Stratford Peer Reviewed Journals and Books
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Tax Reforms and Financial Performance of the Indonesian Directorate General of Taxes between 2017 and 2021: Literature Review
No full textGovernments settle their financial obligations and pay for the public expenditures largely through finances generated from taxes and so the issue of taxation is as old as taxes itself. Formulating of new laws that govern taxation, changes in tax administration as well as minimizing loop holes of tax evasion are some of the factors that lead to improvements in tax revenue collections in Indonesia. In developing countries especially in Asia, tax reforms revolves around matters to do with economic policies while focusing particularly on the design of taxation structure and the tax management. Despite the tax reforms and increasing need to increase revenue collection and enforcement so as to provide public services, Indonesia still faces the challenges of low tax collection and tax administration. The purpose of this study was thus to assess the impact of tax reforms on the financial performance of Indonesian Directorate General of Taxes between 2017 and 2021. This study was informed by two theories; Optimal Tax Reform Theory and Open Systems Theory. The study was a literature based and the findings indicated that the implementation of the new tax systems to replace older tax systems leads to increased revenue collection compared to the past years before the implementation process. It has also been shown that the introduction of administrative tax reforms increased corporate tax compliance in several ways that included the self-assessment system and voluntary compliance which consequently reduced the number of queues at the Indonesia Directorate General of Taxes and huge savings on human resource who used to collect tax prior to the tax reforms. The study thus concluded that, electronic tax registration, and electronic tax identification number, electronic filing of tax return and electronic tax payment and administrative reforms have statistical positive significant relationship with revenue performance, implying that digitalization has a positive and a statistically significant influence on revenue performance. The study thus suggested that policy makers in Indonesia should ensure that there is stable equilibrium for the exchange rates as they adversely affect the tax collection process. Moreover, the laws governing tax collection in Indonesia should be reviewed and criminal liability for those delinquent tax payers, the government also need to offer some support with regards to tax offenders.
Keywords: Tax reforms, Directorate General of Taxes, financial performance, revenue collection, Indonesi
The Intervening Effect of Corporate Strategy on the Relationship between Transformational Leadership and Enterprise Risk Management Adoption by Commercial State Corporations in Kenya
No full textFactors Affecting Construction Sector Safety Performance: Exploratory Factor Analysis Evidence from China
No full textConstruction industry is a significant contributor to the Chinese economy. The industry has more than 12 million employers with over 250 million employees and creates almost 1.4 trillion) on new infrastructure projects between 2020 and 2025. This study evaluated factors affecting construction sector performance: explanatory factor analysis evidence from China. From the literature reviewed, it was established that entering the Chinese construction market is still seen as exciting but difficult by many foreign contractors and consultants. The study found out that rising material and labor costs, labor woes, increased competition and shrinking profit margins were some of the challenges construction firms in Chin face. The study concludes that the implementation of construction safety laws and the rate of subcontracting are relevant factors affecting construction sector in China, while neither the extent of using temporary workers, nor the availability of resources, nor the level of per capita GDP has any effects.
Keywords. Construction sector, safety performance, construction sector, labor costs, increased competition, shrinking profit margin
Dynamic Scope of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, SME Resilience and the future of Business post-COVID-19 in Africa
No full textMicro Small and Mediums enterprises (MSMEs) in Africa have experinced a major economic setbacks associated with the novel corona virus pandemic. Several enterprises have had to close down while others still struggle to bounce back to normalcy. The quest for a return to normalcy in the wake of the uncertain entrepreneurial eco-system has ushered the need for reimagining, reinventing and repositioning businesses despite the pandemic, hence the rationale for a paradigm shift from business survival to thriving to withstand the harsh realities of the pandemic. Thus, the purpose of this review was to examine the dynamic scope of entrepreneurial ecosystem and SME resilience while imagining the future of business post-COVID-19 in Africa. The study entailed a detailed empirical review of published scholarly resources, credible peer reviewed journal articles and resources which were obtained from organizational databases and platforms, guided by Isenberg’s model of entrepreneurial ecosystem. The empirical review results were further discussed in details and perspectives on the future of business post-COVID provided. Notably, the study recommends: appropriate policy mechanisms that seek to create a more conducive and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem to support innovation, re-invention, business resilience and sustainable economic growth; right leadership, resources, digitalization technologies and business strategies that permit creative disruption while safeguarding scale-up opportunities; forward-looking support systems, and responsive entrepreneurship policy and regulations that address unique challenges and opportunities that emanate from the COVID-19 crisis.
