MST-Department of Management Science

Permanent URI for this collection

https://repository.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/5064

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 451

Kenyan banking discourse: Structure, Strategies and their effects on Banking interaction
(Kenyatta University, 1996-09) Walya, Esther . W; Muthwii, Margaret J.
This study explores the structure of Kenyan banking discourse. In addition, it outlines those discourse strategies that the interactants apply in their conversations and the effects that they have on banking interaction. The background of the problem raises some of the basic concepts in discourse analysis which offer some insights in interpreting the entire study. The observations in the study are made within the framework of the Speech Act Theory with specific reference to Edmondson's (1981) model. The study achieves its objectives through the use of spontaneous conversational data between bankers and customers. These were supplemented by research notes made by the researcher during data collection. The findings of this study reveal that the structure of Kenyan banking discourse and the strategies that the interactants use are greatly influenced by both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. Further, the code used by the interactants has major significance on the entire discourse. However, the linguistic items used in this discourse remain primary since they affect the manner in which the discourse is understood and interpreted. The work concludes that it is difficult to separate linguistic behaviour from the interactants' social "behaviour
Factors Influencing Implementation of Natural Resource Management Projects in Kenya. A Case of Mount Kenya East Pilot Project in Eastern Province
(Kenyatta University, 2011) Githinji, Joseph Nduati
The success of projects depends to a great extent on the efficient and effective management of the physical resources of man, material and machinery and how the project is organized. Project implementation is a highly complex process and it involves relationships amongst several systems and variables. All project implementers desire to succeed in project implementation; attributes of successfully implemented project if well captured become important information to aid future project undertaking. The aim of this study was to identify factors that influenced the implementation of Natural Resource Projects in Eastern Province of Kenya and to examine how the factors influenced the project implementation. The study focused on Mt Kenya East Pilot Project for Natural Resource Management (MKEPP), because of the uniqueness of the project in relation to the project performance, project size, integration, location, funding and the anticipated project outputs of poverty alleviation and improving household incomes to the beneficiaries. The findings of the study are useful to project implementers, donors and financiers in guiding project implementation process and to academia as source of literature to be reviewed by future researchers. The study was conducted through review of literature, collection of secondary data from the Project Management Unit and participating Government departments and collection of primary data, through administering questionnaires to a representative random samples of 5 project Coordinators, 47 District facilitating team members, 26 Chairmen of Focal development area Committees and 30 beneficiaries stakeholders. This was followed by data processing through the stages of data cleaning, data coding, data entry in a computer and data analysis by aid of the computer software of Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The findings of the study indicated that, managerial skills, project planning, organization, communication, financial management and budgeting and stakeholder involvement were important factors in project implementation. It further revealed that all these factors did influence project implementation at varied levels. Recommendations were made based on objective analysis of the data. Among the recommendations made was that in project implementation, there is need for training of project implementers in project management skills and to involve the stakeholders in the entire project life cycle.
Factors Influencing Performance of Rural Development Community-Based Projects in Murang' a South District, Murang' a County
(2012-05) Ngiri, Esther Gakii
Projects often possess a specialized set of critical success factors in which if addressed and attention given will improve the likelihood of their success. On the other hand if these factors are not taken seriously they might lead to the failure of the project management. Project management occupies a significant place in the national development and reconstruction. It helps in raising the standards of living as well as accelerating the pace of modernization. It carries a wide spectrum right from the feasibility report to its implementation and evaluation. Once the technical, administrative and financial viability of a given project is established resources are identified and effective infrastructure is made available for the successful execution of the project. Rural development community-based is one of such projects. They can be self-sponsored, NGO sponsored or government sponsored but their ultimate goal is to improve the standards of living of the community where the community is expected to give full participation from initiation to completion and receive benefits. Though the government objective is to improve the lives of the community by decentralizing its resources (funds) some project have not performed as expected. There is still the gap of development that is evident by the stalled projects, prolonged projects and yet to be initiated projects. The purpose of the study was to investigate factors influencing performance of rural development community- based projects in Murang'a south District in Murang'a County. The District was selected because it's under rural grouping and its proximity to Nairobi province. To achieve the objectives of the study a descriptive research was undertaken targeting government sponsored community based projects in Murang'a south District. Stratified sampling of district development officer (DDO) and projects committee members was done. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, which was administered using drop and pick later method. Data was analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) and descriptive statistics such as percentages and frequencies. Results were presented using pie charts, tables and graphs. The results indicate that project performance significantly related with monitoring an evaluation, with stakeholders' participation, with planning and with resources adequacy. The implication of these results is that in order to improve the performance of the projects and achieve the set goals and objectives, the identified factors needs to be considered and incorporated in the day to day running of projects. There should be a review of government policies so that the identified factors could be integrated for effective project management. This is envisaged to lead to an improvement of quality of life for the community and thus improve on their standards of living.
