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Worldwide, startup businesses are essential for any country's economic development. Despite the rapid growth of start-ups, their likelihood of success and viability remain low. This trend is more observed in developing countries due to the low uptake of business incubation services such as Kenya. The aim of the current study was to determine the effect of networking services, physical incubation, and management mentoring on the growth of start-ups in Kenya. The study was based on the social network theory, the theory of the firm, the stochastic theory and the trait theory of entrepreneurship. A cross-sectional research design was used. A sample size of 227 respondents was selected from a total population of 567 respondents using proportionate stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire. The data was analyzed with multiple linear regression with the help of SPSS. The finding of the study indicated that there was a positive and significant effect between networking services, physical incubation infrastructure and management mentoring and growth of startups. The study suggests that startups should join associations like the Associations of Startups and SME Enablers of Kenya and the Association of Countrywide Innovation Hubs to access incubation infrastructure. This will allow access to investor networks, civil society programs, and government agencies, accelerating business growth. Additionally, business incubators can partner with universities for specialized research in areas like health, agriculture, and climate change through the triple helix model.

Despite the effort to increase financial inclusion, women-owned Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) continue to face challenges in the uptake of financial services. Low financial uptake is strongly associated with business failure leading to low income and living standards among women entrepreneurs in marginalized areas. Market system strategies are crucial in determining businesses' level of financial uptake. The study investigated the effect of market system strategies on the financial uptake of women-owned MSMEs in the informal settlement of Nyeri County. Specifically, it investigated the effect of business readiness, financial literacy, investor relationships, and investment impact on financial uptake among women-owned MSMEs. The study variables were anchored on Ricky Griffin's model, Theory of Change, and Refinancing theory. The study used a descriptive research design, specifically a cross-sectional design. The target population was 890 women-owned MSMEs in the informal settlements of Nyeri county. Proportionate stratified and random sampling were used to obtain a sample of 275 businesses representing approximately 30% of the study population. Data was collected using structured questionnaires. A pilot test was conducted using ten individuals to test and improve the study questionnaire Reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha, where an alpha of 0.7 was the acceptable threshold. Regression analyses indicated that the market system strategies, business readiness, financial literacy, impact investment, and investor relationship positively and significantly affected financial uptake, with p-values lower than 0.05 alpha. The study found that businesses with better market system strategies have a higher financial uptake. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that policies and interventions aimed at improving financial uptake among women-owned MSMEs should focus on enhancing business readiness and financial literacy and building strong impact investment and investor relationships. The county government, NGOs, and others interested stakeholders should encourage women entrepreneurs in informal settlements of Nyeri county to seek training and support to develop their business skills and increase their understanding of financial uptake. Furthermore, the county and national governments should connect women-owned MSMEs with impact investors and establish relationships to provide funding, support, and mentorship. Finally, policymakers and stakeholders in the financial sector should consider creating an enabling environment that supports and incentivizes impact investment in MSMEs, especially those owned by women, to increase their financial uptake.

This paper aims to examine the effect of selected factors that link to completion of NSSF construction projects and how they are influenced by the various critical factors. The main objective was to establish the critical success factors and their effects on performance of construction projects. Four theories namely Game theory, Principal-Agent theory, Construction Management, and Soft Value Management (SVM) theory served as the foundation for this research.  Descriptive research design was employed for data collection, analysis, presentation and interpretation.The target population was 512 stakeholders from six complete commercial and residential projects. Purposive sampling was used to select 84 participants for the study. Semi-structured questionnaires were used in the study to collect data. The data was analyzed using SPSS whereby descriptive and inferential statistics were used. The results show that the R-square value was 0.282 and R was 0.531. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was significant at p=0.001 with an F statistic of 9.961 indicating that the model used was fit for the data. The data also revealed that client variations (p= 0.05), financial availability (p = 0.047), and construction disputes (p = 0.001) are statistically significant determinants affecting the performance of NSSF construction projects. The main findings of the study demonstrate that the key critical success factors used in this study affected the performance of NSSF-completed construction projects either positively or negatively. The study recommends that companies should adhere to the principles that safeguard project management to adequately manage the critical factors and ultimately minimize project delays.

The paper reports empirical findings drawn from a study undertaken to understand the dimensions of strategic leadership deployed among flower farms and the benefits that the flower farms have derived from deployment of strategic leadership. The context was selected due to its significance in contributing to the national economy and the level of turbulence experienced by the farms that requires a leadership style entrenching strategic thinking. 43 flower farms were sampled and primary data obtained using a structured questionnaire from CEOs, Deputy CEOs and heads of functional areas. Two dimensions of strategic leadership have been deployed to a low extent while two have been implemented to a moderate extent. The deployed dimensions of strategic leadership have significantly contributed to the flower farms performance by enhancing their capacity to attain growth at the rate of 15-20%. The study concluded that strategic leadership is relevant for deployment by the flower farms and raised implications for its deployment among organizations facing complex and turbulent environments. The paper called on future research to consider expanding the scope of the context of the investigation and conceptualization of the dimensions of strategic leadership based on other relevant theoretical frameworks anchoring strategic leadership.

