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Ways to assess staff engagement at work
No full textA Newspaper article by Scott Bellows, an Assistant Professor in the Chandaria School of Business at USIU-AfricaA relatively new area of organisational behaviour that researchers currently explore within companies entails the degree to which employees can express their voice.
Business researchers have long understood that staff engagement must occur in order for companies to reap rewards of organisational effectiveness through innovation and greater competiveness. Now, researchers uncover that emotional employee engagement occurs when workers feel they possess sufficient opportunities to give upward feedback to their superior and executives within their firms.
Managers often rate employee satisfaction by the absence of dissent. No complaints? Then everyone must be happy. However, nothing can represent an organisational falsehood quite like such a mentality.
Workers may lodge dissent, but also innovative new thoughts, creative initiatives, and other profit making and cost cutting ideas only if they feel that they can register their opinions upward in the entity and that senior management will not just listen but actually utilise the feedback
Ensuring fairness in your firm’s pay spread
No full textA Newspaper article by Scott Bellows, an Assistant Professor in the Chandaria School of Business at USIU-AfricaEmployees care ferociously about fairness. If a workplace hires more of one ethnicity than another, the unfavoured tribes will feel slighted. If men get promoted more often, the women in an office will harbour disdain for the firm. If former pupils from the same secondary as the boss receive higher salaries than other workers, then emotions of inequality will abound.
Unlike canines who survive as pack animals with regimented accepted hierarchies, humans by nature favour equitable distribution of resources and both dislike as well as notice unfairness. Unfortunately, what we as a species prefer in fairness, we do not always find in our employment relationships.
Many organisations promulgate and accept glaring injustices that tinge our internal natural desire for fairness. In continuing the Business Talk series on organisational justice, this week we delve into the distributive side of firm-level fairness.
As researchers Russell Cropanzano, David Bowen, and Stephen Gilliland delineate, distributive justice encompasses the appropriateness of outcomes. Outcomes fall into three different categories of equity, equality, and need. Rewarding staff based on their specific contributions involves equity fairness. Providing each worker with roughly the same compensation entails equality fairness. Providing benefits based on an employee’s personal requirements comprises need fairness
Future bright for Kenya after poll jitters
No full textA Newspaper article by Scott Bellows, an Assistant Professor in the Chandaria School of Business at USIU-AfricaImagine a country where vote rigging and buying persisted in urban areas.
A wealthy businessman strip-mined large tracks of land in several counties while giving only minimal compensation to the government or communities. He then outright bought votes to become a senator.
Then years later in the present time, the nation’s parliament opened a phony smokescreen investigation into political rivals to distract from anti-corruption criminal inquiries due to complicity with foreign spy agencies.
The above referenced realm is the US. The early 1900s was part of the progressive era in American politics where the growing middle class tried to dampen the unethical political machinations of prior decades. By 1900 the country grew agitated when the public learned of mining magnate and Montana Senator William Clark’s methods to attain his political office
The Role of Strategic Leadership in Effective Strategy Implementation: A Case Study of UNICEF Somalia
No full textA Research Project Report Submitted to the Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Master of Business Administration (MBA)The main purpose of the study was to establish the role of strategic leadership in effective strategy implementation at UNICEF Somalia. The study sought to answer the following research questions: What is the role of strategic leadership in strategy implementation at UNICEF Somalia; what is the role of organizational culture in strategy implementation at UNICEF Somalia; and what is the role of organizational structure in strategy implementation at UNICEF Somalia?
This study adopted the descriptive research design. The descriptive study was used to examine the relationship between the roles of strategic leadership (independent variable) in effective strategy implementation (dependent variable). The population for this study was the staff working at UNICEF Somalia whose total was 294. For this study, the sampling frame came from the official list of employees that worked at UNICEF Somalia in 2016 and was obtained from the organization’s human resource department. The study used stratified sampling technique. The sample size of the study was 50% of the total number of managers at different levels and that of regular staff which brought the total sample size to 148. Data analysis was done using means and standard deviations to show the strength and the degree in response differences. The study also employed the use of correlation and regression analysis to test the existing relationships between the study variables. Presentations of these findings were done by use of figures and tables.