Challenges facing e-government projects in Kenya
(2012-06-20) Mungai, Alfred Ngugi; Sang, Paul; James Owuor
Electronic government (E-government) is the utilization of Information Communication Technologies (lCTs) to transform the efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability of exchanges within government, between government and citizens and businesses locally and abroad; and to empower citizens through access and use of information. The broad objective of the study was to identify the challenges facing the E- government project in Kenya. In addition, the study sought to achieve the following specific objectives: to establish the effect of government's information sharing policies on implementation of E-government project; to determine the effect of levels of technical knowledge and skills amongst staff on implementation of E-government project; to determine the ICT infrastructure-related factors that hinder successful implementation of E-government project; and, to establish the extent or readiness of staff to change occasioned by computerization of government services. The study adapted a descriptive research design which involved a field survey in the selected government ministries. The ministries included the Ministry of Vice-President and the Ministry of Home affairs; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of. Finance; Ministry of State for Public Service; Ministry of Planning & Vision 2030; Office of the Attorney General; Ministry of State for Immigration & Registration of Persons; Ministry of Lands; Office of the Deputy Prime Minister & Ministry of Local Government; and Ministry of Information & Communication (Head office). Primary data was collected from the staff in the head offices of these ministries using questionnaires. The data from the study was analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). Descriptive statistics such as percentages and frequencies were used to analyze the data. The findings were presented using tables and charts. First, the findings established that information sharing policy-related barriers to advancement of the E-government project include: legalistic obstruction to the flow of information; unauthorized access by a section of the employees; prohibited access by members of the general public; fear of breach of confidentiality; and lack of innovativeness in secure information-sharing within the Government agencies. These policy guidelines were identified as drawbacks to implementation of the E-government project in Kenya. Secondly, the findings showed that the main skills-related challenge to implementation of E-government is the shortage of highly trained ICT professionals and not the approaches used to training, perceived benefits, or extent of government's commitment. Thirdly, The findings showed that high cost of investment in ICTs; high cost of support services by ICT software and equipment vendors; and lack of government's commitment towards development of an ICT policy to guide the Ministries in developing their ICT infrastructure; lengthy procurement procedures; low prioritization of ICT development in the Ministries; and lack of innovativeness in ICT development in the Ministries are the main ICT infrastructure-related factors hindering success of E-government project in the sampled Government ministries. Finally, the findings indicated that selection of staff to participate in change management programmes was selectively done since it is only a portion of employees that were prepared for change before roll-out of E-government. This affected the success of E- government project in several ways. For instance, some employees felt that it was done unfairly hence they developed an attitude of resistance to change. The study recommended improvements in four thematic areas. First, the government should look into ways of reducing the cost of K'Ts equipment through measures such as duty waiver or outsourcing equipment and leT services form private proprietors. Secondly, the government should look into ways of enhancing the skills of staff in regard to usage of a multiplicity of new ICTs. Thirdly, all the staff should be taken through change management programmes to enable them accept the roll-out of e-government in their respective ministries. Finally, the existing policies on information access should be streamlined as necessitated by the sensitivity of the information but should not be used in all situations or circumstances. The Government should make the policies more supportive and also enhance the stakeholders' participation.
Analysis of the challenges facing internet banking in Kenya ( a case of commercial bank of Africa Ltd)
(2012-06-21) Gaitungu, David N.; Sang, Paul; James M.Muturi
This project surveyed the Internet banking as a relatively new product that has been developed by commercial banks in Kenya. Businesses are being revolutionalized every day as a result of the influences of the Internet. In the world of banking, the development in information technology has enormous effect on development of more flexible payments method, more user friendly banking services resulting to a more efficient banking system. Despite the fact that internet banking make the transaction faster and more convenient, several commercial banks in Kenya are yet to adopt this new banking product. The banks that have adopted the product have been faced with various obstacles necessitating a need for a research project to ascertain the reasons for this phenomenal and determine how they can overcome them to facilitate a breakthrough. The research design was descriptive based on a case study of Commercial Bank of Africa Ltd. In order to gain a better understanding on these issues, the data was collected from the bank customers and from bank employees using questioners. Data analysis was done in accordance with the research questions. The study was representative because the sample was picked from 27.8% of the Internet banking customers as at the end of 31 st December 2008.The total number of bank customers and the employees as at December 31 st 2008 was 3,222. The study shows that Internet banking is fraught with teething problems ranging from security concerns by the users, lack of adequate legal framework, poor marketing strategies and issues regarding the connectivity of CBA internet banking site. The study concludes that banks need to promote Internet banking by offering more incentives to customers, enhance the security systems to ensure adequate security for their customers in an ever changing world of technology and ensure adequate training of the employees.
