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Head Start English Book 2: Teacher’s Book, Revised Edition
No full textA Book Co-authored by Dr. Angelina Kioko, A Faculty member in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at USIU-AHead Start Secondary English combines the thrill that comes only from well-written passages and humorously developed anecdotes and the benefits of reinforced listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.
Carefully written by English language experts, each book draws on real-life situations, practical issues and global trends to help learners sharpen their communication skills.
As its title suggests, this course gives the students the required head start in the acquisition of language skills. It is a treasure trove for students of English
Relating Cost Efficiency and Profitability of Merged Firms in the Kenyan Financial Services Industry
No full textA Journal article by Dr. Amos Njuguna, Associate Professor and Associate Dean in the Chandaria School of Business at USIU-AfricaTheory holds that firms merge to benefit from economies of scale, diversification and synergy, which are realized through cost efficiency. Empirical studies on the other hand report mixed findings with regard to the theoretical underpinnings given the changing financial and technological environment. This paper sought to determine the cost efficiency ratios of merged firms in the Kenyan financial services industry and establish the effect that those ratios have on profitability (inferred using the rates of return on assets and equity). Using a mixed research design, pre and post-merger secondary data was collected from 41 firms in the Kenyan financial services industry that had concluded their merger processes by 31 December 2013. Primary data was used to explain the results of the secondary data. Panel data analysis was used to determine the change in the study variables and trends over between 2009 and 2013, event window (pre-merger and post-merger) analysis was used to test the difference in cost efficiency means before and after the merger while regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between cost efficiency and profitability. Results indicate that cost efficiency improved after merger and resulted to the growth in the rate of return on assets and equity, which was attributed to the efficiency in the use of labour, financial resources and managerial effort
The Influence of Macro-Economic Factors on Foreign Direct Investment Flows in Kenya for the Period 2002-2013
No full textA Journal article by Dr. Amos Njuguna, the Associate Dean, Chandaria School of business at USIU-AfricaForeign Direct Investments (FDI) are imperative for the long-term economic development of global economies as they result to capital creation, technology transfer, competition enhancement and employment creation. Consequently, macroeconomic outcomes resulting from the monetary and fiscal policiesare postulated to influence the FDI. This paper investigates the effect of inflation, real interest rate, real exchange rate, and development expenditure on FDI flows in Kenya between 2002 and 2013 using a regression model and correlation analysis.We find a positive relationship between development expenditure and FDI and a negative relationship between the real interest rate, inflation, and the real exchange rate on FDI. The implications of these findings are that policy makers should focus on controlling inflation and interest rates and maintaining stable exchange rates to enhance FDI flows
Exploring Factors that Affect the Entrepreneurial Intention Among Graduates Students In Kenya.
No full textA Journal Article by Dr. Joseph Kamau, a Faculty in the Chandaria School of Business at USIU AfricaThe aim of this study was to adopt and test the validity of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and explore the determinants of entrepreneurial intentions among graduate students using structural equation modeling. Since most literature agreed that using Theory of Planned Behavior could determine entrepreneurial intention, this theory is used as a theoretical framework in this study. 206 graduate students of United States International University-Africa were selected as the respondents. A set of questionnaire on Entrepreneurial Intention and its antecedents, which consists of several semi-structured questions, was used for data collection. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The results revealed that personal attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control are the predictors of entrepreneurial intention accounting for 75%. Personal attitude and perceived behavioral control had a positive effect on entrepreneurial intention while subjective norms had a negative effect on the same
The Youth and The Modern: Challenges And Opportunities
No full textA journal article by Prof. Macharia Munene, a Professor of History and International Relations at USIU-AfricaEvery generation has challenges that are specific to the youth and which look modern at the particular time and open up numerous opportunities. In each generation, some people are identified as “leaders” in one of two ways. First, there are those who stand out as “leaders” because they have natural attractions and emit authority despite themselves. Second, there are those who are created by people in authority in effort to groom and nurture potential leaders in particular areas. There are times when the effort to create leaders is successful in that hitherto unrecognized talent comes forth. It is also possible, however, to create disaster when the authorities impose the unfit on reluctant followers in the name of grooming leaders. The best scenario, for any place, is when those to be identified for nurturing are also natural. Once they mature, these can be very effective in delivering on expectations
Integrating Passphrases as an Authentication Mechanism in E-Commerce
No full textA Project 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 Technology.E-commerce has brought drastic changes in the way business transactions are conducted prompting banks and other businesses to adopt electronic payment systems. It not only offers the banking industry and other businesses a great opportunity, but also creates risks and vulnerabilities. A number of studies continue to reveal that Information Security is an essential management and technical requirement for any efficient payment transaction activities over the internet. This study sought to contribute to the development of a secure e-commerce system by employing the use of passphrases. These are important in e-commerce security since they are hard to crack because most of the highly-efficient password cracking tools break down at around 10 characters. Therefore, it would be difficult to be able to guess, brute-force or pre-compute these passphrases.The main objective of this research was to address security issues related with password-based authentication mechanism in e-commerce websites such as password cracking. The research intended to design a system that had the capabilities to mitigate password guessing and brute force attack since passphrases allow special characters like space. Following a detailed systematic literature review and the application of design science as the research design, a passphrase system was developed on the basis of Object Oriented Programming (OOP) approach using PHP as the coding language with MySQL database engine at the backend. A prototype was developed and its validity tested by security experts for more credibility. Expert feedback was accommodated to enhance the security measures put in place for online transactions. The researcher used focus group discussions to collect data and feedback from the participants. They were asked questions during the focused group discussions and they gave feedback that would be useful in improving the prototype developed. Convenience sampling was used due to time and cost constraints. A sample size of 7 security experts was drawn from the ICT department of Jhpiego Corporation from a population size of 20. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data; codes were then developed to represent identified themes and applied to raw data as summary markers for later analysis.
