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An investigation into the factors that influence students' absenteeism in secondary schools in Tetu district, Nyeri county Kenya.
No full textPoor and declining performance has been noted in many schools in Kenya. Absenteeism of students is a problem that keeps on being mentioned in the mass media and by education planners. The factors that influence absenteeism are not fully understood, hence the purpose of this study was to assess influencing factors which if not well understood and checked can erode the intended benefits of education. Factors mentioned in the mass media like poverty which lowers parents ability to pay fees, lack of motivation from parents, negative peer influence, punitive punishments in schools and shortage of learning facilities need to be scrutinized with a view of arresting an impending catastrophe in education. This study adopted a survey design. From a population of 8,825, a sample size of 414 was randomly selected. The study was guided by objectives namely, to assess the influence of student and family issues, student's social economic environment and school related issues on absenteeism in schools in Tetu District. Research instruments namely questionnaire targeting students, interview schedule targeting principals and teachers and office documents on absenteeism were used in the study. A pilot study was carried out to ascertain the validity and reliability of research instruments. The mass of raw data collected was systematically organized into numerical codes representing attributes of variables and descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, use of bar graphs, tables were used to interpret the data. The study will be of immense use to managers of secondary school and educational officials in designing approaches in education. Parents in Tetu will also find the study useful in understanding the problem of absenteeism
Assessment of managerial roles of stakeholders in influencing academic performance of students in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education ; a case of Imenti North District.
No full textStudents in Kenya's secondary schools take four years to prepare for higher education. Most students start to shape their future in pursuing subjects that will take them to their careers at this level. Secondary education has been characterized by relatively poor performance in national examinations, especially in the core subjects, such as mathematics and sciences in Imenti North District (Eastern Province). There are many managerial factors interacting with each other to bring about this scenario. The main objective of the study was to assess the importance of managerial roles of stakeholders in influencing academic performance of students in KCSE in Imenti North District - Kenya. Descriptive survey research was employed where 20 public secondary schools were sampled using purposive sampling. 260 Board of Governors members, 20 headteachers, 109 teachers, 400 parents and 200 students in selected schools were used as respondents. A pilot study was carried out in one school outside the Imenti North District which was not included in the actual study in order to establish the reliability of the research instrument and also to find out whether the wording was clear. Data collection was done by use of questionnaires. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the data. The findings of the researcher were; most schools faced the problems of limited funds, poverty, BOG members lacked frequent capacity building seminars, schools lacked adequate physical facilities to facilitate proper learning, teachers handled many students in a class, parents do not give full support to their schools and students do not work hard. There was also inadequate school inspection and _ auditing and the problem of understaffing in most schools. The recommendations of the researcher were; that Board of Governors in public secondary schools require frequent capacity building seminars on management of schools, that headteachers and teachers need to work as a team, that parents need to give more support to their schools, that students need to work hard, that the government require to remit more funds to secondary schools, post more teachers to understaffed schools, and as much as possible avoid involvement of politicians in BOG nominations and that the Ministry of Education need to intensify school inspection and auditing exercises. The information from this research can be used by school managers, researchers and the Ministry of Education to chart ways of improving KCSE results and not only in Imenti North District but also in Kenya
An evaluation of the influence of stakeholders in the performance of business networking in micro and small enterprises
No full textMany business owners open shop with little or no idea on the influence of stakeholders when it comes to business networking. They take it for granted that with enough funds to stock the shop, the rest is obvious. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the influence of stakeholders in the performance of business networking among micro and small scale entrepreneurs (MSEs). The objective was to evaluate how stakeholders influence the performance of business networking in micro and small enterprises in Nyeri town. The study sample comprised micro and small scale entrepreneurs. Specific categories of enterprises included boutiques, mobile telephone shops, beauty shops, hardware shops, and bookshops, all of which operate within the targeted research area. The study sought to establish the influence of stakeholders in business networking, with specific focus on supplier, financier, consumers/customer and competitor. Random sampling was used to determine the specific participants to constitute the representative sample which constituted thirty percent of the target population. The study used a population of 127 micro and small businesses, out of which a study sample of 42 businesses was selected. A questionnaire helped generate intended data. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results of the research were presented using tables, frequency distribution graphs and pie charts. The data was analyzed using the regression model to show the relationships between the dependent variable and the independent variables. The study concluded that suppliers and financiers are key stakeholders to business networking followed by customers. However, it was evident that competitors were not key stakeholders to business networking. The researcher recommended that there is need for micro and small entrepreneurs to operate diverse businesses to minimize too much competition within one industry. Another recommendation was the need to sensitize, educate and train micro and small entrepreneurs to enhance networking strategies. Group ownership of businesses for long term sustainability and growth
Impact of school management on Kenya certificate of secondary education (KCSE) performance in Isiolo county of Kenya.
