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Clustering of Primary and Secondary School in Indonesia Using The Fuzzy C-Means Method Based on School Self-Evaluation With Imputation Data
No full textThe National Education Standard is one of the government's efforts to achieve equitable quality education. National Education Standards include eight outcomes, namely Graduation Competency Standards, Content Standards, Process Standards, Assessment Standards, Educators and Educators Standards, Facilities and Infrastructure Standards, Management Standards, and Financing Standards. This research was conducted to classify elementary and junior high schools in Indonesia based on SNP using the Fuzzy C-Means method. Prior to the cluster analysis, the missing value imputation was carried out using regression. The variables that have the lowest median and average value are the standard variables of educators and education personnel, while those with the highest value are the process standards. Based on the results of grouping using C-Means, the optimum number of clusters is four clusters with the most members being cluster 1 (the best cluster).
Keywords: Education; Clustering; Fuzzy C-Means; imputation missing valu
Effect of Corporate Governance Practices on Organizational Performance of State Corporations in the Health Sector, Kenya
No full textSound corporate governance practices are a major contributor to effective and efficient management of State Corporations in the health sector in Kenya. Since independence, the level of accountability in management of State Corporations has continued to decline despite the availability of various monitoring structures like legal frameworks, ethics and integrity, policies and the code of conduct and ethics intended to provide a clear road map to successful performance of the State Corporations. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of corporate governance practices on the performance of the State Corporations in the health sector in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive research design with a population comprising of the health State Corporations. Primary data was collected the using questionnaires. Data was analyzed using SPSS software. The results indicated that accountability and organizational performance of health State Corporations is positively and significantly related. The results further indicated that transparency and organizational performance of health State Corporations is positively and significantly related Board Responsibility and organizational performance of health State Corporations is positively and significantly related. Moral Integrity and organizational performance of health State Corporations is positively and significantly related The study concluded that corporate governance practices have a positive and significant effect on organizational performance of State Corporations in the health sector in Kenya. The study recommended that the management of the State corporations should establish certain control mechanisms that ensure accountability. The study recommended that there should continuous internal check and audit on the part of management and low level of management to ensure adequate accountability systems in the State Corporations.
Keywords: Corporate Governance, Organizational Performance & State Corporation
The Mediating Effect of Human Resource Management Practice on the Relationship between Corporate Governance and Performance of Insurance Companies in Kenya
No full textHuman resource management practice is conceptualized as a set of internally consistent policies and practices designed and implemented to ensure that a firm’s human capital contribute to the achievement of its business objectives. Human resource management practices are posited to play a very important role in ensuring overall performance. This study sought to assess the mediating effect of human resource management practice on the relationship between corporate governance and performance of insurance companies in Kenya. The philosophical foundation of this study was positivism, where quantitative data was used. Cross-sectional survey design was adopted for this study. The study population comprised of 52 insurance companies licensed in Kenya as at December 2017. The respondents were the Senior Managers and the general employees. Census method was used to obtain the number of senior management where a CEO and Human Resource Manager were used from each insurance company. This study utilized primary that was collected using questionnaires. The study concludes that there exist a full mediation effect of human resource management practice on the relationship between corporate governance and performance. A well-defined framework of human resource management practice benefits the organization and the employees. Human resource management practice of an organization benefits the employee by providing better opportunities for growth in terms of better compensation, benefits, training and development opportunities and career management in turn leading to job satisfaction, self-fulfillment and improved performance. The study recommends on developing training programs for the managers on the need for good corporate governance and mechanisms of improving organization performance through creating competitive advantage.
Keywords: Human Resource Management Practice, Corporate Governance, Performance, Insurance Companies & Kenya
Role of International Celebrity Events Destination Promotion on Tour Firms Performance in Nairobi City County, Kenya
No full textpossess important social, cultural, and economic outputs. International celebrity events provide additional destination attraction and they create a sustainable tourism industry across many parts of the world. Despite research in recent times in events gaining tremendous interest among scholars and emerging as a crucial area of study, little is known on how international celebrity events hosting influences tour firms’ performance. This study explored the role of international celebrity events destination promotion on tour firms’ performance in Nairobi City County, Kenya. A cross-sectional research design was adopted for the study. The sample size of the study constituted of 390 managerial employees who were drawn from all the 329 tour firms registered with the Kenya Association of Tour Operators. Stratified, systematic, purposive, and convenient sampling approaches were used to sample the respondents, while questionnaires and interview schedules were used for collection of data. Results showed that the international celebrity events destination promotion depicted a positive and statistically significant relationship with tour firms performance (p=0.000<0.05). The study recommends development and hosting of special international celebrity events in the country by event organizers as the basis of increasing the competitiveness of Nairobi City County as a preferred tourist destination.
