Stratford Peer Reviewed Journals and Books
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Level of Nutritional Knowledge among Expectant Mothers in Saidu Teaching Hospital, Pakistan
No full textMaternal nutrition is essential from conception and throughout pregnancy as it is a critical factor in child survival, growth and development. Many expectant mothers do not have adequate knowledge of causes, complications, management and preventive measures of nutritional imbalances during pregnancy, which is responsible for the high prevalence of poor maternal nutritional status. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Sample population was from the study population from Saidu Teaching Hospital, Pakistan. Yamane formula was used to calculate sample size of 286. Data collection was carried out using structured questionnaires and analyzed using IBM-SPSS version 25 of 2015 software. The results of the study also found that majority of the expectant mothers were knowledgeable on nutritional requirements during and even after pregnancy. They are aware of the balance diet required for them; however, there were also those who did not understand about the nutritional requirements. Expectant mothers had positive attitude towards nutrition. Majority of expectant women were positive towards antenatal check-up during pregnancy. Majority of them also felt that skipping meals among expectant mothers affects their health. Preparing meals rich in iron such as beef, chicken or fish is necessary. Supplementation of iron and folic acid are good for the mother and fetus. The study also concluded that expectant mothers had positive attitude towards nutrition and were willing to consume food that was healthy for them and to the child. The study thus recommends for periodic awareness training by health care providers on the need to observe nutritional requirement and how to identify the right foods to consume and correct diet to observe. The periodic awareness training can be undertaken by local health care providers in support by the county government, national government and non-governmental health organization like UK Aid, USA Aid and others. The study recommends for the need of subsidizing supplements and nutrients sold in the private dispensaries and health centers so that expectant women from low income household can afford them. Subsidizing of supplements and nutrients can be done by government by reducing VAT taxes on these products.
Keywords: Nutritional Knowledge, Expectant Mothers, Saidu Teaching Hospital, Pakista
Supply Chain Management in Times of Covid-19: Challenges and Lessons Learnt
No full textThe coronavirus emerged in China in December 2019 and spread globally during the first quarter of 2020. As isolation and shut-down policies were rolled out, stopping or limiting work activities and people’s mobility, supply chains, and trade were slowed down or brought to a halt. Managing the pandemic has generated a unique blow to the world economy, simultaneously affecting supply, demand and trade. Supply has been affected directly by the suspension of the operation of economic units across multiple activities. This has led to redundancies and suspensions, which have directly affected demand by dampening income expectations. The lockdowns have directly affected many services, such as hospitality and retail services, with a knock-on effect on their domestic and foreign suppliers. In addition, restrictions applied on the movement of people and goods represent a huge hit to activities such as tourism and transportation. In the latter case, this has serious ramifications for many other activities that rely on the use of these services. Moreover, the actions that third countries have adopted to increase the domestic supply of critical products have affected Africa’s ability to address the pandemic and the economic crisis. The recovery of the African supply chain is going to be significantly linked to how fast European production and trade recover. Recovery of the Chinese economy, which in part will be conditional on the global recovery, will have smaller direct effects in terms of assisting with the recovery of African trade. In addition to their forward linkages, African economies are significantly integrated into supply chains as buyers. In some cases, African companies import intermediate goods to be further processed on the continent to be transformed into final goods. In other cases, imports of final products are commercialized through African retailers and wholesalers. To recover and build resilience in the medium to long term, African economies should maintain momentum and ambition on the landmark African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement. Rapid and ambitious implementation of the AfCFTA will help the recovery from Covid. 19 impacts, while reducing Africa’s exposure to future adverse effects of global shocks related to health, food supply and climate change, and more regional shocks such as the locust crisis in East Africa. The pandemic has highlighted that a robust supplier management system that takes into account sub-tier dependencies and proximity is a prerequisite for today’s supply chain, and in turn, has underlined the need to use the AfCFTA as a springboard for developing Africa’s industrial base.
Keywords: Supply Chain Management, procurement practices, Covid-19.
