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INFLUENCE OF EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGYCULTURE CO-ALIGNMENT AND PERFORMANCE OF LARGE PRIVATE HEALTH FACILITIES IN KENYA
Full text linkThe aim of this study was to assess the influence of the external environment onthe relationship between organizational strategy-culture co-alignment andperformance of large private health facilities in Kenya. The study was based onthe Configuration and Contingency theories, adopting a descriptive crosssectionaldesign grounded on the positivism research philosophy. The studytargeted a population of 61 large private health facilities in Kenya. Data from therespondents were collected through a questionnaire. Fifty eight (58) out of SixtyOne (61) study facilities returned completed questionnaire items. Descriptivestatistics, one sample t-test and Baron-Kenny moderated regression analysis wereused. The results showed no statistically significant influence of the externalenvironment on the relationship between organizational strategy-culture coalignmentand organizational performance. In effect, the study questioned thevalue of focusing on environmental commitments as a means of achievingperformance improvements. It was concluded that the external environment doesnot increase competitive benefits to organizations that are implementing strategyculturefit
THE JOINT EFFECT OF STRATEGIC ALLIANCE, REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND MACRO ENVIRONMENT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF KENYAN MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY MARKET
Full text linkThe study sought to establish the joint effect of strategic alliance, regional integration and macro environment on the performance of Kenyan manufacturing firms in the East African Community market. The study was anchored on resource dependency theory, Resource Based Theory, theory of integration and the Open system theory. The positivism philosophical paradigm and a cross sectional descriptive survey design adopted guided the study. The population of the study was 160 Kenyan manufacturing firms in the EAC market. Primary data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. A response rate of 81% was realized. Secondary data was collected from financial statements of the respective firms. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Hypotheses were tested using both simple and multivariate regression analysis while Baron and Kenny (1986) model of stepwise regression analysis were used to test for moderating effects. The findings indicated that there is a statistically significant positive joint influence of strategic alliance, regional integration and macro environment on the performance of Kenyan manufacturing firms in the East African Community market and the joint effect was greater than the influence of each variable individually. Future research directions include a replication of study in a longitudinal approach while using path analysis or structural equation models and consideration of other sectors, firm characteristics and resource constraints. The results of this study will serve as guide to document that the level and type of alliances used in the Kenyan manufacturing firms in the EAC market will determine their performance
In vivo antimalarial and in vitro antioxidant activities of hydro-methanol leaf extract of Fadogia cienkowskii Schweinf. (Rubiaceae)
Full text linkBackground: Rapid parasite resistance to antimalarial drugs necessitate continuous search for new drugs. Fadogia cienkowskii Schweinf. (Rubiaceae) is one of the several plants utilized in South-East Nigeria for treatment of malaria fever. Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate antimalarial and antioxidant potentials of leaf extract of F. cienkowskii. The phytochemical profile and toxic heavy metal content were also evaluated. Methodology: Antimalarial activity of crude leaf extract of F. cienkowskii (100 – 400 mg kg-1) was assessed against chloroquine sensitive Plasmodium berghei (NK65) using suppressive and curative test models. Chloroquine 10 mg kg-1 was used as positive control. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and ferric reducing antioxidant power methods. The presence of heavy metals in the raw material was evaluated using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometric technique and modified Lorke’s method was employed to test for oral acute toxicity. Results: The results showed that the test plant exhibited antimalarial activities in both models in a dose-dependent manner. The comparison analysis showed that at 400 mg kg-1, the suppressive and curative effects were 93.44% and 72.47% respectively. All the animal groups that received test extract lived longer and weight loss was prevented compared to the negative control group. The test extract exhibited antioxidant potential in DPPH scavenging and FRAP assays compare with Vitamin C. All the tested heavy metals were present but within permissible range. Acute toxicity study of extract revealed no immediate adverse effect(s). Conclusion: These results support the traditional use of F. cienkowskii in management of malaria fever. Key Words: Fadogia cienkowskii, Plasmodium berghei, antimalarial, heavy metals, antioxidan
INTERVENING EFFECT OF INTERNATIONAL COMPETIVENESS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TAX INCENTIVES AND FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT AMONG THE EAST AFRICA COMMUNITY PARTNER STATES
Full text linkCountries around the world employ different efforts aimed at attracting more FDI, top most being tax incentives. Appropriate fiscal policy framework establishes tax incentive that improves country’s investment climate. However, tax incentives may at times not adequately compensate for poor investment climate in developing countries resulting from poor infrastructure, lack of trade openness, weak judicial system, small market size and most importantly political instability. Therefore, this study sought to determine the moderating effect of investment climate on the relationship between tax incentives and FDI among the East Africa Community partner states. The study was carried out using data relating to the five states in the East Africa Community: Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, and Uganda. Secondary data covering a period of 15 years from 2002 to 2016 was used. The results revealed that tax holiday and the period of losses carried forward had an insignificant and positive relationship with FDI inflows but investment allowances had an insignificant negative relation with FDI inflows. The study revealed that consumer prices and tax holiday had a positive and statistically insignificant relationship with FDI and that investment allowances and the period of losses carried forward had a negative and statistically insignificant relationship. The findings also revealed that tax holiday and export growth had a negative and statistically significant relationship while investment allowances and the period of losses carried forward and export growth had a negative and insignificant relationship. The findings further revealed that consumer prices had a statistically insignificant positive relationship with FDI inflows while export growth had negative and statistically insignificant relationship with FDI. Finally, the study found that tax holiday, consumer prices and export growth had negative and statistically insignificant relationship with FDI while investment allowances and the period of losses carried forward had a positive and statistically insignificant relation with FDI
DOES INDUSTRY STRUCTURE AFFECT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FIRM CHARACTERISTICS AND PERFORMANCE OF LAW FIRMS IN KENYA?