An analysis of the application of the queing theory in reduction of transportation costs: a case of selected sugar factories
(2012-06-21) M'Mbolo, Patrick
The Government has committed itself to major structural reforms, which include inter-alia economic liberalization, commercialization and privatization of public enterprises. This has a broad scope of injecting efficiency in the economy. With improved efficiency, cost of cane transport is bound to be competitive and ultimately the price of the end product sugar shall be competitive. (KSA, 2000) Mumias Sugar Company has already been privatized: all the other sugar companies are gradually being privatized as the government reduces its shareholdings in these companies. With adoption of economic liberalization, farm inputs, cane transport cost, cane and the market forces of demand and supply now freely determines sugar prices. Controls on cane transport cost have been abolished. Cane transport costs account for approximately 30% of the total cost of cane production. With the fore-mentioned liberalization and privatization of sugar sub-sector it is important that the cost of production is minimized. It is against this background that the study looked at the application of Queuing theory in reducing transportation costs in sugar factories. The study started by looking at the existing queuing model and finding the ideal number of units required to transport cane in the two selected sugar factories. The cane transportation aspects were looked at i.e. Amount of cane received, amount of cane milled per hour, waiting times at service points, distance traveled by the transporters, cane spillages, transport costs for the transporters. The study sample involved the transporters contracted to Mumias sugar company and cane transporters of West Kenya sugar company. The research data was collected through interviews, questionnaires and observations. The study finding were as follows: - v Waiting time between 10 minutes to 40 minutes caused the cane transporter yield high costs v The higher the milling rates, the lower the waiting time v Most transporters were found operating over capacity v Most small scale transporters had the lowest costs could hardly compete the transporters with a high number of fleets due to lack of basic facilities like winches
Factors affecting completion on housing projects: survey of prisons housing projects in Nairobi county
(2012-06-22) Omwenga, Mosembe Archmond
This study was to assess factors that affect completion of housing projects based on key project factors. The indicators of project success are cost, time, technical performance and customer satisfaction as used in previous studies and are essential to all types of projects. Meanwhile, project managers frequently ignore such general rules, because they are convinced that their particular projects pose entirely unique kinds of problems. This study, based on responses to an extensive questionnaire, explores factors that can affect completion of prisons' housing projects in Nairobi County. This research study adopted a descriptive research design that describes the existing conditions and attitudes through observation and interpretation techniques. The target population for this study was seven (7) prisons having one hundred and seventy five (175) ongoing housing projects. The respondents were officials from the Prisons in Nairobi County and Officers from MoPW & H. The data will be both qualitative and quantitative. Semis structured questionnaire will be used to collect data in order to investigate factors that can affect completion of prisons' housing projects. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and results on average percentage and variability will be presented through tables and graphs. It also included simple statistical methods of data analysis like frequencies, mean, mode, median; distributions, rankings and standard deviation. Qualitative analysis involved content analysis of data to find patterns, and understand the respondents' perceptions, opinions, and views of the study. The study concludes that the staffs were not directly involved in making decisions on what type of houses were to be built. Funds disbursed were not sufficient. Challenges faced in the process of financing the project was poor planning and long procurement procedures. Monitoring and evaluation involves all stakeholders. Monitoring and evaluation is well done by outsiders. Project finance and other monetary benefits can be used to improve project completion by timely release of funds. The study concludes that the prison used Government of Kenya Act. The study recommends the staffs to be directly involved in making decisions on what type of houses were to be built. Monitoring and evaluation should be an ongoing process that ensures targets are met. Management affected the utilization of funds allocated for housing projects. The study recommends that the Government of Procurement Act of Kenya should be reviewed to shorten the procedures.
An analysis of agribusiness support projects contribution on coffee production in Machakos county-Kenya
(2012-06-22) Mutua, Martin Ambrose; Gitonga, E.
The increasing demand for coffee all over the world has surpassed the supply. This has led to a focused attention by key stakeholders in coffee production. These players have recently introduced Agribusiness support based projects aimed at increasing the production of coffee. These projects provide support services on farm advisory services, certification programs, credit facilities and market information. The focus for the programs has been in Africa with a particular attention given to Kenya. Despite this, coffee production in Kenya is steadily declining as farmers are changing their attention from coffee production to other economic activities. The fact that there is a retrogressive production of coffee in the presence of these Agribusiness support based projects raises concern as to whether this projects achieve improved coffee production. This therefore necessitates the need to analyze Agribusiness support based projects on Kenya's coffee production. The study sought to answer the question of the extent to which advisory services by Agribusiness projects facilitate sustainable coffee production, the degree to which certification programs motivate farmers in coffee production, the extent to which credit facilities enhance profitable coffee production and the degree to which provision of market information facilitates better market prices for coffee farmers. The study was of benefit to farmers and all stakeholders in the value chain of coffee as it will provide a critical insight on how farm advisory services can be enhanced through adopted demand driven training and clustering of farmers to increase the scope covered by the projects. On certification projects, the study explored the need for participatory approach and offering premiums on certified coffee geared towards farmer's motivation. Hence, the need to enhance the effectiveness of credit facilitation on long term basis and better ways of accessing market information for farmers. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The target population was coffee farmers in Machakos County. Convenient and census sampling techniques were used to select 2 districts with 100 respondents out of 320 coffee growers drawn from the management committees from various cooperatives. A questionnaire was used as the instrument of data collection. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and presented inform of charts and frequency tables. Findings showed that capacity building at both farm and factory levels were key areas of focus amplified by provision of credit facilities to procure farm inputs on time. Participatory approach during certification process needs to be adopted in development of the guidelines to meet both the expectations of supply and demand. Common knowledge among farmers revealed farm input application induced more berries of higher density thus better yields, free of diseases or physical damage that impairs the quality aspect of the coffee. Though provision of market information by the Agribusiness support project is vital, it does not significantly facilitate better price discovery as agents are involved in closing the sales on behalf of farmers.
