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An analysis of determinants of internationalization: A case study of selected Kenyan pharmaceutical and medical equipment firms
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree of Master in Business Administration, Kenya Methodist UniversityBusiness activities that are organized and carried out across borders to pursue an organization`s stated aims and objectives is referred to as international business. The aim of any organization (national or international) is to maximize their profit and minimize their costs; this is achieved through effective and efficient allocation of its resources in its operations. Selected pharmaceutical and medical equipment present in Kenya were investigated to analyze the determinants of their internationalization. The study`s objectives were to establish the extent to which organization`s attributes, decision maker`s abilities, market features and regulatory support influenced the internationalization of selected Kenyan pharmaceutical and medical equipment firms. This study further provided empirical review, conceptual and operational framework. A descriptive research design was used in the study; this design main objective was to clearly describe the persons involved and acquire accurate information from the current situation. Due to this topic being important in the field of international business, this research had for general objective to analyze the determinants that influence the internationalization of selected Kenyan pharmaceutical and medical equipment firms. It specifically looked at determinants such as: organization`s attributes, decision maker`s abilities, market features and regulatory support. A census was used to gain access to information from the population members in order to determine their status and how they relate to one or more variables. The study`s sample size consisted 75 respondents out of the targeted 75 respondents. The study used questionnaire method in form of structured questions to collect data from the field. Data was presented and summarized in forms of tables and questionnaires was collected and analyzed so as to acquire relevant data. This study’s results showed that organization`s attributes, decision maker`s abilities and market features influenced the internationalization of selected Kenyan pharmaceutical and medical equipment firms. The study recommended that Kenyan pharmaceutical and medical equipment firms should concentrate their efforts on building their decision makers abilities, organization`s attributes and taking advantage of host country market features in achieving internationalization. The study found that organization attributes, with its measures: number of employees, number of years in business operations and product appeal significantly affect the internationalization of selected Kenyan pharmaceutical and medical equipment firms, these firms must build up their competencies and strategies in a way to enable them acquire certain features overtime. From the study, decision maker’s abilities and host country market features were also seen as a statistically significant predictor of internationalization of selected Kenyan pharmaceutical and medical equipment firms. These abilities and foreign market features help the organization achieve success both financially and non-financially. Finally, policy makers (host and home country regulators) were seen as a statistically insignificant predictor of the internationalization of selected Kenyan pharmaceutical and medical equipment firms, therefore policy makers should concentrate on building on the competencies and capabilities of organizations whilst formulating and implementing export policies and programs to help increase export volumes
Relationship between managerial characteristics and success of internationalization of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises facilitated by Export Promotion Council in Kenya
No full textA research thesis submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree of Master of International Business of Kenya Methodist UniversityTo investigate the relationship between managerial characteristics and successful internationalization of small and medium sized enterprises facilitated by Export Promotion Council in Kenya. Specifically the study seeked to ascertain the relationship between managerial characteristics and successful internationalization of SMEs in manufacturing sector; It assessed the relationship between international outlook and successful internationalization of SMEs in manufacturing sector; it determined the relationship between risk tolerance and successful internationalization of SMEs in manufacturing sector and examined the relationship between demographic characteristics and successful internationalization of SMEs in manufacturing sector. The study used descriptive research design. The researcher targeted all the 231 manufacturing SMEs in Kenya that were facilitated by export promotion council and out of which a sample of 144 respondents were picked. The study respondents comprised of owners of SMEs under study. Stratified random sampling method was used pick respondents from the population. The data collection instrument used was a questionnaire. The data collected was both qualitative and quantitative in nature, Descriptive analysis and inferential statistical analysis was performed to describe the characteristic of the sample and to examine the relationship between variables respectively. The statistical analysis tool such as SPSS version 21 and Microsoft Excel 2010 helped the researcher to describe the data. The study results indicated that managerial perception, risk tolerance, international outlook and demographic characteristics were positively and highly correlated with successful internationalization of SMEs. The study recommends that the possession of certain competitive advantages such as: advantages in R&D, marketing, knowledge, product strength in terms of quality and uniqueness may influence the decision makers‟ perception about export involvement and development, certain characteristics specific to the decision maker, such as foreign language skills, previous international experience, time spent abroad and international business knowledge, managers should have a positive attitude towards risk favors strategies of expansion through new products and markets, low levels of perceived risk together with high levels of risk tolerance lead to a positive attitude towards export and for successful internationalization, entrepreneurs should become familiar with customers on the local, national and international markets as well as to be able to develop more appropriate market niches
Psychological effect of cervical dysplasia diagnosis among HIV positive women at the Dream Center in Lang'ata, Nairobi county