 
Cryptocurrency and the Future Currency in the United States of America
No full textTechnology has significantly changed the way people work, shop, and pay for their goods. Many companies and consumers prefer to use technology rather than cash. People now want to wave their smartphones to pay for their products at digital registers. Cryptocurrency has become a new method of payment and has been adopted by many large organizations. The first cryptocurrency that went mainstream and is still growing in popularity is bitcoin. However, today, there are more than 2000 types of cryptocurrency in the world, and more are being developed every day. Cryptocurrencies are an alternative to more traditional methods of exchanges such as credit cards. Bitcoin remains the most popular cryptocurrency and has become an established and viable investment that is fueled by the positive hype associated with the blockchain technology that supports it. This leads to a positive effect on the trading practices and wallets of investors around the world. However, there are some schools of thought that cryptocurrencies as a medium for terrorists, fraudsters, and criminals as these types of people are known for their involvement in scams and illegal trading on the Dark Web. However, the merits of cryptocurrency far outweigh its demerits and are bound to keep increasing in popularity and grow.
Keywords: Cryptocurrency & US
Mergers and Acquisitions and the Effect on Financial Performance of Commercial Banks in Kenya
No full textThis study looked at the Pre and post mergers and acquisitions and financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya for the period 2000 to 2018. The specific objectives were to determine effects of: mergers and acquisitions on Capital adequacy on the financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya, mergers and acquisitions on Asset Quality on the financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya, effects of mergers and acquisitions on Earnings on the commercial banks in Kenya, effects of mergers and acquisitions on Liquidity on the commercial banks in Kenya, mergers and acquisitions on the Sensitivity to market risk of the commercial banks in Kenya. The study used a descriptive research, employing both the use of multiple regression analysis and test of equality of two means with target population of 16 banks that had been involved in a merger/acquisition for the period 2000 to 2018. Based on availability of data for five years before and five years after the merger, 5 banks were picked to form the sample. Secondary data was collected from the financial statements available on the banks’ websites and supplemented with macroeconomic data from the central bank of Kenya banking supervisory reports for the period under study. Data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that merged banked improved in ROA and liquidity but in the process they became more sensitive to market risk. The study concluded that mergers/acquisitions improved ROA and bank liquidity and that capital adequacy of the merged banks did not improve, nor did the asset quality, nor the earnings and that sensitivity to market risk greatly increased for the merged banks. The study recommended that for banks seeking to improve on ROA and Liquidity a merger/acquisition would be one of the options to consider.
Keywords: Pre-mergers, Post-mergers, Acquisitions, Financial, Performance, Commercial banks, Kenya
Evaluation on Changes of Strategy and Strategic Direction in Toyota Motor Company, Japan
No full textThe Toyota Motor Company is one of the leading and most popular manufacturer of automobiles in the world. The company has been manufacturing cars since 1937. Toyota Motor Company in the year 2010 announced a major change to their strategy and organizational structure which was to be part of their continuous policy improvement. The company had been making organizational changes that had been gradually to place the company on a competitive edge in the global market. The changes varied from the management objectives changes to the realignment of hierarchies. The Toyota Motor Company’s highest strategic direction has been to builds the best possible products for its clients globally. This paper looks at strategic changes implemented by Toyota Motor Company towards its global success in automobile manufacturing for the period 2010-2019
Effect of Strategic Management Strategies on Performance of the Manufacturing Firms in Mexico
No full textThe study sought to examine the effect of strategic management strategies on the performance of the manufacturing firms in Mexico. The study was conducted in Cemex company. The target population was 274 employees, who included managers and support staff from Cemex company in Mexico. The study used the purposive sampling technique to get the sample. The interview guides were administered to the managers, while closed-ended questionnaires were used for the support staff. The results of the study indicated that strategic management strategies are positively and significantly related to performance. The study stated that strategy management enables the companies to have the capability to absorb the most effective workforce and increase the competitive advantage. The strategy management promotes efficient allocation of the resources within the functional units. The availability of strategic leadership enables the organization to allocate resources more effectively within various departments. The distribution of funds relies on the nature of complexity within the departments. The study indicated that the strategy formulation in the organization is that it facilitates environmental scanning. Environmental scanning is the process of gathering information about events and their relationships within an organization's internal and external environments. The significance of environmental scanning is that it helps the management to determine the future direction of the organization after being aware of the potential shifts in the market. The study concluded that strategic management is significant in assessing the performance of the manufacturing firms in Mexico. The study recommended companies look for that strategic management that is more practical and achievable.
