionnaires were distributed by hand. The experimental approach involved component design and development of the cryptographic QR system. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 24). Reliability analysis was done to establish how items positively correlated to each other. The aim of correlation was to study the relationship between variables while regression studied the relationship between dependent and independent variables.
The first research objective aimed at establishing influence of encrypted QR characteristics on adoption of secure QR technology. The study concluded that encrypted QR characteristics influenced intention to use to a great magnitude. Also, notable secure QR characteristics in terms of security of records in the database is that the application makes it hard for the records to be interfered with. Trust of the application was explained in that alcohol vendors increased their level of embracing the secure QR by recognizing its trustworthiness.
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The second research objective aimed at establishing the influence of merchants’ attitude in adoption of the secure QR. The study concluded that that perceived efficiency and effectiveness of the secure QR application is crucial in business operation when it comes to authenticating products. It was also noted that there is need for easy and navigable applications. Additionally, senior management support is crucial in influencing decision to use the cryptographic QR.
The third research objective sought to establish the influence of government factors in adoption of secure QR technology. The revelations from these showed the inadequacy of current policies formulated by government to combat counterfeit goods in the market. These also includes awareness campaigns that were inadequate in making the masses aware of the benefits of using secure QR applications and bar codes to combat counterfeit goods. The conclusion was that the participation of the government and awareness agencies is crucial in adoption of secure QR which to a large extent revolves around the policies formulated, creation of awareness and enforcement of the said policies and strategies for combating counterfeit goods.
The conclusions emanating from the study were: encrypted QR characteristics and merchant attitudes greatly influenced the alcohol vendors’ intention to use the secure QR application. Features of the application that stood out included reliability and perceived cost effectiveness of the secure QR application. The investigation of how merchant attitudes influence intention to use QR showed that perceived efficiency and effectiveness of the secure QR application is crucial in business operation in authenticating products. It was also noted that there is need for easy and navigable applications. This study can also help government and other relevant agencies to come up with strategies and policies as this would increase users’ intention to adopt use of the secure cryptographic QR. The policies could focus on the usefulness, cost effectiveness, reliability and security of the secure QR. The findings on how government factors influence adoption of secure QR technology indicate the need for government participation in formulating favourable policies, creating awareness and enforcing those policies to fight the war against counterfeit goods.
The study recommended that there is room for improving the infrastructure of the application to enhance its usability. It would also be ideal for future developers to incorporate features of ease of use while developing applications as these features are key
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in coming up with positive intentions to use a technology. Based on the findings while investigating the influence of government factors on the adoption of secure QR technology, the recommendation is that other target populations should be included in future research such as government officials and enforcement agencies that formulate policies, create awareness and enforces these policies. The input from this population would contribute greatly in understanding the roles they perform in their fight against counterfeits
The Role of Product Innovation on the Performance Of Firm's Marketing Operations: A Case Study of the Cement Industry 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 this study was to analyze the role of product innovation on performance of tlrms marketing operations with a focus on the cement industrx in The study was guided by the following specific research qLieslions: how does discontinuity affects perforiTiimCe"of firm's marketing operations? flow does customer
discontinuity affects performance of firm's marketing operations? How does discontinuity affect performance of firm's marketing operations?
The study adopted a (descriptive research method in analyzing, interpreting, presenting data. The descriptive research method was the best for this study focused on the relationship between product innovation and performance of operations. The study used questionnaires to get data from respondents. focused on a population of 3000 employees of Athi River and Bamburi cement
companies targeting 150 middle and top level managers in the two companies. size of 60 top and middle level managers was arrived at using stratilled technique method. The study adopted a descriptive and inferential statistics analysis and presentation. The research data was anahzed using Statistical Package Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft e.\cel programs. Tables were used presentation.