The study showed that there was need for an organization to have valued-servant champions like in UNICEF who built trusting relationships which encouraged collaboration within the organization, as well as a powered-team champion who was accountable for cascading goals and team management. The study showed that UNICEF was successful in implementing strategy within the organization through linking of team members and different work processes that implanted self-confidence and autonomy in the various existing teams, and also through value addition in the resource management process, and employee development processes.
The study showed that an organizational culture was crucial in facilitating effective strategy implementation and it was used as a form of control and as a means of increasing productivity within the organization. The organizational culture at UNICEF helped employees to understand the disconnectedness of the organization that fostered collaboration in achieving strategy implementation and it had a purposeful communication capable of conveying circular relationships and exposing the interdependency of individual units within the organization.
The study showed that the organizational structure helped UNICEF to implement its strategies effectively. The organization’s structure served as a basis for orchestrating the organizational activities and it promoted specialization of labor to encourage efficiency and minimize the need for an elaborate control system. The study showed that UNICEF’s structure had the ability to promote full utilization of the most up-to-date technical skills and facilitate the capitalization of efficiency gained from specialized manpower, faculties, and equipment.
The study concludes that strategy implementation is not possible without stability between strategy and all organizational dimensions. The study concludes that an organizational culture is crucial in facilitating effective strategy implementation and it is used as a form of control and as a means of increasing productivity within the organization. From the study, it can be concluded that the organizational structure helped UNICEF to implement its strategies effectively. The organization’s structure served as a basis for orchestrating the organizational activities and it promoted specialization of labor to encourage efficiency and minimize the need for an elaborate control system.
The study recommends UNICEF leaders that are interested in changing the way the organization does things to take a step back from the process-based activities of strategic planning and focus on the value-based forces underlying the organization’s behaviors. These leaders need to carry out a culture assessments that will reveal what strategic culture characteristics exist and they can promote the strengths they find to motivate personnel and identify possibilities for immediate successes in their cultural reshaping endeavors
Challenges Facing Financial Services Agents: Case Study of Nairobi County
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 Organizational Development (MOD)Financial services agents play an important role in the improving financial access by bringing services closer to the people. Agent banking has dramatically reduced the cost of delivering financial services to the unreached people. Despite the enormous role played by agents, they are affected by various challenges that act as an impediment to their effective operations. The purpose of the study was to investigate the challenges facing financial services agents in Nairobi County. The study was guided by the following research questions: What operational challenges affect agents in the financial services industry? What technological challenges affect agents in the financial services industry? and How do operational and technological challenges affect performance of financial services agents?
The research adopted a descriptive research design. The target population constituted
MPESA agents, Airtel money agents, KCB Mtaani agents, Equity agents and Coop kwa
Jirani agents in Nairobi County. A structured closed and open-ended questionnaire
administered face to face was the main instrument for data collection. The questionnaire was pre-tested through pilot study to ascertain the reliability of instrument in collecting required information for the study. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
On operational challenges, the researcher found that lack of float was a very important
challenge Training was however not an important challenge. Most of the agents reported to having received training from the concerned financial institution. In cases where agents operated multiple agency services they were of the opinion that receiving training on one standard agency system for all financial institutions would improve their business. Insecurity was found to be a very important challenge although the agents had taken sufficient measures to curb insecurity in their work premises hence low insecurity incidents were reported.
Agency related laws were also found to be a very important challenge with 95.3% of the
agents that operated multiple agency services forming an opinion that it would be much
easier to start agency businesses if the regulations did not require them to seek approvals from multiple institutions.