Keywords: Strategic management strategies, performance, manufacturing firms, Cemex company, Mexic
Effect of Environmental Scanning on Performance of Chemelil Sugar Company in Kisumu County, Kenya
No full textThe environmental scanning been recognized as a vital management tool for well-performing companies. It includes collecting information within the organization's internal, industrial, and external environment that affect performance. The performance Chemelil Sugar Company in Kisumu County has been incompatible with the company's envisage strategic development plan. The company posted a loss of K.sh 821 million in the year June 2018, which is an increase compared to the loss of K.sh 767.25 million incurred in 2016. This formed the motive of the study to examine the effect of environmental scanning on the performance of Chemelil Sugar Company. The study was anchored on open system theory. The research adopted a descriptive research design. The target population was 60. The study focused on the heads of departments as the key respondents. The research instruments used in the study were questionnaires. The study conducted a census because the population size was small and for accuracy. The study applied purposive sampling technique. It was found that environmental scanning is positively and significantly related to performance. The results of regression analysis established that environmental scanning is positively and significantly related to performance (B=.840, p =.035). Thus, a unit increase in environmental scanning practices while holding all other factors constant, increases performance by 0.840 units. The study recommended that the company need to look at the internal analysis, industrial analysis and external analysis to maintain a higher performance level. The company can regularly analyze its industrial environment to determine its opportunities and threats using Porter's Five Factor analysis tool. In addition, it is recommended that the company need to regularly analyze its internal environmental factors to determine its strengths and weaknesses using SWOT as an analysis tool. Conducting environmental audit is necessary and the company needs to prepare plans to cope with dynamically changing environments.
Keywords: Environmental scanning, performance, Chemelil Sugar Company, Kisumu County, Keny
Effect of Strategy Implementation on Performance of Chemelil Sugar Company in Kisumu County, Kenya
No full textThe performance at Chemelil Sugar Company in Kisumu County has been unsatisfactory and thus, the study sought to examine whether strategy implementation can affect the performance. The study was underpinned on resource-based view theory. The descriptive research design was deemed relevant to the study. The target population was 60 and the key respondents incorporated the heads of departments. The sample size was 60. The study adopted the purposive sampling technique and questionnaires were used to collected the data. The analysis of the data was done using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of the study showed that strategy implementation affect performance positively. The strategy implementation can be determined by resource allocation, stakeholders, communication and structure. The correlation analysis showed there was a strong positive relationship between performance and strategy implementation. The coefficient of determination (r2=.424) indicated that 42.4% of the variation in organizational performance can be explained by strategy implementation. The regression results established that strategy implementation is positively and significantly related to performance (B= .883, t = 2.847, p = .016). Hence, unit increase in strategy implementation while holding all other factors constant, increases performance by 0.883 units. The study recommended the improvement of strategy implementation through enhanced resource allocation, stakeholders, communication and structure could improve the performance of the organization. The allocation of the resources need to be adequate to foster the strategy implementation. It is suggested that stakeholders' skills to be matched with their responsibilities. The managers to create maximum awareness to employees when implementing new policies and effective structure be developed to encourage information sharing between departments.