It is recommended that passphrases should be designed to be user-selected since they have better usability than system generated passwords. Users should also exercise extreme caution when writing down or storing passphrases. The passphrase policy should contain composition rules and recommendations, such as minimum length, character variations and avoidance of dictionary and pop culture words. More research
implemented in not only e-commerce websites but also other systems that require a lot confidentiality.The results of this study will benefit e-commerce website owners since this enhanced security measure added to the website will give shoppers more confidence even as they do business transactions online
The Effect of Working Capital Management on Profitabiltiy of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises In Nairobi, Kenya
No full textA Research Project Report Submitted to the Chandaria School of business in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Science in Business Administration (MBA)The main purpose of this study was to examine the effects of working capital management on profitability in small and medium sized enterprises in Nairobi. In order to realize this, four research questions guided the process. These were i) how does accounts receivables put an effect on the profitability of small and medium-sized enterprises in Nairobi? ii) how does inventory holding period put an effect on the profitability of small and medium-sized enterprises in Nairobi? iii) what is the effect of accounts payable on small and medium-enterprises profitability in Nairobi? Iv) what is the effect of cash conversion cycle on small and medium-enterprises profitability in Nairobi? To realize this, a descriptive research design was adopted.
The total population of this study comprised of all registered small and medium sized enterprises in Nairobi with the Federation of Small and micro enterprises estimated at one thousand six hundred from which using a stratified random sampling a sample size of one hundred and sixty. Data was collected using structured questionnaire with the assistance of trained research assistants. Using SPSS a regression analysis was carried out between the dependent variable and all other variables. ANOVA analysis was also carried out to determine the differences in means between the variables.
To analyze the effects of accounts receivables on the profitability SMES the study confirmed that the business screens customers or clients reference before giving credit and it was also revealed that the business enterprise monitors accounts receivables and analyses reports on debtors. A Pearson correlation done between profitability (dependent variable) against other factors of account receivable revealed a positive and significant relationship. To analyze the impacts of inventory holding on the profitability, it was revealed that the business keeps accurate inventory records and also ensures funds are set aside for reorder. From the regression analysis, all the account inventory days of holding variables had a significant positive effect on organizational profitability except if the business keeps accurate inventory records.
To analyze the effects of accounts payable on profitability, the study revealed uncertainty on business sometimes being unable to pay its suppliers on time and if it receives cash discounts from its suppliers upon payment within a stipulated period. The research established that the firms’ regularly budget for the future expenditure, however some issues were not clear and this involved the business having operations related challenges due to lack of funds, and whether the availability of cash affects the firm’s profitability. From the regression analysis all variables had a positive relation except if the business has a cash management system and the firm maintains sufficient cash balances for operation.
The study concluded that for effective performance, the firms need to have a well-maintained record of account receivable. The findings of the study reveal that most of SMEs in Nairobi have a well-established credit policy. Inventory holding period is a very important aspect in the cash conversion cycle and most of the SMEs in the Nairobi perform a regular review of its inventory levels, this was also accompanied by the businesses keeping accurate inventory records. The SMEs need to maintain a good relationship with the creditors and from the study it was apparent uncertain on whether the business are able to negotiate for cash discounts from its suppliers upon payment within a stipulated period, or if the business is sometimes charged an interest by its suppliers for late payment. Most of the firms have also apparently taken measures such as maintaining sufficient cash balances for operations and regularly budgeting for the future expenditure.
