Stratford Peer Reviewed Journals and Books
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Making of a Credible, Authentic Leader
No full textStudies have suggested various ways of developing leadership credibility and becoming a more authentic leader. To further explore and get an in-depth understanding of credible, authentic leadership, this paper carries out a qualitative study on the making of a credible, authentic leader. Three leaders of different age groups and sectors who have portrayed themselves as credible and authentic, by the values and outcomes they exemplify were interviewed on the following; what they understood by credible, authentic leadership, how to develop credibility and authenticity and some daily habits that enable them develop the same. The three leaders were picked from different sectors. Open ended questions were administered and the results revealed learning, planning, identifying and keeping values as some of the common characteristics that enable them to grow in credibility and authenticity.
Keywords: Credible Leadership, Authenticity, values, Growt
Effects of Human Resource Practices on the Performance of Vodacom-Drc Limited and Safaricom Limited
No full textHuman Resource practitioners and academics believe that Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) alongside Strategic Human Resource Practices (SHRP) have direct and positive impact on organizational performance. This belief is thought to be rather conventional as numerous studies across the globe on SHRM and SHRP on organizational performance have shown minimal results due to unknown factors. The purpose of this study determines the effects of training practices on organizational performance at Vodacom DRC Limited; to examine the influence of performance management practices on organizational performance at Vodacom DRC Limited; to examine the effect of recruitment and selection practices on organizational performance at VODACOM DRC Limited; lastly to determine the influence of employee relations practices on organizational performance at VODACOM DRC Limited. The research findings were based on two theories namely; employers search theory and human relations theory. The study used a survey research design as research design to investigate the selected strategic human resource practices and their effects on performance in which Vodacom-DRC Limited and Safaricom Plc was surveyed. The population sampled comprised of 385 respondents from the companies. The study findings presented used statistical procedure or models which includes tables, graphs, and percentages. In analyzing primary data, SPSS was used intensively. Data was finally computed to describe the characteristics of the variables in the study and also established the nature and magnitude of the relationships between the independent and dependent variables. The study findings revealed the influence that SHRP had on organizational performance and how it played its role in providing strategies related to human resource processes to enhance organizational performance. Future studies recommend the use of effective human resource management practices as the way to improve the overall output of employees and organizational performance.
Keywords: Human resource practices, Training practices, Performance management practices, Recruitment and selection practices, Employee relations practices, Performanc
Transformational Leadership and Organizational Survival in Deposit Money Banks in Port Harcourt
No full textThis research examined transformational leadership and organizational survival in deposit money banks in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. A review of literature was undertaken with particular reference to transformational leadership being characterized in specific variables like idealized influence and inspirational motivation, while organizational survival was viewed from adaptability and flexibility. The reviews show that much of the works that was done in this area of study connoted a positive and significant influence. The study adopted the correlational research study and a cross-sectional design. Random sampling technique was adopted and a total of 200 workers were sampled. A total of 20 deposit money banks’ branches in Port Harcourt were studied. The research instrument for this study was a structured questionnaire. The collected responses from the questionnaire were used in testing the formulated hypotheses through the Spearman Rank Correlation statistics. The study revealed that idealized influence and inspirational motivation all positively and significantly influences adaptability and flexibility respectively. Following the findings, the study concluded that transformational leadership positively and significantly impacts on organizational survival. These findings gave the following recommendations, that; organizations should use every means to influence and inspire each employee so as to keep them readily adaptable and flexible to the organizational needs, goals and objectives.
Keywords: Adaptability, Flexibility, Idealized Influence, Inspirational Motivation, Organizational Survival, Transformational Leadershi
Wind Power Penetration and Integration in Rwanda
No full textWind energy is the current “star” in the field of renewable energy for electrical production. Still, the power generated from available wind over time is characteristically uneven due to the unpredictable nature of their primary source of power. This only increases the problems inherent to the integration of a great number of wind technologies into power networks, making their contribution rather difficult to manage (regulating voltage and frequency, wind-station operation, etc.). The integration of wind power in the Rwandan electrical system is now an issue in order to optimize the utilization of the resource and in order to continue the high rate of installation of wind generating capacity, which is necessary in order to achieve the goals of sustainability and security of supply. This paper presents and is intended to analyse wind power penetration and integration in the country, impact and challenges that are associated with the integration of wind power into power systems and analyse barriers to wind power penetration and integration in Rwanda. These impacts include effects of wind power on the electrical system, capacity of national grid to accommodate wind power (stability of grid). In addition, the paper suggests the solutions that should be offered to improve the management of wind power generation and increase its penetration in the overall electrical energy production.