Keywords: Strategy implementation, performance, Chemelil Sugar Company, Kisumu County, Keny
The Effect of Pricing Strategy on the Performance of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Kenya
No full textAn effective pricing strategy is considered one of the most innovative and cost effective practice-based entrepreneurial marketing approaches, that MSMEs can employ to increase performance. This is because effective pricing techniques aid organizations in selecting rates that take full advantage of earnings as well as shareholder value while thinking about consumer and market demand. Similarly, it takes into account ability to pay, market conditions, rival activities, trade margins as well as input costs, amongst others. Therefore, MSMEs can effectively deliver on their fundamental roles through formulation and application of appropriate pricing strategy so as to exert a positive effect on performance, and therefore, the focus of this study. The study assessed the effect of pricing strategy on the performance of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Kenya. The study was guided by positivism research philosophy. A descriptive survey design was adopted. The study population included 8,526 licensed MSMEs in Tharaka-Nithi County. Stratified sampling and random sampling techniques were employed to arrive at the study sample size of 368 MSMEs. Data was collected using questionnaires through hand and delivery procedure. Quantitative data was analyzed using both the descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Qualitative data was analyzed through content analysis. The simple linear regression findings indicated that pricing strategy accounted for 39.3% of the variation in performance of MSMEs in Kenya. The results further showed that an effective pricing strategy has a significant positive effect on the performance of MSMEs in Kenya as reflected by β=0.621, sig value =0.000, <0.05. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient at r = 0.627 showed that there is a strong positive correlation between pricing strategy and performance of MSMEs. Consequently, the study supported the alternative hypotheses that pricing strategy has a significant positive effect on the performance of MSMEs in Kenya. The study concluded that effective pricing strategies culminates to enhanced performance. The study further concluded that a good pricing strategy should be anchored on an organizational wide evaluation of a firm’s pricing objectives, consumers (target market), demand curve, competition, and other internal factors such as costs incurred as this is cardinal in establishing and sustaining a competitive edge over other co-players in the market, culminating to a better firm performance. The study recommends that MSME owners and managers should have in place a pricing strategy if they are to achieve superior performance. In order to derive full benefits of the pricing strategy, it is recommended that pricing decisions should be made in cognizant of other firm wide factors that in return affect the expected outcomes of such decisions.
Keywords: Pricing Strategy, Performance, MSMEs & Tharaka-Nithi County, Keny
Risk Management Practices and Project Performance at Kenya Airports Authority
No full textProject performance has gained prominence as a distinctive concept in management that is used in driving the objectives of the business alongside the economic agenda of a country that is still developing like Kenya. The current environment of business is characterized by various turbulences and cut throat competitive forces. These dynamics and competition are triggered by changes in technology, globalization, customers who are additionally requesting and more elevated levels of vulnerability which have resulted in challenges in organizational administration than previously. In some cases, the project deliverables fail even before they are handed over to the project sponsor while many others fail during the project liability period. Delays in completion, upward revaluation of project costs, poor quality workmanships and premature termination of major government projects are common phenomena in Kenya and are a major concern to researchers, project sponsors, contractors and other stakeholders and cast a major doubt whether the government is able to guarantee value for money to the tax-payers. It was on this background that this examination expected to survey the effect of managing of risk tools on performance of project at Kenya Airport Authority. The study specifically ascertained the effect of risk identification, risk reporting, risk analysis and risk control on project performance at Kenya Airport Authority. Systems theory, goal orientation and contingency theories were utilized to reinforce the research. The examination plan for this investigation was descriptive. The research population was made up of 281 staff which were from KAA projects’ board division that have been dealing with various ventures at KAA throughout the previous 5 years. From this population, a sample of 141 staff was considered. The research relied on primary data collected through administering of the questionnaires. The analysis of research data was on the premised on inferential and descriptive (multiple regression analysis). Ethical considerations were duly complied with throughout the research. The study found that risk identification had significant effect on project performance at Kenya Airport Authority. The study found that risk reporting significantly affects project performance at Kenya Airport Authority. The study also found that risk analysis significantly contributes to project performance at Kenya Airport Authority. The study also documented that risk control is significant in predicting the project performance at Kenya Airport Authority. The study recommended that Kenya Airports Authority should put in place adequate institutional framework for effective identification of risks associated with projects. The study recommended that effective risk reporting channels be put in place so as to ensure timely communication of identified risks to management. It is further recommended that Kenya Airport Authority provides enabling environment for proper risk analyses. The study further recommended that effective tools for risk control should be put in place by Kenya Airport Authority.
Keywords: Risk Analysis, Risk Control, Risk Identification, Risk Management, Risk Management Practices, Risk Reporting, Project performance