Factors influencing effective implementation of projects in public secondary schools in Nyamira District
(2012-07-05) Missiani, David Otundo; Sang, Paul; Kimutai, G.
According to the report on international conference on investment, many less industrialized countries depend excessively on imported project ideas. They do not develop an enduring technological base that can support the growth of their economies. This decisions lead to project failure despite gigantic investments in terms of money, for instance, in Kenya education related projects like: laboratories, The Kenya school equipment scheme, classroom construction, electricity installation, information communication technology, dinning halls, water supply Grants to African government schools, Church development educational funds, Government bursaries to vulnerable and needy students in schools and universities, Free secondary education, Food and nutrition scheme to students, Secondary school bursaries, Free university education among other projects have either been executed amid difficulties or worse never preceded beyond paperwork stage. Their disappearance from stage shortly before or after implementation speaks volumes of project imprudence that though widely talked of, have not been documented. Thus the purpose of study was to investigate the factors influencing implementation of projects in public secondary schools in Nyamira District. It was guided by the following specific objectives: how does management skills influence effective implementation of projects in public secondary schools , to establish the influence criteria used to allocate and utilize resources on effective implementation of projects in public secondary schools, establish to what extent management skills influence effective implementation of projects in public secondary schools ,determine to what extent stakeholders support influence the effective implementation of projects in public secondary schools in ,the target population was public schools and their management teams in the district. The study was conducted in a third of all the 46 public secondary that is 16 school with a target respondents of 5 from each school . The data was obtained from the respondents by use of questionnaires, and interviews. This study adopted a descriptive design using bar graph, pie charts and frequency tables in the analysis. The research design enabled the researcher to generalize the outcome to all projects carried out in public secondary schools in Nyamira district. For the purpose of this study, the survey will inform policy makers and researchers on steps to take. Result of the study showed that all the four factors influence the implementation of projects in schools Since the findings of the study have shown that management skills influences effective project implementation, then management should be trained on the financial management skills, also there should be regular auditing of the project funds. Even though selection of project has low influence towards project implementation in comparison to other factors, the study indicates that a project has to be completed before starting another project and with proper priority in project selection. If all these recommendations are implemented appropriately with other supporting tools like Annual Work Plan and Strategic Plan as well as setting of performance standards benchmarked against the best national standards, the effective project implementation will improve thereby contributing to the achievement of vision 2030.
Factors affecting the performance of non-governmental organizations' projects in Kenya: a case of Marsabit District
(2012-07-10) Muriungi, Kanaa
Project management is an activity of planning and executing project activities as to achieve the set goals and objectives. A project has been commonly defined as a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end, undertaken to meet a unique goal and objective as to bring about beneficial or added value to the beneficiaries. The performance of a project towards meeting its objectives is dictated upon by interplay of diverse factors which if not well monitored and managed would wreck the project, and block it from achieving the objectives set during the initiation. In Kenya, over fifty percent projects have been declared non-performing or 11011- satisfactory. The figure becomes even larger when the NGO projects are put in the spotlight. This study was therefore sought to investigate the factors that affect the performance of NGO projects in Kenya especially the NGOS in Marsabit. There had been limited research done in this area, and this research was to form the basis for researchers and academicians to further explore other factors that affect the performance of projects. Out of the twenty five active NGOS in Marsabit by then, twenty four NGOS were sampled and their projects studied in details. The study was done in Marsabit district. In this study, data was collected from both primary and secondary sources. The data collection methods were questionnaires, interviews and publications. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistical method and presented in pie charts, bar graphs and percentages. The research established that close to 78% of the project managers had either a first degree or postgraduate degree. Out of these 80% were males while only 20% were females. The research also found that over 58% of the projects had time overruns and only 25% of them had been completed within the set time frame, while others were totally abandoned mid-way. The research also established that, out of the projects studied only 41.7% had successfully met their objectives while other either failed or wrapped up prematurely. The research found that 58% of the projects had exceeded their budget estimates and only 37.5% were completed within the budget. The research concluded that, the non performance of the projects was to a greater extent attributed to several factors as pointed out by the respondents; 44% was due to inadequate project management skills, 23% due to lack of elaborate monitoring and evaluation of the project progress, 11 % due to inadequate qualifications of the project team members, 12% due to lack of executive management's support, and 9% due to ineffective user involvement in the project activities. The research therefore recommends that project managers should be adequately equipped with project management skills through continuous training, to enable then effectively oversee the management of the project activities, and that there should be a continuous monitoring and evaluation of the projects to ensure that they stay on course. The GOS should also ensure that team members are vetted accordingly to ensure that they meet the minimum required qualifications. The NGO coordination board should also closely monitor the GO activities and projects to ensure that projects runs in accordance with the set objectives and that projects don't stall midway.
