KABU Repository (Kabarak University)
Not a member yet
1292 research outputs found
Sort by
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FEMALE TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF SELECTED FACTORS AND THEIR ASPIRATION FOR LEADERSHIP POSITIONS IN PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN KERICHO COUNTY, KENYA
No full textFULL TEXTAlthough more women today are joining the teaching profession, a gender gap in leadership in favour of men persists in primary schools in Kenya. Notably, women hold less than 20% of all leadership positions in primary schools in Kericho County. This study investigated the relationship between the perceptions of selected factors and aspirations of female teachers for primary school leadership positions in Kericho County. This research is founded on the Theory of planned behaviour and the Model of Administrative Career Mobility, from which a conceptual framework was formulated. A mixed method design was utilized. A survey questionnaire and an interview schedule were used to collect data. The study population consisted of all 461 public primary schools in Kericho County. The study employed stratified and simple random sampling techniques to sample 327 female teacher respondents from the target population. Female senior teachers and deputy head teachers were purposively sampled from the sample of schools. This study employed the concurrent triangulation strategy to analyse and interpret data. Descriptive techniques, One-Way Analysis of Variance, the Pearson Product Moment correlation and regression analysis were used to analyse the quantitative data. The qualitative data obtained from the interviews were transcribed, organized into categories, sub categories and themes, and presented in prose form. The study established that the perceptions of sociocultural factors were not significantly correlated with leadership aspiration with a coefficient of -0.095 at p-value of 0.05. There was a weak negative significant relationship between the perception of institutional factors and leadership aspiration with a coefficient of -0.123 at a p-value of 0.05, accounting for 1.5% of the variability in leadership aspiration. There was a significant positive relationship between selfefficacy of the female teacher and their leadership aspiration with a coefficient of 0.373 at p-value of 0.05, accounting for 14% of the variability in leadership aspiration. Overall, about 16% of the variability in female teachers’ leadership aspirations was explained by the studied variables. The qualitative findings confirmed the influences of the factors explored in the study. The study concluded that selfefficacy and perceptions of institutional factors influence the female teachers’ leadership aspiration. The study recommended that school policies based on equal opportunity principles should be developed to create a leadership team in primary schools. It also recommends the development of programs for enhancing the access of female teachers to leadership positions in primary schools in light of their high aspiration for leadership. The study also contributes to the body of literature on women in educational leadership in Kenya
PRAGMATIC STRATEGIES OF APOLOGIES BY ENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGE STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KABIANGA, KENYA
No full textFULL TEXTPragmatic features of language vary across different circumstances, languages and cultures. This variability may result to incompetence in language users‟ choice and production of pragmatic strategies leading to pragmatic failure or communication breakdown. This study aimed at examining apology strategies by English as Second Language (ESL) students of the University of Kabianga. Successful communication is possible when ESL learners have pragmatic competence that enables them to use language forms suitable to different situations and contexts. The objectives of the study were to determine the preferred categories of apologies by the selected ESL speakers, to investigate how they respond apologetically in different situations, to find out whether the choice and production of apology strategies are influenced by social factors of social status and gender, and the contextual variable of severity of offence, and finally the appropriateness of the strategies used. The study used Brown and Levinson‟s face and politeness theory and a combination of apology schema based on Holmes (1990) and Demeter (2006). The target population was 602 respondents. Purposive sampling was used to obtain respondents who were undergraduate ESL students working towards a Bachelor of Education degree (English/Literature); both male and female; aged 19-25, from first year to the fourth year of study (8-4-4). The sample size was 242. The student sample was 240; 2 of them were purposively sampled as raters of apology strategies. In addition, 2 lecturer raters were purposively sampled from a population of 4. The language users were homogeneous in aspects such as educational background among others hence it can be assumed that they were a representation of the entire population. Three methods were used for data collection: interview questions, observation and a Discourse Completion Task (DCT) in form of a questionnaire. The DCT contained eighteen situations which were modified from those of Demeter (2006) and Thijittang (2010). They were prepared, typed and given to students who were asked to respond to them apologetically. The instruments were piloted for reliability. Two types of analysis were used on the data collected; quantitative and qualitative analysis. The researcher upheld ethical considerations in form of authorization and permission from National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI), Kabarak University, Ministry of Education, Kericho County Commissioner, University of Kabianga and the undergraduate ESL students