Findings on the technological challenges revealed that 75.1% of the agents experienced
system down times with 95.3% of them agreeing that network unavailability was a major
hindrance to service delivery. The system down times were however not attributed to the
gadgets used for agency banking as 71.7% of the agents agreed that the gadgets used for agency banking were reliable.
On investigating how operational and technological challenges affect performance of
financial services agents, the study revealed that lack of float (liquidity problem) and agency regulation challenge resulted in reduced monthly transaction. The findings also indicated that the more the agents experienced system down times and network unavailability, the lower the monthly transactions. Monthly transactions were used as a measure of performance.
From the findings, the study concluded although lack of training was not a challenge, the
agents that received training for multiple financial institutions had difficulties keeping up
with the trainings from different financial institutions. Operators of agency outlets had
invested in physical security measures to securing their outlets and as a result few cases of insecurity were reported. Liquidity and Agency regulated laws were important challenges that affected performance, as one cannot transact if they lack float and if the regulations are too tedious then it becomes difficult to expand the business. Further the study concluded that system down times and network unavailability were a major hindrance to service delivery and that the presence of both operational challenge predictors (liquidity, insecurity and agency regulation) and technological challenge predictors (systems down times, network unavailability) resulted in reduced monthly transactions hence reduced performance.
As a remedy to these challenges the study recommends that Central Bank should consider revising current policies to allow a standard agency system platform for all financial institutions. The study also recommends setting up redundant network infrastructures to improve network accessibility and reliability. Finally the study recommended taking measures to reduce operational challenge predictors (liquidity, insecurity and agency regulation) as well as reduce network hitches as this would help financial agency operators increase their monthly transactions thus improving performance and as a result contribute to the success of agent banking in Kenya making the goal of financial inclusion as envisioned in Kenya’s Vision 2030 that agency banking is supposed to address achievable
Factors Affecting Internet Banking Adoption in Kenya: Case Study of National Bank of Kenya and Equity Bank
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 general purpose of the study was to determine the factors affecting the adoption of internet banking in Kenya among users of National Bank of Kenya and Equity Bank. The writing of the research paper was directed by the subsequent research questions: How do culture, customer perceptions and perceived risk affect the adoption of internet banking in Kenya? How do cost and resources reduction affect the adoption of internet banking? And how does privacy and security risk affect the adoption of internet banking?
The study was conducted through the use of a descriptive research design, quantitative and qualitative research techniques were used to obtain information. The target population for the study comprised of 3,300 corporate account holders from National Bank of Kenya and Equity Bank, which consist of 1,500 corporate customers from National bank of Kenya and 1,800 corporate customers from Equity bank at Harambee and Kenyatta avenue branches for National Bank of Kenya and Upper Hill and Kenyatta avenue branches for Equity Bank in Nairobi. The sampling frame consisted of corporate customers and sampling techniques used include the random sampling method. Data was collected from the respondents and the collected data was numbered, edited and entered in to the system so as to be run through the use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The researcher then used descriptive statistics technique to the data collected, the analyzed data was then presented through the use of tables and charts that showed the different percentages and frequencies of the data.
The findings on the Culture, and customer perceptions of internet banking usage indicated that most customers are not influenced much by culture. Among all the variables used culture was the weakest psychological determinant in respect to internet banking adoption but still played a key role and cannot be ignored. Research and findings contradict the earlier by other authors indicated that the intention to use internet banking was being affects primarily and positively by the culture of the internet user.
The findings on the resources and rewards of internet banking services indicate that banks should create awareness on the benefits of using internet banking. Customers can have easy access to the global markets, reducing the costs banking, save time and improve banking services was important to them. The automation of banking services and user friendly tools for managing the customers’ funds give the latter increased comfort in time management. Since the customer can access internet banking services at his convenient time, then they are able to schedule and utilize their time without unnecessary travels to a physical bank. A customer can use internet banking to send or receive money instantly, transfer money to another country at a touch of a button and at the comfort of their homes.
