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Influence of Universal Health Systems on Organizational Performance in Devolved Health Care Functions: A Case of Kirinyaga
No full textThe decentralization of the health care is often done with a view of improving the organizational performance of the health care system in terms of improvement in population health outcomes. This study specifically looked into the influence of strategic resources management, strategic human resource management, infrastructure, and training on organizational performance of devolved health acre functions in Kirinyaga County. The target population of this study was three major hospitals in Kirinyaga County that is Kimbimbi, Kianyaga and Sagana sub county hospitals. The target population consisted of 102 respondents. A census approach was used which meant that all 102 respondents participated in the study. A structured questionnaire was used as the data collection instrument. The pilot study of this research was undertaken in Kirinyaga County with 10% of the sample size, that is, 10 respondents, who were eliminated from the final study. Validity of the instrument was checked using the opinions of five experts in strategic leadership and devolved health care functions of county governments, as well as the research supervisor. Internal consistency of the research instrument was measured using Cronbach's alpha coefficient with a reliability value of 0.7 and above making the research instrument reliable. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS. Descriptive and inferential statistics were then generated. The descriptive statistics included means, standard deviations and frequency distributions. The inferential statistics was examined using multiple linear regressions. The results were put in tables and their interpretations provided. The association between the independent variables as well as direction of association was determined using the correlation coefficient denoted as R. The value of R for this study was 0.566. The R-Square value in this case was 0.321 implying that 32.1% variability in the organizational performance of devolved health care functions in Kirinyaga County (dependent variable) is explained by the strategic resources management, service delivery, infrastructure, and training (independent variables). Thus the independent variables have minimal control over the dependent variable. The beta regression coefficients achieved included coefficient of 0.127 for strategic resources management, 0.426 for service delivery, 0.490 for infrastructure, and -0.126 for training.
Keywords: Strategic Resources Management, Service Delivery, Infrastructure & Trainin
Care Practices during Neonatal Period for Preterm Babies in Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya
No full textBackground: Preterm birth is a global problem with the greatest burden experienced in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In Kenya it is estimated that 12.3/100 live births are born preterm and prematurity is the leading cause of death in the first month of life, contributing to 35% of all neonatal mortality. In high income countries survival rate for preterm babies has increased due to offering care that is evidence based. However, in middle and low income countries the uptake of desired practices is low leading to poor outcomes. The aim of the study was to describe the care practices for preterm babies during the neonatal period in Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital (KTRH).
Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted in the newborn unit of KTRH between April and May 2015. Fifty three preterm babies’ parents and fifteen nurses were consented to participate in the study through census sampling method. Data was collected using a checklist. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results: Thirty three (62%) preterm babies were born in the facility and 20(38%) were referred from other facilities. Only 11(20.8%) mothers of the 53 babies received antenatal steroids. Majority 41(78.8%) of the babies were resuscitated; 40(96.7%) were suctioned and 34(82.9%) received oxygen. The babies were kept warm soon after birth using radiant warmer 49(92.5%), skin-to-skin 3(5.6%) and 1(1.9%) was covered with a blanket and a cap. All preterm babies were treated with antibiotics prophylactically on admission and those who had RDS were put on CPAP. Majority 33(62.3%) of the preterm babies were nursed under the radiant warmer, while 20(37.7%) were nursed in the incubator and in 24(45.3%) kangaroo mother care was offered. Preterm babies were fed through the nasogastric tube initially and gradually fed by cup as the weight increased to 1.7kg and finally breast fed as the weight approached 2.0kg. Twenty seven (50.9%) preterm babies were discharged based on weight gain 20(74.1%), ability to breast feed 27(100%), no morbidities 10(37.0%) and ability to control breathing 16(59.3%).
Recommendations: The facility is using evidence based practices though not adequately. This study recommends appropriate use of evidence based practice during care of preterm babies in order to have good preterm outcomes.
