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Growth Strategies and Performance of Commercial Banks in Nairobi County, Kenya
No full textChanging trends globally and customers’ expectations are forcing banks to search for new ways of income generation. Growth strategies often play a vital role in a business’s management as it allows a company to choose a direction of action and determine how to achieve its goals. The general objective of the study was to determine the effect of growth strategies on performance of commercial banks in Nairobi County, Kenya. The specific objective was to examine effect of diversification strategy on performance of Commercial banks in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study was anchored on porters’ theory of competitive advantage and modern portfolio theory. This study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population was 794 bank staff from 39 commercial banks in Nairobi County. Stratified random sampling was used to sample 238 bank staff. The study used primary data which was collected using questionnaires. A pilot study was conducted with 24 respondents representing 10% of the sample. The research used content validity. Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient method was used to measure questionnaire reliability. Ethics of confidentiality, anonymity, no harm to the respondents’, and voluntarily participation was adhered to strictly when collecting data. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and tabulated. The findings showed that diversification enables the bank to leverage its resources effectively and that diversification enhances risk minimization in the banks’ investments. It was also found that diversification influences good decision making on profitable investments. In addition, the study established that risk mitigation strategies are reinforced through diversification. The study concludes that diversification strategy has a positive and significant effect on the performance of commercial banks in Nairobi County, Kenya. This study recommends that the banks should adopt diversification in their operations through use of technological advancements and other aspects such as innovation and benchmarking strategies to realize full benefits of diversification. Further, the management of commercial banks in Nairobi County should formulate and implement effective strategies to enhance regional, national and new customer segments development.
Key words: Growth Strategies, Diversification Strategy, Organizational Performanc
Green Performance Management and Organizational Agility of Multinational Oil and Gas Companies in Nigeria
No full textThis study examined the relationship between green performance management and organizational agility of multinational oil and gas companies in Nigeria. The study adopted the cross-sectional research survey design. Primary data was generated through structured questionnaire. The population of this study was the five (5) International (Multinational) Oil and Gas producing companies in Nigeria registered with the Department of Petroleum Resources. A census sampling was adopted hence, the entire five (5) International (Multinational) Oil and Gas producing companies in Nigeria were studied. However, for the purposes of data collection, 50 managers were used as respondents. The reliability of the instrument was achieved by the use of the Cronbach Alpha coefficient with all the items scoring above 0.70. The hypotheses were tested using the Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation Statistics while the partial correlation was used to test the moderating influence of green work perceptions. The tests were carried out at a 0.05 significance level. Findings revealed that there is a significant relationship green performance management and organizational agility of multinational oil and gas companies in Nigeria. Therefore, this study concludes that the adoption of green performance management positively enhances organizational agility of multinational oil and gas companies in Nigeria through flexibility, adaptive capacity and sensitivity. Therefore, the study recommends that Management of multinational oil and gas companies should have proper communication of green schemes across the organization. This is important as it ensures that every employee is informed of the expected standards of performance.
Keywords: Green Performance Management, Organizational Agility, Flexibility, Adaptability, Sensitivit
Role of Credit Access Program on the Performance of Women Owned MSES Incubated at KIRDI
No full textWomen owned Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) are a source of employment and wealth creation in most of the world economies and Kenya not an exemption. However, the survival rate of the women owned MSEs is minimal. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the role of credit access program on the performance of women owned MSEs which have been incubated at KIRDI. The study was a survey study design. The target population was 259 MSE women entrepreneurs who have graduated from KIRDI business incubation programs. The researcher did a census since it was appropriate for this study and used questionnaires to collect qualitative and quantitative data. The study analyzed data using descriptive and inferential statistics through Correlation and regression of variables. Results were reported through tables and figures. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to aid analysis of data. Data was analyzed and presented using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed a positive and significant relationship between credit access program and performance of women owned MSEs incubated by KIRDI (β=0.348, p=0.000). The study concluded that business incubation support programs simplified into incubator training and development, business development services, credit access program and technology absorption positively and significantly influenced the performance of women owned MSEs incubated at KIRDI in Nairobi. The study recommends that the government should consider looking towards setting a single window to manage business incubators all over the country and to coordinate the activities of all institutions and companies that are in the process of incubating new businesses.