of the University of Kabianga to carry out this research. The findings of this study reveal that ESL students use varied apologetic strategies, the highest of these being the use of multiple strategy. They were however found to lack pragmatic competence in the realization of apologies. The selected variables; social status, gender and severity of offence influenced the realization of apologies in varied degrees. The findings from the raters suggest that use of multiple apologies and intensifiers for a majority of scenarios were the most appropriate. As a recommendation, instruction in Pragmatics in English language teaching needs to be introduced in Kenyan classrooms with a view of enhancing learners‟ pragmatic competence. Suggested areas of further research include research of how other variables other than the ones used in this study on apology studies, use of non academic language users, among others. This study is anticipated to enrich literature in pragmatics and in particular socio-pragmatics. Moreover, the findings will benefit an academic researcher who may be interested in pragmatic studies among Kenyan English language users
INFLUENCE OF ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF COMMERCIAL MAIZE FARMING VENTURES IN NAKURU COUNTY, KENYA
No full textFULL TEXTThe large scale maize farming is often faces diverse risks that undermine the financial viability of the farming venture. These risks include variability in prices occasioned by changes in market factors, risks of pests, climate change, theft, low yield and poor seed quality. These risks work to undermine the financial performance of the large scale maize farming. This study sought to examine the manner in which enterprise risk management practices impacts on the financial performance of commercial maize farming ventures in Nakuru County. Specifically, it examined the influence of enterprise risk identification practices, enterprise risk assessment practices, enterprise risk mitigation practice, and enterprise risk monitoring strategies aspects on the financial performance of commercial maize farming ventures in Nakuru County The theoretical review involved the Contingency Theory and Rational Choice Theory. This study utilized a descriptive research design. The population in this study was comprised of the farm accountants of the commercial maize farming ventures in Nakuru. This study adopted the census approach in which all the 95 members of the population were picked for participation in the study. The study made use of a questionnaire as the data collection instrument. The pilot study for this research was conducted in ten commercial maize farming ventures in Kitale to avoid contamination of data. The results of the pilot study showed that questions were clear and there were no formatting errors thus the questionnaire was adopted for the final study. The validity of the study was examined using the opinion of experts in enterprise risk management, as well as the opinion of the research supervisor. All the items scored an Item Level Content Validity Index (I-CVI) above 0.6 and Scale Level Content Validity Index (S-CVI) of more than 0.6 thus were considered valid at both item and scale level. The reliability of the questionnaire was tested during the pilot study and since all variables had a Cronbach alpha coefficient of above 0.7it was deemed reliable. Descriptive statistics including percentages, frequency distributions, means, and standard deviations were used. On the other hand, inferential statistics including simple and multiple linear regressions were used to draw conclusions and make predictions. The multiple linear regression model indicated that for every one point increase in enterprise risk identification practices and enterprise risk monitoring strategies the financial performance of commercial maize farming ventures will decrease by 0.161 and 0.188 respectively, when other factors are held constant. For every one point increase in the enterprise risk assessment practices, the financial performance of commercial maize farming ventures will increase by 0.247 when other factors are held constant, and for every point increase in enterprise risk mitigation practices, the financial performance of commercial maize farming ventures will increase by 0.931when other factors are held constant. Thus, thestudy concluded that enterprise risk identification practices and enterprise risk monitoring strategies individually have a negative influence on the financial performance of commercial maize farming ventures. Additionally, the study concluded that the enterprise risk assessment practices and enterprise risk mitigation practicesindividually have a positive influence on the financial performance of commercial maize farming ventures. The study recommends that commercial maize farming ventures should have regular updates of risk registers, use ICT in carrying out risk assessments and evaluate the effectiveness of risk plans in order to realize better financial performance. The study suggests that future studies be carried out in other counties in Kenya to determine the influence of enterprise risk management practices on financial performance of commercial maize farming ventures. Researchers should also investigate the influence of enterprise risk management practices on financial performance of commercial farming ventures that produce other crops different from maize
A STUDY TO DETERMINE THE PERCEIVED IMPACT OF DISCLOSURE OF PEDIATRIC HIV POSITIVE STATUS IN KIBAGARE VILLAGE ON DECEMBER 2012
Get PDFThe aim of this research is to determine the perceived impact on pediatric HIV status
disclosure.hiv is one of the most feared diseases in Africa. It can be contracted through exchange
of blood or body transmission. The most common mode of transmission is through unprotected
sexual intercourse. In children, they mostly acquire from the mother during pregnancy or
delivery.