Keywords: International Celebrity Events Destination Promotion, Image, Hosting, Tour Firms, Performance, Competitivenes
A Review of Gender Based Violence in the United States of America
No full textGender-based violence (GBV) violates human rights and presents a significant public health challenge with civic, social, political, and economic consequences for individuals, communities and whole societies. Different forms of GBV cause physical and mental harm, limit access to education, incur medical and legal costs, reduce productivity, and lower income. Gender-based violence undermines the safety, dignity, health, and human rights of the millions of individuals who experience it, and the public health, economic well-being, and security of nations. GBV is a global pandemic that is inflicted upon men, women and children. However, women and girls are the most at risk and most affected by gender based violence. An estimated one in three women worldwide has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. According to the UN Population Fund, almost 50 percent of all sexual assaults worldwide are against girls 15 and younger. Although statistics on the prevalence of violence vary, the scale is tremendous, the scope is vast, and the consequences for individuals, families, communities, and countries are devastating. For instance, a recent USAID funded study in United States found that the cost of domestic violence is equivalent to two percent of the country’s GDP nearly equal to the amount of the government’s annual expenditures in health and nutrition. Gender violence is perhaps the most widespread and socially tolerated human rights violation, cutting across borders, race, class, ethnicity, and religion. Gender-based violence impacts the lives of countless women and their families across the United States. Women and girls of all ages, income levels, racial and ethnic communities, sexual orientations and religious affiliations experience violence in the form of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, trafficking and stalking. The enactment of the Violence against Women Act (VAWA) in 1994 provided a national, streamlined response to how communities respond to violence against women by giving law enforcement, prosecutors and judges the tools they need to hold offenders accountable and keep communities safe while supporting victims.
Keywords: GBV, Human rights, Violations, Challenges, Barriers, Policie
Causes of Depression and Prevention in the United States of America
No full textDepression is a mental illness associated with extreme feelings of sadness that negatively affect one’s motivation, behavior, health, and overall quality of life. It leads to a lot of emotional and physical problems, decreasing one’s performance at their place of work and at home. There are two main types of depression; major depressive disorder, which is the most severe form of depression and persistent depressive disorder, which is the milder, but more chronic, form of depression. The paper outlines some the main Causes of Depression and its Prevention in the United States of America. Based on the discussion, it is possible to see that depression can be a very debilitating condition. A person diagnosed with the condition should, therefore, be very diligent with their self-care to ensure that they are in the right mental state to remain productive and motivated to carry out their responsibilities. Through regular exercise, getting enough sleep, therapy, and medication, it is possible to cope with depression.
Keywords: Depression, Prevention & United States of Americ
Effects of Social Challenges on Faith Development among the Youth in the Catholic Diocese of Wau, South Sudan
No full textThe study sought to examine the effect of social challenges on faith development among the youth in the Catholic Diocese of Wau, South Sudan. The study was guided by James Fowler's theory of faith development and Albert Bandura's theory of social learning. The researcher used an explanatory sequential mixed-method research design. The specific objectives of the study aimed to examine the influence of alcoholism, social media and popular culture on faith development among the youth in the Catholic Diocese of Wau. The study further sought to identify intervention strategies to address the effects of social challenges (alcoholism, social media and popular culture) on faith development. The target population was 200 and the study used a simple random sampling technique to select a sample size of 132 obtained through Krejcie's sampling Table. The study chose 66 youth from the parishes, 33 from the ministry of youth and sports and 16 from the marketplace through simple random sampling. The study further picked 9 youth leaders, 7 parish priests and curates and 1 youth chaplain purposively. The data instruments for data collection were the questionnaires with open and closed-ended questions and a semi-structured interview guide with open-ended questions. The interviews were analyzed in narrative form using research themes. The quantitative data from the questionnaires were analyzed using tables and bar charts. The findings exhibited that alcoholism produced irresponsible leaders and less God-fearing people in society. Social media makes the youth lose valuable cultural and Christian values and virtues. Popular culture leads to drop out from Church activities among the youth. Based on the research findings, the study concluded that alcoholism, social media, and popular culture affect faith development among the youth in the Diocese of Wau. Hence, the study recommended that spiritual guidance and counseling programs need to be applied for youth transformation.