The findings on the privacy and security of internet banking services indicated that customers do not trust banks to secure their personal information and this is a big inherence in the adoption of internet banking. Lack of trust among the respondents on financial institutions was a significant issue that prevents customers from internet banking acceptance. Respondents believe that trust and privacy are critical component in attract and retain present customers as well as improving and encouraging the adoption of internet banking in Kenya.
The study revealed that banks should capitalize on the benefits that Internet banking offer as consumers tend to want value for their money and relate rewards that they get from the use of internet banking as a reason for wanting to engage in internet banking. A large number of respondents do not have experience with the Internet banking which makes them to be drawn to what they are used to and what they trust that is the physical bank.
The study revealed that the perception of security has the stronger impact on customers' attitude, which in turn influences customers' intention to use electronic banking services. Utilization of internet banking services indicated that the respondents are worried about releasing their personal information and banking details, they believe that it is not safe to use internet banking which results in financial institutions experiencing problems in appealing to customers. Respondent’s perception about security risk was found to be the most dominant influential factor, followed by resources.
The study recommends that bank managers should focus on the promotion, encouraging and educating the customers on the invaluable advantages that are gained from the use of internet banking. Banks should ensure that internet banking privacy, trust and security is given a high priority to increase consumer confidence through improving their technological, infrastructure and websites to ensure that they provide structural and systems which will include safety nets, regulations and security checks to promote a sense of security and privacy about the related technological that they are using
The Effects of External Environmental Factors on Strategy Implementation of Donor Funded Projects in Somalia: A Case of the International Organization for Migration (IOM)
No full textA Research Project Report Submitted to the School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA)Strategy implementation is an important component of the strategic management process. Unfortunately for the donor funded community working in Somalia, strategy implementation is characterized by very high failure rates. Many of the organizations are experiencing challenges during the implementation stage of projects that are aimed at helping the Somali people regain their footing. These challenges can be attributed to both the internal environment and the external environmental factors that are at play in Somalia. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the external environment factors on strategic implementation of donor funded projects in Somalia with a focus on the International Organization for Migration (IOM) mission in Somalia. The study was guided by research questions that investigate three important points; how political factors affect strategy implementation of projects in Somalia, how technological factors affect strategy implementation of projects in Somalia and finally how social factors affect strategy implementation of projects in Somalia.
The research design was descriptive in nature focusing on the International Organization for Migration (IOM), specifically its Mogadishu and Hargeisa offices. Stratified sampling technique was used to select the sample in which forty-five (45) respondents representing the whole population of staff who work in the aforementioned offices. The staff included management and non-management staff categorized into three levels; management staff, implementation staff and support staff. Information was collected using a questionnaire developed by the researcher. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and results presented in tables and graphs.
The study found out that the three factors namely political, technological and social, all had different levels of impact on the implementation of projects in Somalia. The most impactful external environment factor was technology. Increased internet access in Somalia, increase in the use of mobile phones and adaptation of ICT by donor organizations all played vital parts in determining the success or failure of project implementation by donor organizations in Somalia.
Political factors were ranked as the second most impactful factors. The study found that donor organizations should be aware of the local politics of the area they are operating in so as to be aware, and possibly prevent, political roadblocks that may be put in their way. Closely related to this the organizations are also encouraged to foster positive government relations both with the local government and the federal government. This would go a long way in ensuring that the organization is able to implement its projects in an effective fashion.
The findings indicated that social factors were the least impactful of the three factors. This does not by any means dampen their importance since the findings also revealed a positive correlation between social factors and technological factors and social factors and political factors underpinning their relative importance. Donor organizations are encouraged to be familiar with the clans in their community, to be sensitive to religious beliefs and also learn Somali culture. Managing these social factors will ensure the organization will be able to work in harmony with the community.