Factors affecting implementation of the National ICT strategy for education and training in secondary schools in Bomet and Narok Counties (Kenya)
(2012-11-07) Chepwogen, Florida; Kimutai, G.
Kenya has made remarkable progress putting in place an ICT policy framework and implementation strategy, complete with measurable outcomes and timeframes. The process has the benefit of sound advice from officials and stakeholders and perhaps more importantly strong leadership from the office of the permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education. However, universal implementation is challenging. Despite its early lead in the past decade, Kenya's ICT sector has lagged behind its East African neighbors Tanzania and Uganda. While the benefits of ICT in government cannot be disputed, there are several concerns about its success as well as the strategies to be adopted in implementation of systems. In this study, the characteristic challenges that Ministry of Education face, which make ICT implementation fail to succeed were identified and synthesized. This resulted in a rich picture of ICT implementation experience that helped in identifying possible solutions. The recommendations include suggestions for increasing the impact of factors for success while reducing the impact of factors for failure and use of available good practice. Data collection was through use of questionnaires and unstructured interviews and the data is of both qualitative and quantitative nature. Analysis of data was through descriptive statistics like standard deviation, mean, frequency and mode. Bomet County and Narok County have 12 secondary schools which were selected for implementation of lCT which forms the total population. The major findings of the study were that training of teachers in ICT is wanting. Funding was not enough too and it needed to be increased. Although computers were fairly enough, they were mostly not being used for content delivery. Leadership and management style of the school administration served to enhance or hinder ICT implementation. The study recommends training of teachers urgently in ICT education and increase of funds through the Ministry of Education advocating for more funds for ICT implementation, for example from CDF. The study also recommends constant monitoring and evaluation of the project for effective ICT implementation. Lastly, the school administration should encourage and provide teachers with opportunities to use ICT in their teaching.
Factors influencing effective implementation of monitoring and evaluation practices in donor funded projects in Kenya: a case of Turkana District
(2012-11-08) Gwadoya, Robinson Askari; Kimutai, G.
Donors playa significant role in the social development process in all regions of the world. They are particularly critical in circumstances where State funds are limited, political situations are fluid, natural disasters resulting from both predictable and unpredictable environmental circumstances occur, ethnic strife is rampant, and the level of per capita income severely restricts the ability to purchase needed goods and services - social, educational and economic. However, many of the projects funded or initiated by most donors have ended up collapsing either within the project period while others that survived the project period have not proceeded further after the termination of donor support. This has raised the questions; do these projects have a well designed monitoring and evaluations (M&E) plans to ensure effective implementation M&E practices? What factors affect the design and implementation of M&E practices in this projects. This study sought to establish factors that influence effective implementation of M&E practices in donor funded projects in Turkana District. The study targeted seven projects with 209 staffs working in donor funded projects in Turkana District. The respondents included project managers, project administrators, leT staffs, finance staffs and other M&E staffs. The sixty three respondents in the survey were formally interviewed using structured questionnaires and respondent came from various projects. The data was collected through questionnaires edited, classified, coded and tabulated in a systematic manner to allow for accurate analysis. Tools of descriptive statistics were employed to analyze data. To aid and speed-up data analysis process, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to generate the statistics. The data was presented in form of pie charts, bar graphs, frequency tables, percentages among others so as to provide a complete and accurate presentation of the findings. On the key findings and recommendations, the researcher found that staff competency, resource adequacy, technology adoption and donor policies play a pivotal role in determining the performance and success of donor funded project. However, the study found that there Is a shared need for proper understanding of M & E practices in donor funded project. The study therefore recommended transfer of knowledge gained on M&E trainings to field, use of relevant, affordable and acceptable technology, set aside adequate funding for M&E practices and last the rigidity in donor policies be done away with.
