Stratford Peer Reviewed Journals and Books
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The Effects of the Digital Culture on the Life of Consecrated Religious Women in Lang’ata, Nairobi, Kenya
No full textThe study examined the effects of digital culture on the life of consecrated religious women in Lang’ata, Nairobi, Kenya. It was guided by four research objectives: to examine the effects of addiction to television programmes on prayer life; to ascertain the consequences of the inappropriate use of smart phones on fraternal life; to investigate how excessive time spent on social networks affects preparation for pastoral ministry and its quality and to propose ways of mitigating challenges of digital culture on the lives of consecrated religious women. The targeted population of the study was 112 consecrated religious women from 9 different congregations living in Lang’ata South; out of which 87 participants were selected as sample size for the study using fisher’s formula. Questionnaire and interview guide were used to collect data from participants. The quantitative data was coded and analysed using descriptive statistical techniques and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data, and presented in tables, frequencies and percentages. The qualitative data was analysed according to the emerging themes and presented in narrative form and direct quotations. The findings of both quantitative strands and qualitative data collected in line with the research objectives of the study showed that abuse of digital culture dependency affects prayer life, the fraternal life, and apostolate of consecrated religious women in Lang’ata, Nairobi Kenya. Also, it has eaten deep into some of the religious women that they find solace and happiness in socializing on social media. It has also become a maladaptive behaviour, bringing division and individualism in some religious communities. Results of the study also revealed that majority of the religious women are victims of addiction to their smartphone chatting with their smartphones even during community gatherings, or prayer time. The study concludes that majority of religious women who are cut in the web of this social network addiction lack focus and become less creative in their pastoral ministry due to lack of concentration.
Keywords: Digital culture, consecrated religious women, Lang’ata, Nairobi, Keny
Culturally Informed Interventions for African American Women with a History of Sexual Abuse in North America
No full textThis paper evaluated the best interventions for childhood sexual abuse and how these interventions can best be applied to African American women to ensure that they are able to effectively deal with the mental health complications that result from being sexually assaulted as children. The inclusion criteria used was to find articles addressing the effects of physical, emotional or sexual abuse on the mental health of women over 18 years leaning towards those prioritizing African American women and childhood abuse. The exclusion criterion was to avoid all articles prioritizing men or featuring women aged below 18 years. The researcher initially intended to only focus on articles discussing articles featuring African American women aged 18-26, but after failing to find articles meeting these specifications, the researcher extended the scope. This review is of significant as it gives shine to African American women; women who have been sidelined due to sexism, rami and classism. It can influence practice in that it can encourage more research to be done to develop interventions best suited for the needs of African American women.
Keywords: African American Women, Sexual Abuse & North America
Cost Effectiveness of Ambulance Referral Services on Maternal Health Outcome Perspective from Southern Asia
No full textMaternal and neonatal mortality remain an unsolved health priority in low income countries and sub-Saharan Africa in particular. Most maternal deaths are actually preventable and occur during labour, delivery and the first day postpartum. Skilled attendance at birth is the most important intervention to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality since complications leading to these deaths are unpredictable but can be successfully treated if diagnosed early and properly managed Maternal and neonatal mortality remain an unsolved health priority in low income countries and Southern Asia in particular. The Millennium Development goal of reducing child mortality by 2015 was not achieved by many South Asian countries where 60% of the deaths are infants. Delivery is a critical moment for both the mother and the child and each year an astonishing two million neonatal deaths are attributed to complications during birth and this burden is mainly carried by developing countries. In low-income countries almost half of fetal deaths happen during or around delivery time and approximately three quarters of neonatal deaths occur within the first days after birth. It is estimated that most maternal deaths are actually preventable and occur during labour, delivery and the first day postpartum. In