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Work Environmental Factors Affecting Employee Job Satisfaction in Public Institutions in the Energy Sector in Kenya: A Case of Rural Electrification Authority, Nairobi
No full textWork environmental factors affect the employee's comfort and the ease to perform at the work places. This can no longer be ignored in order to achieve employee's full potential and to address any factors that may endanger their lives. However, despite Rural Electrification Authority having been in place for more than thirty years, only about 4% of the rural population in Kenya had electricity supply in their homes. The low level of connectivity raises more questions on the nature of workers who were under the program. With the consideration of the situation, the study established the work environmental factors affecting employee job satisfaction in public institutions in the energy sector in Kenya. The study targeted employees of Rural Electrification Authority in Nairobi who were 174 in total. Descriptive research design was used and a sample of 174 employees was selected for the study with the respondents drawn using stratified and simple random sampling. Findings indicated that there was a positive and significant relationship between training, diversity and inclusion, safety and security and employee job satisfaction in public institutions in the energy sector in Kenya. However, physical work environment was positively but not significantly related to employee job satisfaction in public institutions in the energy sector in Kenya. The study concluded that training improves employee commitment in development and thus better performance. Gender balance, diverse professionals and with human resource practices that supports the creation of a work force with diverse skills and experience and diverse age groups are likely to impact job satisfaction. Employees' value work conditions as essential ingredients to their satisfaction; requiring regular surveys to determine and improve on variables that are critical to improving job satisfaction. Job insecurity acts as a clear source of job dissatisfaction. The study recommended that organization should pay special attention to training, diversity and inclusion, safety and security and physical work environment for job satisfaction to be enhanced.
Keywords: Training, Diversity and inclusion, Physical work environment, Safety and security, and employee job satisfaction
Influence of Employees Training on Faith Based Organizations Performance: A Case of Catholic Diocese of Embu
No full textEmployees are very essential for the growth of any organization. The different roles that they play toward an organization success cannot be underestimated. Therefore, equipping employees through effective training becomes essential for maximization of their job performance and consequently improve organizations output. This study investigated the influence of employees training on Faith Based Organizations performance: A case of Catholic Diocese of Embu. The following objectives guided this study; Determining how employees skills influence the performance of Faith Based Organizations, to investigate how behaviors after employees training affect performance of an organization, to establish how technologically- oriented knowledge has affected faith based organizations performance and to investigate diverse employees dynamic capabilities and their influence on performance of Faith Based organizations. The researcher used descriptive research design. The population target for this study was the employees of Catholic Diocese of Embu secretariat and Pastoral departments totaling 84 employees. Census survey was used to get the target study population. Data collection tools were questionnaires and structured interview guide. The collected data was analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Inferential analysis involved testing how the dependent and independent variables are related. The interview guide was analyzed qualitatively and presented in a narrative form. The information from the guide was integrated within the quantitative data. From the analysis the following key findings were obtained; the key soft skill that the employees have at the organization is the communication skills. Due to the positive interpersonal skills, they have been able to overcome various obstacles that may affect their productivity within the institution. Through the good communication skills there is a good understanding and this affects their performance positively. Training influenced attitude and behaviour of the respondents to a greater extent. The technology-oriented knowledge level among majority of the respondents was on an intermediate level. Technologically-oriented knowledge has made work easier especially in this era where technology is being integrated in service provision. The dynamic capabilities among the employees influenced the performance of the department to a greater extent. There is need for intensive training programs to be provided in the organization either on-job training or out of job. The training provided should be designed in a manner that they address the specific and unique skills required by the employees to meet their day to day tasks. Financial allocations should also be put in place to support the training programs. Inadequacy of finances limits the extent to which the training programs are planned and conducted within the organization.
