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THE CEO’S ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP JOURNEY: THE MOTIVATIONS, TURNING POINTS AND THE ATTENDANT CHALLENGES
Full text linkThis article aims to trace the entrepreneurial journey of CEOs of successful mid-sized companies in Kenya. This was done by documenting their motivations, their turning points and the challenges they face in pursuits of their entrepreneurial pursuits. The study used primary data collected from Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of mid-sized companies and entrepreneurial leadership experts through combination of methods namely: survey, case studies and the Delphi method. The results indicate that CEOs take different and unique routes in their entrepreneurial journey. This can be linked to variations in their family and social groups they belong to and their personal drive. Entrepreneurial journey is characterized by ups and downs which are experienced differently. The main challenges facing CEOs in Kenya include financial constraints, intrapersonal challenges, family pressures and demands, social obligations, unethical practices in business performance. Some of the challenges that CEOs encounter in the course of executing their duties challenges their character and societal ideals. A case in point is the rampant corruption that has currently permeated in every aspect of the society. In some cases to get a business opportunity both in government and private sector, one is required to bribe in order to be favoured. The big question to the CEOs is whether to or not to engage in corrupt dealings. In a society where the corrupt are the winners, being ethical may jeopardize chances of entrepreneurial survival. As such, corruption is a major detriment and work against personal efforts for development of entrepreneurial competencies
EFFICIENCY OF WATER PROVIDING FIRMS IN KENYA: A CASE OF NAIROBI WATER AND SEWERAGE COMPANY LIMITED
Full text linkWater distribution is often a monopoly of governments or city and municipal authorities. There is no competition with other firms and therefore running such utilities on strictly commercial terms may not apply. This study was conducted between 2010 and 2014 with two objectives: one was to find out the challenges that were facing Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company Limited (NWSC) in providing constant flow of water; and two, to determine how these challenges have been addressed commercially by NWSC. Research methodology adopted was a case study and the data collected was of qualitative in nature, and therefore data was processed through content analysis. The conclusions of the study indicated that water consumers behave in the same manner as any other consumers of other goods or services: they respond positively to good quality of services and timely and constant supply of goods, services or provision of utilities. Water consumers in Nairobi were no exception: they needed good quality clean drinkable water, fair price, good and courteous treatment by debt collectors, and reliable and constant flow of water. It is posited that the principles of marketing and marketing strategies are applicable even in utility companies because the behaviour of consumers is the same in all aspects
USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN MATERIAL TRACKING IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY BUSINESS
Full text linkConstruction industry consumes tons of material each year. A single project requires different types of material at different phases of construction. During each phase, the material needs to be tracked for a variety of reasons. Although several material tracking technologies are available that have gradually improved over the past decade, their application to construction industry is limited. Lack of proper construction material tracking on site, significant time, monies and efforts are wasted in counting, documenting, identifying and locating the required materials and thus decrease in efficiency and productivity. The objective of this paper was to review potential application in construction material management, identify current practices and developing industry wide standards for harnessing the benefits of implementing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technique as material tracking technique. RFID technology has been successfully used in construction (and several other businesses). This technology has a promise for extensive application to construction industry. A review of literature indicates that RFIDs have been used for material management and small tool management on construction projects and also discussed the barriers to its application. By using the experiences from other industries using similar technologies, combined with the expertise of suppliers within the RFID industry with experience of the distinctive needs of construction, it soon becomes clear that RFID has an important contribution to make to the performance of contractors, component suppliers and other players in the construction industry
BRAND ASSETS AND CHOICE CRITERIA OF FAST-MOVING CONSUMER GOODS AMONG UNERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI
Full text linkBranding is increasingly becoming important in organizations as a competitive strategy. Brand assets are perceived to influence the consumer choice of various brands, but the extent to which the various assets do this is not clear. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of brand assets on the choice criteria of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) among Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) students of the University of Nairobi. The study adopted the descriptive cross-sectional research design, with the population being BCom degree students of the University of Nairobi. The study targeted 90 conveniently selected students, 30 in the regular programme, 30 in module 11 (day class) and 30 in module 11 (evening class) . Of the 90 students targeted, a total of 55 responded, mainly from module 1 and module 11(day) class, which was a response rate of 61 percent. Validity and reliability was done by first issuing the questionnaires to 4 students and checking their responses. The questions were also thoroughly checked to ensure that they were correct, before doing the final study. Descriptive analysis as well as factor analysis, and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The study found that brand assets, namely, brand awareness, brand association, brand loyalty and perceived quality have a positive influence on the selection criteria that a customer makes. Brand awareness, brand association, and perceived quality have a positive influence on the selection criteria, while brand loyalty has a negative influence. The results of this study demonstrate that in making decisions, marketers need to always be guided by the various brand assets. It is therefore recommended that manufacturers and marketers consider these assets in marketing their products. Since this study was based on BCom students in one campus of the University of Nairobi, the findings may not be generalizable to all the students. A wider study focusing on several universities may therefore shed more light on the choice behavior of the student
STRATEGIC ALLIANCE PORTFOLIO DIVERSITY AND PERFORMANCE OF COMMERCIAL BANKS IN KENYA
Full text linkEstablishment of an appropriate level of diversity in an alliance portfolio has emergedas an important issue for managers if they have to steer business units in theunpredictable operating environment. This implies that firms that wish to leverage theircompetitive advantages through cooperation with other firms pursue strategic alliancesas one of the viable options since it has been argued that a firm competitiveness level isinfluenced by the alliance that it forms. However, alliance formation among firmsshould generate the necessary synergy and towards this end, the diversity of theportfolio partners comes out prominently. The research sought to establish therelationship between strategic alliance portfolio diversity on firm performance ofcommercial banks in Kenya. The portfolio diversity practices investigated includeembeddedness, reciprocity and status similarity. The study adopted a cross-sectionaldescriptive survey design with the population of the study being the 42 commercialbanks operating in Kenya. Primary data was collected using semi-structuredquestionnaire. The findings were that bank embeddedness reduced the level ofinformation asymmetry among the partners and consequently enabling the alliancebank partners to create a common problem solving approaches. It was found that thatreciprocity among the banks is manifested by their willingness to share proprietaryknowledge among the alliance partners to limit their tendencies to pursue opportunisticbehaviour. The findings also show that alliance portfolio characteristics are significantmoderators of the alliance portfolio diversity-performance relationship. Reciprocitypositively moderates the relationship while status similarity is expectedly found topositively moderate this focal relationship. The study concludes that strategic allianceportfolio diversity practice is much necessary in any organization for better functioningof all of its categories and makes effective management of commercial banks
Renal effect of atazanavir-ritonavir in pregnant albino rats
Full text linkBackground: Pregnancy could be associated with renal physiologic changes; hence the use of atazanvair/ritonavir (ATV/r) in pregnant women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) could be of safety concern due to its nehprotoxic potential. Objective: The present study was aimed at assessing the renal profile of atazanavir/ritonavir (ATV/r) in pregnant albino rats. Methods: Thirty six pregnant albino rats were randomized into six groups (A-E) of n=6. Rats in groups A and B were treated with water and normal saline as placebo and solvent control respectively. Rats in groups C-F were orally treated daily with 4.28/1.43, 8.57/2.86, 17.1/5.7 and 34/11.4 mg/kg of ATV/r for 16 days. Rats were weighed, sacrificed and blood was collected and serum extracted. The serum was evaluated for creatinine (Cr), urea (U), uric acid (UA), total protein (TP), albumin (Ab), potassium (K+), sodium (Na+), chloride ( Cl-) and bicarbonate (HCO3 -). Kidneys were harvested, weighed and evaluated for superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Kidneys were also evaluated for histological damage. Results: ATV/r-treated groups did not show significant (p> 0.05) changes in the body weight, kidney weight and serum electrolytes, however; serum levels of Cr, U, UA were significantly (p< 0.05) increased whereas Ab and TP were significantly (p< 0.05) decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Kidney SOD, CAT, GSH and GPX levels were significantly (p< 0.05) decreased whereas MDA levels were significantly (p< 0.05) increased in a dose dependent manner in ATV/r-treated rats. Varying degrees of histological damage were observed in the kidneys of ATV/r treated rats. Conclusion: This study observed dose-dependent nephrotoxic effects in ATV/r-treated pregnant albino rats. Keywords: Atazanavir/ritonavir; Kidney, Toxicity, Pregnant; Rat
GENERIC BUSINESS STRATEGIES IN THE MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISE TYPOLOGY: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION AMONG NAIROBI MANUFACTURING MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES
Full text linkMicro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) play a significant role in Sub-Saharan Africa national economies, however, few transition to formal medium or large size enterprises due to a wide array of challenges faced. The MSE typology sought to provide an array of business strategies MSEs could use to overcome these challenges and improve their performance. A central foundation of the typology is the generic nature of the strategies, that is general applicability across industry, organization type or size. The general objective of this study, therefore, was to determine the extent to which the business strategies within the typology are indeed generic. The study evaluated the generalization across two sub-sectors (Furniture manufacturing and agro-food processing) as well as across gender (taken as male and female). From the study, and using binary logistic regression only two of the twenty-eight variables were statistically significant, albeit mild discriminant, therefore supporting generalizability across sub-sectors. In addition, none of the variables served as statistically significant discriminants between male or female owners. Though limited in scope the generic nature of the defined strategies was established, providing support for the MSE typology meeting the generic requirement from typology theory