In this project it aims at determining the perceived impacts, both positive and negative upon
disclosing the child’s HIV status either to the child or community at large. These impacts
include: isolation, discrimination, excommunication and some are also killed. On the positive
side disclosure results to adherence to ARV therapy, the child will be able to manage
complications associated with HIV and the child can join social groups which are helpful to
them.
In this paper therefore, will evaluate and determine who should disclose this information to the
child, at what age should the disclosure be made, and what are the perceived impacts upon
disclosing this information either to the child or to the community at large
FI NANCI ALFACTORSI NFLUENCI NGPRI CI NGOFRESI DENTI ALHOUSESI NNAKURU EASTSUBCOUNTY, KENYA
No full textFULL TEXTTher ealest at emar ketpl ay sav er yi mpor t antr ol ei nanyeconomy .I ti sknownt ohav ea dr amat i cmul t i pl i eref f ectandi ti sakeyeconomi ci ndi cat or .Ther ealest at emar kethas exper i encedsi gni f i cantgr owt hi nt hel astdecadewi t hmanycount r i esexper i enci nghouse pr i cef l uct uat i ons.TheKeny anr ealest at emar kethasbeenexper i enci ngaboom i nt he pastt eny ear sandt hel at estf i ndi ngshav eshownt hatt het r endwi l lcont i nuei nt ot he f or eseeabl ef ut ur e.Thest udyt her ef or esoughtt o i nv est i gat et hef i nanci alf act or s i nf l uenci ng pr i ci ng ofr esi dent i alhousesi n Nakur u eastsub Count y ,Keny a.Mor e speci f i cal l yt hest udywasexami ni ngt hei nf l uenceofcostofl and,i nt er estr at esand mor t gager i skonpr i ci ngofr esi dent i alhouses.Theor i est hatwer eusedi nt hest udy i ncl udedHedoni cModelofPr i ci ng,Cl assi cTheor yofI nt er estRat e,t heTi t l eTheor y , Si mul at i onTheor yandSt r uct ur al -For mTheor y .Thest udyempl oy edexpl anat or yr esear ch desi gn.Thet ar getpopul at i onoft hest udywas60manager soft he60r ealest at e compani esandagent si nNakur u.Ther esear cheradopt edacensuswher eal lt he manager s i n t he r ealest at e agenci es and compani es wer e t aken as t he st udy ’ s r espondent s.Dat acol l ect i onwasdonet hr oughuseofquest i onnai r esconst r uct edonf i v e poi ntl i ker tscal e.Thecol l ect eddat awasanal y zedusi ngst at i st i calpackagef orsoci al sci ences( SPSS) .Thequest i onnai r ewast est edf orv al i di t yandr el i abi l i t ywher eCr onbach’ s coef f i ci entAl phawascomput edf ort hei nst r ument .Dat awasanal y zedusi ngdescr i pt i v e st at i st i cswhi chi ncl udedf r equency ,per cent ages,meanandst andar ddev i at i onand i nf er ent i al st at i st i cswhi chi ncl udedr egr essi onandcor r el at i onanal y si sandwaspr esent ed i nt abl esandf i gur es.ANOVAwasusedt ot estt hei nf l uenceoft hei ndependentv ar i abl es ont hedependentv ar i abl eandt hest udyhy pot hesi satp<. 05l ev elofsi gni f i cance.The st udyexami nedt hatmor t gager i skhadaposi t i v esi gni f i cantr el at i onshi pwi t hpr i ci ngof r esi dent i alhousesi nNakur uEastSubCount y .Ont heot herhandcostofl andandi nt er est r at esdi dnothav easi gni f i cantr el at i onshi pwi t hpr i ci ngofr esi dent i alhousesi nNakur u EastSubCount y .Regr essi onanal y si sshowedt hatmor t gager at es,costofl and,and i nt er estr at essi gni f i cant l yi nf l uencedpr i ci ngofr esi dent i alhousesi nNakur uEastSubCount y .Thest udyconcl udedt hatcostofl andhadnosi gni f i cantr el at i onshi pwi t hpr i ci ng ofr esi dent i alhousenei t herdi di ti nf l uencet hepr i ci ngofr esi dent i alhousesi nt hear ea. Addi t i onal l y ,i twasconcl udedt hati nt er estr at esonl oansal sodoesnoti nf l uencet he pr i ci ngofhousesi nt hear ea.Thest udyr ecommendedt hatgov er nmentshoul dbr i ng downt her ent alpr i cesbycomi ngupwi t hpol i cymeasur est oensur et hatt hecostofl and i sbr oughtdownt oencour agemor epeopl et obuyl and.Fur t her ,t hebanksshoul dt ake adv ant ageoft hei ncr easi ngdemandf orhomeowner shi pbybr i ngi ngdownt hei nt er est r at esonl oanst husat t r act i ngmor epeopl et ot akeupl oanst huscr eat i ngmor epr of i t sf or t heban
EFFECT OF WORKING CAPITAL MANAGEMENT ON CORPORATE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE: A SURVEY OF AUTOMOBILE AND ACCESSORIES COMPANIES LISTED AT NAIROBI SECURITIES EXCHANGE, KENYA
No full textFULL TEXTWorking capital management entails the relationship between a firm's current assets and its current liabilities and it plays an integral role in financial decision making. It involves the management of the most liquid resources of the firm which includes cash and cash equivalents, Inventories and trade and other receivables. Majority of firms do not maintain the correct mix of working capital and this has been a major hinder to their overall profitability. The main goal of working capital management is to ensure that a firm maintains a healthy liquidity position. Previous studies have been conducted on the effects of working capital management on financial performance both locally and globally providing conflicting results. The study aimed to iron out these differences by analyzing the effects of working capital management on corporate financial performance and confined itself within automobile firms listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. The study purposed to