No full textR726.7.M34 2018Cervical dysplasia is the abnormal growth of pre-cancerous cells on the surface of the cervix associated with the human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus. The risk for cancer is lower for mild dysplasia. Cervical cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers that affect women and that leads to deaths worldwide. The ultimate purpose of the study was examining the psychological effects and make recommendations on some of the critical psychological issues that should be addressed at the Dream center, Lang'ata Nairobi County. The study was conducted through descriptive research design. The study population was HIV positive women diagnosed with cervical dysplasia at the Dream center, Lang'ata Nairobi County between the months of October 2013-September 2016. Target population was 50 HIV positive women diagnosed with cervical dysplasia in Dream center Lang'ata Nairobi County, out of200 women diagnosed with the same condition between the months of October 2013 to September 2016. The study used systematic random sampling technique to select 25% of the target population. The sample size of the study was 50 possible respondents, 10 clinicians and 10 caregivers were also targeted in the study. The researcher carried out a pilot study using a sample with similar characteristics as the sample for the study. This was done at the Dream center Lang'ata Nairobi with measures in place to ensure that those who participated in the pilot study were not included in the actual study. The results of the pilot study enabled the researcher to ascertain and enhance the validity and reliability of the research instruments. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The organized data was interpreted on account of concurrence to objectives using assistance of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) computer packages and Microsoft Excel Data Analysis Tool Packs to communicate research findings. Based on demographic profile, older respondents (above 40 years) had greater percentage of satisfaction on counseling than the young respondents (1 % more). The research indicated 87% of the respondents said that there was no counseling before screening, 13 % of the respondents said that they were counseled. The clinicians and caregivers could not give foundational support services for HIV positive patients diagnosed with cervical dysplasia. The research indicated that among the fears expressed was the fear of death (51 %), fear to loose fertility (17%) fear of divorce (19%) and other fears as cost of treatment were 14%. Lack of family support, anxiety, stigma, lack of information was also other important psychological impact expressed. The researcher found out that there were slight variation on how respondents handled various situations as counseling based on various demographic profiles as religious background and level of education. Based on the limited literature currently available, treatment for cervical and vulvar dysplasia appears to have a negative impact on sexual health. Based on the information shared during focus group discussions, the researcher found that clinicians focused more on the physical needs of HIV Positive women diagnosed with cervical dysplasia. Information should be made available on cervical dysplasia to HIV positive women to ease impacts of cervical dysplasia diagnosis. Physicians and caregivers should be able to give the information in the best methods possible. Positive dysplasia result might culminate to bigger psychological problems as stigma, loss of spouse and lower quality of life. This calls for measures by government and social groups to ensure that persons with dysplasia have a quality life in the long run. There too should be stringent support services that are specific to dysplasia and the condition should not be generalized as it affects mainly a specific group of persons (women) and may not be understood by other groups who might stigmatize these. Relevant government ministry and departments as the department of culture, gender and social services should ensure this both at county and national level
Integration of health management information systems in health care organizations in Kenya
No full textGlobal attention to health systems strengthening has led to different quality improvement approaches in developed and developing countries. The awakening realization that information is critical for health systems functioning has directed most countries towards strengthening their existing information systems or developing new ones. Despite efforts to improve on existing information systems, fragmented information systems have emerged hindering the efforts of addressing the concern of integrating health management information systems. An integrated health management information system has greater benefits for example enhancing easy retrieval of data, timely information sharing and evidence based decision making. The purpose of this study was to prescribe a model that will facilitate the Integration of Health Management Information Systems in healthcare organizations. The objectives of the study were; to establish whether the organization factor; technical factor; behavioral factor of care providers and leadership style influenced integration of Health Management Information System in healthcare organizations in Kenya. The study was anchored on the System theory but underpinned on performance of routine information system framework. Guided by the philosophy of logical positivism and interpretivism. A mixed method research design involving quantitative and qualitative designs was used to obtain information from three counties; Kiambu (peri-urban), Kitui (rural) and Mombasa (urban) in Kenya. A study population was 479 public healthcare organization. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select organizations that participated in this study. A sample size of 144 public healthcare organizations was drawn using the Kothari formula of calculating sample size. In each healthcare organization selected, two self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from 243 respondents who were either the in charges or health records officers. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21 and summary statistics such as mean scores, standard deviation and inferential statistics namely correlation and regression results were used to present the data. The study results provided statistical evidence that a positive and significant relationship exists between the organization factor (r=.472**, P˂.005), technical factor (r=.683**, P˂.005), behavioral factor (r=.507**, P˂.005) and leadership style (r=.731**˂.005) and integration of health management information systems. Technology adoption was found to significantly moderate the relationship between technical factor and integration of health management information systems, while need for information timeliness was found to moderate organization factor, technical factor and leadership style. The integration of HMIS model proposed in this study was found to be fit because it explained up to (r2 =.648) total variation in the integration of HMIS. The remaining beat of .352 is explained by the statistical error term. The std. error of .227 shows the model regression line deviates from the line of best fit. The study concluded that leadership style was quite significant in the efforts towards integration of HMIS and information timeliness was a very good moderator between the operation factors and integration of HMIS. The study recommends that; i) health system managers adopt the proposed design of data collection strategy emerging from the study findings ii) The extracted integration of HMIS model from the study findings composed of transformational leadership style, systems interoperability moderated by information timeliness and enhanced information culture should be adopted. Further studies can be done after the model is adopted to evaluate its performance
Factors that cause differentiation in academic performance between public and private primary schools in Igembe North sub county, ,Meru county, Kenya.
