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Cost of obtaining financial capital as a determinant of establishment and growth of Micro and Small Enterprises among metal fabricators in Mombasa County
No full textThe purpose of the study was to establish the cost of obtaining financial capital as a determinant of establishment and growth of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) among metal fabricators in Mombasa County. The study was delimited to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in in Mombasa County. The study targeted a population of 240 and a sample size of 72 respondents. Descriptive research design method was applied. Data collection was done by a questionnaire with a pilot test questionnaire conducted in Shimanzi ward of Mombasa County to boost reliability of the research instrument. The study has established that high cost of obtaining financial capital negatively affects the on growth of MSEs. Therefore, the alternative hypothesis is accepted. As a result, it can be concluded that the cost of financing has a significant relationship with establishment of MSEs in Mombasa County. The study has established that high cost of obtaining financial capital negatively affects the on growth of MSEs. The study concluded that high cost of obtaining financial capital negatively affect the initiation and growth of MSEs in Mombasa County. The study recommended that to mitigate on high cost of obtaining financial capital, clear loaning policies should be adopted to avoid misunderstanding on expectations on repayment period. Additionally, the interest rate charged on the borrowed loan should be subsidized by both the national and county governments.
Keywords: Cost of obtaining financial capital, Establishment and growth of MSE
Kenya Agricultural Productivity and Agribusiness Project (KAPAP) and the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) Entrepreneurship and Business Plan Development Training Report, September 2015
No full textKenya Agricultural Productivity and Agribusiness Project (KAPAP) is one of the government's initiatives to implement the Agriculture Sector Development Strategy (ASDS) and is designed around the key pillars of the ASDS. KAPAP aims to consolidate and up-scale the achievements in the sector and in addition support agribusiness development. The project's development objective is to increase agricultural productivity and incomes of participating smallholder farmers in the Project area. The project is implemented in 20 areas namely Kilifi, Kwale, Tana River, Taita Taveta, Garissa,Wajir, Makueni, Embu, Meru, Nyeri, Nakuru, Nyandarua, Siaya, Busia, Homabay, Butere-Mumias, Gucha, Kakamega, Trans Nzoia and West Pokot. The project areas include 27 counties in Mombasa, Nyeri, Nakuru and Kisumu Regions.
KAPAP also supports the implementation of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) Policy which provides a National framework that fosters effective collaboration among a broad range of individuals and organizations in order to contribute to the national agricultural knowledge and innovation system. It is committed towards mobilizing resources in order to continue building capacity of farmers, youth, farmer organizations (cooperatives and groups) and stakeholders across different agricultural value chains to entrench agribusiness so that farming becomes a viable business enterprise across the board. This background culminated into collaborative efforts between KAPAP and Technical University of Kenya (TUK) to develop a market driven curricular in Entrepreneurship and Business planning to build the capacity of service providers who deal directly with farmers.
Key Words: Productivity, Agribusiness, Project, government's initiatives, Agriculture Development, Strateg
Academic Management System Finance module and Customer Satisfaction: A Study of CUEA and USIU
No full textThe objective of this study is to determine the academic management system and customer satisfaction in private universities in Nairobi. This objective was guided by specific the following specific objective: To evaluate the influence of finance AMS module on quality decision and services on student accounts. Expectancy disconfirmation theory was used to examine the extent AMS was able to meet expectation, exceed expectation or have met expectation of customers. Contrast theory was employed to determine how users rate the system in relation to their prior expectation. Technology acceptance theory (TAM) evaluated perceived usefulness (PU) and ease of use (EOU) of AMS to the users. Task technology fit (TTF) was used to access how users were able to carry out portfolio of tasks using the system. The study used descriptive survey research design. The target population comprised of faculty staff, students and non-faculty staff working at the registrar, admission, finance and human resource departments respectively. The total sample was 581. The research instrument used was questionnaire. Work group was used to confirm the results. The result revealed a positive significant relationship between AMS variable and customer satisfaction as follows: finance system significant at 0.010. CUEA finance system was significant at 0.010.The study recommends that CUEA take corrective action of exploiting the Microsoft dynamic ERP system to its full potential by integrating the finace activities with the various aspects of the system. This will help stop finance staff from standing at the gate to take ID card from student who have not completed their fees, to end the problem of missing marks by eradicating duplicate course codes and integrating the AMS fully with the library systems and other departments. USIU on the other hand must ensure integration of the fiancé system with HRMS.