No full textEducators and the general public have expressed concern over factors that influence student
performance in examinations. The most outstanding factor has to do with the school management.
Performances in national examinations in majority of the schools in Isiolo County have been posting poor results. The county secondary schools have had considerable provision of inputs by both government and Non-Governmental Organizations alike: The purpose of this study was to investigate the • impact of secondary school management on Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) performance in Isiolo County. The research employed descriptive survey design. the independent variables namely; Competent management, teacher qualification, teacher turnover d input by school board of governor and PT A while, dependent variable was students' performance in KCSE examination. The study targeted 6 secondary schools of Isiolo County that have been presenting candidates for KCSE for the last five years from 2005 to 2009. Six head teachers, 118 teachers, 425 form three and form four students and 78 members of Board of Governors and 3 District Education Officers to form a target population of 630.6 head teachers were purposively selected while 20 students were randomly selected from every school. The same procedure was applied to select the five teachers and five BoGs members in every institution to have a sample size of 189 respondents. The data was collected by use of questionnaires and interview schedules. The data was assembled and grouped as per the specific objectives of this research and analysis was done using Statistical package for social scientist version 17.0. Fifteen of the teachers rated school BoGs members as incompetent, 10 teachers rated BoGs members as competent, 5 of the teachers rated them as fairly competent. Twenty five of the BoGs members agreed to have been involved. in the Maintenances of discipline in the school. Twenty eight of the members of BoGs in the schools sampled have never rewarded any teacher for exemplary good performance. This can lead to low staff morale and in tum poor KCSE students performance. On the issue of principal advising and keeping board informed on matters of management in the school, 12 responded that they were rarely informed, 9 were regular informed while, 9 were not at all informed. Sixteen teachers. blamed inadequate staffing for poor performance in Isiolo County, 6 blamed inadequate facilities while, 4 stated that low staff morale plays a critical role. Four teachers pointed out low staff morale and only, 3 and 1 blamed frequent teacher transfer and intake of poorly qualified students in form one respectively. The reasons for BoG members replacement were rated and 15 of the teachers would replace the members because of incompetence, 5 because of illiteracy, 4 because of ignorance, 3 because of combination of the earlier listed factors and 2 because of irresponsibility. This study noted that the student-teacher ratio in Public secondary schools in Isiolo County has been on an upward trend since 2005 in all the sampled schools. The student-teacher ratio is within the acceptable level of one teacher to 40 students, the issue of concern is the teachers' transfer rate which result in lack of content continuity in learning. The study showed that most head teachers had not attended any in-service course or induction on management. An attempt to be made to replicate more findings on the impact of school management on student academic performance in Isiolo County as their performance has not been impressive for the last ten years
Analysis of the effects of strategies used by SACCOs on saving mobilization
No full textThe study analyzed strategies used by Saccos on savings mobilization. A survey of selected Saccos in Muranga East district was done. In the study savings mobilization means the increase in the amount of Sacco shares and deposits. The researcher wanted to find out the relationship between different strategies used by Saccos and the amount of funds they mobilize. This would help to understand how Saccos can improve their low levels of savings. An examination of various theories underlying savings was done as well as studies of past research work on factors influencing savings. Using stratified random sampling, a sample of 42 respondents was obtained and data collected by use of questionnaires. Various challenges were encountered during questionnaire administration such as respondent fatigue due to lack of implementation of past research work. The data was analyzed through correlation analysis and tests of hypothesis done at 95% confidence level. The results were presented by use of bar-graphs, tables and pie-charts. The different variables being analyzed; convenience, accessibility, reliability, education and incentives were found to have a strong correlation with the independent variable, savings mobilization. The researcher recommends further research on the impact of ICT platforms such as M-¬pesa, M-Sacco, M-kesho, Pesa-Pap and EFT on savings mobilization. This is to establish whether the adoption of these technologies as a convenience measure has helped to increase savings
Factors affecting the implementation of strategic plan in savings and credit cooperative societies