Keywords: Credit access, Women owned MSEs, Business performance, Business incubation, KIRD
Influence of Entrepreneurship Advancement on Economic Growth in Japan
No full textEntrepreneurs are regarded as the backbone for the growth of nations. Hence, the study investigated the influence of entrepreneurship advancement on economic growth in Japan. The study was literature-based and thus, the conclusions were based on the previous studies' findings. The study findings revealed that entrepreneurship advancement is significant to economic growth. Entrepreneurship is crucial in promoting social modification and driving innovation in a nation. Entrepreneurs boost economic growth by introducing innovative technologies, products, and services. Increased competition from entrepreneurs’ challenges existing firms to become more competitive. The study further noted that entrepreneurs serve as the catalysts in the process of industrialization and economic growth. Entrepreneurs help in the development of the society and paves for independent living. Entrepreneurship is vital for any country's economy as it supports the contribution of the government in the provision of goods and service. Apart from creating jobs and bringing wealth on a local level, entrepreneurs are also opening up the way for more businesses to open up. Entrepreneurs provide new job opportunities in the short and long term. The study concluded that entrepreneurship activities significantly influence economic growth. The influence of entrepreneurship advancement on economic growth is significant. The government needs to think of measures that will assist these ventures to continue to be in the market when they have been established. The study recommended that policies should be developed that support the development of entrepreneurs in the country.
Keywords: Entrepreneurship Advancement, Economic Growth, Japa
Monitoring and Evaluation Practices and Performance of Construction Projects: A Case of IPRC Gishari Rwamagana District-Rwanda
No full textThis research aimed at investigating the effect of Monitoring and Evaluation practices and Construction Project Performance of IPRC Gishari Rwamagana District - Rwanda. The author was interested in the study due to many construction project failures and successes in the construction industry both internationally and locally in Rwanda. The study was guided by four specific objectives; to examine the effect of M&E planning on construction project performance of IPRC Gishari Rwamagana District – Rwanda, to assess the effect of M&E staff training on Construction project Performance of IPRC Gishari Rwamagana District – Rwanda, to establish the effect of Baseline Surveys on Construction project Performance of IPRC Gishari Rwamagana District – Rwanda, and to determine the effect of Information System on Construction project Performance of IPRC Gishari Rwamagana District – Rwanda. This study is expected to be relevant to Policymakers and Researchers; by providing knowledge to the private sector, policymakers, and other departments, especially to the construction firms. The study provides guidance to the employees and the supervisory teams on how they can manage projects within their organizations. A descriptive research design was employed including both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The target population was 153 from which a sample size of 111 respondents was selected using stratified random sampling: 102 staff, 6 heads of units, and 3 executive team members. The data collected from the field was analyzed and interpreted using frequency tables and percentages by using SPSS version 20.0. Results of the study indicated that majority of respondents were in agreement to the fact that the construction project of IPRC Gishari was completed within the estimated cost, time and that the beneficiary were satisfied with the outcome of the project. Furthermore, M&E Planning had a statically significant and positive effect on the performance of Construction projects of IPRC Gishari in Rwamagana District-Rwanda with a multiple linear regression coefficient of B1 = .363, with ? = .001<.05 at a 5% level of significance. In addition, M&E Staff Training had a statically significant and positive effect on the performance of Construction projects of IPRC Gishari in Rwamagana District-Rwanda with a coefficient of B2 = .313, with ? = .002<.05 at a 5% level of significance. It was also noted that baseline surveys had no statically significant and negative impact on the performance of Construction projects of IPRC Gishari in Rwamagana District-Rwanda based on coefficient of B3 = -.092, with ? = .386>.05 at a 5% level of significance. However, Information systems were found to have a statically significant and positive effect on the performance of Construction projects of IPRC Gishari in Rwamagana District-Rwanda based on multiple linear regression coefficient of B4 = .254, with ? = .012<.05 at a 5% level of significance. The study concluded that M&E practices had a positive and statically significant contribution on Construction Project Performance at IPRC Gishari, Rwamagana District-Rwanda. This was explained statically by the Adjusted R Square (.571) which showed that, keeping other factors constant, 57.1% change in the construction project performance of IPRC Gishari could be explained by the effectiveness of M&E Practices. The study recommends that organizations should always engage in M&E practices in all Construction projects because they help to effectively and efficiently manage available resources to achieve project goals such as cost, schedules, and beneficiary satisfaction. Further studies are recommended to cover areas that were not covered by this study and on more projects to have a representative sample of the construction industry.
