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Previous work in Kenyan public hospitals has revealed leadership gaps and poor communication between senior administration and lower cadres as an impediment to achieving better practice. Management training for senior health professionals has been recognized as a priority and is now being provided. The research study explored the influence of leadership skills on effective departmental leadership in Mogotio Sub County. The study used descriptive designs and targeted 32 hospitals consisting of 185 managerial staff in Mogotio Sub County. The stratified random sampling method was used to generate a sample of 126 respondents. Data was collected from this sample using questionnaires and analyzed descriptively and inferentially with the use of SPSS version 24. The correlation analysis determined there is a positive and statistically significant association between leadership skills and effective departmental leadership (r=756, p=.000). This verdict was reinforced by the linear regression results (?=.286, p=.001). The study concludes that leadership skill greatly helps improve effective departmental leadership in the public health sector. The study recommends that hospitals ought to emphasize mentoring leaders in the clinical setup in order to improve the effectiveness of leadership at the departmental level. There is a need to inculcate leadership training into the hospitals’ culture. 

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of gender stereotypes on the effectiveness of women senior managers in Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Nakuru County, Kenya. A descriptive survey design was used and the target population was the human resource managers and women senior managers in 65 duly registered and active NGOs in Nakuru County. From these organizations, simple random sampling was used to select a human resource manager and a woman senior manager which resulted in 130 respondents. Primary data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire which had close-ended and open-ended questions while secondary data was collected through the use of document analysis. Quantitative data was sorted, cleaned and analyzed through the SPSS software. Descriptive statistics were analyzed through the use of frequencies and percentages while inferential statistics were analyzed through the use of Pearson Correlation and Pearson Chi-Square tests. The findings of the analysis were presented in form of tables and charts. On the other hand, qualitative data were analyzed thematically and the results were presented in the form of narratives. The study adhered to and ensured that research ethics were upheld. The study found out that gender stereotypes had a statistically significant negative relationship with the effectiveness of women senior managers (r= -0.342; p<0.05). The Chi-square test results indicated that gender stereotypes had a statistically significant association with the effectiveness of women senior managers. The recommendation made was that a similar study can be conducted to provide both the perspectives of men and women senior managers.

The programmed co-operative enterprises’ innovation initiatives in Kenya have been below their expectations of customers. The majority (60%) of the customers are satisfied by banking and related financial services offered by co-operative enterprises in Kenya. This is below the expectations of what the customers perceive and what is realized at the point of service delivery. This study sought to provide insights into the relationship between technological innovation promoters and performance by empirically testing the direct effect of technological innovation promoters on performance and exploring the moderation effects of service quality practices. The study is anchored on the promoter theory and collective entrepreneurship concept. The study used a self-administered questionnaire to Chief Executive Officers of 158 Savings and Credit Co-operative Societies (SACCOs). Data were analyzed by employing Statistical Software for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 22 and structural equation modeling using AMOS version 25. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling and hierarchical moderated multiple regression (MMR). Overall, the study found out that, technological innovation promoters have a positive influence on the performance of SACCOs in Kenya, and service quality practices (R2 change) is 0.153. This implied that the moderating effect of service quality practices gained 15.3% variance in the SACCOs above and beyond the variance by technological innovation promoters and performance. This study concludes that an integrative model comprising of technological innovation promoters, service quality practices and performance is a sure way of enhancing collective entrepreneurship and recommends that SACCO management together with their partners should deliberately nurture a customer relationship management culture that will enable them to realize positive performance that has been influenced by service quality practices

This study examined the effect of hazard analysis and critical control points principles on food safety at the National Youth Service in Nakuru County; Kenya. Application of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, HACCP) principle in food production and service areas is a requirement especially in all food handling stages, Successful implementation of the procedures based on the HACCP principles requires the full cooperation and commitment of food handlers’ requiring employees to undergo training. Food safety plays a significant role in the economic and health development of Nations by safeguarding the nation‘s health, enhancing tourism, hospitality, and international trade, the production, distribution, and consumption of safe food. The scope of the study was limited to NYS Catering unit kitchens in Gilgil College. The findings explain the hygiene and safety practices of other Academic kitchens in Kenya. The study adopted a mixed research methodology, this study adopted a census method; the reason being the total population was 121. The response from the quantitative data from the questionnaires was tabulated, coded, and processed by use of the statistical package for social sciences Data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. From the findings, the R and R2 value representing the simple correlation summary showed that 16.6 percent of HACCP principles can be explained by variance in food safety.  ANOVA results showed that the model applied was statistically significant to predict the outcome variable. The study also concludes that food-hygiene operating procedure that is documented and awareness too that food safety inspections by health inspectors help to ensure safe food handling practices are followed.