Key words: Care practices, Neonatal period, preter
Influence of Tender Award Process on Performance of Private Commercial Banks in Kenya
No full textProcurement function has been acclaimed as an effective and promising means of improving the performance of private enterprises as well as government departments. The debate in the private sector has been more complex than just increasing the effectiveness of tender award systems and narrowing the gap between ambitious strategies and annual planning. The private sector acknowledges that over the years there has been poor performance in the private sector, especially in the management of its meager resources which has hindered the realization of sustainable profitability. To improve the tender award process performance, the private sector has continued to undertake a number of reform measures. The study examined the influence of tender award process on performance of private commercial banks in Kenya. It employed a descriptive research design, targeting procurement, finance and ICT staff at all private commercial banks. A census was conducted where 117 staff in the procurement, finance and ICT department were issued with questionnaires. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaires. The data collected was analyzed by use of descriptive and inferential statistics. Multiple regression models was used to show the relationship between the dependent variable and the independent variables. Findings of the study indicated that organizational policy, procurement skills and competencies, ICT adoption and ethical practices have a positive relationship with performance of private commercial banks. Finally, the study recommended that institutions should embrace effective tender award process so as to improve performance and further researches should to be carried out in other institutions to find out if the same results can be obtained.
Keywords: Organizational Policy, Procurement Skills, ICT Adoption, Ethical Practices, Performance, Private Commercial Banks and Kenya
Factors Influencing Performance of Construction Procurement Contracts at Kenya Ports Authority, Mombasa County, Kenya
No full textConstruction procurement contracts have been a subject of passionate debate among taxpayers in Kenya. Many of them feel there is a lot of wastages and corruption in public construction projects. Reports published by the Auditor General reveal that, construction procurement contracts in most cases are discharged by breach as opposed to by performance. This study, therefore, sought to examine the factors that influence performance of construction procurement contracts in the public sector. The objectives of the study were; to assess the influence of procurement ethical practice, procurement contract administration, procurement contractor selection, and procurement planning on the performance of construction procurement contracts at KPA. Four theories have been applied in this study. These include, The Normative Ethics theory, the Stakeholder theory, the Transactional theory and the Planning theory. Each of these theories explains the relevance of the independent variables. The target population comprised four divisions of Kenya Ports Authority; namely the internal audit, legal, finance and infrastructure. The sampling technique used was stratified sampling. The sample size was 75 employees. Data collection instruments used was questionnaires. Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyze the data. The statistical tests that were employed include Pearson correlation, ANOVA and multiple linear regression. Out of the 75 questionnaires which were disseminated, 54 were filled and returned. This represented a response rate of 72% .The data analysis revealed that there was a correlation between the dependent and independent variables. The multiple regression output, presented an R square value of 0.813. The Analysis of Variance revealed a p value of less than 0.05 which confirmed that the statistical test was significant and therefore the null hypothesis was rejected in favour of the alternative hypothesis. The multiple regression analysis revealed that all the independent variables had a p value of less than 0.05. This study therefore concluded that, there was a positive linear relationship between construction procurement contracts and procurement ethical practices, procurement contract administration, procurement contractor selection and procurement planning. The study recommended Kenya Ports Authority to, practice procurement ethics throughout the procurement cycle, undertake procurement contract administration, employ procurement contractor selection before award and ensure procurement plans are prepared as prescribed by law before tender advertisement.