Keywords: Monitoring, Evaluation, Construction Project, Performanc
Monitoring and Evaluation Practices and Performance of Non-Governmental Organisation Projects in Rwanda: A Case of Care International Village Savings and Loan Associations Project
No full textThe study aimed to examine the effect of monitoring and evaluation practices on the performance of the Care International Village Saving and Loan Association project in Rwanda. The study was specifically to examine the effect of monitoring and evaluation planning, stakeholders ‘involvement and capacity building on the performance of the Care International Village Saving and Loan Association project. The study was important to Care International Rwanda, other Organizations, further researchers and the government. The study was directed by three theories: theory of change, program theory and agency theory. This research may be used by researchers as a source of information in scientific, empirical further surveys. The research design that was used is descriptive. The targeted population was 157 composed by staff of Care International staff working with Village Saving and Loan Association and beneficiaries from five saving groups of Rulindo District Village Saving and Loan Association. A sample size of 113 respondents was sampled using simple random sampling. Data was collected using questionnaires and an interview guide. Data was analyzed by qualitative and quantitative methods with help of SPSS software. Both inferential statistics (regression and correlation) and descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) was used. Data was represented using tables and charts. According to the findings, project planning is considered as the principal function of project evaluation that plays a role in the performance of the project as shown by a mean of 4.8407 and a standard deviation of 0.45447 at a percentage of 87.6 of strongly agreement. It was also found that stakeholder’s involvement and capacity building play an important role in its performance. It was recommended that Care International Village Saving and Loan Association project has to improve the stakeholder’s involvement especially for the beneficiaries at the initiation stage so that the beneficiaries can themselves contribute in the decision of what they need. Care International Village Saving and Loan Association project has also to increase their area of operations in order increase a number of beneficiaries who need to change their lives through Village Saving and Loan Association project services.
Keywords: Corporate Governance Practices, Financial Performance & Microfinance Institution
Influence of Social Media on Project Implementation a Case of Stitching Nederlandse Vrijwilligers Isuku Iwacu Project
No full textSocial media integrates digital media including combinations of graphics, electronic texts, flopping images and audio in a way that people in a computerized environment finds it easy to interact with others for appropriate purposes. The research sought to examine the influence of social media as one of the modern tool of communication on project implementation, the research was specifically guided by the specific research objectives:- Communication tools, perception and adaptability. Descriptive research design was used to answer question of who, what, where and how. In order to answer the research questions, the targeted population of 150 respondents were selected by means of stratified sampling technique, most of the respondents were the beneficiaries of the project Isuku iwacu. From the target population of 150, slowvans formula was used in deriving the sample size of 109. Primary and secondary data was used to collect information that was relevant in establishing the relationship between social media and project implementation, primary data was gotten by carrying out interviews on specified respondents while secondary data was gotten in the documented information like journals, related research, newspapers etc. Questionnaire was logically designed to capture all the needed information as per the research objectives as well as research questions. Data was collected and analysed using statistical package for social sciences. According to the findings, out of 109 respondents, 107 agreed to be using social media, which is a representation of 98.1%. Those who claimed not to be using any of social media platforms were 2 (1.8%). It was also evident that 97(89%) of the respondents had a positive perception that social media was appropriate for project communication, because majority of the respondents were able to access different social media platforms. As per the performance of projects, it was established that good communications lead to timely completion of the projects, this was supported by 88(80.7%) of the respondents who agreed, without efficient and effective communication, projects might not be completed on time. 98% percent of the respondents had a positive perception on social media being one of the most efficient tool in project communication, It was noted through the study that most respondents are willing to adapt or switch from traditional media of communication tools to social media, which is cheap and easily accessible, compared to traditional media that is expensive and slow.