This paper was anchored on a pragmatic research paradigm. The study used a cross-sectional survey where a self-semi structured questionnaire was administered to collect the primary data from the target population who were youth-owned SMEs. The study was limited to 135 youth-owned enterprises where 357 employees were selected randomly to form the study sample; the key respondents of the study were limited to owner-managers of small and micro enterprises and top management employees. The questionnaires were tested for reliability and validity. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that there is a significant relationship between youth-owned. The study revealed that entrepreneurship networking has a significant effect on the performance of the agro-processing SMEs owned by the youths. However, there is a need for SMEs to further establish networks outside their business circle and seek networks with other bigger firms in the market. The study, therefore, recommends that there is a need for SMEs to invest more in social media marketing and networking of the SMEs for improved performance.

In order to push development to the grassroots and ensure citizens contribute meaningfully to development, many African countries have adopted the devolved governance system.  However, it has been observed that the devolution of political powers has not translated equally to envisioned overall development. In Kenya County governments have achieved various milestones towards development demonstrated through the infrastructure, social amenities, and standards of living. However, corruption has been increasing mainly due to a lack of transparency. This paper sought to examine the contribution of transparency levels in County government service delivery.  The study adopted mixed method approach using survey and in-depth interviews concurrently.  Stratified multi stage cluster sampling was deployed. Quantitative data was collected using questionnaires and qualitative data using interview schedules. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and a typological theory developed to explain the study results. The study findings showed that the level of transparency in the counties was low which affected service delivery.  The study concluded that county governments should ensure that public participation and sharing of information is bidirectional to involve both users and management so as to improve service delivery.

This study examines the influence of credit risk on the shareholder market value of commercial banks listed in the Nairobi Securities Exchange. A mixed-method approach and concurrent design were used in this study. Logistic regression was performed to ascertain the influence of credit risk on shareholder market value of commercial banks listed in the Nairobi Securities Exchange as a quantitative method and processes tracing as a qualitative approach to trace the causal mechanism by which credit risk contributes to shareholder market value. This research demonstrated that (i)there is a relationship between credit risk and shareholder market value among the commercial banks listed in NSE; (ii) Wald (1) =41.475, p=.000, sig<.05, 2-tailed is below the permissible value of likelihood above which null hypothesis is accepted. The study concludes that there is a relationship between credit risks and Shareholders Market Value in commercial banks listed in NSE. 

This article considers the influence of macro-economic factors as integrated factors in financial sustainability of Informal Finance Groups. Informal Finance Groups (IFGs) have become critical in poverty eradication around the world in enhancing access to finance. Despite acknowledgement of this fact, IFGs have been faced with financial constraints as a result of micro factors that affect them. This puts the financial sustainability of the IFGs at risk.  In this study, financial instability in informal finance groups is caused by these factors: loan pricing and loan repayment period. This study required to examine the connection between macro-economic factors and financial sustainability of informal finance groups in Kiharu Constituency in Murang’a County. Both primary and secondary data were collected. Findings indicate that there is relationship between macro-economic factors and financial sustainability of informal finance groups. The R value of 0.238 portrayed a positive linear relationship between the loan pricing practices and financial sustainability of Informal Finance Groups, and the R value of 0.354 portrayed a positive linear relationship between the loan repayment period and financial sustainability of Informal Finance Groups. Therefore the study concluded that the macro-economic factors have an influence on financial sustainability of informal finance groups. The study recommends that the IFGs should devise a standard criteria for optimal pricing of loans to avoid charging exorbitant rates which worsen the poverty situation of the rural residents. Further, the IFGs should also set up loan monitoring systems in place to avoid diversion and defaults.  