India, considerable attention has been paid to estimates of maternal mortality, but mere has been reserved to the issue of adolescents pregnancies requires paramount attention. Despite substantial improvement in maternal health indicators in India, the proportion of adolescent deaths (9%) due to pregnancy or during child birth to total maternal mortality is unacceptably high. The study sought to assess the cost-effectiveness of ambulance referral services on maternal health outcome in Rural India. This study was a retrospective cross-sectional cost-effectiveness analysis of ambulance referral services in Rural India using a healthcare system perspective of parturient women transferred by ambulance to a higher level hospital compared with self-referrals 2010 and 2019. The data for the study was obtained from ambulance emergency referral network unit/services, health facilities maternal registers and patient files, KII with the health management of the Counties. The study found reduction in neonatal deaths in four South Asian RCTs of community mobilization interventions, which included the generation of funds for transport, to overcome phase II delays. It was not possible to disentangle the effects of the phase II intervention with other components that addressed other types of delays or that improved care. The study concluded that initiatives to improve the transportation system for the referral of obstetric emergencies are vital in ensuring patients’ safety during transfer. Communication between referring and receiving facilities should be enhanced. A strong collaboration is needed between teaching hospitals and other stakeholders in the referral chain to foster good referral practices and healthcare delivery. Based on the findings the study recommends that it should be possible to reduce maternal deaths (and the deaths of babies during pregnancy, childbirth, and early life) in developing countries by ensuring that pregnant women are referred to emergency obstetric services quickly when the need arises.
Keywords: Cost Effectiveness, Ambulance Referral Services, Maternal Health, Outcome, Southern Asia
Substance Abuse in Maryland, United States of America
No full textAddiction is a major concern around the globe as it affects millions of people. Additionally, substance abuse affects not only the addict but also their families, their communities, and everyone around them, meaning that it affects which makes addressing the problem essential. This paper outlines the substance abuse in Maryland, United States of America. Maryland has one of the worst drug epidemics in the United States. Since 1999, the state of Maryland has consistently had a death rate higher than the national average. An opioid epidemic was declared in 2017 in the he United States of America and 2,282 of the people who died from drug and alcohol abuse in the nation was from Maryland. Those deaths included people who died as a result of drug accidents caused by drug overdose. The number of heroin addictions in Maryland have consistently increased since the 1990s while the rate of alcohol addiction has decreased. To meet the needs of these populations, various programs and services have been developed and implemented in order to treat and manage substance use disorders.
Keywords: Substance Abuse, Maryland, United States of America
The Influence of the Public Procurement Law on the Market Economy in Kenya
No full textThe paper sought to establish the influence of the public procurement law on the market economy in Kenya. The recurrent challenges in the practice of public procurement are not due to the absence of laws or regulations but the reading suggests that these may be related to capacity but most clearly too obvious dereliction of duty among decision makers managing the procurement processes and especially the contract management stages. This shows that the systematic weaknesses in the public procurement practice in Kenya cannot be fixed by further legislation as much but the strengthening of both negative and positive incentives for agents in the public sector to behave in the ways that are consistent with the interest of the public. The overall profligacy of the institutions of public procurement can be strengthened with better transparency, the adoption and enforcement of open contracting, creation of capacity and deployment of technology. However, the nugget of this study is not that Kenyan’s public procurement systems are weak or that they have enormous potential for contributing to its market economy growth. The real policy lesson is that the dysfunction of the public procurement reflects the inability of institutions such as parliament to assert authority in ensuring that allocations are used effectively and that the managers of procurement throughout the entities in government have the incentive to apply public resources well. Thus, the ineffectiveness of Kenya’s public procurement is an issue of the political economy in Kenya. In addition, solutions do not lie in new laws but ensuring that accountability for use of resources has real meaning. Sustaining Kenya’s development depends on getting this right.