Keywords: Wind power potential, Wind power penetration, Barriers to wind power penetration, National grid of Rwanda, Integration
Quality Performance and Delivery of Services in the Four- And Five-Star Hotel Industry in Rwanda
No full textThe current attitude towards quality performance, which affects guest satisfaction in the hospitality industry, has important implications for business competitiveness and business development. Not only has the Africa continent been a priority because of its service delivery-based challenges, but population is also determined by culture believed basically in market demand where most of individual intention to purchase goods or services mostly depends on individual judgment related to quality performance (Osotimehin, Hassan & Abass, 2015). Rwanda is a small country, which is developing in different domains including economic, political, and social. Even if the development is increasing in an appreciated trend line, problems still exist in production, selling, and distribution service, more specifically in the hospitality industry. Some of these include poor quality of product or service due to limited capital, poor capabilities due to limited technical skills, and lack of both working experience and appropriate trainings of employees working in the hospitality industry. In addition, in Rwanda the hotel industry fails to be competitive due to poor planning and in some instance, they do not even have sufficient stock of raw materials of production to facilitate the delivery of quality service more efficiently. The product design and implementation are still needed in the Rwanda hotel industry to meet guest satisfaction. Therefore, the researcher intended to assess the performance of quality and delivery of service in the hotel industry in Rwanda. The specific objectives were to establish the relationship between guest expectations and delivery of service in the four- and five-star hotel industry in Rwanda; to establish the relationship between guest satisfaction and responsiveness on delivery of service in the four- and five-star hotel industry in Rwanda; to establish the relationship between product or service and delivery of service in the four- and five-star hotel industry in Rwanda; to establish the relationship between government policies, rules, or regulations, product or service design, and delivery of service in the four- and five-star hotel industry in Rwanda; and to establish the relationship between quality performance and delivery of services in the four- and five-star hotel industry in Rwanda. This research used descriptive research design in nature and involved both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The target population in this research covers guests of Marriott, Serena, and Park Inn by Radisson hotels in Kigali, their management teams, and the hotels’ service providers. In total they were 1410 from whom the sample of 312 were selected as representative. The determination of the sample was normally done by use of formula determined by Yamane (1967). Therefore, a simple random sampling technique was used to select representatives, and data were collected using questionnaires, interview guides, documents, and records. The analysis of data was done through statistical package for social science version 21. The study findings showed that average rating of quality-of-service delivery was 8.991 across a variety of areas including: expectations, satisfaction, responsiveness, and product or service delivery. An increase in unit of expectation led to a decrease in delivery of service by 0.066, a decrease in unit of satisfaction led to a decrease in delivery of service by 0.065, an increase in unit of responsiveness led to a decrease in delivery of service by 0.016 while an increase in unit of product or service led to an increase in delivery of service by 0.227. The recommendation of the study is that four-and five-star hotels should strive to maintain guests’ satisfaction through promotions, price reduction and proper product awareness through all Rwandan markets. Strengthening branding, design of products or services, and establishing proper plans may bring about strong positive associations between the quality of performance and the delivery of service.