form a basis for policy creation and implementation in the area of working capital management, identify priority cash management techniques to be employed in working capital management in addition to providing a platform for further research on related field of working capital management. The study was anchored on cash conversion cycle theory, working capital management theory and Keynesian theory of money and supported by existing related literature in relation between working capital management and financial performance. The study adopted a quantitative research design, targeting the all listed automobile firms trading on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. Data was obtained from in-depth analysis of consolidated financial reports of years 2007-2016. Thereafter data was analyzed using panel data methodology. Random effects models and correlation analysis with the help of stata statistical analysis software were used to determine the relationships between working capital management and the corporate financial performance of these firms. The findings and results were presented on tables and charts. The study concluded that, inventory conversion period had a positive correlation with return on assets while average receivables period, cash conversion cycle and average payables period had negative correlation though none of the variables under study was statistically significant. The study also reported 6.8 % variation in returns on assets to be caused by working capital management and the study suggested that other components affecting financial performance be carried on the same companies. The study further recommends that finance managers should review specific policies regarding each component of working capital management as they have combined effects on financial performance. Also relevant institutions should consistent monitoring of competencies of financial manager
EFFECT OF INFORMAL FINANCIAL SECTOR SERVICES ON THE PERFORMANCE OF WOMEN OWNED ENTERPRISES IN NAKURU TOWN, KENYA
No full textFULL TEXTThe informal financial sector provides savings and credit facilities for lower income households and small scale enterprises in urban areas. The informal financial sector mobilizes rural savings and small savings from low income urban households. Despite their success in providing monetary services to small businesses that would otherwise lack them, women entrepreneurs still record under performance due to lacking in adequate training, savings and accessibility of loan facilities that would otherwise assist in the improvement of their enterprise performance. Therefore, the study seeks to assess the effect of informal financial sector services on performance of women owned enterprises in Nakuru Town. To achieve this specific objectives were investigated being; cost of loans, savings culture and training facilities offered to women entrepreneurs and how these services affected the performance of women owned enterprises in Nakuru Town. The study rendered usefulness various groups investors, government and the women. The respondents took a long time to fill questionnaires to counter this follow up was done. In theoretical review in Chapter Two, two theories were discussed the Underpinning theory and Grameen Bank theory. An objective exploratory cross sectional survey research design was used. The target population was 28,160 women enterprises. Proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used at a sample of 384 women enterprises. Questionnaires were used to collect data. The findings revealed that there exist a positive and statistically significant relationship between informal financial sector cost of loan and performance of women owned enterprises (r=0. 507**; p<0.01); that there exist a positive and statistically significant relationship between informal financial sector savings and performance of women owned enterprises (r=0.369**; p<0.01) and furthermore, there exist a positive and statistically significant relationship between training and performance of women owned enterprises (r=0. 706**; p<0.01). The finding concluded that informal financial sector cost of loans, informal financial sector savings and informal financial sector training had a positive correlation with performance of women enterprises. In addition, cost of loan causes 0.405 positive coefficient variation in performance of women enterprises. Similarly, savings causes 0.177 positive coefficient variations in performance of women enterprises and finally training causes up to 0.461 positive coefficient variation in performance of women enterprises. The study recommends that cost of loan should be made favorable in terms of flexibility and favorable in their repayment period, interest rates charged of disbursement period of loans. Individual women entrepreneurs should be trained on demand deposits to raise the bulk of loan they may access. Informal financial sector should fast track training women entrepreneurs in book keeping, marketing skills and planning skills
INFLUENCE OF ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF COMMERCIAL MAIZE FARMING VENTURES IN NAKURU COUNTY, KENYA