Factors that influence motivation of the project team members: a case of SMASSE project in Mombasa District
(2012-11-22) Barasa, Peter Wamalwa; Evans Mwiti; Joel Ngugi Kung'u
The research aimed at broadening understanding about motivation of project team members as a critical organizational capability through which project goals can be realized. In the context of SMASSE project, this study examined factors that influence the motivation of project team members. A research framework and the associated questions were proposed. An empirical survey was conducted and questionnaires mailed to project leader/Manager, project facilitators, head teachers, parents, ministry officials and some selected science teachers in Mombasa, Kenya. The study employed the descriptive research design. It involved a field survey where the researcher went to the population of interest for them to describe issues related to motivation of team members and there implication on SMASSE project in Mombasa district. The anticipated outcome by the researcher was that project leadership, project communication, team member remunerations, working environment have influence on motivation of project team members.
An analysis of factors affecting the operational efficiency of Jua Kali sector in Kenya: a case of apparel Industry in Nairobi
(2012-11-23) Okwang'a, Brenda Chitechi; James Owuor; Kimutai, G.; Sang, P.
All firms' value operational efficiency but few organizations excel at designing, communicating and managing their performance-improvement initiatives, according to the new survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, 2004. But even among top performers, there are significant barriers to achieving operational efficiency. The specific objectives of the study were to: identify the effect of management factors such as planning, organizing and leading, the contribution of communication, the effect of artisans' level of skills, and the influence of financial resources to operational efficiency as well as investigate the constraints faced by the entrepreneurs in their effort to achieve operational efficiency. The study used the questionnaire as the main tool for data collection. Data was analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively using Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) and the descriptive statistics such as the measures of central tendency. Findings reveal that management factors such as leadership, planning and organizing are some of the management aspects that are core in achieving operational efficiency in the apparel industries. Communication plays a key role in work places because an idea or procedure no matter how great, is useless until it is transmitted and understood by others. Financial resource availability is necessary in improving the working conditions, employing other factors that affect operational efficiency and in retaining committed employees. Artisan skill and experience was found to be of importance by the research in that it facilitated artisans to profitability as viewed by all the respondents. The research further revealed that most of the apparel industries do not operate efficiently because they are ignorant of the factors that affect operational efficiency and also they do not have financial resources that are necessary in employing these factors The study recommends that improving operational efficiency should be one of the company's top objectives. Implementation of company-wide operational efficiency framework will enable organizations to drive consistency in direct management of its core business processes.
Determinants of government human resource information system adoption in ministries in Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2013) Ogoti, Ruth Bitutu; Sang, Paul; Kimutai, Gladys
There have been 42 Ministries in the Kenyan coalition government during the years . 2008-2013. The Government Human Resource Information System is one of the major egovernment projects that have been implemented as part of Kenya's e-Government and Vision 2030 strategy. The study identifies the most salient determinants influencing the adoption and diffusion of the GHRIS in government ministries in Kenya as perceived by the civil servants. Different information systems adoption frameworks are explored in the literature review and compared to in the discussion section against the findings observed. The researcher used questionnaires as the data collection tool and carried out purposive sampling of all the 42 Government Ministries in Kenya by interviewing a human resource officer and an information technology officer from each. The researcher then carried out data analysis, whereas data presentation was in descriptive and inferential forms. The study reveals the various determinants that have played significantly in GHRIS adoption with keen analysis on perceived usefulness, security, documentation, computer anxiety, actual usage, perceived ease of learning how to use GHRIS, Ministry support, behavioural intention to use GHRIS, social influence and trust of GHRIS. There has also been a cross analysis on the moderating factors of gender, age and education in the adoption of GHRIS. 73.8% response is that GHRIS is receiving support from the respective Ministry administrators, Behavioural Intention to Use (BIU) was depicted positively as 88% intend to use GHRIS in their job and perceived ease of use is high 65%; a strong social influence cumulative of 71.4% and 81% of the respondents characterized GHRIS as trustworthy. These promote the adoption of GHRIS in Ministries in Kenya. On the other hand, GHRIS physical security is low as only 39.3% of the respondents indicate that it is sufficient proving that security risk is one of the major barriers to the adoption of leT while documentation has no effect on the adoption of GHRIS. It is recommended GHRIS to be used to access monthly pay slips as it is more efficient and saves paper thus preserving the environment. Furthermore, online pay slips can improve confidentiality and convenience. Presentation is essential in the enjoyment of any software, and a clear graphical interface should do the trick in promoting GHRIS enjoyment by civil servants and thus lead to more adoption of GHRIS in government ministries in Kenya. Trust in GHRIS can also be enhanced by better system programming and threat control against hackers and fraudulent access. Use of GHRIS will increase accountability, reducing fraudulence, fair accessibility to government job applications, a chance to apply for training courses or scholarships being offered by the government. In addition, adoption of GHRIS will increase citizen empowerment and offers the Kenyan government a unique opportunity to enhance not only its operational transparency, clarity of purpose and responsiveness to citizens but also its own internal efficiency and effectiveness.