No full textStrategic planning model describe how to develop a business strategy and link it to operational programs. It is also a link between investment of an organization and its external environment through assessment of possible threats and opportunities. With such a plan, managers have at best a sketch road map for increasing the firms' performance and therefore can make convincing promise to investors about the firms' future value. Savings and Credit-co-operative (SACCOS) societies are playing an increasingly important role in the process of financial intermediation in a high competitive financial market in Kenya; Saccos according to vision 2030 are expected to avail financial services both in urban and rural areas for the creation of wealth and poverty reduction. The Saccos therefore need to drastically change their approach from welfare oriented institutions to a more-business-like approach. One of the ways they have to deploy to achieve this is by instituting strategic management plans where formulation activation and implementation of practical business strategies are achieved The strategies should focus marketing, ICT, communication policies and procedures, internal control procedures , membership among others. The researcher carried out a study in Embu district and analyzes factors affecting strategic plan implementation. The target population was drawn from 12 SACCO, 84 officials and 12 employees. From the target population, 33% was obtained from employees, executive management committee, and supervisory committee to form the sample. The researcher used questionnaires to collect data which was analyzed by Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study established that there was need to have skilled leaders who can transform SACCOs and practice good corporate Governance. Modern technology for divided growth and control of rising expenditure was observed to be important. Also surpluses should be boosted to provide internal finances for funding programs. Finally based on study the researcher made recommendations that would assist in meeting the challenges
Factors influencing investment of funds. A survey of selected savings and credit cooperatives in Nyeri Central District
No full textHG 4530.N3 2011Savings and Credit Cooperatives aim at mobilizing their members and the community to improve their life. SACCOs like other firms are involved in the commitment of scarce resources to try to allocate them in a way that offers benefits to shareholders. Further, if the shareholders wealth is maximized by good investment decisions, they will tend to invest more in the company. If the investment decisions are consistently poor, the shareholders will withdraw their contributions and seek more profitable investment opportunities elsewhere. SACCOs are voluntary associations to which members contribute regularly pooled savings. They should therefore invest wisely the available funds. The objective of this study was to investigate the factors that influence how SACCOs invest funds in Kenya. The study was conducted through a survey on the SACCOs in Nyeri central District. The literature reviewed included theoretical and empirical literature. The research design employed was survey which enabled the researcher to understand relationships. The target population is 15 SACCOs registered as per the Nyeri town council. The administration of the SACCOs consists of a five member committee. The sample selected comprised of six SACCOs with a composition of thirty respondents. Data was collected via questionnaires which were prepared in accordance with the objective of the study. A pre-test with a small representative sample of a few respondents was carried out in Mukurwe-in Town. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation with the help of output from SPSS. Data is presented in tables, charts as well as graphs. The researcher issued all the 30 intended questionnaires and received all of them back. The findings of the study reveal that most of the parameters chosen were good measures of the independent variables. However some were poor measures because they revealed very weak correlations. The findings further revealed that all the four factors in the study were very strongly correlated with the investment of SACCO funds. From the findings of the study, the researcher was able to test the hypothesis using the p- value
Role of career guidance and counseling on Career awareness level of secondary school students in Meru South District - Kenya.
No full textThe aim of career guidance is to provide occupational needs of the students in preparation for integration into the world of work. This study was carried out to establish the role of career guidance and counseling programmes on career awareness level of students in secondary schools. The study used expost facto design and was carried out in secondary schools in Meru South District. The district has 40 schools which have 2766 form four students and 40 guidance and counseling teachers. A sample of form four students and another sample of guidance and counseling teachers were selected. The data was collected using self-scoring questionnaires; one for the students and the other one for guidance and counseling teachers. Validity of the instruments was achieved by using the modified questionnaires, piloting and consulting the supervisors who ensured that the questionnaires captured the objectives of the study. Reliability was arrived at by pre-testing the instruments in the neighboring Maara District which has similar characteristics with the study area. Using the split-half reliability test, a coefficient of 0. 85 was obtained. The data was analyzed using frequency percentages, rank sum test and chi-square methods. It was presented using tables, pie charts and bar graphs. The data was analyzed using the computer based Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 16.0. The study established that there was a significant relationship between career guidance and counseling and career awareness level of secondary school students of Meru South District. The findings show that there are insufficient career counselors in Meru South district, inadequate availability of counseling facilities and that majority oft teacher counselors were not trained in guidance and counseling. The results of the study were used to highlight the needs of career guidance and counseling and to recommend improvements in secondary schools
A case on Nairobi region.