No full textFULL TEXTThe large scale maize farming is often faces diverse risks that undermine the financial viability of the farming venture. These risks include variability in prices occasioned by changes in market factors, risks of pests, climate change, theft, low yield and poor seed quality. These risks work to undermine the financial performance of the large scale maize farming. This study sought to examine the manner in which enterprise risk management practices impacts on the financial performance of commercial maize farming ventures in Nakuru County. Specifically, it examined the influence of enterprise risk identification practices, enterprise risk assessment practices, enterprise risk mitigation practice, and enterprise risk monitoring strategies aspects on the financial performance of commercial maize farming ventures in Nakuru County The theoretical review involved the Contingency Theory and Rational Choice Theory. This study utilized a descriptive research design. The population in this study was comprised of the farm accountants of the commercial maize farming ventures in Nakuru. This study adopted the census approach in which all the 95 members of the population were picked for participation in the study. The study made use of a questionnaire as the data collection instrument. The pilot study for this research was conducted in ten commercial maize farming ventures in Kitale to avoid contamination of data. The results of the pilot study showed that questions were clear and there were no formatting errors thus the questionnaire was adopted for the final study. The validity of the study was examined using the opinion of experts in enterprise risk management, as well as the opinion of the research supervisor. All the items scored an Item Level Content Validity Index (I-CVI) above 0.6 and Scale Level Content Validity Index (S-CVI) of more than 0.6 thus were considered valid at both item and scale level. The reliability of the questionnaire was tested during the pilot study and since all variables had a Cronbach alpha coefficient of above 0.7it was deemed reliable. Descriptive statistics including percentages, frequency distributions, means, and standard deviations were used. On the other hand, inferential statistics including simple and multiple linear regressions were used to draw conclusions and make predictions. The multiple linear regression model indicated that for every one point increase in enterprise risk identification practices and enterprise risk monitoring strategies the financial performance of commercial maize farming ventures will decrease by 0.161 and 0.188 respectively, when other factors are held constant. For every one point increase in the enterprise risk assessment practices, the financial performance of commercial maize farming ventures will increase by 0.247 when other factors are held constant, and for every point increase in enterprise risk mitigation practices, the financial performance of commercial maize farming ventures will increase by 0.931when other factors are held constant. Thus, thestudy concluded that enterprise risk identification practices and enterprise risk monitoring strategies individually have a negative influence on the financial performance of commercial maize farming ventures. Additionally, the study concluded that the enterprise risk assessment practices and enterprise risk mitigation practicesindividually have a positive influence on the financial performance of commercial maize farming ventures. The study recommends that commercial maize farming ventures should have regular updates of risk registers, use ICT in carrying out risk assessments and evaluate the effectiveness of risk plans in order to realize better financial performance. The study suggests that future studies be carried out in other counties in Kenya to determine the influence of enterprise risk management practices on financial performance of commercial maize farming ventures. Researchers should also investigate the influence of enterprise risk management practices on financial performance of commercial farming ventures that produce other crops different from maize
REVIEW OF MOBILE SOCIAL SOFTWARE USABILITY
Get PDFAdvances in mobile technology have enabled
developed that can be used by people
overlook the fact that users will want to
move ( Arning et al .,2010).
Small screen sizes, limited connectivity,
limited input modalities are just some of
small, portable devices(Apitz et al.,200
THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE ON INNOVATION AND RESEARCH IN KABARAK UNIVERSITY.
No full textThe progression and success of any institution is dependent on its adeptness to adapt to the diverse changes from global perspective. To cope with the changing expectations of the institutions, a culture that embraces innovation through research is required.
The urge for institutions to embrace creativity, innovation and inventions has been necessitated by economic dynamics, to which contributing novel ideas enhances empowerment through leadership which in recent times has been central or strongly related to some of the world's most serious modern economic challenges. Economic growth alone does not lead to sustainable development since good leadership and governance must accompany. Institution management is the focal point in leadership and governance: This notion holds true while focusing on quality of research as a major factor which contributes significantly to institutional success