Keywords: Guest expectations, Guest satisfaction, Government policies, Quality performance, Performance, Delivery, Hospitality industry
Waste Management Practices Influence on Operating Cost among Selected Classified Hotels in Nakuru County, Kenya
No full textThe world is currently battling the challenge of environmental degradation which is rising at an alarming rate. The situation is greatly attributed to poor waste management. The hospitality industry being a major consumer of resources contributes a lot towards waste generation. Regardless of the high level of waste generation, a lot of hotels continue to use improper waste management practices. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of waste management practices on operating cost of classified hotels in Nakuru County, Kenya. The study sought to determine the effect of waste reduction strategies, waste composting, and waste collection and disposal on operating cost of classified hotels in Nakuru County, Kenya. The study also ascertained the moderating effect of stakeholder cooperation on the relationship between waste management practices and operating cost of classified hotels. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The study population comprised of 61 classified hotels in Nakuru County. Structured questionnaires and semi-structured interview guides were used to gather data. Quantitative analysis employed descriptive and inferential statistics. The research revealed that waste management practices affect operating cost of hotels (R2 = 0.467, p = 0.000). Waste reduction was found to have a negative and statistically significant effect on operating cost (β = -0.167, p = 0.021). Waste composting was found to have a negative and statistically significant effect on operating cost of classified hotels (β = -.161, p = 0.030). Waste collection and disposal was found to have a positive and statistically significant effect on operating cost of hotels (β = 0.299, p = 0.001). Lastly, stakeholder cooperation was found to have a statistically significant moderating effect on the relationship between waste management practices and operating cost of hotels (R2 = 0.532, p = 0.019). Therefore, the study recommend that hotels should prioritize effective waste management practices ascertained to be waste reduction, recycling and waste composting in order to curb the challenge of increasing operating cost. The research also recommended that national waste management policy makers should enact policies that facilitate implementation of effective waste management practices recommended by the study.
Keywords: Waste management practices, waste reduction, waste composting, waste collection and disposal, stakeholder cooperation, operating cos
Influence of E-Tourism Policies on Travel Business Profitability in Nairobi City County, Kenya
No full textThe new information era has grown drastically overtime with key stakeholders giving considerable attention to adoption of e-commerce. Travel and Tourism businesses have increasingly adopted e-commerce, which has helped to link key market participants thus enabling easy gathering of information for both consumers and suppliers. E-commerce has brought about a revolutionary change in the way Travel and Tourism business is being conducted away from brick-and-mortar operations. This has changed the way consumers make decisions on personalized travel packages using websites to obtain roadmaps, accommodation, activity programming, air fares, restaurants, entertainment and calendars of local events. This study explored to establish the influence of e-tourism policies on travel business profitability in Nairobi City County, Kenya. This study adopted descriptive research design, which employed mixed method of collecting quantitative and qualitative primary data. The study was conducted in Nairobi City, Kenya’s capital due to its robust economy. The study targeted 172 travel agents that use e-tourism in their travel businesses. The study also targeted travel agent professionals whose docket is marketing, ICT and management of travel businesses. Slovin’s formula was used to calculate the sample size of 120 travel agents. Simple random sampling using the list of registered travel agents under the Kenya Association of Travel Agents as the sample frame was used to select the travel agents to be enrolled in the study. Purposive sampling was employed to select three (3) managers from each sampled travel agent giving a total of 360 managers. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data primary data from the sampled managers. A pre-test of the questionnaires was carried out involving travel agents that were not sampled for the main study to determine its reliability. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, modes, means, variances and standard deviations was used to analyse quantitative data using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22. Hypothesis testing using Chi Square test analysis revealed that the significance value 0.484 is greater than 0.05, and hence the null hypothesis is accepted and alternative hypothesis is rejected. This implies that measures e-tourism policies do not influence travel business profitability. The study concluded though e-tourism policies do not influence travel business profitability is critical in the development of e-tourism in Kenya.
Keywords: E-commerce, e-tourism, Travel and Tourism business, Tourism Policy, & Profitability
 
Experience of Parents with Children with Autism in Mandaue City, Philippines
No full textThis study aimed to understand and describe the lived experiences of parents raising children with autism and to compare how the experiences of each parent differed from the other. The research aimed to provide insight into how parents with children with autism experienced the pre-diagnostic phase, how they were able to cope up with their activities of daily living and other concerns related to the future of their child. The study provided an understanding of the condition parents with a child with autism are in, and points out their greatest needs, which include the need for information regarding autism and emotional support. Nurses after knowing the challenges parents and the child with autism go through will be more sensitive and therapeutic when rendering care. The support that nurses extended will be more appreciated by parents with a child with autism, especially during their vulnerable times. Finally due to the limited knowledge parents have at the time of diagnosis nurses will be there to educate parents on the nature of the disorder and to answer their concerns. Nurses together with other health care providers should focus on creating therapeutic relationships with parents with a child with autism to open up channels for interaction and sharing of vital information. This way parents will be comfortable to open up their fears and their struggles with ease that will aid in giving relevant interventions. To be able to provide quality care in public schools, the government should work on improving the working condition of teachers by employing more teachers who meet the need of the enrolled students. More classrooms should be opened and more teachers trained to help children with autism.
