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Do employees work life policies and empowerment strategies drive employee commitment? evidence from Kenyan referral hospital, synergy effect
Get PDFEmployees with strong organizational commitment are emotionally attached to the organization and have a strong desire to contribute significantly towards organizational success. The importance of individual commitment to the bottom line of the organization is highly essential for improved performance, higher employee loyalty, increased satisfaction and customer satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to answer the question does employee work life policies and empowerment strategies drive employee commitment? The study employed a case study research design that was conducted at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. The target population was three thousand two hundred (3200) respondents targeted because it was the right respondents in the organisation. A sample size of 340 employees was extracted from the target population using stratified sampling for the departments and simple random sampling for the individual respondents. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (Software).The cronbach’s alpha reliability obtained was 0.623. Multiple regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Based on the observed correlation results, work life policies was the strongest predictor of employee commitment (β = 0.300, t=5.670, p< 0.01), followed by employee empowerment (β = 0.154, t=2.820, p<0.01), the findings indicated that there was a significant positive correlation between employee work life policies ,strategy and affective commitment (r=0.317, p<0.01); normative commitment (r=0.329, p<0.01); and continuance commitment
(r=0.328, p<0.01) the study also established that there was a significant positive correlation between employee empowerment and affective commitment (r=0.186, p<0.01); normative commitment (r=0.194, p<0.01); and continuance commitment (r=0.188, p<0.01). The study recommends that MTRH lays down proper structures for enhancing employee commitment since as seen from the study employee work life and empowerment drives employee commitment
Influence of Legal Requirements on Environmental Concern and sustainability Practices in Small and Medium-size Manufacturing Enterprises in Nairobi, Kenya.
Get PDFUntil recently it has been too easy to overlook Small and Medium-size Enterprises in the analysis of
environmental impact of particularly the manufacturing sector (ibid 2003). SMEs continue to grow, so do their environmental impacts. SMEs are faced by such challenges as difficulty in raising capital, limited managerial skills, regulatory constraints, limited extension services and difficulty in getting access to technology The study found out that SMEs where copies of environment related laws existed and staffs were aware of the laws, respondents indicated involvement in environmental management practices. It is thus concluded that legal provisions influenced adoption of good environmental management practices by Small and Medium-size Manufacturing enterprises.
Key words: Legal Requirements. Environmental Concern. Sustainability Practice
Genetic Diversity in Cultivated Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)
Get PDFGenetic diversity of traditional sesame landraces and related wild species in East Africa remains largely unexplored. Knowing
what fraction of the available genetic diversity is actually used by the farmers is of central importance for understanding how cultiva-
tion shapes the genetic structure of a crop and for the management of biodiversity preservation. Genetic diversity in cultivated
sesame and related wild species in East Africa was determined using inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR). Six reliable ISSR primers
generated 51 amplification fragments of which 36 (70.6%) were polymorphic. The number of amplified fragments ranged from 7 to
12 with a mean of 8.5 fragments per primer. The overall gene diversity and Shannon’s index were 0.28 and 0.34, respectively.
Jaccard’s similarity coefficient ranged from 0.26 to 0.96, with an average of 0.67. Forty-six accessions of sesame were divided into
six clusters, although the clustering did not indicate any clear division among sesame accessions based on their origin. Each wild
species was more distant from cultivated sesame than from other wild species, indicating that no cross-pollination with wild species
occurred during sesame domestication. These results showed a relatively high genetic diversity in sesame and related wild species.
Indian-1 and Indian-2 accessions showed a good amount of genetic divergence. The genetic diversity data uncovered in this study
can be exploited to improve traditional landraces of sesame in East Africa
Development of maize single cross hybrids for tolerance to low phosphorus
Get PDFLow available phosphorus (P) is one of the major hindrances to maize (Zea mays L.) productivity in acid
soils. The objectives of this study were to: (1) develop P-efficient maize inbred lines, (2) develop single
cross hybrids from the P-efficient inbred lines, and (3) determine their response to P application in the
P-deficient acid soils of western Kenya. Ninety-eight inbred lines and 49 single crosses were developed
and screened at P-deficient (2.0 to 2.2 mg P/kg soil) soils of Sega and Bumala. Mean grain yield (GY) for
the hybrids was 75.3% higher with P-fertilizer than without P for the same hybrids. Thirty-three percent
(33%) of these hybrids were inefficient but responsive to P application, 27% were efficient and none
responsive, only 13% were efficient and responsive, while the rest were inefficient and non-responsive.