This study sought to establish the influence of understanding, stakeholder requirements, good rapport with stakeholders, healthy competition with competitors, conflict resolution, and effective communication on organizational performance among insurance companies in Kenya. Positivism research philosophy was adopted for the study. Descriptive and explanatory cross-sectional research designs were used. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and inferential analysis. The study concluded as follows: (i) Understanding stakeholder requirements, creating and maintain good rapport with stakeholders, healthy competition with competitors, conflict resolution and effective communication were deployed to a moderate extent in insurance companies in Kenya, (ii) There was a strong positive correlation between organisation performance, understanding stakeholder requirements, good rapport with stakeholders, conflict resolution, and effective communication, (iii) There was a weak positive correlation between organisation performance and healthy competition, (iv) Understanding stakeholder requirements, creating and maintain good rapport with stakeholders, healthy competition with competitors, conflict resolution and effective communication had significant influence on the performance of insurance companies in Kenya. (v) Relationship management has a significant influence on organizational performance.

Taxes form a significant portion of a company’s expenses and in order to increase probable returns, tax planning is vital to financing and investment decisions of an entity. This study sought to find out the influence of tax avoidance on financial performance of all the nine manufacturing firms listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange during the period 2010-2017. The study was anchored on tax planning theory, capital structure trade-off theory, agency cost theory and political power theory. The study adopted a positivism research philosophy and an explanatory research design. SPSS version 23 was used to analyze data where both descriptive and inferential statistics was done. Multiple linear regression model was adopted to study the association between the variables while utilizing panel data. The study findings showed that there is no significant statistical association between tax planning and financial performance of the manufacturing companies listed in the Nairobi Securities Exchange. The findings indicated that capital intensity, research and development expenditure and company size have a positive insignificant association with financial performance. Further, debt to equity ratio indicated an insignificant negative relationship with financial performance. The study points out that the manufacturing companies should invest more in non-current assets and increase expenditure on the research and development expenditure to realize significant positive impact on financial performance. They should also manage their debt to equity ratios to avoid excess financing costs that may be detrimental to their financial performance.

The Insurance industry is essential to the economic course of every nation attaining sustainable growth and prosperity. However, the industry continues to experience a marginal growth of 2.5% compared to the global real term growth of 4%. This study analyzed the relationship between employee empathy and customer satisfaction in the Kenyan insurance industry. The study was guided by the causal research design. The study applied the linear mixed-effect models of structural equation modeling (SEM) considering the multi-level structure of the data collected. The study concluded that a client who perceives empathy from his/ her insurer’s employees is bound to have higher satisfaction than a customer who does not perceive empathy from their insurer. Employee empathy however, does not significantly affect the variations of customer satisfaction between the insurance companies.

Contemporary employees spend most of their working lives in the workplace. Work provides economic, social and psychological experiences that promote the mental wellbeing of individuals. The work environment should be devoid of hazards as much as possible to provide healthy and decent work for the workforce. However, numerous injuries, illnesses, property damages, and process losses take place at different workplaces. It is unclear how effectively OSH programs are being implemented in Kenya’s water sector since no study has been done. The general objective of the study was to establish an influence of management commitment on Occupational Health and Safety policies implementation in Water and Sanitation Companies in Kenya, a study of water and Sanitation Companies in Nyeri County. The study was based on the theoretical foundation that comprises two theories Leader-Member Exchange theory and Bourgeois and Brodwins Five Models of Strategy Implementation. The target population consisted of 474 employees in all water & sanitation companies in Nyeri County. From this population, a sample of 243 respondents was drawn using a random sampling technique but only 188 respondents filled and returned valid questionnaires giving the study an 80% response rate. The study employed both descriptive and inferential statistics to present and analyze the data.  Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistical tools namely frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation while inferential statistical tools such as multiple regression were used to determine the relationship between variables. The study findings revealed that there was a statistically significant positive relationship between management commitment and implementation, the 27.9% unit change in the implementation of OSH policies was explained by the management commitment. The study recommends that the water companies’ management should be committed to the implementation of OSH.

The support of tourism stakeholders is essential for the development, successful operation, and long-term sustainability of tourism. The aim of this paper was to establish how stakeholder involvement influence tourism sector performance the purpose of getting a deeper understanding of what different stakeholders perceive on their involvement and the benefits that they have gotten or brought to the sector. The theory guiding this paper was an integrated model of destination competitiveness. A descriptive research design was used for the study. The target population consisted of employees of hotels, officials of tour firms and officers in the ministry of tourism in the County Government of West Pokot. Systematic stratified sampling was used and a total of 41 respondents selected. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from the respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. From the R2 was 0.444 meaning that Stakeholder participation predicted 44.4% of tourism performance in West Pokot County and therefore the Counter government should always consider the stakeholders in matters to do with tourism so as to improve its performance.