Keywords: Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, SME Resilience, Future of Business, COVID-19, Afric
Monitoring and Evaluation Practices and Performance of the Renewable Energy Projects in Rwanda: A Case of Nyandungu Urban Wetland Eco-Tourism Park, the Engie Energy Access Rwanda Programme
No full textThis research analyzed the influence of monitoring and evaluation practices on project of Nyandungu Ecotourism Wetland Park project. Specifically, the study focused on the effect of community involvement, technical expertise, and management involvement on project performance of Nyandungu Ecotourism Wetland Park Renewable Energy Project. The study will be of significance to Government Projects, Researcher, Mount Kenya University, Nyandungu Ecotourism Wetland Park Renewable Energy to enhance project performance. The study used program and results based management theories. The study used descriptive research diagram in answering investigational questions. Target populace was 132 and pattern of 100 respondents of Nyandungu Ecotourism Wetland Park renewable energy project was sampled. The study further adopted probability sampling technique with the adoption of easy random sampling. A questionnaire was used to generate required statistics for analysis. Drop and pick out up later method was further used to accumulate facts. A Pre-test was carried out to decide reliable and valid research instruments. Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20.0 was beneficial to evaluate information. The findings indicated that majority of respondents (85.3%) agreed that community involvement has positive effect on project performance, 84.2% of respondents agreed that participatory observing and approach was used in deciding objectives, confirmed, 83.8% consented that participation of stakeholders in M&E influence effectiveness of a development intervention, and 91.2% of respondents disagreed that community members are involving in monitoring and evaluation, planning and budgeting. The overall mean was 2.4744 and standard deviation was 1.1684) in stimulating project performance. The study concluded that putting adequate community involvement would improve project time, cost and quality in Rwanda. The study suggested that management should involve community members are in monitoring and evaluation, planning and budgeting at project initial stages. Management should involve stakeholders in monitoring and evaluation decision making procedures at all levels. Project management should hire skilled and experienced personnel about monitoring and evaluation. Project management should carry out training for staff members. The study suggested to analyse effect of community involvement on economic growth of all rural areas in Rwanda.
Keywords: Monitoring and Evaluation Practices, Performance, Renewable Energy Projects, Rwand
Influence of Monitoring and Evaluation on Sustainability of Donor Funded Projects in Afghanistan
No full textMonitoring and evaluation is a continuous management function to assess if progress is made in achieving expected results. The study sought to examine the influence of monitoring and evaluation on the sustainability of donor-funded projects in Afghanistan. The study adopted the descriptive research design. The descriptive research design is a type of research design that systematically aims to obtain information to systematically describe a phenomenon, situation, or population. The target population included employees working at Afghanaid and International Rescue Committee. The study used the purposive sampling technique to get the sample size. The collection of the data was done using the questionnaires. The analysis of the data was done using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found that monitoring and evaluation are critical in determining the sustainability of donor-funded projects in Afghanistan. The study found that monitoring and evaluation is positively and significantly associated with project sustainability (r=.418, p=.000). It was also found that project monitoring and evaluation is positively and significantly related to sustainability (B=0.521, p=0.009). The results implied that when the project monitoring and evaluation improve by one unit, the sustainability will increase by 0.521 units while holding other factors constant. The monitoring and evaluation enhance the proper utilization of donor funds. The research recommended that a monitoring and evaluation plan be embraced that overviews the enhancement of monitoring and evaluation systems and sets out actions and procedures to develop a durable monitoring and evaluation system. A restructuring of the existing monitoring and evaluation framework should be evaluated regularly.
Keywords: Monitoring and Evaluation, Sustainability, Donor Funded Projects, Afghanista
Sales Territory Design and Salesforce Performance in the Detergent Manufacturing Companies in Kenya
No full textIn today’s competitive and dynamic markets, one of the most critical challenges businesses face is how to improve the performance of their salesforce. The role of the salesforce has evolved from just implementing the selling function to become a core value creator for both the customers and the sales organizations. This study sought to establish the effect of sales territory design on salesforce performance in the detergent manufacturing companies in Kenya. The study adopted the positivism approach and a descriptive cross sectional design. The population of the study was the salesforce in the detergent producing companies in Kenya who are members of Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) as at December 2018. There are 557 salespeople spread across the 40 detergent manufacturing companies in Kenya. The sample size was 326 respondents. The study utilized primary data which was collected by administering semi-structured questionnaires. The data was analyzed applying a mixture of both descriptive and inferential statistics to describe the manifestations of the variables in the data collected. Simple linear regression analysis was utilized to determine the extent to which the variables are related. The null hypothesis that sales territory design has no significant effect on salesforce performance in detergent manufacturing companies in Kenya was rejected. Thus, sales territory design has significant effect on salesforce performance in detergent manufacturing companies in Kenya. This therefore indicates that sales territory design is critical in determining salesforce performance in detergent manufacturing companies in Kenya. The study recommended that the detergent manufacturing companies and other stakeholders like Kenya Association of Manufactures should focus on the developing of efficient and effective sales territory frameworks that make it easy and cost effective for the salesforce to reach the customers and ultimately deliver more sales and at competitive prices
Keywords: Sales Territory Design, Salesforce Performance & Detergent Manufacturing Companie
Influence of the Nature of Product on Performance of Soft Drinks Manufacturing Firms in Kenya
No full textGrowth of a business sometimes complicates the process of moving products from manufacturers to customers. Business organizations must confront the issue of how to effectively optimize distribution logistics to meet customer demands. Most companies are recognizing that distribution strategy must be robust enough to handle current demand, while remaining flexible enough to react to changing market conditions and minimize business risk. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the nature of product on performance of soft drinks manufacturing firms in Kenya. The study was informed by Theory of Performance and systems theory. The study adopted descriptive survey design to examine the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Target population was 2345 people who include distribution department, whole sellers as well as retailers in the company. The study used stratified sampling technique to select groups of its subjects. Simple random sampling method was then used to select a sample size of 341 respondents. A pilot test was conducted to ensure validity and reliability of the data collection instrument. Data analysis was done using descriptive as well as inferential statistics. This was done via Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings revealed that nature of product had a positive and significant influence on the performance of Nairobi Bottlers in Kenya (B =.382, p=.000<.05). The study concluded that nature of product has a significance influence on performance of Nairobi Bottlers Company Limited, evidently implying that taking care of nature of product enhances performance of the company. Considering the fastness the world is moving in terms of production of soft drinks, it is essential that firms embrace the various aspects of nature of product which include form shape perishability as well as range of such products which enhances the ability for firms to perform. The study thus recommended that soft drinks manufacturing firms should always strive and ensure that the products they produce take into account the various aspects associated products to enhance their competitiveness and this will in turn assist firms to perform.