Key Words: Skills, Employees Behaviour, Technological-knowledge, Dynamic capabilities, Performance
Traditional Rituals and Cattle Rustling Influence on Tourism Development in Baringo County, Kenya
No full textBaringo has a rich variety of cultures and is an ideal definition of social and cultural diversity. With increasing supply of cultural attractions in Baringo there is stiff competition among attractions at the local, regional and international level. The study sought to investigate the influence of traditional rituals and cattle rustling on tourism development in Baringo County. Exploratory research design utilizing mixed method that is both qualitative and quantitative methods. The target unit of analysis was the 7 resort managers, 3 county government officials, 399 Community members and 395 tourists. The sample size to was 804 respondents. Data was collected by administration of questionnaires and interview guide. Data were analyzed mainly by use of content analysis and SPSS. The statistics generated were descriptive statistics and inferential statistics which are the Pearson correlation and regression. The findings established that traditional rituals and tourism development were positively and significantly related (r=0.129, p=0.001). However, cattle rustling had a negative effect on tourism development in Baringo County (r= -0.024), p=0.497). The regression analysis indicated that traditional rituals and cattle rustling had a negative influence on tourism development. The other factors that attracted tourists to Baringo County included Lake Bogoria National Reserve, Lake Baringo, rugged terrains and beautiful valleys. Tourism development is influenced by cultural practices which if well developed, it could lead to fast tourism development in Baringo County. Based on the results of the findings and the conclusions drawn from the study,the study recommended that traditional rituals whose permission is granted should be developed for tourism attraction e.g. rain making process and traditional cleansing ceremonies. Cattle rustling should be fully eradicated to avoid tourism migration.
Keywords: Traditional Rituals, Cattle Rustling, Tourist Development and Baringo County, Kenya
Factors Predisposing to Drug and Substance Abuse among the Youth in Gachie, Kiambu County, Kenya
No full textDrugs and substance abuse is the use of substances in a maladaptive manner leading to significant health status impairment, distress or a failure to meet personal's responsibilities. It manifests in the form of recurrent and repeated use of substances resulting into adverse health and psycho-social consequences especially among the youth. However factors that predispose to this condition have not been determined. The study determined factors that predispose to drugs and substance abuse among the youths in Gachie, Kiambu County, Kenya. Descriptive cross-sectional research design was carried out in the month of March 2017. The study population included residents of Gachie, aged between 19-35 years and willing to participate in the study. Desired sample size respondents was determined to be 73 using Fischer formula. Simple random sampling procedure was used to select the respondents. Structured questionnaires were used for data collection and data will be analyzed by SPSS 22 statistical package. Results were presented in form of percentages, tables and graphs. Results indicated that peer pressure, drugs availability and unemployment contributed to drug and substance abuse by the youth in Gachie Kiambu County. The drugs that were mostly abused were alcohol (62.5%), bhang (23.6%) and tobacco (11.1%). Peer pressure thrived at 87.5% among the youth who abused drugs with 50% of those convinced to consume drugs succumbing to the pressure. Youth acknowledged their engagement on drug and substance abuse to unemployment.
Keywords: Peer pressure, Unemployment, Predisposing factors, Drug and substance abuse and Yout
The Perceptions of Women of Reproductive Age towards the Uptake of Focused Antenatal Care Services in Nakuru County
No full textThe desire to correct the poor implementation of traditional antenatal care (ANC) in developing countries resulted to the adoption of antenatal care model termed as Focused Antenatal Care (FANC). The goal of FANC is to ensure a good outcome for both the baby and mother and prevent complication during pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum period. It is characterized by four (4) main focused visits. Studies have shown that Kenya has long suffered from high maternal morbidity and mortality one of the strategies to reduce the high Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) is effective implementation of FANC. The aim of this study was to identify uptake of FANC services among women of reproductive age with emphasis on their perceptions. The health belief model was adopted in the study to guide the researcher in understanding the respondents’ behavior in seeking FANC services. A cross sectional study was carried out. Data collection involved use of a pre-tested questionnaire for quantitative data and Focused Group Discussion (FGD) guide for qualitative data. The sample size was 337 participants who had delivered within two years. Data analyses was done using SPSS version 21, chi square test was used to compare association between variables and content analysis for qualitative data. It was established that achieving or not achieving FANC is significantly associated (p<0.05) with high, moderate or low levels of perceived susceptibility (p =0.015), perceived severity (p =0.03) and perceived barriers (p <0.001).The study recommends that the ministry of health and other health sector should strengthen sensitization, information sharing and follow-up on FANC in a move to improve the uptake of FANC in Nakuru County.