GY was positively correlated (r = 0.57**) with plant height (PH) and ear height (EH) (r = 0.60**) and PH
was correlated with EH (r = 0.86***). This study has developed and identified P-efficient maize
germplasm that can be utilized directly or in developing other hybrids for use in acid soils of western
Kenya and in other acid soils where P is limiting
Cell membrane integrity, callose accumulation, and root growth in aluminum-stressed sorghum seedlings
Get PDFAluminum stress usually reduces plant root growth due to the accumulation of Al in specific zones of the root apex. The
objectives of this study were to determine the localization of Al in the root apex of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moech. and its
effects on membrane integrity, callose accumulation, and root growth in selected cultivars. Seedlings were grown in a
nutrient solution containing 0, 27, or 39 μM Al3+ for 24, 48, and 120 h. The Al stress significantly reduced root growth,
especially after 48 and 120 h of exposure. A higher Al accumulation, determined by fluorescence microscopy after
staining with a Morin dye, occurred in the root extension zone of the sensitive cultivar than in the tolerant cultivar. The
membrane damage and callose accumulation were also higher in the sensitive than resistant cultivar. It was concluded
that the Al stress significantly reduced root growth through the accumulation of Al in the root extension zone, callose
accumulation, and impairment of plasma membrane integrity
Health and safety as an antecedent to service delivery in public institutions: a case of County Government of Trans-Nzoia Kenya
Get PDFOccupational safety and health training remains a fundamental element in the workplace. Citizen’s complaints of
poor service delivery in government offices has been underscored and highlighted in the media on several
occasions in Kenya. The density of these complaints has raised a lot of concern till the Kenyan government has
moved to counties as a form of devolution for example the 2002 Constitutional Referendum which in part called
for an overhaul of the civil service structure through various civil service Reform Programmes and major
reshuffles. This paper therefore highlights the effects of health and safety on service delivery within Civil
Servants in public offices in Trans-Zoia Kenya due to the inguaration of the new constitution in 2010: The study
therefore adopted an explanatory research design giving a case of Trans-Zoia county public office. Stratified
random sampling techniques were used to select 350 employees of Trans-Zoia county public offices. Data was
collected through the use of questionnaires which were analyzed using both descriptive and regression analysis.
Descriptive findings revealed that there was a low level of safety and health on service delivery for the
employees of Trans-Zoia County. Further analysis indicated that safety and health had significant effect on
Service delivery, thus the need for this study to address health and safety issues.
Keywords: Safety and Health and Service Delive
Intellectual Capital as an Antecedent to Employee Performance in Commercial Banks in Eldoret Town, Kenya
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to establish intellectual capital as an antecedent to employee performance among
commercial banks in Eldoret town. The specific objectives of the study include: human capital, relational capital,
knowledge capital and structural capital on employee performance. The study targeted a total of 315 staff from
the commercial banks in Eldoret town, Kenya. The study used simple random sampling in which sample size
calculation was utilized to calculate a sample size of 210 respondents. The research instrument used was a 5
point likert scale questionnaire and in data collection, questionnaires were used as instruments. To determine the
reliability of the instruments the cronbach’s coefficient alpha was used to test the reliability. The study used
descriptive and inferential analysis techniques to analyze data and a computer package Statistical Package for
Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0 was used. The study presented the findings in form of tables, multiple
regression analysis and correlation. The findings showed that human capital had significantly positive effect on
employee performance (β1 = 0.317, p< 0.05). The study also indicated that knowledge capital had significant
effect on employee performance (β2 = 0.331, p<0.05). Similarly, rational intellectual capital (β3 = 0.111, p<0.05)
and structural intellectual capital (β4 = 0.194, p<0.05) had significantly positive effect on employee performance.
Therefore, employees should be encouraged to share ideas and learn from each other since this will enhance
performance. Management support should be enhanced and resources should be allocated to knowledge
management. Also, firms should disseminate and distribute knowledge through the firm levels and have systems
which allow easy access to information and procedures that support innovation which lead to improvement in
employee performance.
Key Words:
Intellectual Capital, Employee Performance, Human Capital, Knowledge Capital, Rational
Capital and Structural Capita
Effect of wheat bran supplementation with fresh and composted agricultural wastes on the growth of Kenyan native wood ear mushrooms [Auricularia auricula (L. ex Hook.) Underw.]
Get PDFNutrient supplements and agricultural wastes used for mushroom cultivation are important in improving
establishment and production of mushrooms. Agricultural wastes such as sawdust, grass, sugarcane
bagasse, wheat straw and maize cobs have successfully been used for the production of Kenyan wood
ear mushrooms [Auricularia auricula (L. ex Hook.) Underw.]. However, the effect of varying
concentrations of wheat bran supplements on their productivity has not been fully researched. In this
study, fresh and composted agricultural wastes were supplemented with wheat bran at concentrations
of 0, 5, 10 and 20%. The cultivation experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design (CRD)
and replicated three times. Data was collected on days to spawn run, days to primordial initiation,
primordial concentration quality and biological efficiency. The data collected was subjected to analysis
of variance using SAS version 9.1. Mean separation was done using least significant difference (LSD)
and effects were declared significant at 5% level.
Key words: Wood ear mushrooms, fresh and composted agricultural wastes, wheat bran, Kenya