Keywords: Public Procurement Law & Market Economy & Kenya
Credit Risk Management and Performance of Mortgage Lending Commercial Banks in Kenya
No full textIn spite of Kenya’s mortgage market having grown substantially, it is dominated by large mortgage lending commercial banks pointing to possible restrictions to entry or a likelihood of high risk for tier II and III commercial banks in Kenya. In 2017, Kenyan mortgage lending commercial banks recorded an average gross non-performing loan ratio of 10.3 percent against the industry recommended Central Bank of Kenya average of 4 percent. In 2018, Kenyan mortgage industry assets was approximated to be 2.5 percent relative to the country’s gross domestic product with about 24,458 mortgage accounts in the industry. The sector has also recently experienced increased non-performing loans. Thus, the study sought to evaluate the influence of credit risk management on performance of Kenya’s mortgage lending commercial banks with the objective of establishing influence of delinquency rates and value at risk on credit risk management of Kenya’s mortgage lending commercial banks. Credit history score acted as moderating variable. Merton’s Default Theory, Portfolio Theory and Theory of Information Asymmetry guided this study. A census survey of Kenya’s 34 mortgage lending commercial banks was utilized. Explanatory and descriptive research designs were adopted. The researcher used secondary panel data covering the period 2012 to 2018 with a record survey sheet as the data collection tool. Data was collected from published audited reports of mortgage lending commercial banks submitted to Central Bank and analyzed using STATA subject to various diagnostic tests. Panel regression of coefficients findings indicated there was a positive and significant relationship between delinquency rate and performance of mortgage lending commercial banks. There was a negative and significant relationship between value at risk and performance of mortgage lending commercial banks. Credit history score had significant moderating effect on relationship between credit risk management and performance of mortgage lending commercial banks in Kenya since coefficient of determination rose after moderation.
Key Words: Credit Risk Management, Delinquency rate, Value at Risk, Credit History Score & Mortgag
Effects of Financial Technology on Operation Costs of Microfinance Institutions in Nairobi County
No full textThe general objective of the study was to determine the effect of FinTech on the operational costs of microfinance institutions in Nairobi County, Kenya. Specific objectives included examining the effect of process innovation, internet banking agency banking, and mobile banking on operation cost of microfinance institutions. The study was anchored on Demand and Supply Theory of Innovation, Theory of Innovation Diffusion, Transaction Cost Innovation Theory, and Technology Acceptance Theory. Correlational research design was used in this study and target population comprised of managers working with 10 MFIs in Nairobi County, Kenya registered with AMF-Kenya. The primary data was collected using questionnaire, while secondary data was obtained from bank supervision report. Data processing and analysis was facilitated by the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Descriptive statistics was used to calculate frequencies, percentages, and measures of central tendency and dispersion from the collected data. Again, inferential statistics was adopted to establish the kind of relationship that exists between the study variables using the regression analysis model. The findings revealed that process innovation, internet banking, agency banking and mobile banking were satisfactory variables in explaining the operational costs of MFIs in Nairobi County. The study also found that process innovation had a negative and significant influence on operation costs (? =-0.136, p=.007<.05), internet banking had a significant negative influence on operation costs (? =-0.194, p=.000<.05), agency banking and a negative and insignificant influence on operation costs (? =-0.880, p=.312>.05) and finally mobile banking had a significant negative influence on operation costs of the MFIs (? =-0.420, p=.000<.05). The study concluded that the implementation of technologies such as process innovation, internet banking, agency banking and mobile banking have negative effects on the operation costs of MFIs in Nairobi County. The study thus recommended that managements of MFIs in Nairobi County should strive to fully and properly adopt and implement the use of financial technology in their operations and that innovations can be a source of competitive advantage if a firm understands customer needs, competitors’ actions and technological development and act accordingly to stay at par with rivals, therefore such institutions should take the advantage of fully adopting financial technologies in their operations.
