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Examining the role of organisational learning in customer relations management : a case study of microfinance institutions in the Central business district of Lusaka, Zambia.
Get PDFThesis of the Master of Business AdministrationThe purpose of this study was to examine the role of organisational learning in customer relations management, using a case study of Microfinance Institutions in the central business district of Lusaka, Zambia. The study was prompted by the problem of a continuous rise in customer complaints. This raised the question of whether the Microfinance institutions are repeating the same mistakes over and over again, without learning from them or maybe they are failing to adjust
to their customer’s needs and expectations. This study aimed to fill a gap in existing research by examining the role of organisational learning in customer relations management in Microfinance Institutions in the CBD of Lusaka, Zambia. The findings can inform policy-making and help MFIs improve their customer relations management, enhancing their sustainability. The study sought to ascertain the mistakes in handling customer complaints by Microfinance Institutions in the CBD of Lusaka, Zambia. It also sought to establish the role played by organisational learning in customer relations management in Microfinance Institutions in the CBD of Lusaka, Zambia. Lastly, the study sought to determine measures that Microfinance Institutions can implement to learn from their mistakes in customer relations management. The Organisational Learning Theory was the theoretical framework that guided the study. The study took a qualitative research approach, where data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from the Marketing Managers while open-ended questionnaires were used to gather data from the customers of MFIs. The target population was the 30 Marketing managers in MFIs in Lusaka, Zambia as well as an estimated 200 Customers of MFIs. A sample of 70 participants was used to participate in the study using the Taro Yamane method for sample size calculation. Quota sampling was used to select the elements in the sample. The gathered data was analysed using thematic analysis. The study found that the mistakes made in handling customer complaints include a lack of adequate complaint handling processes, poor communication and responsiveness, lack of empathy and understanding, ineffective complaint resolution, as well as inadequate feedback and escalation mechanisms. The study also found that the role played by organisational learning in customer relations management
includes knowledge acquisition and sharing, continuous improvement and adaptation, customer feedback integration, employee development, and training, as well as knowledge application and innovation. The study also found that the measures that MFIs in Zambia can implement to learn from their mistakes in customer relations management include conducting post-mortem analyses, establishing a feedback loop, implementing continuous training and development programs, conducting regular performance reviews, as well as encouraging a culture of learning and improvement. The study recommended that MFIs should promote a culture of learning by fostering cross-departmental collaboration and continuous improvement in customer relations management practices. Post-mortem analyses after customer-related incidents can help identify factors contributing to mistakes and develop strategies to prevent future incidents. Active customer feedback can be used to identify areas for improvement. Prioritising employee development and training programs can enhance customer service and relations skills. Future studies should explore leadership's role in promoting organisational learning and customer satisfaction
Effects of the minimum wage policy on employment in the retail sector : Lusaka province.
Get PDFThesis of Masters in Business Administration GeneralThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the minimum wage policy on employment in the retail sector particularly in Lusaka Province. Structural questionaires & interviews were conducted with a sample of respondents and the data analyzed. The study focussed on the multinational retail sector.
This study presents evidence on the awareness, compliance and effects of the minimum wage policy on employment. The findings show that while the vast majority of workers know that there is a minimum wage in force in Zambia, comparatively few employees know the exact amount of the minimum wage. Interestingly, most sociodemographic determinants, such as sex, age, education, marital status, or form of employment, are barely correlated with this knowledge. However, both aspects of awareness of the minimum wage are found less often among employees in the retail sector, for whom the statutory minimum wage is likely to be of particularly high relevance, than among employees with higher wages. This results of this study indicate that despite the importance, majority of retail workers are less informed on the Minimum Wage Policy. They expressed the need for more sensitization by their employers or government. An important aspect of minimum wages in the developing world particularly in Zambia is the degree of compliance, given the regulatory structures tend to be substantially less developed than those in developed countries. However, in this study it appears the extent of compliance is fairly high among multinational retail companies as all the respondents indicated wage rates that are either within or more than the statutory minimum wage brackets. The study also established effects of the minimum wage policy on employees. The respondents indicated an increase in the wages as one of the effects of the MW policy, while employers highlited a negative effect on profitability
An analysis of monthly fuel price adjustments on the sales of courier service operators in selected parts of Lusaka district for the period 2020-2022.