The study examined how market disconlinuit) alTects performance of firm's marketing
operations. The study found that due to market discontinuit)', cement companies economic characteristics such as psychological and biological characteristics understand consumer behaviour. The study revealed how customer disconlinuit}' affects
performance of tlrm's marketing operations. The stud\d thai through
competitiveness and new product developmenl. cemenl companies arc experiencing
tremendous profits. Cement manufacturing companies have increased in size and as a result of launch of new products and services in the market. The study companies anaKze consumer personalities to understand consumer behaviour particular products or brand choices. The stud> examined how iechiiolog_\\
effects performance of firm's marketing operations. The study reveals that technological
discontinuities are triggered by technological possibilities of technological market pull presenting the market needs and social needs. As a result of technological
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discontinuity, tlie competence of a firm including new skills and knowledge development of a product is acquired.
The study concludes that cement manufacturing companies use socio economic
characteristics such as psychological and biological characteristics to consumer behaviour. The coiTipa4«es have increased in size and profits as launch of new products and services in the market, fhe study concludes thai technological discontinuity, the competence of a firm including new skills and in both the development of a product is acquired. Competence skills at the away for the organizatipns to acquire new skills to represent a new way of products into a more continuous How hence the study concludes that Competencies firm alter price performance relationships within a product class in an creating uncertainties as firms struggle to master untested and product or process.
The study concludes that customer demographics help companies to target customers with their products and services hence the organizations should product portfolios, businesses and marketing strategies lo customer demographics values, lifestyles, attitudes and behaviour related to their consumption. To and profits, the companies should launch new products and scr\ices in the study recommends the cement companies to venture into new business environments result of technological discontinuities. Companies leverage on technology through alliances to speed up product development lience the\d Join alliances to the uncertainty in the industry and the companies position vi
Effectiveness of Marketing Communication to Customers through Modern Technology: A Case Study of Kenyatta International Convention Center (KICC)
No full textA Research Project 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 this study is to investigate the how effective is KICC' s marketing
communication through modem technology. This study wil l guided by the following
research questions. To estahlislT'The effectiveness of the marketing communication
channels through use of modem technology at KICC . To establish the effectiveness of the
marketing communication content used on modem technology at KICC . To detennine
establish the marketing communication barriers through use of modem technology at
KICC .
This study wil l adopt a descriptive research design. The population of the study was 60
organizations that fall un3er that target market of KICC . An open stmctured questionnaire
was used to collect the data. The questionnaire was administered by the researcher. The
completed questionnaires were edited for completeness. The data wil l be analyzed and
interpreted using descriptive statistics through frequencies, percentages and regression
analysis. The findings wil l be presented in the form of tables and figures
The Effect of Shareholding on the Financial Performance of the Banking Sector in Kenya
No full textA Research Project Report Presented In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA)The general purpose of the study was to establish the effect of shareholding on the financial performance of the banking sector in Kenya. This study was guided by the following research questions: what are the concentration structures of shareholding adopted by banks in the banking sector in Kenya? What is the relationship between ownership structure and firm performance? What are the factors that determine financial performance and what are the risks in choice of shareholding structure adopted by the banking institutions affecting their performance?
A descriptive research was adopted because the study was aimed at collecting information from respondents on their perceptions about the effects of shareholding on the financial performance of the banking sector in Kenya Further; the correlation approach was adopted as the study was seeking to describe relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The target population for this study was 243 respondents who oversee the financial performance of the banks. The sampling technique was stratified random sampling method. From the initial target population a sample of 151 questionnaires distributed only 140 were filled and returned giving a response rate of 93%.
The first objective established that regulation in the industry is based on shareholder concentration (local or international). The second objective established that efficiency in the bank is a as a result of the output that the shareholders have committed to goal attainment. Efficient utilization of assets and management skills contributes to good returns in the banking industry. The third objective revealed that the results established that most respondents agree that the inventory records are updated regularly in the bank. The last objective established that most respondents agree that diversity of investors fosters investment trading activity. Risk exposures determine their trading positions in the banking institutions.
The study concluded that ownership concentration increases; the positive monitoring effect of concentrated ownership first dominates but later is outweighed by the negative effects, such as the expropriation of minority shareholders. Secondly, institutional ownership is only significant to ROE but insignificant to ROA. Meanwhile, the insignificant results of family ownership and foreign ownership suggest that both types of ownership structure do not have significant impacts to the bank performance. Thirdly, the relationship between bank performance and capital adequacy and management efficiency was found to be positive and for asset quality the relationship was negative. Although, bank managers who invest their liquid assets can generate income and boost their performance. Lastly, Macroeconomic variables such as inflation are prone to influence the shareholding of banks.