The study concludes that the external environment cannot be ignored if a donor organization operating in Somalia is striving for maximum effectiveness whilst executing its projects. Political factors, technological factors and social factors are all present in varying degrees and all have to be managed with different strategies. Political and technological factors may be more visible than social factors however the donor organization is advised to manage all three factors since they are all intertwined in their ability to negatively affect the organization’s operations.
The study recommends that donor organizations should create relationships with the communities they serve, with the local government and with the federal government. The study also recommends that the donor organizations be keenly aware of technological advancements in the tech world with a view of adapting technologies to further enhance their operations. The study also recommends that further research be carried out by other donor organizations and furthermore in other areas beyond Mogadishu and Hargeisa so as to eventually get an accurate picture of the country as a whole
Factors Affecting Effective Implementation of Sound Financial Management in County Governments in Kenya: A Case of Kiambu County
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 analyse factors affecting effective implementation of sound financial management in County governments in Kenya. This was guided by the following research questions: How does Organizational Leadership affect sound financial management in County Governments? How does Organizational Culture affect sound financial management in County governments? What are the challenges and solutions affecting sound financial management in County governments?
The study utilised a descriptive study to establish respondent’s perceptions in relation to sound financial management in Kiambu County. The target population for this study were county and sub-county administrators, finance managers, and accountants in Kiambu County who are 340. From the initial target population and using the sample size formula a sample of 138 respondents was drawn. Primary data was collected by administered questionnaires and out of the 138 data collection instruments issued just 100 were finished and returned. This offered a response rate of 72.5% which was adequate for this study.
An analysis of the first objective revealed that the county government has employed competence and strategies to survive and there is a long term strategic vision for services and this raises concerns for the performance of the county. The findings also reveal that the management has taken an active role in developing the mission statement and to easily accomplish that the Kiambu County not have segmented their investment portfolio into sub-portfolios with different investment objectives and strategies.
Analysis of the second objective revealed that the staff are aware of organizational culture while and it is also believed that the culture affects the setting objectives and resources management to achieve goals. Despite this pit fall, the organization’s management have introduced operations tips to improve productivity and the norms and values that employees should conform to. The county was also been acknowledged for conducting an-in-depth analysis for employees to find out what factors increases job performance.
An analysis of the last objective revealed that among the challenges experienced is that it is difficult to provide decision makers with relevant, quality, timely and credible information and that nearly all reforms go through the resistance stage especially when they touch on budgets and finances. There is also need for staff to be motivated to use the information to make decisions away from traditional processes and fears must be addressed that punishment was used for non-performance issues only.
The study concluded that county government has employed competence and strategies to survive and although that is the case there are still challenges that the county face in proving sufficient and clear structures involving all stakeholders. It was also concluded that county staff are aware of organizational culture that affects the setting of objectives and resources management to achieve goals. The organization’s management have introduced operations tips to improve productivity and the norms and values that employees should conform to. Finally, the study concluded that among the challenges experienced was difficulty to provide decision makers with relevant, quality, timely and credible information and that nearly all reforms go through the resistance stage especially when they touch on budgets and finances.
The study recommends that Kiambu County need to segment their investment portfolio into sub-portfolios with different investment objectives and strategies; this will ensure that the firm is covered in case of financial risks. The county also need to do regular benchmark of their performance against an external benchmark so as to gauge the rate of performance to other counties. Also the study recommends that the county needs to take ethical issues seriously and the institution need to gauge employees’ consistency by their ethical business practices. On matters of communication, the organization needs to set up a proper effective communication for the organization. Employees also need to adapt to evolving circumstances although there is a need to change employee attitudes to avert the challenges.
The study recommended that similar studies done in the other 46 counties in order to generalize the findings. The study also recommends that future studies should be do on establishing the financial risk management in county governments
Analysing the Implication Digitization Would Have On Property Pricing In Kenya
No full textA Project Report Submitted to the Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Global Executive Masters in Business Administration (GEMBA)The main purpose of this research is to analyse how digitization would affect
Kenya’s property prices in different regions. In order to achieve the main goal, the following research questions were set; what are the factors that affect property pricing; what are the factors that affect digitization; and how and to what extent does digitization affect the Kenyan property prices.