Get PDFThesis of Master of Business Administration (MBA).Fuel prices play a significant role in the operational costs of courier service operators. As fuel prices increase or decrease, it directly affects the sales and profits of courier services due to cost of running delivery services. When fuel prices rise, courier companies experiences an increase in sales but faced higher expenses for fueling their vehicles, which can lead to increased operational costs. Therefore, this study was analyzing monthly fuel price adjustments for the sales of courier service operators. The Study was guided by Theoretical Framework using the Law of Demand Theory. This study’s approach was quantitative in that it was able to generate numerical data, which was converted into statistical analysis. Questionnaires were
used to collect data from respondents, and a simple random sampling was used to determine participants. The Chi-Square T-test was used to analyze the collected data. The first objective was to compare the demand for courier services in relation to charge prices and fuel adjustments for the period 2020-2022 in Lusaka and the study discovered that 68 (52%) indicated that it had increased, 42 (32%) said that it remained the same and 20 (15%) indicated that it had decreased. The findings suggest a positive outlook for the courier service industry in 2022, with more than half of the participants noting an increase in demand. The second objective was to assess whether courier service operators in Lusaka District are making profitable sales to an adjustment of fuel prices and the study revealed that the majority 62 (48%) believed it was very positive, while a notable percentage 25(19%) considered it slightly positive. On the other hand, there were smaller proportions who viewed it negatively, with 22 (17%) stating it was slightly negative and 9% indicating it was very negative. The minority 9 (7%) felt that there was no impact on profits due to these adjustments. The last objective was to find out the influence of fuel prices on the rate of business transactions on the Courier Services in Lusaka and the study established that 51 (39%) strongly agree, 42 (32%) agreed, 4 (3%) were neutral, 18 (14%) disagreed and 15 (12%) strongly Disagree. It can be observed that
a majority of participants either strongly agreed or agreed that the monthly adjustments of fuel prices in 2022 had an influence on business transactions due to the increase in online purchases by customers who tried to lessen transportation costs as a result of high fuel prices. The study
recommendation that courier service operators implement dynamic pricing strategies that will allow for adjustments based on fluctuating fuel prices while remaining competitive in the market. It is also recommended that courier service operators should invest in fuel-efficient vehicles to reduce operational costs and minimize the impact of fuel price fluctuations on overall expenses. It is recommended also that Government adopt a strategy for price shocks by locking the fuel price or buying in bulk when it is cheaper at the international market to avoid suppliers buying at higher prices and also re-introduce a form subsidy on fuel to caution high fuel prices
Effects of angiotensin receptor blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors on the hamster tracheal mucosal barriers to pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.
Get PDFThesis of Doctor of Philosophy in Infectious Diseases.The severe cases of COVID-19 observed in patients with hypertension and diabetes have created controversies as to why this was the case and the role of ARBs, and ACE inhibitors was not ruled out as a contributing factor since the induction of cough is one of their major side effects. Studies have found that the expression level of ACE2 in cells was significantly reduced after COVID-19 infection, leading to an increased level of angiotensin II and activation of the reninangiotensin-aldosterone system, thus over-activating the angiotensin II type 1 receptor of lung cells to induce and aggravate lung injury. ARBs and ACEIs interfere with the renin-angiotensin aldosterone system in producing their therapeutic effect. The function of gas exchange for the respiratory system exposes it to foreign particles, including infectious agents, allergens, and other substances that can damage it. The role of the airway mucosa is to act as a physical barrier between the external environment and the internal environment. The mucosal barrier function is composed of the mucociliary escalator, intercellular apical junction complexes that regulate paracellular permeability, and antimicrobial peptides secreted by airway epithelial cells. The three components work together to protect the respiratory tract, and impairment of one or more
of these components may increase the susceptibility of the respiratory system to infections. Respiratory mucins are very important for the viscoelasticity properties of respiratory mucus, and an increase in the secretion of respiratory mucins can negatively affect the mucociliary escalator. This study aimed to investigate the effects of ACE inhibitors and ARBs on inflammatory mediators and how inflammatory mediators affect tracheal mucosal barriers. The study used a hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) as an experimental animal model and ELISA techniques to assess the increase or decrease in Bradykinin, MUC5AC, MUC5B, and FOXA2. Additionally, histological techniques were used to assess goblet cell hyperplasia and hyperplasia of the submucosal glands of the tracheal mucosa. Furthermore, the study challenged hamsters treated with enalapril or losartan