The effects of restructuring on provincial administration Performance (Case of Embu County)
(2013-01-10) Obudo, Daniel Mbogo
This study was conducted to assess the effects of restructuring on provincial Administration performance with reference to Embu county. This follows the 2010 Constitutional requirement for a "restructured Provincial Administration was necessary due to perceived non-performance in terms of service delivery among other critics. Two hundred and ten (210) field Provincial administrations including District Commissioners, District Officer, Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs from Embu County which comprises of five Administrative Districts namely; Embu West, Embu East, Embu North, Mbeere South and Mbeere NOI1h will form the population sample out of which thirty (30) will be included in the study. The study found out that the restructuring process affects service delivery to the public, respondents rated employees work morale in the Provincial Administration as high, that the restructuring process affects service delivery to the public, respondents do not support the ongoing restructuring process in the provincial administration, respondents have received public complain regarding their service delivery. The study concludes that there have been changes in infrastructure development due to restructuring at the PA, that the government has allocated finance for infrastructure since the restructuring started, that there was Increase on allocation of finance for infrastructure, that the government has been able to adequately prepare the restructuring process.
Factors influencing the growth of digital media in Kenya case of selected media firms in Kenya
(2013-01-15) Rogo, David; Sang, Paul; Gladys Kimutai
Digital media is growing in use as more private organizations and Government institutions move their operations from paper based to electronic based. This is because of the relative ease of access and also since it's easier to work with digital files. Digital Media offers flexibility in the operations of most organizations and also competitive advantage in competitive markets and industries. Over the years, media firms have adopted digital media so as to enhance their operations in the field of media industry. In developing countries in particular, digital media has not been fully adopted by media firms. This research focused on Factors that influence the growth of Digital Media in Kenya. The aim was to find out how the various factors influence the growth of digital media in Kenya with specific focus on media firms in Kenya. The research was guided by the following research objectives: To find out how copyright policies influences growth of digital media, To analyze how Government policies influence growth of digital media in Kenya, To investigate how population growth influence growth of digital media in Kenya and lastly to find out how competition among media firms has influenced growth of digital media in Kenya. The target population was 46 media organizations in Nairobi. The respondents were the 1.T Managers in these media organizations. In this study the researcher used census. Both primary and secondary data was used to conduct the study. The use of primary data used was questionnaires. Data Analysis was carried out using SPSS software. The data is presented in tables, pie charts and bar charts. The findings from this study show that Copyright policies available currently are weak and not well enforced and have thus affected the growth of digital media negatively. There are technologies available that can be used to enforce copyright protection on digital media content. It also shows that Government policies are not properly formulated and suffer from poor implementation which has slowed down growth of digital media. Further it also shows that population growth and competition have contributed positively to growth of digital media in Kenya through innovation, increased usage and demand for digital media content.
Determinants of successful delivery of housing construction Projects in the Ministry of Housing in Nairobi, Kenya
(2013-01-15) Owoko, Raphael Mono; Kimutai, G.
The concept of project success remains unclearly defined due to different expectations from Different stakeholders. The well-known success criteria of time, cost and quality do not provide any practical information of achieving project objectives in an efficient way. Identification of the main factors contributing to project success will gain particular importance for stakeholders in the light of highly competitive environment of housing construction since housing construction projects represent one of the largest sectors in the construction industry in the country. Indeed the Kenya Vision 2030 strategy (2007) outlines the housing sector as having a crucial role to play in The achievement of the envisaged goals. The success of the industry is therefore important to a growing economy like Kenya. The main aim of this research project was therefore to identify rank and analyse the interrelationships between the most influential factors affecting the successful delivery of housing construction projects in the Ministry of Housing in Nairobi, Kenya. The study focused on five projects undertaken by the Civil Servants Housing Scheme in The ministry. Three different target populations segmented into four specialized groups that were involved in the construction project management process for the ministry in the past five years and the beneficiaries of the projects were the target. The groups were the project management team, the consultants' team comprising, the construction team and the project beneficiaries. A census of the entire target population for the project participants was earmarked for the study while simple random sampling was used to identify respondents from the beneficiaries of the projects. The sample design represented a total of 120 respondents. A questionnaire designed with both matrix and open ended questions was administered to the respondents and from the 120questionnaires sent out, 81 were received representing 67.5% response rate. Based on the Analysis of the data using SPSS computer software, success factors were ranked according to the impact on project success. Further, factor analysis was used to study the interrelationship between the factors. From the initial 72 variables, 29 factors were extracted and 16 factors were identified as critical determinants. The top 5 were: 'contractors experience', 'contractor's cashflow site management', 'employer's ability to honour contractor's certificates on time' and 'adequacy of funding from external sources'. Three of these are related to project funding, while The other two concerns the contractors' experience and effective site management. Funding is Therefore a critical factor for public projects, therefore implementing organisations must have clear funding structures for the projects to succeed. The research findings will contribute practically in the successful project implementation at the ministry and other public project oriented organisations, while theoretically the findings will be invaluable to other related policy makers and to the project management field of study. The current research may be developed further by increasing the sample size and studying the area more in depth by deploying different methodology. Increasing the sample size could help to identify more precisely the interrelation framework of success factors. This can provide a significant contribution to the existing literature by adding knowledge to the project management theory in a developing economy like Kenya. Finally as this study was focused on a specific type of project in one country, and a limited Location within one organisation, the research is not able to provide generalization regarding the construction industry as a whole. This may be the main limitation of this study since the conclusions cannot be applied to other organisations.