Full text linkExplaining and often predicting organizational performance is a primary researchobjective in the field of strategic management that need to be addressed becauseperformance improvement is at the heart of strategic management. The studyargues thatthe role of industry structure in the relationship between firmcharacteristics and performance has not received conclusive empirical backing.The study was contextualized in law firms in Kenya in which these variables havenot been empirically tested. The main objective of this study was to determine theinfluence of industry structure on the relationship between firm characteristicsand performance of law firms in Kenya. To achieve this objective, thecorresponding hypothesis was formulated and tested at 95 percent confidencelevel.The study was guided by resource based theory, the institutional theory andindustrial organizational theory. Through a cross-sectional descriptive survey,data was obtained using a semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire wasadministered to a sample of 379 law firms spread across the country out of which356 were filled and returned, representing a response rate of 93.93 percent. Thehypothesis was tested using the hierarchical analysis used to test moderatingeffects. The findings show that industry structure significantlymoderatetherelationship between firm characteristics and performance. Results of industrystructure independently on performancewere also statistically significant. Thestudy contributes to managerial practice and offerdirection for policy makers andthe owners of the law firms in Kenya since managers will use the findings of thisstudy to monitor the crucial performance drivers in their law firms with regard toindustry structure and strategy.The study therefore recommends that futurestudies should consider utilizing multiple methodologies such as applying mixedmethods of research to help identify the key factors of firm strategy andoperationalize their study in a different approach. The aim behind using differentstatistical techniques and /or plural methodologies is to validate and furtherstrengthen the existing research
STRATEGIC PLANNING AND PERFORMANCE OF ORGANIZATIONS
Full text linkThis study was based on conceptualized relationship between strategic planning andperformance. Some researchers have argued that strategic planning influencesperformance positively while others contend that the influence is negative. Therefore,the past empirical studies have produced many contradictory findings and there is aneed for further studies to fix this empirical conundrum. These variables werecontextualized in the manufacturing firms in Kenya. Current study’s objective was todetermine the relationship between strategic planning and performance ofmanufacturing firms in Kenya. A corresponding hypothesis, there is a relationshipbetween strategic planning and performance of manufacturing firms in Kenya, wasformulated and tested at 95 percent confidence level. Through a cross-sectionaldescriptive survey, data were obtained using a structured questionnaire from 72manufacturing firms representing 52.17 percent response rate. Data obtained wereanalyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Hypothesis was tested usingboth simple and multiple regression analysis. Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS) was used to analyze the data. The findings established that strategic planninghad a strong positive relationship with performance of manufacturing firms in Kenyaand the influence was statistically significant. However there were mixed results asregards the independent influence of various strategic planning indicators onperformance. But when combined, they have strong positive relationship withperformance and influence was statistically significant. The study suggested thatmanufacturing firms in Kenya should practice strategic planning for superiorperformance. For further study, it was suggested that the relationship to be moderatedwith organizational variables, external environment dynamics and also to try differentstrategic planning steps. Current study’s findings have theory, policy, managerialpractice and methodological implications. The current study findings added to theexisting body of literature by empirically corroborating that strategic planning andperformance had a positive relationship. Manufacturing firms should have policieswhich enforce various accreditations which for
Benefits of Protected Areas to Adjacent Communities: The Case of Maasai Mara National Reserve In Kenya
Full text linkKenya has ratified several Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) and they all emphasize promotion of human well-being - through equitable sharing of benefits accruing from such conservation and protection schemes. This paper is aimed at showing whether the communities living around Kenya's premier conservation area, Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR), receive any benefits. A sample of 198 respondents was selected randomly from villages around the MMNR. Data were collected using questionnaires, observations and interviews and analysed by the aid of descriptive and inferential statistics. The results show that majority of the respondents (68.2%) benefit from the Reserve. The largest proportion of those who received benefits (53%) was within 1-2 km range from the Reserve. The benefits mainly included income diversification and access to education. The study recommends equitable sharing of benefits between the Narok County and the surrounding communities to enhance sustainable conservation of wildlife. The neighbouring private and communal lands provide habitats for migratory species whose survival depends on well-being of the local communities. Active engagement of local communities in the conservation of wildlife is, therefore, crucial. This study is part of a larger study on domestication of MEAs in Kenya
PRE-POST TESTS ANALYSIS OF USING ART THERAPY AS TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION: CASE OF LANG’ATA WOMEN’S PRISON NAIROBI – KENYA