Keywords: Procurement Ethical Practices, Procurement Contract Administration, Procurement Contractor Selection, Construction Procurement Contracts, Kenya Ports Authority
Role of Financial Literacy, Financial Innovation, Financial Inclusion on SME Access to Credit in Kenya: A Case of Kumisa SACCO
No full textThere has been important obligation of monetary appreciation regarding the role of financial literacy, innovation and financial inclusion in refining financial access levels globally. Deficiency of financial access nevertheless is a key hindrance to the growth of these firms. Therefore, this research project aimed at looking at the factors that affects access of credit by SMEs in Kenya. The study were guided by the following objectives: determine the effect of financial literacy on the credit access by SMEs in Kenya to, establish the effect of financial inclusion on the credit access by SMEs in Kenya, establish the effect of financial innovation on the credit access by SMEs in Kenya and to determine the joint effect of financial literacy, financial innovation and financial inclusion on the credit access bySMEs in Kenya. Descriptive research design was used in the study. The population of interest in this study was members of 3000 members Kumisa Sacco in Kiambu Town of Kiambu County. The sample size for the study was 340 respondents. The method of data collection instruments involved the use of primary data and secondary data. Primary data was gathered by use of questionnaires. Secondary data was obtained from desk reviews. The study employed descriptive and inferential analysis. Regression analysis was used to establish the relative significance of each of the variables on the effect of financial literacy, financial innovation and financial inclusion on the SME access to credit in Kenya. From the analysis it was established that financial literacy, financial innovation and financial inclusion accounted for 79% of the changes in SMEs access to credit. The study recommended that there should be efforts in promoting financial literacy, financial innovation and financial inclusion in Kiambu County. This study covered only basic financial literacy, financial innovation and financial inclusion in order to come up with the results. There is need to study a single variable e.g. the effect of Financial Inclusion on SMEs access to credit in Kenya.
Keywords: Financial Literacy, Financial Inclusion, Financial Innovation, Credit Access, SMEs, Keny
Influence of Equity on Policy Implementation in Kenya
No full textThis study sought to influence of equity on policy implementation in Kenya. The thesis of this study was to confirm whether or not the gap between policy and practice is the governance gap. Prior studies on policy implementation problems have dwelt much more on top-down versus bottom-up approaches and paid little attention on the influence of governance on public policy implementation. A descriptive correlation research design was adopted and the target population comprised 20 ministries, 153 parastatals and government agencies. The study adopted a census technique with respect to the unit of analysis which is the public sector. Questionnaires were used as the main data collection instruments and were pretested using a pilot study for validity and reliability. Descriptive and inferential statistics data analysis results were used to reveal the influence of public participation on policy implementation in the public sector in Kenya. The results indicated that equity influences success public policy implementation in the public sector in Kenya. It was concluded that equity is a major determinants of public policy implementation in public institutions in Kenya.
Keywords: Equity, policy implementation, Kenya
Influence of Fringe Benefits on Employee Performance in Large Commercial Banks in Nairobi City County in Kenya
No full textFringe benefits have been recognized as a way that motivate employees to increase their work output above the expected, therefore increasing employee performance. Fringe benefits are types of non-wage compensation provided to employees in addition to their normal wages or salaries. Employers have become more aggressive about restructuring work in ways that push for higher productivity supported by an array of technologies and management practices. The study sought to determine the effect of fringe benefits on employee performance. Expectancy Theory on fringe benefits was used to inform the study. The study adopted a descriptive research design. Descriptive statistics was chosen since it utilized data collection and analysis techniques that yield reports concerning the measures of central tendency, variation, and correlation. The combination of its characteristic summary and correlation statistics, along with its focus on specific types of research questions, methods, and outcomes necessitated the choice of this design. The study adopted a positivism philosophy. The target population was 22,856 employees working in the six selected Commercial Banks in Nairobi City County composed of both clericals and Management staff. Krejcie and Morgan sample size determination table was used to derive a sample of 377 respondents. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaires that had both close ended and open-ended questionnaires. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS. The study conducted various tests including normality test, multicollinearity, stationarity, heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation tests. Factor analysis was carried out among corresponding questions to allow formation of factors with the highest Eigen values. Test of hypothesis was done at 95% confidence interval. The study established a positive and significant relationship between fringe benefits and employee performance (r=0.522, p=0.000), the alternate hypotheses was not rejected. Based on the findings, the study concluded that fringe benefits has a positive and significant effect on employee performance. The researcher recommends that management Commercial Banks should enhance fringe benefits to attract, retain and motivate qualified, competent employees. Employers who provide more attractive benefits package have an advantage over other employers in hiring and retaining qualified employees.