Determinants of performance of digital villages Project in Kenya
(2013-01-18) Thumbi, Elizabeth Wangeci; Kimutai, G.; James, Rosemary
The digital village projects is an initiative by the Kenyan Government in Partnership with other stakeholders in the ICT Sector aimed at facilitating the underserved communities' with access to ICT to enhance their general well-being. The role of the centers is to deliver ICT services to marginalized communities with the main objective of narrowing the apparent digital gap by introducing and encouraging the usage of ICT; and creating community communication equipped with a range of ICT services to facilitate Internet access, e-commerce, and e-learning. This study seeks to investigate and examine the issue that influence the performance of the digital villages in an attempt to bridge the digital divide in developing countries and thus institutionalize the foundation of a sustainable model by examining the usage and effects of the services offered in the centers. Descriptive research design was used to carry out the study. The study's target population was end-users and staff member of the digital villages' centers setup in Kenya, a part representation of the entire population was drawn from Nairobi County. The study will relied on primary data to guide and used questionnaires for data collection. The data collected was analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study examined how stakeholder participation, level of infrastructure development, demographic profiles and local contents affects the performance of DVP in Kenya. The findings confirm that these parameters affect the performance on the centers in regard to effectiveness, relevance and sustainability. The findings suggests on some of the challenges experienced and ways to curb the same for better performance.
factors affecting the effectiveness of strategle planning in the public primary teachers' training colleges in kenya.
(2013-02-19) ALl, MOHAMUD JAMA
The study examined the factors affecting the effectiveness of strategic planning in the public primary teachers' training colleges in Kenya. Specifically, the study sought, to establish the extent of adoption of formal strategic planning in the public primary teachers' training colleges in Kenya, to investigate the effect of performance contracting on strategic planning effectiveness in the public primary teachers' training colleges in Kenya, to examine the extent to which monitoring and evaluation is a challenge to effective strategic planning in the public primary teachers' training colleges in Kenya and lastly, to determlne the interventions necessary to enhance strategic planning effectiveness in the'public primary teachers' training colleges in Kenya. The study was to benefit various stakeholders, mainly, the government planners and policy makers, the private sector managers, donors, educational managers, the academic fraternity and the communities. Although the public primary teachers' training colleges are important in the education system and national development; little research has been done on the factors affecting the effectiveness of strategic planning in these colleges. To carry out the research, a descriptive survey design was adopted. A sample of six public primary teacher training colleges in the Nairobi and Central Zones were selected through purposive sampling. The population of interest was the top and middle level management cadre of six public primary teachers' training colleges. Data collection was by means of questionnaire and was analyzed using descriptive statistics and frequency analysis. The study found that formal strategic planning was being adopted by the public primary teacher training colleges with ninety percent (90%) of them establishing strategic planning teams. However, .rnost of the public primary teacher training colleges are not able to achieve their strategies' in the envisaged time frame due to various impediments among them, training and capaq~' constraints, scarcity of resources and ineffective communication. The study alsoestablished that performance contracting has had visible impact on key operational areas-in the colleges notably curriculum delivery (90%), infrastructure and facilities development (80%), increased customer satisfaction (75%) and has led to improved financial management (70%). Monitoring and evaluation of strategic planning, though, was ineffective in the colleges largely due to inadequate funding. The study determined that for effectiveness and sustainability of strategic planning in the colleges there was need for, skills and capacity enhancement, the development of a reward system to motivate the key achievers and implementers, and adequate funding for the strategic planning process (80%). The study recommended that, the development of an all-inclusive strategic planning process that allows for the positive contributions of every player in the colleges for effectiveness, the establishment of negotiations and conflict resolution mechanisms to achieve consensus and minimize disruptive political influence and the adoption of international best practices in formal strategy development in the colleges. It was also discovered; for effective strategic planning, there is need for development of clear and effective communication strategy, and the creation of deep linkages between the strategic planning process, the performance contracting and departmental planning in the colleges. The study recommended the setting aside of funds for the monitoring and evaluation of strategic planning in the colleges and the strengthening of backstopping roles, by relevant authorities through adoption of various measures such as capacity building programmes tailored for the public primary teachers' training colleges.

Browse

Browsing MST-Department of Management Science by Issue Date

Results Per Page

Sort Options