Keywords: Experience of Parents, Children with Autism, Mandaue City, Philippine
Morbidity, Mortality Patterns and Factors Associated With Mortality among Neonates Admitted in Wajir County Referral Hospital
No full textBackground: Neonatal morbidity and mortality is a global burden despite management measures that has been developed. Approximately 75% of all newborn deaths occur in the first week of life. In 2018 alone, around 2.5 million neonates died globally as a result of preventable causes such as prematurity, complications at birth, infections, and congenital abnormalities.
Objective: The objective of the study was to determine neonatal morbidity and mortality patterns, and factors associated with mortality among neonates admitted in Wajir County Referral Hospital.
Methodology: A hospital-based retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among all neonates admitted to the New Born Unit of the WCRH from 01 January 2019 to 31 December 2020. A consecutive sampling technique based on the inclusion criteria was used. A data abstraction tool was used to extract data from the medical records of neonates admitted to the New Born Unit of the hospital.
Results: A total of 615 neonates were included in the study. There were 336 (54.6%) male and 279 (45.4%) female neonates. Almost all the deliveries 566 (92.0%) were performed at the health facility with a minority of about 49 (8%) delivered at home. The home deliveries and referrals admissions from tertiary hospitals together were 66 (10.7%). Neonatal morbidity included birth asphyxia 335 (54.5%), neonatal sepsis 144 (23.4%), 57 (9.3%) meconium aspiration syndrome and 52 (8.5%) low birth weight/preterm. Overall mortality in 2019 at the health facility was 45 (12.97%) and in 2020, 35 (13.06%) presenting no significant difference. The deaths that occurred in the first 24 hours of life was 36 (45%). Bivariate and multivariate analysis produced a significant association between the factors associated with neonatal mortality. The multivariate analysis with day of admission (OR 2.872, 95% CI 1.293, 6.375), Sex, (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.0.627, 1.66) and Birth weight, (OR 0.936, 95% CI 0.423, 2.068) at p<0.05. The logistic regression model was statistically significant, χ2(7) = 20.770, p <0.001. The model explained 27% (Nagelkerke R2) of the variance in discharge outcome and correctly classified 87% of cases. The male gender were 1.02 times more likely to die than females while the place of delivery was 0.572 times likely to result in death.
Conclusions: Birth asphyxia was found to be the leading cause of admission, followed by neonatal sepsis and meconium aspiration syndrome respectively. The leading cause of death was birth asphyxia and neonatal sepsis. The mortality rate at the facility was 13%. Neonatal fatality of the newborns admitted to NBU is high in Wajir County. Since majority of the deaths are from preventable causes, this offers chances to improve newborn survival.
Key Words: Morbidity, Mortality, Neonates, Asphyxi
Major Diseases of Vegetable Crops and this Management in Adjara, Georgia
No full textOur dependence on healthy vegetable crops as a reliable source of food transcends all barriers of nation and culture. Consumers now demand excellent quality from the industry that produces large volumes of high quality vegetables to be sold locally, regionally and shipped internationally. The diseases that affect vegetables compromise such quality and therefore are of great importance to grower, shipper, marketer, and consumer. This book focuses primarily on diseases that are caused by pathogens. With chapters and subchapters written by working on specific vegetables disease, the volume covers many vegetable including Solanum tuberosum, Beta vulgaris, Lycopersicum esculentum, Brasica oleraceae, Cucurbita pepo, Solanum melongena, Cucumis sativus, Daucus sativus, and many more. Chapters dealing with the general principles of the causes, diagnosis favorable conditions for disease development, and the latest management strategies for disease prevention and mitigation in vegetable crops. Each disease entry includes a brief introduction to the disease, detailed description of disease symptoms, information on the pathogen and disease development, and suggestions on how to manage the problem. Top quality color photos illustrate the book throughout. This book is useful to a range of professionals including research and extension plant pathologists; diagnosticians and plant lab personnel; teachers of agriculture and related subjects; university students in agriculture and related fields; commercial farmers, vegetable producers, and farm managers; agriculturalists in the fields of seed production, vegetable breeding, agrichemicals, pest control, marketing, and other subjects; government and regulatory persons dealing with agriculture; serious gardeners and hobbyists and anyone working with vegetable crops