This study sought to model the stock market return volatility at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) in the presence of structural breaks. Using daily NSE 20 share index for the period 04/01/2010  to  29/12/2017,  the market return volatility was modeled using different GARCH type models and taking into account four endogenously identified structural breaks. The market exhibited a non-normal distribution that was leptokurtic and negatively skewed and also showed evidence for ARCH effects, volatility clustering, and volatility persistence. We found that by considering structural breaks, volatility persistence was reduced, while leverage effects were found to lead to explosive volatility. In addition, investors were not rewarded for taking up additional risk since the risk premium was insignificant for the full period. However, during explosive volatility, investors were rewarded for taking up more risk. Moreover, we found that risk premium, leverage effects, and volatility persistence were significantly correlated. The GARCH (1,1) and TGARCH(1,1) models were found to be the best fit models to test for symmetric and asymmetric effects respectively. While the GARCH models were able to provide evidence for the stylized facts in the NSE, we conclude that the presence or absence of these features is period specific. This especially relates to volatility persistence, leverage effects, and risk premium effects. Caution should, therefore, be taken in using a specific GARCH model to forecast market return volatility in Kenya. It is thus imperative to pretest the data before any return volatility forecasting is done.

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) play a critical role in addressing social ills like poverty, employment, and food insecurity; therefore, their growth prospects enhance their ability to address these social ills. Discovery of entrepreneurial opportunities amongst the agro-based NGOs has not got the desired attention, and it is the least researched area in social entrepreneurship. This study investigated the relationship between Entrepreneurial Opportunity Discovery Dimensions and Growth of Non-Governmental Organizations in Kenya. It employed correlation design and was anchored on the Kirznerian Entrepreneurship Theory. The target population was 135 agro-based NGOs in Kenya. A mixed-method approach was used, combined qualitative and quantitative techniques. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS graphic-25) aided in the analysis. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using AMOS and Simple linear regression analysis were the primary analysis techniques used to evaluate the relationship between entrepreneurial opportunity discovery dimensions and the growth of NGOs. The results indicated that alertness0.372, p=0.033)and prior knowledge (0.163, p=0.031) have a significant favorable influence on growth, while social networks 0.047, p=0.713) showed an insignificant effect on the growth of NGOs. Investing in acquiring alert individuals and helping them gain relevant knowledge in the 21sttechnologies and emerging issues can lead to increased NGO ability to continue serving the community effectively and be engines of development for the general good of Kenya.

This study sought to evaluate the relationship between equity unit trust fund flows measured as purchases and sales and the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) stock market return. The study employed Vector Autoregressive model and tested for Granger causality using monthly data for the period starting January 2010 to December 2017. The granger causality results showed that equity fund sales contain information that can explain stock market return and stock market return contain information that can explain equity fund purchases thus unidirectional causality. Impulse response results showed that equity fund purchases have a predominantly positive relationship with NSE stock market return and NSE stock market return have a positive relationship with equity fund purchases. This implies that an increase in stock market return will lead equity fund managers to purchase more securities and as the equity fund purchases increase, the demand for those stocks will increase causing the stock prices to increase and consequently increase stock market return. In contrast, equity fund sales are predominantly negatively related with stock market return and stock market return is also negatively related to equity funds sales. As the stock market return increase, the equity fund managers will decrease their sales. As the sales increase, the supply for those stocks will increase causing a decrease in prices and consequently a decrease in stock market return. Equity fund sales explain the variation in stock market return more than equity fund purchases while stock market return is a determinant of equity fund purchases and equity fund sales.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between involvement, Entrepreneurial orientation and performance of Christian Faith-Based Hotels (CFBHs) in Kenya. Involvement is the extent to which subordinate staff feels a sense of ownership and responsibility to the organization. Involvement has captured interest throughout the last decade because of its important relationship between the concept itself and its outcomes such as gaining competitive advantage and performance. Entrepreneurial Orientation is key as it determines the success or failure of Christian Faith-Based Hotels. The study was guided by the use of the Denison’s organizational model and used the mixed methods approach guided by a cross-sectional survey research design. The population of the study included 72 managers and 1878 subordinate staff from 24 Christian Faith-Based Hotels in Kenya and the sample size comprised 394 respondents. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings revealed that organization culture involvement significantly influences the performance of Christian Faith-Based Hotels in Kenya. The dimensions of involvement Empowerment, Team Orientation, and Capability development were all found to have significant influences on performance in all critical ratios 2.829, 2.301 and 3.502 respectively which are all greater than the 1.96 Z score at 5% level of significance. Entrepreneurial orientation was also found to significantly moderate the relationship between organization culture involvement significantly influences the performance of Christian Faith-Based Hotels in Kenya. A significant change in R-square of 0.063 was found due to the inclusion of interaction terms between involvement dimensions and entrepreneurial orientation. The p-value of the F-change due to the change in R-square was found to be 0.043 implying a significant change but consequently, there is a significant moderating effect.