Keywords: Academic management system, customer satisfaction, private universities, Finance System
Relationship between Social Media Usage and Students Discipline in Private Day Secondary Schools in Rwanda
No full textICT educational policy has made innovation in education in Rwanda and improved cost-effective of the world class by using technology tools in education. This improved the quality of education due to diversification of teaching methodology, where education in Rwanda has been changing systematically to the provision of various services. Through implementation of ICT educational policy, the student has been having an opportunity of using social media platforms while sending photos, sharing videos, watching music and communicating with their friends. Therefore, the study came up to establish the relationship between social media usage and students discipline. The study employed descriptive research design with the sample size of 240 people. Social media usages were independent variables while students discipline was the dependent variable. The data was collected and analyzed by using correlation design in order to establish the relationship between social media usages and students discipline. The results given by respondents of the study were confirmed at the average rate of 82.3%, saying that the use of social media platforms to students affect their behavior in terms of dressing styles, attention span, truancy and classroom attendance and also they presented that there is a significance high degree of negative correlation between social media usage and students discipline as it was also proved by Karl Pearson coefficient of correlation (r) of -0.663 from respondents’ perceptions.
Keywords: Social media, student discipline, disruptive behavio
The Influence of Level of Training in LMS and Student Utilization of LMS in Public Universities in Tanzania
No full textThis study investigated the influence of students’ and lecturers’ level of training in LMS on utilization of Learning Management Systems (LMSs) in selected public universities in Tanzania. Evidence from literature shows that although public universities in Tanzania are facilitated with the necessary technological infrastructure to enable student utilization of LMSs in learning, the adoption and utilization of LMSs across Tanzanian university curricula remains a challenge. In order to investigate level of training in LMS as a possible factor for the low adoption and utilization of LMS, convergent parallel mixed methods research design was employed. Data were collected through questionnaires, interview guides and an observation checklist. The target population consisted of 65,950 students, 53 deans, 83 heads of departments, 1,810 lecturers and 247 ICT staff from the selected Universities. Proportional quota sampling technique was used to select 398 students, 328 lecturers, 10 Deans, 10 HODs and 10 ICT Staff members to take part in the study. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS. Qualitative data were thematically analyzed and reported as narrative stories and excerpts. The findings of the study revealed that level of training positively and significantly influenced Utilization of LMS (β=0.634, p=0.000). The study concluded that, there exists a positive and significant relationship between level of training and the utilization of LMS by students in public universities in Tanzania. Based on the findings and the conclusions the study recommended that the managements of the public universities in Tanzania should enhance the training programmes in LMS utilization for students and lecturers as one way of motivating the students and the staff to utilize the LMS in teaching and learning.
Key Words: Training, Learning Management Systems, Utilization, Public Universit
Effect of Prior Knowledge on Growth of Women-Owned MSEs in Kasarani Division of Nairobi County
No full textThe growth of women-owned enterprises is currently attracting much policy and literal attention. There is debate that prior knowledge is essential to the growth of micro and small enterprises (MSEs). However, empirical evidence of the role of prior knowledge on the growth of women-owned enterprises in Kenya is scarce. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of prior knowledge on the growth of women-owned enterprises in Kasarani Division in Nairobi County. A random sample of 400 women-owned and managed MSEs was surveyed using a structured questionnaire. Prior knowledge was measured using educational attainment, networks and experience of women entrepreneurs. Regression models were used to examine the effect of prior knowledge on enterprise growth. Prior Knowledge had a positive and statistically significant relationship with enterprise growth. Having parents in business and obtaining business advice were negatively associated with growth. Further, the age of the business and obtaining credit for business operations were positively associated with enterprise growth. These results cast doubt on the role of prior knowledge on enterprise growth. The results of this study suggest that prior knowledge in women-owned enterprises is a viable policy option. The need to enhance business heritage is recommended.
Key Words: Prior Knowledge, Growth, Women-owned SME
Examining the Effects of Employee Empowerment on Job Satisfaction: an Analysis of the Furama Bukit Bintang Hotel, Malaysia
No full textThe study on job satisfaction is essential in the organization. One important reason is that job satisfaction is closely related to the job performance of employees. People who are more satisfied with their job tend to perform better in their works. How they feel about the work they are doing and the results received from that work directly impact an organizations performance and, ultimately, its stability. Improved job performance intensifies organization performance as well. The study was conducted in the background of the Furama Bukit Bintang Hotel that is based in Kuala Lumpur. The researcher was interested in examining the Effects of Employee Empowerment on Job Satisfaction in Furama Bukit Bintang Hotel. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. The researcher used 187 employees for the analysis. Using quantitative analysis: the data were collected through close and open-ended questionnaires coupled with a Likert scale. Findings of the study revealed that all the variables, incentives, training, reward and management style has a significant influence on job satisfaction. The study concluded that incentives, training, reward and management style were positively significant related to employees job satisfaction.