No full textIn the ever changing world where customers' preferences and behavior in making decisions about which product to buy or service to use the selling company has to build and retain their brand in a way which makes it essential to the customer. Customers respond differently to company and brand images. Brand 'image' is defined as perceptions about a brand as reflected by the brand associations held in consumer memory (Keller, 1993). Brand identity is the way a company aims to identify or position itself. The brand identity clearly specifies what the brand aspires to stand for and has multiple roles (Konecnik and Go, 2008). First, it is a set of associations that the brand strategist seeks to create and maintain. The research designs to be employed in this study were a descriptive survey. The major purpose of descriptive research design will be to describe the state of affairs as it is at present. The population of this study included the management of small scale business located within Nairobi region. The researcher then used simple random sampling techniques to select 60 small scale businesses within the Nairobi city and 1 respondent from each small scale business forming a total of 60 respondents who will form the sample population size for this study.The study collected primary data. Questionnaires were used to obtain important information about the population. The researcher used both qualitative and quantitative techniques in analyzing the data. A content analysis and descriptive analysis was employed; which included mean, frequencies and percentages. The study found that market branding strategy adopted by SMEs enhance growth in sales turnover, these market branding strategy adopted by SMEs enhanced growth in sales turnover, through increased sales volume, increased awareness of company brand thus increased sales, increasing customer satisfaction thus increasing sales, creating perception in the customer mind of the brand quality and increased competitive edge over competitor thus increased customer satisfaction. The study further revealed that market branding strategies adopted by SMEs enhance profitability in SMEs. Market brandings strategy lead to increased sales turnover which leads to increased profits, market branding strategy lead to increased market share thus increased sales volume and hence increased profits. Thus the study concludes that market branding strategies adopted by SMEs enhance profitability in SMEs. The study further found that markets branding strategies adopted by SMEs increases their market share, these strategies were ; increased penetration in the market , branded advertisements, brand logo, a name and brand slogan, brand graphic design and color scheme , promotion , branded t-shirts ,branded gifts and trade show
Analysis of factors influencing growth of micro and small enterprises dealing in information communication technologies
No full textThis study was carried out to analyze the factors influencing the growth of MSEs dealing in ICT in selected businesses in Nyeri Town. Understanding the factors that influence the growth of MSEs dealing in ICT would inspire the players in the sector to come up with methods of boosting their growth and thus reap the maximum benefits that accrue. The general objective of the study was to analyze the factors that influence the growth of MSEs dealing in ICT with special reference to such businesses in Nyeri Town of Kenya. In the research the Survey design was used. The sampling frame included all MSEs dealing in ICT in Nyeri town. There is still not much of a common body of well-founded knowledge about the causes, effects or processes of growth. Moreover, although several determinants of firm growth have been suggested, researchers have been unable to achieve a consensus regarding the factors leading to firm growth. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to carry out an analysis of the factors that influence growth of MSEs dealing in ICT in Nyeri town after which the results were then generalized to cover the whole country. Moreover, there are several conceptual and empirical challenges in the study of firm's growth (Delmar, 2007). Firm growth in general refers to increase in size. The most frequently used measure for growth has been change in the firm's turnover. Another typical measure for growth has been increase in the number of employees. In order to create a conducive and enabling business environment for growth, there is need to carry out a detailed examination of the factors that influence growth of ICT related micro and small enterprises. Data was hence collected from such selected businesses in Nyeri town through the use of questionnaires using the drop and pick method. Data collected was then analyzed and quantitatively interpreted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Pie charts and tables were then used to present data in an easy way to interpret. In this way, the outcome of the study would try to help the micro and small enterprises dealing in ICT to start and stay afloat. The findings of the study would be useful to the government in formulating regulations concerning the sector. Further, the government would, on the basis of the findings of the study determine ways of spurring growth in the sector by removing the impediments to the growth. On the other hand the outcome of the study would help to bridge the information gap that exists on the factors influencing the growth of MSEs dealing in JCT and provide ways by which the challenges could be surmounted. This would go a long way in catalyzing the growth of ICT sector and entrepreneurship in Kenya