with 0.2 ml of pH 7.0 containing 1.5 x 108 cfu / ml of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to assess the effects of ARB and ACEI on tracheal mucosa barriers. Dunnett’s t-test was used to analyze the results and a p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Hamsters treated with enalapril, or losartan had an increase in bradykinin, MUC5AC and MUC5B concentration compared to the control, however, the increase was not significant (p > 0.05). On the contrary, hamsters treated with enalapril, or Losartan had a decrease in FOXA2 concentration, however, the decrease was also not significant (p > 0.05). In histological sections, hyperplasia of goblet cells and submucosal glands was not observed. For Pseudomonas aeruginosa challenge, no hamster developed fever after 72 hours and there was no mortality at the end of 14 days. The results of this study show that the administration of enalapril or losartan did not have a significant effect on the expression of FOXA2, MUC5AC and MUC5B. Furthermore, the administration of enalapril or losartan did not cause the hamsters to develop hyperplasia of the goblet cells or submucosal glands. Finally, the administration of enalapril or Losartan did not cause the hamsters to develop fever. The implication is that enalapril and Losartan did not have a negative effect on the tracheal mucosal barrier function to Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection at a dose of 3.0 x 107 cfu/ml. In general, the findings of this study show that administration of enalapril or losartan does not significantly increase the production of respiratory tract mucins. Therefore, the administration of these drugs will not reduce the innate immune response of the respiratory tract through the impairment of mucus production and thus will not increase the
susceptibility of individuals to Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection
Opportunities and challenges of planning for virtual markets in Lusaka.
Get PDFThesis of Master of Science in Spatial Planning.The advent of internet and increase in the usage of information and communication technology has brought about the demand for advertising and transaction of goods and services online through the use of cyber or virtual Markets. Zambia is among the most urbanized countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and is faced with an increase in the users of social media and other digital media platforms where advertising and online transactions are taking place without the required
regulations and necessary legislation to guide and regulate the virtual Markets. The study was aimed at assessing how the current planning processes can include planning for virtual urban Markets. The study was set to assess the awareness of virtual urban Markets among urban planners and to examine the potential for inclusion of virtual space in planning for urban Markets. The study was anchored on the data collected from 36 participants which were purposefully selected from institutions responsible for coordination of planning and provision of policies on Virtual Markets and regulation of trade and commerce. The participants included key informants from key institutions and practicing planners. The study findings indicated that there was general awareness among urban planners on the usage of the virtual Markets to the advertisement and transaction of products in the virtual space through
cyber platforms. The results further established that though there were policies to provide for advertisement and transacting online through cyber platforms, there are no regulations and standards to guide virtual Markets in their operations. For the possible inclusion of virtual Markets in the planning, the results indicated that there was progress being made by the Government ministries in advancing Virtual Markets by promoting a Smart Zambia campaign.
The results indicated a serious challenge of low internet connectivity and high levels of computer illiteracy which hindered full participation of the general citizenry in virtual Markets. Furthermore, absence of hardware such as computers, phones and software coupled with lack of coordination among sector ministries in advancing the use of virtual Markets poses a great challenge in the planning and subsequent legislation of virtual Markets. This study concludes
that the inadequacy coordination, low investments in Virtual Markets, inadequate regulations of cyber Markets, high internet access divide, between the urban areas and rural areas, high risks of internet fraud and low access to internet facilities and accessories hinders successful planning for virtual urban Markets. The virtual Market transactions have changed the way people advertise and trade their products in that the physical Market has been avoided and substituted by the virtual Market and so are some of the taxes and fees due to local authorities and the Government. To regulate and plan effectively for the virtual Markets, there is need to provide regulations pertaining cyber transactions and provide necessary education to the citizenry on the importance of virtual Markets. The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development together with Zambia information Communication and Technological Authority to come up with a deliberate policy of registering online firms that advertises and transact with the public. The Government should introduce taxes and revenues that are connected with local authorities on every Virtual Market created and pay directly to the council in form of a
percentage or loyalties
Development of web-based GIS for the management of boreholes: a case of Chilenje and Chalala townships.