Keywords: Perceptions of women of reproductive age, Uptake of Focused Antenatal Care (FANC) services, Nakuru County
Effects of Strategic Planning on Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises: The Case of SMEs in Nairobi
No full textThe main objective of this study was to assess the effects of strategic planning on performance of small and medium enterprises in Nairobi CBD. The research addressed three specific objectives, namely, to establish the effect of strategy selection on performance of small and medium enterprises in Nairobi CBD, to determine how strategy implementation affects performance of small and medium enterprises in Nairobi CBD and to assess the extent to which strategic evaluation affects performance of small and medium enterprises in Nairobi CBD. The study adopted a descriptive research design in establishing the relationship between strategic planning and performance of small and medium enterprises. The population was the management/owner of small and medium enterprises in Nairobi Town. According to Nairobi City County Records (2016), there are approximately 600 SMEs in the CBD. Data for the study was collected from a sample of top management of small and medium sized enterprises in Nairobi town. The researcher adopted stratified random sampling, the reason being that it is suitable for large populations. Data was collected through questionnaires. Specific closed ended questions were incorporated in the questionnaires which aimed at capturing specific information. The questions followed the Likert scale format for each objective where respondents were asked to rate the responses indicated in tabular form on a scale of five (5). The study concluded that SME managers are required to ensure that they prepare a strategic plan that sets out annual objectives, establishes an effective organizational structure, fixes a budget, develops a viable information system and generally devices a work plan for job execution. The study recommended that having prepared the strategic plans alone does not guarantee success. The SME managers should thus go a step further and ensure that the strategic plans are followed to the letter. SME owners should set achievable goals and subdivide them into short-term, medium-term and long-term goals. There is need for the owners and management teams of SMEs to categorize the factors that affect strategic planning in their businesses. SME managers should also work towards mitigating the effects of any factor seen to be acting as barriers to strategic planning.
Keywords: Strategic Planning Strategy Selection, Strategy Implementation, Strategic Evaluation, Small and Medium Enterprises & Performance
Influence of Procurement Best Practices in Optimizing Procurement Performance among Parastatals in Kenya
No full textThe main objective of the study was to examine the influence of procurement best practices in optimizing procurement performance among parastatals in Kenya. To gather data, structured questionnaire will be used to collect data from a sample of 127 respondents, who were selected using simple random sampling, from the four strata. The response rate of the study was 82%. The findings of the study indicated that reverse logistics management, business process outsourcing, strategic partnerships and organizational benchmarking have a positive relationship with procurement performance among parastatals in Kenya. Finally, the study recommended that public institutions should embrace procurement best practices so as to improve performance and further researches should to be carried out in other public institutions to find out if the same results can be obtained
Keywords: Reverse logistics management, business process outsourcing, strategic partnerships, organizational benchmarkin
Financial Factors Influencing Client Retention in Microfinance Institutions in Kenya: A Case of Kenya Women Microfinance Bank - Nyeri County
No full textCustomer retention is an effective tool that banks can use to support their survival in the industry. Retaining customers is a primary factor in firms that practice any form of relationship marketing. The motive of this study was to assess the financial factors that influence customer retention, using a case study of the Kenya Women Microfinance Bank. The study used a case study design approach and targeted 340 inactive clients, the operations manager and the branch manager. From this target population, the study used sample size of 186 respondents. The study revealed that financial products offered, the interest rates, banking charges and the banking environment have an important influence on customer retention. Moreover, the values were less than the acceptable significance level, hence the null hypothesis was rejected. It was concluded that the financial products on offer, that include but not limited to loans, bank accounts, ATM services and fund transfers do influence how the customers perceive the bank. Bank charges on ATM, mobile banking, and bank statement provision and general service charges influence the perception of clients in banks thus affect whether to maintain their accounts in the banks. The study recommended that banks need to maintain good quality relationships with their clients, maintain favorable interest rates, charge favorable fees on services and maintain a good banking environment as these factors directly influence client retention.