The study recommended that control of shareholding between the domestic and foreign owned banks should be implemented because foreign banks have a higher loan portfolio quality and thus lower levels of insider lending. Secondly, the maintenance of good relationship between the firm’s managers should be maintained and a stable shareholding since it ensures a fixed returns to assets. Thirdly, there is need for commercial banks to improve their performance in terms of their ROEs and ROAs. Finally, banks should improve on their liquidity more so the ability of the banks to promptly repay the depositors. Finally, Industry concentration should be worked on since it has a positive impact on banking performance.
Further studies should be done in other sectors of the economy such as manufacturing sector to determine the firm specific factors that influence their performance. There is also need to carry out the same study in the banking industry in Kenya but by employing a different model and approach in order to test the determinants of bank financial performance
An Evaluation of the Factors Affecting the Uptake of Insurance Products Delivered Through Mobile and Web Based Technologies in Kenya: Case of USIU-A Students
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 general objective of this study is to evaluate the factors affecting uptake of insurance products delivered through mobile and web based technologies in the Kenyan market. The study was aimed at establishing the various mobile and web based technologies employed in the Kenyan insurance industry; examining factors affecting the use of mobile and web based technologies, purchasing insurance products and determining factors affecting the use of mobile and web based technologies in claiming insurance policies.
The research design used in this study is descriptive research design. This is because it allows the use of the findings of the study, as a general reflection of the large population. It also allows for the collection of quantitative data which will be analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The target population for this study comprised of 267 USIU-Africa MBA Summer 2017 students, Strategic Management Majors. This study used simple random sampling techniques. A structured questionnaire adopting the likert scale was used as the data collection and collected was analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics.
The researcher sought to determine the extent to which the target population has interacted with mobile and web technology generally and also specifically relating to insurance. Majority disagreed that insurance provider has offered an option of purchasing insurance through mobile and web technologies and many were not familiar with the automated digital insurance process. In addition, the response indicated that the insurer is not always innovating to cater for the respondent’s pertinent insurance needs and introduction of mobile and web by insurance companies has not translated to availability of cheaper insurance policies. The payment methods revealed that majority sometimes use cash and mobile money. It was also noted that respondents normally learn about the products from visit by intermediaries/ insurance employees and referral by friends.
To determine the factors affecting purchase of insurance products through mobile and web technologies and the majority disagreed that availability of web and mobile technology prompts them to purchase more insurance policies. It was also noted that availability of purchasing insurance through web and mobile technologies has not enhanced knowledge on insurance policies.
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To determine the factors affecting the use of mobile and web technologies in the claims process. It was agreed that when selecting an insurance provider, claims process and reputation are the greatest consideration. Majority agreed that through use of mobile and web technologies, they see an opportunity of fake claims being detected by Insurance companies. The use of technology by insurer was reported not to provide faster feedback on claims status, nor receive payment through the web or mobile technologies offered by insurance provider.
It was concluded that many people lack the knowledge of the various option of purchasing insurance through mobile and web technologies neither are they familiar with the automated digital insurance process. From the findings, it is clear that mobile and web technologies has not in any way prompt consumers to purchase more insurance policies, neither has it enhanced the knowledge on insurance policies, nor improved customer experience journey with the insurance companies. It was also concluded that consumers care about the insurance provider, claims process and reputation of as firm before engagement.
It was recommended that insurance firms need to create awareness through the various media platforms. Also consumers need to be educated about the various payment methods as a result of adoption of mobile and web based technologies. Insurance firms also need to re-evaluate their strategies by identifying the various needs of the consumers and creating a product that best fits those needs. With the advent of technology issues of fraud and forgery are bound to increase, as such there is a need to put up stringent measures to mitigate against fake claims.
Further studies should be done based on the performance of the insurance firms in the advent of technology adoption, and to achieve this a comparison should be made of the period before and after technology adoption