The study recommend that the firms need to have an up to date credit collection policy in place and undertake a thorough credit checks on all customers and create a clear outlined payment guideline such as indicating when payment is due and the specific contact persons. It was necessary to ensure that the SMEs are educated on such effects on the performances. Additionally another issue that arise is the levels of the Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) as such there is also a need for education and awareness. The firms need to encourage credit transactions with suppliers over the use of cash; this will enable the firms use the cash available for other purposes. The business should also seek to maintain sufficient inventory as failure lead to lost sales and customer loyalty. For further studies it is Recommendation that other studies be done to determine how working capital management affect overall financial health of any company. This study only focused on firms in Nairobi and therefore this result are skewed towards the perceptions and data in Nairobi. It is suggested therefore that such a study be done in other towns to make the results more reliable
An Analysis of Competitive Advantage Gained Due To Mergers and Acquisitions: A Case of British-American Investments Company Limited (BRITAM)
No full textA Project Proposal Report Submitted to the Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement of the Degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA)The purpose of this study was to analyze competitive advantage gained due to mergers and acquisitions: A Case of BRITAM. The study was guided by the following research questions: What are the benefits of mergers and acquisition? , What are the challenges of mergers and acquisition?, What strategies can be used to sustain mergers and acquisitions?
This study made use of the descriptive research design while the populations were the managers of BRITAM. This study used the stratified random sampling technique. Stratified random sampling is a method by which the members of the homogeneous group are segmented into various separate subgroups and then random samples are picked from the subgroups. In this study the various departments within Britam formed the subgroups. This method prevented the bias of having the feedback concentrated in some few departments and therefore ensure equal distribution of the sample i.e. increase the samples statistical efficiency.
This study made use of primary data. The information was collected using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as measures of central tendency and dispersion was used to analyze the data. Inferential statistics in form of regression analysis was used to examine the relationships between variables. Data was presented in the form of figures and tables. Standard Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel were the tools used to analyse the data.
The study revealed that majority of the respondents agreed that mergers and acquisition aid firms in fast resource acquisition, mergers and acquisition can be used as a means to diversify into new markets, firms are able to learn through mergers and acquisition, organizations obtain economies of scale through mergers and acquisition, mergers and acquisition can be used as a means to distribution, risks can be reduced through mergers and acquisitions, mergers and acquisition result in innovation of new products, regulatory barriers can be avoided through mergers and acquisition, mergers and acquistions help firms to gain competitive advantage and finally mergers and acquisitions can be used as a means to ward off competition.
The study further revealed that Mergers and acquisition result in control related problems, cultural differences slow down the working of mergers and acquisition, there is often lack of trust in mergers and acquisitions,poor leadership results in friction in the mergers and acquisitions, role ambiguity results in confusion in the mergers and acquisitions, incongruence of management ideologies can slow down the working of mergers and acquisitions, lack of clearly defined goals is a challenge in managing mergers and acquisitions,organizations prefer working independently instead of working as a combined force, mergers and acquisitions have led to unequal gains, mergers and acquisitions have experienced resistance to change.
Finally the study revealed that the needs of the merger and acquisition partners should be mutual, strategic fit is important in sustaining mergers and acquisitions, partners need to engage in informed decision making, managers need the capability to manage mergers and acquisitions, top management involvement is necessary for the success of the mergers and acquisitions, the reputation of the partner aid in sustaining mergers and acquisition, shared risk aids in sustaining the merger and acquisitions, the mergers and acquisitions partners should have mutual trust, the mergers and acquisition partners should have cultural compatibility, there should be shared reward from the mergers and acquisitions.
The study recommends that strategic alliance can be used as a market strategy which allows firms tto grow business and gain competitive advantage. The researcher further recommends that cultural differences shuld be minimized for strategic allance to operate effectively and at the same time select partners carefully as a critical success factor.
The study reccommends that strategic alliances vary from organization to organization, this therefore means that each organization has an opportunity to acquire and thereby maintain a competitive advantage. The study therefore recommends possessing resources is not enough to create competitive advantage. This is because there is need for firms to be organized in order to take full advantage of resources gained from startegic alliances so as to be able to attain competitiveness.Additionally the challenges of strategic alliances vary from organization to organization, this therefore means that each organization has an opportunity to acquire and thereby maintain a competitive advantage. The study therefore recommends that the successful employment of strategies in leveraging the firm’s rare, valuable, and difficult-to-imitate resources, then such firms are likely to gain an advantage of strategic alliances over their competitors in the marketplace and thus earn higher returns.