Keywords: Alcoholism, social media, popular culture, intervention strategies, faith development, youth, Catholic Diocese, Wa
Understanding Women Participation in Humanitarian Interventions and Peace-building: Perspective from the United States of America
No full textIn US, government departments and agencies are accountable for the implementation of the policies and initiatives endorsed in this Plan. Above all, this National Action Plan expresses the United States’ unqualified commitment to integrating women’s views and perspectives fully into our diplomatic, security, and development efforts not simply as beneficiaries, but as agents of peace, reconciliation, development, growth, and stability. In many countries, high levels of violence continue to afflict communities long after wars have officially ceased. Peace accords are too often negotiated only among the small number of armed combatants who originally fought the war groups whose experiences on the battlefield are not easily transferred to the difficult task of building peace. There are plenty of roadblocks on the way to realizing gender awareness in agencies peacetime development activities, but in emergency situations there is, in addition, a strong tendency to say: When the situation is serious you can’t afford the time to stop and think about gender issues. Essays in Women and Emergencies (Oxfam Focus on Gender 4) make the case – clearly enough to convince the most skeptical and macho logistics or technical officer that such an attitude is extremely damaging. Recognition of women’s needs and a gender-based analysis of an emergency situation are essential starting points if an aid intervention is to be effective in the short term and have positive impacts in long-term development. The goal of the United States National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security remains as simple as it is profound: to empower half the world’s population as equal partners in preventing conflict and building peace in countries threatened and affected by war, violence, and insecurity. Achieving this goal is critical to our national and global security. There are obvious reasons why women are important to the peace building process. For example, they constitute half of every community and the difficult task of peace building must be done by men and women in partnership. Women are also the central caretakers of families and everyone is affected when they are excluded from peace building. Women are also advocates for peace, as peacekeepers, relief workers and mediators. Women have played prominent roles in peace processes in the Horn of Africa such as in Sudan and Burundi, where they have contributed as observers. The United States faces a complex global security environment characterized by instability, conflict, and record levels of displacement, well-armed non-state actors, and great power competition. The United States’ Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) of 2019 focuses on improving the effectiveness of our foreign policy and assistance efforts across the board by proactively integrating the needs and perspectives of women, and empowering women to contribute their talents and energies to international peace, security, and prosperity.
Keywords: Women, Participation, Peace-building, Humanitarian, Interventions, US
Strategy Implementation and School Performance: A Case Of Private Secondary Schools in Tshangu District in City Province of Kinshasa in Democratic Republic of Congo
No full textThis study sought to assess the influence of strategy implementation on school performance in private secondary schools in Tshangu District, City Province of Kinshasa in Democratic Republic of Congo. The specific objective of the study was to investigate the effect of structure on school performance in private secondary schools in Tshangu District, City Province of Kinshasa in DRC. The Systems Management Theory was used to guide the research. The study used a descriptive survey approach with a target sample of 620 members of the board of directors, instructors, and administrative personnel from 30 private secondary schools. The Krecjie and Morgan Formula was used to generate a sample of 237 employees. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data, which was then analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. The study discovered that the power flow indicated in the school structure guaranteed that plan execution was not delayed. According to the findings, there was a significant positive correlation between strategy implementation and school performance. The first and most powerful independent variable was structure. The study recommends that the school structure be examined to clearly reflect the hierarchical structure of all functions to ensure that decision-making is not delayed because each employee's tasks and responsibilities are evident.
Key words: Strategy Implementation, Structure & School Performance
Relationship between Change Management and Sugarcane Productivity in Sugar Factory Cane Catchments Areas in Kenya
No full textThe study sought to determine the relationship between change management and sugarcane productivity in 13 sugar factory cane catchment areas in Kenya. The philosophical foundation of this study was positivism. Cross-sectional survey design was adopted. A sample of 478 respondents were used where 400 were farmers and 78 were the factory leaders. A simple regression model was used to test the statistical significance. The findings show that when change management is held constant, sugarcane productivity will remain at 0.714. A unit increase in change management will increase sugarcane productivity in sugar factory cane catchments areas in Kenya by the rate of 0.751. The null hypothesis of the study was change management has no significant relationship with sugarcane productivity in sugar factory cane catchments areas in Kenya. Since, the p value was less than the critical value 0.05, the study rejected the null hypotheses and thus change management has a significant relationship with sugarcane productivity in sugar factory cane catchments areas in Kenya. The study concludes that, to achieve varied goals, managers need more than fragmentary ad-hoc change programmes dealing only with present sugarcane productivity challenges. They need change management methods to prepare for upcoming organizational competitive difficulties. The study provides significant information for managers of the sugar companies on the need to implement appropriate change management policies and practice in organizations. The study confirms that change management has a significant effect on productivity of the sugar factory cane catchment areas.
Keywords: Change Management, Productivity, Sugarcane Factorie