Full text linkThe purpose of this paper was to establish the effectiveness of art therapy as a treatment fordepression at Langata Women Prison (LWP) in Nairobi. The paper was anchored on Bandura’ssocial learning theory and cognitive behavioral theory and the paper’s unit of analysis constitutedimprisoned women at LWP. The Becks Depression Inventory (BDI-II) assessment 21-item self-reportscale, both in English and Swahili was given to a sample size of 217 women prisoners’ in-order toidentify the presence and severity levels of depression. Out of the 217 respondents, 104 were those inprison and 113 in remand. However, the research was only done with those in remand (ordinary andcapital offenders) as those in the prison had on-going programs that would be disrupted if they wereto be engaged in the research. The BDI-II (pre-test) questionnaires were distributed to determine thelevels of depression. A sample of 113 from the remands was selected based on their levels ofdepression and 55 responded. The treatment group met for six sessions once a week for two hours.After six weeks group was subjected again to BDI-II (post-test). Results indicated that most of theincarcerated women suffered from severe depression; there were more remands who were found tohave depression; there were more cases of severe depression cases in both remand and prison andless inmates in prison with mild depression. However, there was a marked difference of moderatelevels of depression between remands and prisoners, with those in remand having a higher level ofmoderate depression. From the analysis, there was a significant reduction of depression afteradministering art therapy (post-test) versus before art therapy (pre-test) treatment. The findingssupport the findings of various studies that have been done in other countries. Based on the resultsfrom this paper, at the time of arrest, mental assessment should be done and those that require furtherassessment need to be referred to a psychiatrist as well as support from a psychologist; specialattention should be given to mothers; and for those who end up in prison, periodic screening shouldbe undertaken together with counselling and alternative therapy. In addition, the legal system shouldescalate court matters to avoid prolonged stay in remand and enhance public awareness on mentalhealth. This research focussed on incarcerated women at LWP and therefore the results should begeneralized with caution to other prisons in Kenya. Another limitation was that some respondentstended to minimize and at the same time exaggerate symptoms and the self-administered datacollection questionnaires depended on self-report, without medical records or corroborative history.For further research a similar intervention could be replicated in other women and men prisons, as well as compare depression amongst women and men prisoners.Key Words: art therapy, Bandura’s social learning theory, Becks Depression Inventory II,
Become an Android Pro with Oktrik: Tips, Tricks and the Best Websites
No full textIf you're new to the world of Android technology, Oktrik is the perfect website for you. With easy to follow tips and tricks, tutorials, and the best websites to help you out, Oktrik has something for everyone. Whether you're a novice or a more experienced Android user, you'll find something useful on Oktrik.The tips and tricks section of the website is designed to help users get the most out of their Android device. From simple shortcuts to more advanced techniques, the tips and tricks on Oktrik will help you become a pro in no time.The tutorials section of the website is full of great tech tutorials that will help you get the most out of your Android device. From setting up your device to using specific applications, Oktrik has a tutorial for it. The tutorials are easy to follow and designed to be noob-friendly.Finally, the best website section of the website is a great place to start your journey into the world of Android technology. Here you'll find a list of the top Android websites as well as reviews and ratings for each one. This is a great resource for those looking for the best place to go for Android-related information.Oktrik is the perfect website for anyone looking to get the most out of their Android device. With tips and tricks, tutorials, and the best websites, Oktrik has something for everyone. Whether you're a novice or an expert, you'll find something useful on Oktrik
ORGANIZATIONAL SPONSORSHIP AND CAREER SUCCESS OF MANAGERIAL STAFF IN LARGE SCALE MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN KENYA: MEDIATING ROLE OF CAREER MANAGEMENT BEHAVIOUR
Full text linkThe study examined the effect of career management behaviour in the relationshipbetween organizational sponsorship and career success among managerial staff in largescale manufacturing firms in Kenya. A descriptive cross sectional research design wasadopted. Primary data was collected using a well-designed questionnaire based on asample of 255 managers from large manufacturing firms in Kenya. The study received aresponse rate of 79.6%. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.All the measurement items met reliability and validity test. Hypotheses were testedusing linear regression model. The findings indicated that career managementbehaviour partially mediates the relationship between organizational sponsorshipcareer success. The results support LMX theory which advocates for organizationalsponsorship for career success of employees, and impression management theory thatargues for the choice and use of proper career management behaviour. The studyrecommends the need for organizations to enhance employees’ career success byproviding them with organizational sponsorship programmes and the need foremployees to adopt appropriate career management behaviour that can facilitate theircareer success. Policy makers can benefit from these findings through advocating forand establishing clear guidelines on organizational sponsorship programmes that canfoster employees’ career success. The findings also provide future researchers with auseful conceptual and methodological reference that can be used in the pursuit forfurther studies particularly in the area of career success and as far as the mediating roleof career management behaviour is concerned