Finally the study acknowledges that indeed strategic alliances are key to competitive advantage. In this regard the study recommends that there is need to carefully manage strategic alliances in order to maintain a competitive advantage. Additionally there is need for the transfer of technology as a significant source of competitive advantage especially for firms in developing countries who have limited research and development resources
Team Roles
No full textAn article on the Business Daily Newspaper by Professor Scott serves as the Director of the New Economy Venture Accelerator (NEVA) and Chair of the Faculty Senate at the United States International University-Africa,The road to owning and managing your own business often meets with potholes and bumps mixed in some measure with glories and success. The business world commonly knows that many business startups fail. We shall explore many of the startup failure issues and solutions in upcoming Fridays in the Business Daily. Let us focus, for now, specifically on businesses that have received investments from outsiders, such as venture capital. We know that twenty-five percent of new businesses that receive venture capital funds actually collapse, fail, and enter receivership. Then, Dr. Ghosh at Harvard University found that a further 75% globally of new businesses funded by venture capitalists actually fail to deliver on their projected returns. The statistics offer a staggering view of the risks of starting new businesses. Turning our attention to entrepreneurs themselves, it takes a very confident type of individual to embark into the risky world of business startups. A new entrepreneur boldly steps out and forges the foundations of a new company. Once profits start to flow in, the entrepreneur feels excited and often believes that only the sky can contain him or her. So, entrepreneurs often get shocked that one of the first requirements that a new investor or, specifically, a venture capitalist, requires when investing into their business includes the requirement that the entrepreneur him/herself step down from the CEO position. Venture capitalists in Kenya and around the world gain fame for replacing visionary startup CEOs with more operational-type CEOs. Why would investors and venture capitalists do such a thing? Do they know something we do not
Negotiation Techniques
No full textAn article on the Business Daily Newspaper by Professor Scott serves as the Director of the New Economy Venture Accelerator (NEVA) and Chair of the Faculty Senate at the United States International University-Africa,Twaila loved real estate. Her favorite past-time during weekends included reading newspapers, property websites, and meeting agents all in pursuit of her next purchase. She knew all the hot real estate growth areas around Kenya.
Twaila’s previous property purchases included acreage with stunning views at Kisamis OlePolos in Maasailand, a beach cottage in Malindi, and land banking on Kagundo Road outside Nairobi. She garnered enormous satisfaction from knowing she owned diverse real estate investments.
Unfortunately, Twaila discovered some disturbing trends over time. Whether in Kisamis, Malindi, or Kagundo Road, her neighbors each paid up to 10% less on similar adjoining properties than did Twaila. Once elated in her property investments, she grew frustrated that her prospective returns were comparatively stunted.
What lead to her poor negotiation skills? Twaila contemplated whether her gender played a role in her less favorable deals. Harvard University researchers Hannah Bowles and Kathleen McGinn highlight that women negotiate less aggressively and less effectively than men.
In response to reader requests, this week and next Business Talk covers negotiations and inter-organizational conflicts. Start by assessing your own negotiation skills. Insistence and stubborn behaviour does not win deals. Robert Lussier and Christopher Achua detail negotiation questions to ask oneself. Do you assess what the person on the other side of the deal really wants and what they are willing to give up? Before negotiating, do you set objectives? When planning your negotiating presentation, do you focus on how the other party will benefit?
Here in Kenya, business people tend to do well as compared to other cultures with mentally prepared prices, tradeoffs, reading the other team or individual, and building rapport with the other party in advance. However, do you let the other side place the first offer? Come with prepared answers to the negotiating table? Do you know your walk away prices in advance to given various possible tradeoffs? Do you actually listen to what the other party says and focus on assisting them to achieve their objectives instead of solely on what you want to get out of the negotiation?
Finally, ask yourself the following questions that Twaila struggled with in negotiating in property transactions. When you compromise in negotiating, do you then ask for something else in return? Do you give in too fast and accept the other side’s offer? If you need more time to make your decision, do you reject the other party from pressuring you to make a faster decision? Do you create urgency for the other side to decide quickly?
Among the above questions, the more that you answered “no”, then the less effective your negotiation skills are for business and life. While on average women struggle with the latter four questions, men often neglect the earlier preparations in negotiations. Individuals who struggle with preparations for negotiations might find former CIA officer J.C. Carleson’s book Work Like a Spy useful and her four steps to use intelligence gathering and protection in business.
Improve your negotiating position and skills by following Robert Lussier and Christopher Achua’s research amalgamated process. First, plan for negotiations. Thoroughly research the other side of the deal in detail by looking into their best options and their opportunity costs. Also research the motivations of the individuals conducting the bargaining for the other side. Following your research, set objectives for your negotiating outcomes. Your objectives should be deeper than simply winning at all costs. You may need a longer business relationship or future contacts and networks, as an example.
Next, try to develop options and tradeoffs in advance. If you will not receive the price you desire, then prepare what else may you receive in return. Twaila could receive lower deposit requirements or longer to pay for the land through several installments. Then, anticipate any questions you may receive during the negotiation process and develop prepared answers. Your advanced preparations should include expectations for the other party’s objections to your negotiating points