No full textLearners' academic performance has lured the interest of scholars, parents, policy makers, planners and curriculum implementers. The main objective of schools is to ensure that learners achieve academic excellence. Private primary schools in Igembe North have been performing far much better than public primary schools. It was not clear as to what factors that cause this difference. This study aimed at investigating the factors that caused differentiation in academic performance between public and private primary schools in lgembe North sub county of Meru County, Kenya. The study employed expost-facto research design. The target population included 83 head teachers, 83 senior teachers and 3550 pupils, making a total of 3716 subjects. A sample of 250 respondents - 25 head teachers, 25 senior teachers, 200 pupils was randomly and proportionately drawn from the target population. The researcher used questionnaires to collect data from the respondents. Pilot study was done in two schools outside Igembe North Sub County, to assess the quality of the instruments. Once the quality of the instruments was ascertained, the researcher visited the selected primary schools and planned with the school head teachers on data collection in their respective schools. After all the respective data was collected it was sorted out and then analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 18. Descriptive, t - test, and Chi square statistics, as well as, Pearson correlation analyses were used to analyze factors that cause differentiation in Academic performance between public and private primary schools in Igembe North Sub County. It was established that eight of the ten head teachers' characteristics items significantly varied between private and public primary schools. Besides, six of the ten teachers' characteristics items, nine of the ten pupils' characteristics items and all the eleven parents' characteristics items differed significantly between private and public primary schools. The study established that the 2017 KCPE mean score of private primary schools was significantly higher than the mean score of the public primary schools. A positive correlation was established between the head teachers characteristics and 2017 KCPE mean score by use of a Pearson product-moment correlation. Equally, a positive correlation was also established between the teachers' characteristics and 2017 KCPE mean score. It was further established that the scores for head teachers, teachers, pupils and parents characteristics were significantly higher in private primary schools than for public primary schools. The study concluded that the variations in head teachers, teachers, pupils and parents characteristics were significantly associated with disparity in academic performance between pupils in public and private primary schools in lgembe North Sub County. The study recommended that the Ministry of Education should find ways of motivating the head teachers in public primary schools for them to perform their leadership role passionately as their counterparts in private primary schools. It is also recommended that the Ministry of Education should ensure that the recommended class size of 40 pupils per class is attained in public primary schools for the teachers to effectively spearhead the learning process. Besides, the Ministry of Education should put in place measures to improve the learning environment in public primary schools for the pupils to enjoy and appreciate learning. In addition, the head teachers in public primary schools should invent ways of educating parents in their schools on importance of parental involvement in pupils' academic achievement
Factors influencing strategy choice in five star hotels performance in Nairobi,Kenya
No full textThis study focused on factors influencing strategy choice in five star hotels performance in Nairobi, Kenya. It was carried out with the realization that firms are endeavoring to be at standard with the worldwide change, accomplishing upper hand position and upgrading execution with respect to their rivals. Hotels in Kenya are struggling to design new and achievable strategic plans so as to have a stake in what is considered a lucrative market with the great potential for growth. The objective of the study was to determine the influence of customer satisfaction on strategy choice in five star hotels performance in Nairobi; to establish the influence of technology adoption on strategy choice in five star hotels performance in Nairobi; to assess the influence of hotel positioning on strategy choice in five star hotels performance in Nairobi; to examine the influence of globalization of hotel industry on strategy choice in five star hotels performance in Nairobi. The study reviewed dynamic