No full textThesisDomestic and commercial groundwater usage is inevitable in the absence of adequate utility
water supply in terms of availability, quality, cost and pressure. This may lead to people
accessing ground water via the use of boreholes. In some areas boreholes are drilled for business
purposes. There are different mechanisms for drilling these boreholes. The massive borehole
drilling has a great effect on ground water. The ground water might be contaminated as these
boreholes are sunk right next to septic tanks. An improperly designed, located, constructed, or
maintained septic system can leak bacteria, viruses, household chemicals, and other contaminants
into the groundwater causing serious problems. In order to control and manage the usage of
ground water responsible authorities require the necessary type of information to support
decision-making and access to the resource. The objective of this study was to develop a Mobile
based geographical information system for the management of boreholes in Chalala and Chilenje
Townships. A mobile phone GPS facility was used to map the boreholes. This connects to the
geographical information systems (GIS) database that stores all spatial data for the operational
areas. An Android Mobile phone was acquired and the GEO-ODK application was installed on it
for data collection. The GPS location is the key for data analysis. The same Android phone was
used by the Hydrologists employed by the ministry to do spot checks on areas where people have
sunk the boreholes. The Geo-ODK is open source software. The system is based on open source
application and PostgreSQL was/’ used for database management. The system has to be able to
be connected with other GIS applications for future enhancements. There is need to enhance this
system in future to enable it provide real time data
Evaluating the effectiveness of the communication strategy used by the road transport and safety agency (RTSA) in promoting road safety in Lusaka urban.
Get PDFMaster of Science in Corporate CommunicationThe purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the communication strategy used by the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) in promoting road safety in Lusaka Urban.
The study targeted road users around Misisi and John Lanig area on Kafue road of the Great North Road as the area was reported to have a lots of road traffic accident. The study focused mainly on pedestrians, cyclists, passengers and motorists because these are mainly the road users found on that stretch although according to the findings, pedestrians are more prone to road traffic accidents because the road has six (6) lanes which makes it difficult for them to cross the road.
A descriptive approach was adopted in this study which was nested on the concurrent mixed methods approach. The collection of data used were interviews and questionnaires (quantitative and qualitative) and the data collected was analysed using SPSS (version 25) and NVivo 10.
This study established that the communication strategy is not effective because the channel used are not properly segmented and that there are few programmes in the community on road safety. The study established that most of the messages which are communicated to road users boarders more on motorist’s safety neglected the other road users and the messages do not border much on behavioural change. The study recommended that there is need for the Government through the Ministry of Transport and Logistics and the RTSA to come up with deliberate community road safety programmes targeted at behavioral change for all road users. More effort is needed to ensure that road safety programmes reach the local communities to increase the awareness levels. The study also recommended that road safety messages needs to be segmented according to the road users for communication to attain its desired results and that there is also need for RTSA to also regularly conduct a needs assessment regarding road safety measures and challenges which they face.
Keywords: Road Safety, Communication Strategy, Awareness, Messages, Communication channel
Genomic analysis of antimicrobial resistant escherichia coli, enterococcus and salmonella species isolated from humans and broiler chickens in Lusaka and Copperbelt provinces in Zambia.