Keywords:Social Media, Project Implementation, Adaptability, Percerption, Communication too
Critical Success Factors and Performance of NGO Education Projects in Rwanda: A Case of USAID Soma-Umenye, Early Grade Reading Project
No full textThe general objective of this study was to establish the influence of critical success factors on the project performance of a non-governmental organization’s education project in Rwanda USAID’s Soma-Umenye project. This study was carried out using qualitative and quantitative methods because combining both methods provided the necessary triangulation. It has been noted that many projects end up failing in most cases. This issue of poor performance of projects is not a new phenomenon. More often than not, this frustrated project proponent like the stakeholders and their beneficiaries. The literature review does not reflect the relationship between key critical success factors and project performance; this research aims to fill this gap because it is critical for project practitioners to understand the degree of relationships between critical success factors and project performance in order to focus on the right factors at the right time to achieve the desired project success. The study used a sample of 96 respondents from the target population of 2,278 USAID Soma-Umenye employees and clients. SPSS was used to analyze the data, which was then presented in the form of tables and other graphic presentations of frequencies, means, deviations, correlations, and regressions. A strong positive relationship between management support and project performance was discovered, with a correlation coefficient of.850**. Second, a positive relationship between project planning and project performance was observed with a correlation coefficient of.540**; however, a negative relationship between trained personnel and project performance was observed with a correlation coefficient of -.389**. Similarly, the study found that effective communication is positively related to project performance, with a correlation coefficient of.294**, and that all findings are statistically significant because the Sig. (2-tailed) p-value obtained was less than 0.01. The study findings concluded that critical success factors such as management support, project planning, trained personnel, and effective communication have a significant impact on project performance, as evidenced by the strong correlation between the two variables. The research recommended that staff should be trained in the technical aspects of the projects they are working on in order to ensure the sustainability of the NGO's project performance.
Keywords: Critical success factors, Management support, Project performance, Project planning, Trainin
The Role of Authentic Leadership on Employee Engagement in Europe
No full textAuthentic leadership encourages self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing and Internalized moral perspective of information and the relations with respect to the leaders working with their subordinates, consequently cultivating positive self-improvement. This study related the idea of authentic leadership in refining employee engagement. The concepts of authentic leadership incorporate self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing and relational transparency. An extensive literature review was done to infer the findings, conclusions, and recommendations. In perspective on the assessed review, authentic leadership positively affect and employee engagement. There was a significant and positive connection between authentic leadership, work fulfilment and employee engagement. Numerous studies concluded that teams with more authentic characteristics in their leaders, had more satisfied and engaged employees. The influential mentors were perceived as authentic leaders who acted within dimensions that were consistent with authentic leadership theory: self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing and internalized moral perspective. Employee engagement is positively influenced by quality employee organization relationships and positive internal reputation. Results showed that both leader’s consistency between words and actions as well as their balanced processing are positively related to employee engagement. As an antecedent, authentic leadership critically affects the nurturing of an organization’s transparency and positive employee relational outcomes, which, in turn, enhance reputation and thus overall performance.
Keywords: Authentic Leadership, Employee Engagement & American Workplaces
Reward and Compensation Management on Performance of Health Care Workers in India
No full textReward and compensation management comes under human resource management. It is concerned with implementing and formulating policies and strategies that aspire to reward employees equitably, fairly and regularly in accordance with their performance and value to the company. Thus, the study sought to examine the impact of reward and compensation management on the performance of healthcare workers in India. The study was literature based. The conclusions and inferences were based on previous studies. Based on the reviewed literature, it was found that reward and compensation management have a significant impact on performance. The reward and compensation system highlights a central attribute of the employment relation. The success or failure of the company primarily relies on its workers. The rewards provided to the workers can raise their performance, dedication, and effectiveness. The study concluded that suitable and regular rewards to workers increase their motivation to work harder and boost general performance. Reward and compensation management's effectiveness positively impacts the health care workers' performance in India. In the lack of appropriate reward and compensation, employees tend to show dissatisfaction through poor performance. The study recommended that hospitals establish effective reward and compensation management systems to motivate employees, thus producing excellent results. The workers' reward and compensation should be made equitable. There should be no favor when it comes to rewarding the employee. Salaries and other compensation payments should be reviewed based on market value and other fundamental requirements.
Keywords: Reward and compensation management, performance, health care workers, Indi