capabilities theory, contingency theory, and resource-based view theory. The study used descriptive research design. The study population consisted of 70 departmental managers of the five-star hotels in Nairobi, Kenya. Secondary data was collected from books, journals and previous researches while primary data was gathered utilizing a self-administered questionnaire to the respondents. Data collected was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).Each key factor was recorded against the set variable while quantitative information was broken down utilizing descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Hypothesis was tested at 5% level of significance. Analyzed data was presented in tables. The study used logistic regression to show the relationship between dependent variable, performance of five star hotels in Nairobi and independent variable customer satisfaction, technology adoption, hotel positioning and globalization of the hotel industry. The study found that technology adoption and hotel positioning had significant relation with performance of five star hotels in Nairobi, Kenya. The study established that customer satisfaction and globalization of the hotel industry had no significant relation with performance of five star hotels in Nairobi, Kenya. The study recommended that hotels should emphasis on technology adoption in their operations so as to gain competitive advantage over their competitors and for research and development on global trends. The study also recommended hotel positioning to the hotels since it increases customer base therefore increasing sales thus leading to profitability. Hotel positioning can be achieved through production of unique and differentiated products
Effect of branding strategy on the performance of selected multinational corporations in Kenya
No full textGlobally, multinational corporations have played a critical role in international trade and are key players in the economic activities in host countries including Kenya. The concept of a branding is now considered one of the most powerful ideas in the business world. Many multinational corporations (MNC) operating in Kenya have faced fierce competition both locally and internationally. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of branding strategy on the performance of Multinational Corporations in Kenya. The objective of the study was to establish the effect of the brand element, brand name, and brand identity and brand personality on the performance of Kenyan MNCs. The study was based on three theories namely; Connectionist Theories, Resource Based Theory and Mckinsey 7S Model. The study adopted a descriptive, research design which targeted 122 management staff from selected MNCs operating in Kenya (Coca-Cola, Cadbury East Africa, Haco Tiger Brands and Uniliver Kenya). The target respondents were all 122 management employees of the selected firms participated in the study. Data was collected using questionnaires that had both closed and open-ended questions. Analysis was done using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Regression and correlation analysis was used to make the statistical inferences and hypothesis testing. The findings -were interpreted based on research hypothesis and presented in form of tables and figures. The study found out that all the selected MN Cs actively participated in practices aimed at branding their firms. It was also found out that four main branding strategies had been adopted in the MNCs to a large extent, these includes; Brand Personality, Brand Name, Brand Element and Brand Identity. Additionally, branding strategies had a positive effect on the performance of the MNCs. Further, the results indicated that only Brand Identity and Brand Personality were significant with p-values of less than 0.05. Therefore, the study concluded that formulation and implementation of branding strategies by the MNCs will translate to improved organizational performance. To remain profitable and relevant in the current dynamic market environments, the study concludes that it is essential to constantly brand the firms. The study recommended that the management at the MNCs to highly prioritize the formulation and implementation of the brand element, brand personality, brand name and brand identity strategies. The managements in the MNCs are also recommended to constantly evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the branding strategies in achieving the desired results. Additionally, measures for attracting and retaining MNCs should be employed through strategic positioning of the country's available policies and frameworks
Effects of Principals' leadership styles on students' discipline in public secondary schools in Nyeri Central sub county, Kenya.