Get PDFThesis of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health (One Health).Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health and economic threat involving humans, animals and the environment. Globally, AMR threatens historic gains attained in the treatment of infectious diseases. Escherichia coli and Enterococcus species initially considered harmless members of the gut resident biota, are now important human pathogens associated with a wide range of clinical syndromes, including urinary tract infections (UTIs) and bloodstream infections (BSIs). Salmonellae are the leading cause of community acquired BSIs in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). In order to understand AMR, the distribution
and the genomic relatedness of these pathogens, a holistic approach in the three sectors is of critical importance. The aim of this study was to determine the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of E. coli, Enterococcus and Salmonella species and establish genotypic relatedness of E. coli and Enterococcus species isolated from humans (clinical and carriage) and poultry in Lusaka and Copperbelt provinces of Zambia. This was a two-tier cross-sectional study comprised of human and poultry bacterial isolates. The human study had two components: hospitalized patients and the healthy community. E. coli and Enterococcus species were isolated from hospitalised patients with UTIs and BSIs, healthy pregnant women and children < 5 years and from market-ready-chickens while
Salmonella species was isolated from hospitalised patients with BSIs only. Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were determined by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method and the Vitek 2 compact automated machine. AMR data was entered into Excel spreadsheets and WHOnet 2020, then analysed in STATA version 14. Subsets of E. coli, Enterococcus and Salmonella species were selected for whole genome sequencing (WGS) using Illumina short read sequencing. The raw sequence data of the three pathogens were uploaded and investigated on different platforms such as EnteroBase and SnapperDB. Assembled sequence data for all three pathogens were analysed using online bioinformatics pipelines at the Centre for Genomic Epidemiology (GCE). Phylogenetic analysis of E. coli and Salmonella enterica were carried out on Enterobase and visualised using Microreact. High levels of resistance to a number of antibiotic classes were recorded in all the three studied pathogens. Notably, resistance to third generation cephalosporins and extended spectrum betalactamases in E. coli clinical isolates was 62% and 89% respectively. It was interesting to note the presence of similar resistance gene determinants and incompatibilty (Inc) plasmid replicons
FII, FIB, FIA and I1 in both clinical and non-clinical E. coli strains. The most prevalent sequence type (ST) was E. coli-ST131(79%), most of which were clinical isolates (97%). Notable was the wide diversity of other STs in the healthy community and poultry, most of which were phylogenetically unrelated but carried similar resistance genes on similar plasmids. E. faecalis (52%) was the most prevalent Enterococcus species with emerging resistance to ampicillin/penicillin (26%/34%), high-level gentamicin (12%) and quinupristin-dalfopristin (1%) in clinical isolates. Salmonella infections were mostly caused by genomic diverse S.
Typhi (86%) with an emergence of S. Typhimurium ST313 (3%). Salmonella infections recorded an increase in resistance to ciprofloxacin (1% to 20%) and ceftriaxone (1% to 11%) in 2020/2021 compared to 2018/2019. All the three pathogens had phylogroups/STs that are known to be commensals or less virulent strains but associated with clinical infections. The occurrence of strains known to be commensals as causative agents of BSIs/UTIs, the distribution of similar antimicrobial resistance profiles and resistance gene determinants on the same type of transferable plasmids in all the three interfaces, supports the possibility of cross transmission across species. It further supports the ability of previously non-pathogenic strains to acquire traits that allow them to become pathogenic and further spread AMR. These findings warrant for adoption of policies and regulations that address the prevention and containment of AMR using the one health approach
School Of Humanities and Social Sciences:Past Examination Papers, 2021/22
No full textThe University of Zambia
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
2021/22 Academic Year
Post Graduat
Examining traditional leaders’ role in managing political conflict and peace building in Zambia.
Get PDFArticleIn the traditional setting, in the past, conflicts were solved by traditional elders whereas today, conflict management is as a result of increased interdependence among actors and complexity of issues that underlie the interests leading to conflict which under rates the role played by the traditional leaders in conflict management. The aim of this paper was to investigate the role of traditional leaders in managing political conflict for peace building at national level in Zambia. Using a case study design and qualitative approaches, the study collected data through semi structured interviews with 30 key informants who were purposively sampled. The findings were analysed following a thematic approach. The findings of the study confirm that traditional leaders have influence in political conflict management and peace building processes. The findings reveal that role chiefs played in the nationalist movement and their positive contribution to economic growth and development both political and social development before and after independence. It is clear in this study that the effect of tradition leadership in countries like Zambia still has leverage on the political direction of a country and chiefs in chiefdoms have the power to mediate various forms of conflicts including political disputes