Keywords: Incentives, Training, Reward and Management Style, Furama Bukit Bintang Hotel, Malaysia
Determinants of Microfinance Institutions' Financial Sustainability; Does Depth of Outreach Matters? Evidence from MFIs in Kenya
No full textThe financial sustainability of microfinance institutions is vital in ensuring financial inclusion of the poor population. Moreover, it has been argued that it is better not to have MFIs than having unsustainable ones indicating how important the sustainability of MFIs is. Therefore, the present study investigated the moderating role of the depth of outreach on the relationship between determinants and financial sustainability. The study adopted an explanatory research design where a panel approach was used and a positivist paradigm. The target population was all 52 registered microfinance institutions in Kenya for the period 2010-2018. The study adopted the census approach method. The data was collected from 30 MFIs for 9 years from mix market database using a data collection schedule. The study used both descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze data. Hypotheses were tested using hierarchical multiple regression and the choice between fixed or random effect models was determined by the Hausman test. The findings showed that depth of outreach had an antagonistic moderating effect on the relationship between financial leverage and financial sustainability (β = -0.12, ρ<0.05) and the relationship between portfolio quality and financial sustainability (β= -0.118, ρ<0.05). Therefore, the study encourages MFIs to engage in the prudent use of financial leverage so that they enhance their overall profitability and financial sustainability in the long-run. Besides, managers should develop loan appraisal and monitoring mechanisms to minimize the danger of default rates as well as improve the quality of their portfolio. Finally, managers of MFIs are advised to understand the intersection between financial leverage, portfolio quality and depth of outreach, if they are to realize financial sustainability.
Keywords: Financial Leverage, Portfolio Quality, Financial Sustainability, Microfinance Institutions, Depth of Outreac
Influence of Strategic Innovation on Performance of Telecommunication Firms: A case of Safaricom Company
No full textStrategic innovation is the implementation of new ideas, processes, products or services. Strategic innovation is a future-focused business development framework that identifies breakthrough growth opportunities, accelerates business decisions and creates near-term, measurable impact within the context of a longer-term vision for sustainable competitive advantage. Strategic innovation challenges an organization to look beyond its established business. Strategic innovation is an important factor for organization, sustainable competitive advantage and financial performance. As today's business environment becomes increasingly competitive, business organizations are becoming more aggressive and dynamic in identifying competitive strategies that will ensure profitable existence. Innovations provide firms a strategic orientation to overcome the problems they encounter while striving to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Innovation as a term is not only related to products and processes, but is also related to marketing and organization. Telecommunication companies in Kenya operate in a heavily regulated environment that requires certain degree of uniformity on their part in disclosing critical information. Continuous change, hyper competition, changing demographics and customer needs require these telecommunication companies to build adaptability competency for survival and fostering of organizational performance. It has been noted that performance of firms in the telecommunication industry in Kenya has been fluctuating particularly because of the volatility that characterizes the environmental factors in this industry. Safaricom Limited, which is the largest mobile telephony company in Kenya, has not been spared by the volatility in the telecommunication industry and the attendant challenge of predictability of performance. The study was guided by Resource Based Theory and Kaizen Costing System Theory. The paper used a desk study review methodology where relevant empirical literature was reviewed to identify main themes. The results indicated there was positive and significant relationship between product development and the performance. The study recommended that Safaricom (K) Limited should consistently analyze and measure their services operations in an effort to enhance operations efficiency and improved performance.
Key words: Product development, cost management, Performanc
Influence of Market Conditions and Performance of Coffee Smallholders' Micro and Small Agribusinesses in Murang'a County, Kenya
No full textResearchers remain uncertain regarding the overall contribution of marketing conditions on the growth and performance to propel the smallholder's agripreneurs from poverty despite their potential. It is for this reason that this study sought to examine the influence of market conditions on the performance of micro and small agribusiness of the coffee smallholders' entrepreneurs in Kenya. In its development plans, Kenya has sought to create and develop agribusiness, because of the vast context of agribusiness and its potential to develop enterprises. The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of market conditions on performance of micro and small agribusinesses of coffee smallholders in Murang'a County. The target population of this study was 146,105 comprising of the coffee smallholders within eight sub counties of Murang'a County. Sampling with probability proportionate to size was used to get a sample size of 384 respondents drawn from the eight Sub Counties of the County. The study adopted a descriptive survey design that used quantitative research approaches. For analysis, a regression model was generated to establish the relationship between market conditions and performance of micro and small agribusinesses. The regression analysis showed that market conditions had a positive and significant effect on performance of agribusiness owned by coffee smallholder agribusinesses in Kenya. The study concluded that market conditions played a huge role in contributing to expansion of the agribusiness sector in Kenya. The study recommends that county government should also encourage coffee smallholder agribusinesses in their county to form agricultural co-operatives or join existing co-operatives which will ensure that products from micro and small agribusiness reach markets that fetches good prices to increase the earnings and eliminate exploitative middlemen who benefits at the expenses of small farmers.
Keywords: Smallholder Agribusinesses, Market Condition