Keywords; Fringe Benefits, Employee Performance, Commercial Banks & Nairobi City County, Kenya
Cost Leadership Strategy and Sustainability of Microfinance Institutions in Murang'a County, Kenya
No full textMicrofinance institutions play an important role in poverty alleviation because they serve to enable the financial inclusion of the poor people. It is through such institutions that these people can access financial services like credit, savings, money transfer and insurance. The microfinance industry has witnessed intense competition in the recent decades as the industry becomes mature. Attention has now shifted to their sustainability which is important to ensure that the poor would still be able to access these services in the future. To grow and survive, MFIs need to formulate and implement appropriate cost leadership strategy that will assist them in achieving a competitive advantage. This study sought to examine the effect of cost leadership strategy on sustainability of MFIs in Murang'a County, Kenya. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data, using the drop-and-pick method which gave respondents ample time to fill the questionnaire. Data analysis was done using both descriptive analysis and inferential analysis with the help of SPSS. The study revealed that the cost leadership strategy had a positive and moderate effect on sustainability of MFIs. For MFIs to achieve sustainability, the study recommends that the MFI managers need to continue adopting cost leadership strategy. The study also suggests that future studies should be conducted in other counties for comparative purposes.
Key words: Cost leadership strategy, Sustainability, Microfinance institution
Influence of Marketing Strategies on Performance of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Companies in Nairobi County, Kenya
No full textThe purpose of this study was to examine the influence of marketing strategies on the performance of fast-moving consumer goods companies in Nairobi County. The study was guided by the following objectives: to determine; the influence of product specialization strategies, price leadership strategy, distribution channels strategy and promotion mix strategies. The study was grounded on Resource Based View, The Balanced Scorecard Theory and Industrial Organization (IO) Theory. The study utilized a descriptive survey research design. The population for the study constituted 6,324 employees in fast-moving consumer goods companies in Nairobi County. The sample size used was 184 respondents. The sample was selected from 46 fast-moving consumer goods companies in Nairobi County. The study used questionnaires to obtain quantitative and qualitative data for analysis which was further validated by analysis of the pilot study. A multiple regression model was used to test the significance of the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The study found that product specialization strategy, price leadership strategy, distribution channel strategy and promotion mix strategy had a positive and significant effect on organizational performance.
Keywords: Marketing Strategies, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Companies, product specialization strategies, price leadership strategy, distribution channels strategy, promotion mix strategies
 
Influence of Community Participation in Monitoring, Evaluation and Capacity Building on Completion of CDF Projects in Matapato South Ward, Kajiado Central Constituency, Kenya
No full textCommunity monitoring and evaluation need to be an exercise that should significantly involve the community. Participatory community monitoring and evaluation are extremely important for learning about the achievement/deviation from original plans and problems faced by local development interventions under implementation so that remedial measures can be taken in time. Community participation contributes to building beneficiary capacity: either through ensuring that participants are actively involved in project planning and implementation or through formal or informal training and consciousness-raising activities. The study was guided by the following objectives; to establish the influence of community participation in monitoring and evaluation; and to investigate the influence of community capacity building on the completion of CDF projects in Matapato South Ward in Kajiado Central Constituency. The study used a survey research design. The target population for the study was 19 head teachers, 19 Board of Management members, representing the number of public primary schools, five chiefs and two CDF officials. Since the target population was small census method was used to sample the respondents. Data was collected with the use of questionnaires and interview guides. Data obtained was then subjected to SPSS for analysis to provide both descriptive and inferential analysis. Further, the results showed that Capacity Building is positively and significantly related to project completion (r=0.129, p=0.004). The study concluded that community participation in project identification, community participation in project design and implementation, community participation in monitoring and evaluation and community capacity building positively and significantly influences the completion of CDF projects in Kenya. The study recommends that before the project is started, community members should be sensitized about the importance of participating in CDF projects to encourage diverse opinions on project completion successes. They should also be made aware that CDF project activities have the potential if done well to transform the lives of the community. The study further recommends that the CDF Board through their representative on the ground should enhance the motivation of the community members to willingly volunteer and actively participate in CDF projects. The Board can do this by initiating competition and prize awards on best-managed CDF projects.
Keywords: Community Participation, Monitoring and evaluation, Capacity building, Community Development Fund (CDF), Matapato South Ward in Kajiado Central Constituency.