The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of consumer complaints handling on consumer satisfaction in dairy milk processors in Kenya. The study population was 384 consumers from 15 major supermarkets chains in Kenya. Primary data was sought from consumers of processed dairy milk using a semi-structured self-administered questionnaire employing a mixed methods research design.  Descriptive and regression analysis and regression analysis were conducted with the help of SPSS software. Majority of the respondents disagreed that their complaints were handled so well to their expectation. Respondents also disagreed that merchandisers were receptive to their complaints as consumers to their satisfaction. The results showed a weak positive relationship between complaints handling and consumer satisfaction. The beta value of the computed (composite index) scores of consumers’ complaints handling was 0.027 with a t-test value of 1.026 and significance level of 0.306. Dairy milk processors in Kenya had poor consumer complaints handling mechanisms. However this seemed to have no reduction in consumer satisfaction in the products in question. The study recommended that dairy milk processors in Kenya had poor consumer complaints handling mechanisms.

In today’s competitive retail market, as service quality improves, the customer’s expectation and lateral demand on service level is increased from time to time. Dairy milk processing firms in Kenya are struggling to get it right in providing service quality. This has created dissatisfied consumers and this has led to merging of some dairy milk processing firms and loss of jobs due to closure of some dairy milk processing firms. Therefore, this study aimed at filling this knowledge gap by examining the influence of perceived service quality on consumer satisfaction amongst dairy milk processors in Kenya. The study was guided by cross-sectional research design. The study population comprised of consumers who purchase processed dairy milk from major supermarket chains in Kenya. Primary data was collected from 384 respondents using a semi-structured questionnaire which was self-administered. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were used to analyse data with the help of SPSS version 21. The results showed a positive and significant relationship between the perceived service quality and consumer satisfaction. Respondents indicated that, perceived service quality was consistent to their satisfaction. The findings showed that, consumers of dairy milk products had a high rating of service quality offered to them by dairy milk processors hence high satisfaction levels. The study therefore concluded that, perceived service quality is an important predictor of customer satisfaction. Milk processors must therefore strive to match and even exceed their customer’s product-service quality with what customers expect.

Worldwide, Small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) exhibit inimitable financial needs. While SMEs remain fundamental to economic growth, their mortality rate in Kenya approaches 90% by the second year, mainly owing to lack of credit. However, scholarly endeavors exploring the impact of alternative finance (AF) on managerial competency - efficiency nexus for manufacturing SMEs have received little attention in Kenya. To resolve this conundrum, a thorough study to investigate how AF impacts managerial competency - efficiency nexus is necessary. The study used a cross-sectional research design, employing both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The target population was 171 SMEs registered with Kenya Association of Manufacturers. The accessible population was 136 SMEs owners/managers. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect primary and secondary data. Data envelopment analysis was used to measure efficiency, multiple regression modeling used to analyze the direct relationships while hierarchical moderated multiple regression analysis employed to test moderation. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling was used to test robustness of our results. The findings of this study demonstrate that managerial competency positively influences efficiency (? = 0.150, t-value =10.246, P<0.05), and that alternative finance does moderate managerial competency relationships with efficiency (R-Square change of 21.7%). We suggest trainings for manufacturing SME owners/managers in Kenya on the pivotal role of alternative finance to facilitate SMEs achieve higher efficiencies and accelerate economic growth.