TECHNOLOGY AND INTERCOUNTRY TRADE IN EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY
Full text linkApplication of technology in the promotion of international trade between countries has increased in the last 20 years. East African countries have been using technology in increasing proportions and applying new technological applications as they appear. The use of social media as a promotion tool has gained currency especially after 2013. Facebook, twitter, PayPal, e-mail, swift, electronic money transfer has improved international payment and settlement systems of accounts. This study was conducted between 2010 to 2015 with two objectives: one was to establish which kind of technology is mostly used by business organizations in East African countries to promote their intercountry trade; and two, how has the application of technology improved in the promotion of trade in East African countries. The literature reviewed indicated that most firms used conventional means of known technology and less use of the modern technology. The methodology adopted was a survey conducted in all the six EAC countries and adjacent neighbouring countries. Interviews were conducted on the top management of concerned firms and information obtained was analysed using content analysis. The results of the study showed that some firms, especially those who have embraced new technological methods of management have adopted new information technology and have established connection in all the EAC member-states. Although some countries like Burundi and Southern Sudan have not developed fully their technological infrastructure, we found out that some firms and individual businessmen within those countries have invested on appropriate information technology and are ready to use it. The results of this study indicated that the application of the latest technology to promote intercountry trade has increased the volume of trade between member states
SOCIAL MEDIA USE BY THE DEAF IN BUSINESS AT NAIROBI, KENYA
Full text linkSocial media for business is the new frontier for deaf Kenyans, due to the information gap they often experience as they navigate a largely speaking and hearing world. This case studyon the use of social media platforms for business by the deaf in Nairobi includes a special emphasis on the convergence of their natural visual language, sign language with video technology. The research is important to boost socio economic livelihoods of deaf Kenyans for equality in development as well as integrate the Kenyan business industry with the innovation and creativity introduced by the signing „genre‟ of business communication. The results of the study indicate that the dialectical gap between the deaf and hearing is significantly reduced as sign language users can informally interact and exchange ideas, information and updates on business. In addition, the general boost in vocabulary originating from deaf people‟ interest in on-line communication in Kenya is highlighted. It is recommended that the recent immersion of the Kenyan deaf community in the use of smartphones and dissemination of instant messaging needs to be enhanced, as it may yield answers to societal inclusion, while also highlighting deaf cultural pride proponents of the deaf business people‟ creativity
SMEs AND ACQUISITION OF NEW TECHNOLOGY
Full text linkGenerally, in most African countries SMEs are characterized by low technology levels, which are likely to as a hindrance in the emerging global market. Therefore, there is a need for SMEs to upgrade their technology in the process of producing goods and effectively compete in the emerging global market. SMEs will not be able to upgrade their technology and compete effectively in the emerging global market, without removing some specific barriers from the learning environment in which the employees will be learning how to use the new technology. This paper critically reviews the literature on common characteristics of manufacturing SMEs and barriers to the transfer of technology and learning in order to identify the challenges faced by SMEs after acquisition of new technology. This study has adapted a tested model from the researcher’s previous work on developing a learning environment among semi-skilled workers. A PhD. Thesis submitted to the University of Delhi (2005). The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework that will enable SMEs owners/managers and HR consultants to conduct a proper learning needs analysis, identify challenges that are likely to act as barriers to the transfer of technology and learning process among employees in SMEs on one hand and on the other, provide effective ways of removing barriers so that employees may be able to learn how to use new technology effectively and enable SMEs to compete in the emerging global market. On the basis of critical review of previous research work, the findings of the present study suggests that training is the main determinant of transfer of technology, in the process of technology transfer, the emphasis is on the acquisition of knowledge. Some challenges (lack of time and money, high turnover of staff; negative attitudes towards external intervention; negative attitudes of SMEs managers and owners towards learning and informal learning is more common and preferred in SMEs) that are likely to as barriers to the transfer of technology and learning process among employees and managers/owners in SMEs originating from cultural aspects of the learning environment in the organizations. The best ways to remove barriers include: design training programs based on properly identified learning needs to change the attitudes of managers/owners regarding education and training and to acquire management skills that will enable them to effectively formulate and implement technology transfer strategy effectively