The research used the explanatory research design. Quantitative Research will
be used to quantify the problem by way of generating numerical data or data that can be
transformed into useable statistics. Attitudes, opinions, behaviors, and other defined variables will be quantified and generalized results from a larger sample population will be considered. Data will be represented in Tables and Figures. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires. SPSS will be used to aid in the data analysis.
Major findings on the research objectives indicate that factors influencing property prices cut across all markets. The same economic, physical and political considerations to be made are similar in most geographical jurisdictions. This points to the fact that similar practices exist and can be borrowed from one jurisdiction to another to enhance best practices in the real estate industry.
Further, digitization is seen to be an industry disruptor and can benefit various industries across the world opening up trade barriers. Developed countries are reaping the benefits of taking advantage of the digital space and advancements. Developing countries would be keen on having a substantial reliance to digitization if they are to be considered developed.
Digitization in the real estate industry is observed to impact the industry in a positive way in developed countries. Best practices can best be achieved through learning
from jurisdictions that have championed this concept not only from a business perspective but also on sustainability of the industry. Constant advancements that can only be achieved through digitization should be enough to build a case for any developing country to substantially invest in digitization.
On the conclusion, factors influencing property pricing can only be reinforced through proper regulation. Digitization is a sure win for any business that is looking to transcend the future. Once incorporated in real estate, digitization can standardize best practices across all spheres particularly pricing.
The government bodies need to be at the forefront in regulating property pricing. Without substantial investments in digitization, this cannot be achieved. Best practices and standardization of pricing cannot be achieved without reliance on digitization
The Effect of Technology to the NSE Performance
No full textThis Project is Submitted to the Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Global Executive Masters in Business Administration (GeMBA)The general objective of the study was to investigate the effect of the automated trading system on the performance of the Nairobi Securities Exchange. The specific objectives included: to investigate the effect of technology on the performance of the bonds market on the NSE, to determine the effect of technology on the performance of the treasury bills on the NSE, and to determine the effect of technology on the performance of the NSE 20 share index.
In meeting these research objectives the study adopted a comparative explanatory research design. Secondary quantitative data was collected from the Nairobi Securities Exchange and the Central Bank of Kenya. Using Eviews 9 as the tool of analysis, tests of equality were ran to determine whether statistically significant mean differences exist between data samples collected before and after the introduction of technology in trading of equities in 2006 and bond trading in 2009.
On the effect of technology on the performance of bond markets, the mean index for the period before the introduction of automated bond trading was at 83.78639 while the mean for the period after the introduction of automated bond trading system was at 88.23267. For the period before the introduction of automated bond trading, the average coupon rate demanded by investors was higher than that in the period after the introduction of technology.
On the effect of technology on treasury bills, findings of the study indicated that the Treasury bill rates before the introduction of technology were generally lower and less volatile than the rates after the introduction of the technology at the NSE. The investors enjoyed higher returns after the introduction of technology at the NSE.
On the effect of technology on the market for equities, the study revealed that the NSE share index was considerably higher for the period after the introduction of ATS as compared to the period before the introduction of the technology. As the yardstick of market return, NSE 20 share indicated that investors reported higher returns in the period after the introduction of ATS as compared to the period before the introduction of the technology. Overall, the study provides justification for the investment in technology at the NSE. The study compliments other studies that have found technology to have positive implications on the capital markets. It adds to past findings that technology improves efficiency, increases liquidity, and increases the activity in the stock markets.
Considering the benefits of technology, the research study recommended the introduction of automated bond placement technologies at the NSE. It also recommended the introduction of a treasury bills trading system at the NSE to enable fast and efficient bidding on treasury bills and trading on the same. Ultimately, the study found the need for full automation of the Nairobi Securities Exchange