Keywords: Technology, Operation, Cost, Microfinance, Process, Internet, Banking, Agency, Mobile Innovation
Identity Construction in Adichies two texts Half of a Yellow Sun, and Purple Hibiscus
No full textThe study attempts to examine Identity construction in Adichies texts, Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) and Purple Hibiscus (2003). The study was guided by the reader response theory. A critical reading of the texts has revealed that, every character in both texts has been struggling in constructing his/her identity. The study involved three aspects of identity, which included self, social, and national identity. All children in texts struggle to carve out their own identities through interaction with the environment through which they pass they through. Chimamanfa Adichie is also introducing the concept of social identity, where by the elite in Half of a Yellow Sun organizes to meet in Odenigbo house and share different ideas concerning Pan Africanism, tribalism, nation, and race. Likewise in Purple Hibiscus, the family of aunty Ifeoma with father Amadi helps Jaja and Kambili to build their social identity through interaction, and engaging them into different activities. National identity is also discussed in this study by involving both children and adult characters from the texts. Everyone is looking forward on possible ways in which they can put their hands together to bring harmony and peace in their country.
Keywords: Identity, Construction, Adichies texts, Half, Yellow, Sun, Purple, Hibiscus.
 
Green Manufacturing and Sustainability of Manufacturing Firms in Malaysia: Literature Based Review
No full textThe need for sustainable and ecofriendly environment is gaining momentum among organization calling for the need for green manufacturing. Green procurement aims at creating wealth while ensuring that the environment is protected from pollution. Rising green-house emissions are an alert to review the procurement process to ensure that it aligns to the requirements for a sustainable environment. This paper study focused at Green manufacturing and sustainability of manufacturing firms in Malaysia. Green procurement is capable of potentially reducing costs of litigations, minimizes usages of energy and water, reduces wastage of materials, improves innovation and minimizes solid, gaseous and liquid discharge to the environment and enhancing sustainability of the organization economically. There is need for manufacturing firms in Malaysia to include inclusion of ecological practices in their strategic plans.
Key word: Green Manufacturing, Sustainability, Manufacturing Firms, Malaysi
Liquidity Risk and Financial Performance of Commercial Banks in Kenya
No full textCommercial banks are essential entities in providing financial services among people, governments and business entities. Commercial banks contribute to the economy of the country via the tax revenue it remits to the government. The incapability of commercial banks to hold the right balance of the liquid assets for effective and efficient operations threatens their financial performance. Global financial crisis of the year 2007-2008 was a depiction of the importance of liquidity. Liquidity risks arise from failure to balance cash inflows against cash outflows. However, commercial banks fall short of the liquidity money to support their operations and also to lend to prospective borrowers undermining their financial performance. This study investigated how liquidity risks influence financial performance of commercial banks. The study was guided by specific objectives that include; effect of bank size, asset quality, operational efficiency and capital adequacy on financial performance commercial banks. The effect of money supply on the relationship between liquidity risks and financial performance of commercial banks was also determined. Causal research design was adopted in the study targeting 42 commercial banks operating in Kenya. Secondary data were extracted from financial books from individual commercial banks and CBK reports. Data analysis was undertaken by use of Stata 14.0 where descriptive results and panel models were generated. Results revealed that bank size is positively and significantly related to financial performance of commercial banks. It was also found that asset quality is negatively and significantly related to commercial banks’ financial performance. Capital adequacy is positively but insignificantly related to commercial banks’ financial performance. The operational efficiency of the bank was positively and significantly related commercial banks’ financial performance. Money supply moderates the relationship between liquidity risks and performance of commercial banks since the coefficient of determination increased. The study recommended that commercial banks need to consider diversifying their product portfolio with aim of expanding their income revenue. Commercial banks need also to review their credit evaluation methods to ensure that only worthy borrowers borrow their funds with aim of reducing high cases of nonperforming loans. Award of loans should go hand in hand with some form of financial training, guidance ad advice for borrowers on how to allocate the funds borrowed. Adequate capital needs to be held by commercial banks as stipulated by banks operational regulations. There is need to improve capacity development among bank employees with aim of enhancing operational efficiency in the bank.
Keywords: Liquidity Risk, Financial Performance, Commercial Banks, Keny