Key words: Financial products, Interest rates, Bank charges, Bank environment and Client retentio
Financial Risks Analysis and Performance of Commercial Banks in Kenya
No full textCommercial banks in Kenya often record inconsistent financial performance with some ending up under statutory receivership due to inability to meet their commitments to the stakeholders. Central Bank of Kenya usually put sound risk management guidelines to be followed by all the commercial banks yet losses are experienced in the banking sector. This study sought to investigate the effects of financial risks on performance of Commercial banks in Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to determine the effect of Liquidity risk, credit risks, interest rate risks and foreign exchange risks on return of assets of commercial banks in the country. The study was anchored within, enterprise risk management theory and adopted explanatory research design. Financial performance of commercial banks was assessed in terms of return on assets where secondary data of the 42 commercial banks was collected for six years from 2010 to 2015. The source data collected was annual reports and financial statements of the commercial banks and Central Bank of Kenya and was analyzed by use of statistical panel data model. The study found out that liquidity risk and return on assets are positively and significantly related (r=0.039, p=0.000). Credit risk and return on assets were negatively and significantly related (r=-0.014, p=0.041); interest rate and return on assets were positively and significantly related (r=0.002, p=0.000) while foreign exchange risk and return on assets were negatively and significantly related (r=-0.003, p=0.000). Based on the findings, the study recommended that commercial banks to have a sound process for measuring, identifying, controlling and liquidity risk. Commercial banks should have a banking relationship with any entity or individual. It is essential that banking corporations have a comprehensive risk management process in place and that is subject to appropriate Board and Senior Management oversight. Commercial banks should also determine the risk appetite of its key stakeholders such as Directors.
Keywords: Liquidity risk, credit risks, interest rate risks, foreign exchange risks, return on assets of commercial bank
Influence of Learning as an Outcome of Transformational Leadership on Performance of Staff of Kenyan Microfinance Institutions
No full textMicrofinance is a key sector in economic growth. This is mainly because it targets the unbanked and marginalized people especially in the rural areas and thus has direct impact on poverty eradication. As a concept, microfinance has been accepted across the globe as a forum within which poverty can be eradicated and financial inclusion extended. However various challenges define microfinance today and present a leadership challenge that needs to be tackled for the sector to improve and deliver its mandate. The study examined the influence of leaning as an outcome of transformational leadership on performance of staff of Kenyan microfinance institutions. This research is key to Kenyan government as it supports to come up with a clear framework for regulation of microfinance sector and offer leadership in the entire financial sector. The study targeted institutions that were engaged in retail microfinance and that are members of Kenyan Firm of Microfinance Institutions (AMFI). Primary data was collected from the respondents whereas secondary data was obtained from AMFI on performance of institutions. Analysis of unit was staff in microfinance institutions that were categorized in to three: the senior management with whom an in-depth interview was conducted, middle level manager and the other staff who participated in daily activities of microfinance who were involved in a self-administered questionnaire. Performance was assessed through the load that microfinance officers carry in terms of the outstanding loan balance, the number of customers that individuals in the organization have as well as the portfolio quality and turnover rates within the organizations. Stratified sampling technique was used to obtain sample and sample size determined using the Cochran’s formula to be 385 which was large enough to allow generalization. Descriptive approach used the pragmatic approach. A pilot study was carried out in Embu County to test data reliability of the data gathering tools. Data analysis was done using SPSS. A multiple linear regression model that reflects relationship amongst factors was generated to reflect the extent that variables influence performance. The findings indicate that learning has positive correlation with staff performance in microfinance institution. The regression results revealed that learning has a positive and significant relationship with staff performance in microfinance institution. The study rejected the null hypothesis and concluded that learning influenced their performance in micro-finance institutions in Kenya. The study concluded that learning as an outcome of transformational leadership had a positive and significant relationship to staff performance in micro-finance institutions in Kenya. The study recommends that learning in micro-finance institutions should be associated with very high self-evaluation that is characterized by high self-realize, efficacy and high control locus and stability in emotions in order to foster commitment within the institution.
Keywords: Learning, Transformational Leadership, Staff Performance, Microfinance Institutions in Kenya