Keywords: Nature of product, Soft drinks manufacturing firms Performance, Nairobi bottlers, Keny
Relationship Marketing and Customer Purchase Decision of Insurance in Lagos State, Nigeria
No full textThe purchasing behavior of the nation’s insuring public determines the performance of the risk management and investment functions of insurance service, and its overall contribution to the development of the economy. In Nigeria, the contribution of insurance to the nation’s GDP is extremely low at 0.4% as majority of the population live without insurance protection. The low level of customer’s patronage may be attributed to inadequate application of relationship marketing factors. This study examined the influence of relationship marketing dimensions of customer awareness, customer trust, customer service quality, product innovation and customization, and customer satisfaction on customer purchase decision of Insurance in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design. The population of study consisted of 375,000 estimated consumers of insurance service in Lagos State, Nigeria. A sample size of 1,650 consumers were drawn from selected Local Government Areas of Lagos State through non-probability sampling technique. A questionnaire titled relationship marketing and market penetration of insurance was adapted and validated. The Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient for the constructs ranged between 0.76 and 0.90. A total of 1,650 copies of the questionnaire were administered, with a response rate of 80%. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential (multiple linear regression analysis) statistics. Findings revealed that relationship marketing had significant effect on customer purchase decision of Insurance (Adj. R2 = 0.420; F (5, 1306) = 190.773, p<0.05). Significant positive relationships were also found between some of the relationship marketing constructs and customer purchase decision of insurance. The study concluded that relationship marketing dimensions of customer awareness, customer trust, customer service quality, product innovation and customization, and customer satisfaction are significant predictors of customer purchase decision of insurance in Lagos State, Nigeria. Thus, to influence customer purchase decision of insurance, the adoption of relationship marketing is highly recommended.
Keywords: Relationship Marketing, Customer Awareness, Customer Trust Customer Service Qualit
Brand Architecture, Customer Loyalty and Performance of Water Bottling Firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya
No full textThe objective of the study was to determine the role of customer loyalty on the relationship between brand architecture and firm performance. Two testable hypothesis were derived from extant literature and tested through regression analysis and path analysis. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey with primary data gathered from 209 major water bottling firms in Nairobi, using a semi-structured questionnaire. The study achieved a response rate of 67.9%. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The research results revealed a statistically significant relationship between brand architecture and non-financial firm performance (R2 =0.704, F= 333.64, p-value<0.05); financial firm performance (R2 = 0.692, F= 314.904, p-value <0.05). These results are consistent with those of previous study findings on the relationship between brand architecture and firm performance. The results of the study revealed that customer loyalty partially mediated the relationship between brand architecture and financial firm performance (R2 =0.756, F=215.15, β =-.336, p-value>0.05); and non-financial firm performance (R2 =0.801, F= 184.656, β= 0.626, β =.346, p-value =0.05). The results of the study have contributed to theory, policy, and practice. The study outcomes enhance the existing brand architecture and firm performance body of knowledge, by empirically testing the hypotheses in the Kenyan context. The study results will facilitate policy makers in the enactment of policies that will facilitate access to resources that promote investment in the brand development process linked to brand architecture. In practice, the findings will support managers in obtaining approval for additional resources required for brand architecture. The study underscores the significance of brand architecture in enhancing performance while incorporating customer loyalty. The current study had used cross-sectional survey design which collected data at a single point in time. Future studies should therefore use longitudinal research designs to unearth any dynamic relationships among the variables covered in this study. Similar studies should also be conducted in other sectors to determine whether the same results can be generalized. These limitations do not compromise the overall quality of the study.
Key Words: Brand Architecture, Customer Loyalty, Firm Performance, Water Bottling Industry, Nairobi City County, Keny