No full textThe main purpose of a school is to provide students with an educational foundation from which they can build successful independent lives. However, there are institutional challenges that lead to disruptions in the classroom causing road blocks to student's achievement. The most common and rampant one being the student's discipline. Discipline is the readiness to obey the established rules, norms, standards or certain conditions that exist in schools to regulate students' conduct. The principal and deputy principals are of significance in fostering an academically focused school environment. Their actions form the basis of the overall mood for the school. If they consistently support teachers who implement the discipline plan and following through on disciplinary actions then teachers will follow their lead. On the other hand, if they are lax on discipline, this will become apparent over time and indiscipline will increase. This study was set to investigate the effect the principals' leadership style had on students discipline in secondary schools in Nyeri central sub-county. The study objectives were: to establish the discipline issues in the schools; to determine the extent to which the various leadership styles which include, autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire, and transformational affect student's discipline. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The total target population was 1850 which comprised of 16 school principals, 304 teachers and 1530 form three students from the public secondary schools in the sub-county. A simple stratified sampling technique was used to sample 10 schools out of the total 16 schools. All principals of 10 schools selected using purposive sampling were interviewed. A sample of 153 students was selected using a simple random technique from the selected schools and also 52 teachers. The study collected data from the principals using the interview method while those from teachers and students were collected using questionnaires. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented in percentages and frequency distribution tables. The researcher used the statistical package for social sciences (IBM SPSS) computer programme version 23 .0 to analyze the data. The crucial study findings were that discipline issues existed in schools and the most common were noise making, assignment incompletion and drug abuse. Also key in the findings was that most principals in the sub-county employed autocratic leadership style and totally disregarded other forms of leadership styles like democratic and transformational. A few of the principals applied leissez-fair leadership style in schools management. The drawn conclusion was that autocratic leadership style had a negative effect on students' discipline management and could, therefore, be attributed to many discipline cases in schools. The study recommendations were that over¬reliance of the autocratic leadership style by principals in the sub-county should be avoided, guidance and counselling department should be strengthened and be actively involved in handling discipline issues in schools, and teachers should attend a compulsory management course before promotion to a managerial position. Suggestions were that similar study should be carried out in private secondary schools for purposes of comparison. Other principals' factors such as age, gender, experience and academic qualifications should be explored to establish whether they have any effect on students' discipline. The effect of intervening factors such as mass media, home environment, peer pressure and social economic factors should be explored
Evaluation of the relationship between dietary patterns and colorectal cancer among Meru County residents
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfillment for the conferment of Master of Science degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics of Kenya Methodist UniversityColorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth leading cause of death and third most commonly diagnosed cancer around the globe. Although diet plays an essential role in the development of colorectal cancer, there is little information on the role of diet in the rising CRC cases observed in Meru. The study sought to determine whether there is a connection between dietary patterns and colorectal cancer etiology in Meru County. The research was a retrospective case control study design involving 25 CRC patients and 50 CRC undiagnosed participants as controls. All stable CRC patients receiving treatment in the three cancer treatment and palliative care centers in Meru County between April and June 2017 were included in the study. Each CRC patient was identified and matched with two persons from the general population according to similarity by sex, date of birth, and place of residence. A food frequency questionnaire was used to collect data which was then averaged to daily consumptions. The data was analyzed using t-test, Chi-square and Odds Ratio. The study revealed that dietary patterns of Meru County residents include moderate intake of fruits (2.5 servings), vegetables (4.0 servings) , and starch staples (9.2 servings), low intake of pulses (1.5) , white meat (1.2), milk and its products(1.3) , and nuts and seeds (0.3) ,and high intake of red meat (5.1 ) servings for daily pattern intakes with no significant statistical difference between dietary patterns of CRC and non CRC persons (p- values > 0.05). No statistical association was established between dietary patterns of red meat and risk of developing CRC (p- values > 0.05) on chi-square test and Odds ratio (within the 95% CI). Our study therefore indicates that, there is no conclusive evidence associating dietary patterns and colorectal cancer etiology and incidences in residents of Meru County. This research recommends that other causes of cancer be explored so as to establish evidence based conclusions on the main causes of colorectal cancer in Meru Count
A framework for Enterprise Resource Planning implementation based on key success factors in Kenya: A case of Kenya insurance sector organizations
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfillment for requirement for the conferment of the degree of Master of Science in Computer Information Systems of Kenya Methodist UniversityThis thesis aimed to presents a framework for Enterprise Resource Planning system implementation among the Kenyan Insurance Industry, it reviewed the Critical Success Factors and analysis the relationships between success factors and indicators. The Critical Success Factors used in the research were chosen from literature review. In this study a conceptual framework was developed focusing on the Critical Success Factors are classified into four categories namely: Technology, Organization, Environment and cultures. To address the study objectives, a survey questionnaire was considered to be the most appropriate research method. Descriptive statistic method was applied to the analyzed data collected by interviewing the employees within the following organization levels: staff at management level, IT staff and users involved in the development and use of the Enterprise Resource Planning system. From the findings, lack of composition of the correct project team and failure support of the top management would highly influence the success of Enterprise Resource Planning systems implementation in insurance companies in Kenya. The study also established that the most effective means of capping these challenges would be to ensure the project was led by the right team, users involved in the Enterprise Resource Planning systems implementation should have a cross functional understanding of the organization, and the top executive lead by the Chief Executive Officer to support the project and should be seen supporting the project fully. The study recommends aligning the Cultural attributes such as dedicating project resources which include employees fully into project, the organizational attributes also need to be consider such as whether to change organizational processes to fit the Enterprise Resource Planning or whether to customize, in additional to this, consideration of Environment pressures and IT structures need to be considered for the success of the project