The study investigated the role played by the dimensions of organizational culture in a strategic management process to help organizations in the hotel industry realize business recovery in a post-COVID-19 period. The conceptualization of the study relied on the strategic thinking lens preceding strategic management processes to situate the role of organizational culture in the strategic management processes undertaken at the strategy formulation phase. The element of organization's mission was argued to be the relevant practice for anchoring culture into the strategy formulation process. Four types of organizational culture were studied in business recovery. Three objectives guided the study focusing on the extent of the adoption of culture types, levels of business recovery attained and the effect of the level of adoption on the level of business recovery attained. A sample of 57 hotels was selected and 189 respondents were drawn from functional units in each of the hotels. The study reports that the level of adoption of the culture is at a high level while the extent of business recovery is at a moderate level of between 20-40% growth. Innovation culture does not have a significant statistical effect while market, customer orientation and adhocracy cultures have a significant statistical effect on the level of business recovery. The study concludes that the relevant cultures were responsible for aligning culture with the strategy formulation phase through the component of the mission of an organization and that the process needs to embrace combined attributes of the underpinning theories of RBV and the organizational culture theory. The study calls on future research to integrate more aspects of strategic thinking and consider using more objective sources of research data.

The study investigated the role played by the dimensions of organizational culture in a strategic management process to help organizations in the hotel industry realize business recovery in a post-COVID-19 period. The conceptualization of the study relied on the strategic thinking lens preceding strategic management processes to situate the role of organizational culture in the strategic management processes undertaken at the strategy formulation phase. The element of organization's mission was argued to be the relevant practice for anchoring culture into the strategy formulation process. Four types of organizational culture were studied in business recovery. Three objectives guided the study focusing on the extent of the adoption of culture types, levels of business recovery attained and the effect of the level of adoption on the level of business recovery attained. A sample of 57 hotels was selected and 189 respondents were drawn from functional units in each of the hotels. The study reports that the level of adoption of the culture is at a high level while the extent of business recovery is at a moderate level of between 20-40% growth. Innovation culture does not have a significant statistical effect while market, customer orientation and adhocracy cultures have a significant statistical effect on the level of business recovery. The study concludes that the relevant cultures were responsible for aligning culture with the strategy formulation phase through the component of the mission of an organization and that the process needs to embrace combined attributes of the underpinning theories of RBV and the organizational culture theory. The study calls on future research to integrate more aspects of strategic thinking and consider using more objective sources of research data.

Despite the effort to increase financial inclusion, women-owned Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) continue to face challenges in the uptake of financial services. Low financial uptake is strongly associated with business failure leading to low income and living standards among women entrepreneurs in marginalized areas. Market system strategies are crucial in determining businesses' level of financial uptake. The study investigated the effect of market system strategies on the financial uptake of women-owned MSMEs in the informal settlement of Nyeri County. Specifically, it investigated the effect of business readiness, financial literacy, investor relationships, and investment impact on financial uptake among women-owned MSMEs. The study variables were anchored on Ricky Griffin's model, Theory of Change, and Refinancing theory. The study used a descriptive research design, specifically a cross-sectional design. The target population was 890 women-owned MSMEs in the informal settlements of Nyeri county. Proportionate stratified and random sampling were used to obtain a sample of 275 businesses representing approximately 30% of the study population. Data was collected using structured questionnaires. A pilot test was conducted using ten individuals to test and improve the study questionnaire Reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha, where an alpha of 0.7 was the acceptable threshold. Regression analyses indicated that the market system strategies, business readiness, financial literacy, impact investment, and investor relationship positively and significantly affected financial uptake, with p-values lower than 0.05 alpha. The study found that businesses with better market system strategies have a higher financial uptake. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that policies and interventions aimed at improving financial uptake among women-owned MSMEs should focus on enhancing business readiness and financial literacy and building strong impact investment and investor relationships. The county government, NGOs, and others interested stakeholders should encourage women entrepreneurs in informal settlements of Nyeri county to seek training and support to develop their business skills and increase their understanding of financial uptake. Furthermore, the county and national governments should connect women-owned MSMEs with impact investors and establish relationships to provide funding, support, and mentorship. Finally, policymakers and stakeholders in the financial sector should consider creating an enabling environment that supports and incentivizes impact investment in MSMEs, especially those owned by women, to increase their financial uptake.

This paper aims to examine the effect of strategic leadership, resource allocation, information technology, customer focus, and differentiation on the performance of microfinance institutions in Nairobi City County. The study was founded on a resource-based view, dynamic capability and life-cycle theories. A target of 300 employees was targeted from which a sample of 172 research participants was recruited. The sample was selected through a combination of both stratified and sampling techniques. Questionnaires were used for primary data collection. Analysis used both descriptive and multiple regression analyses. The findings of the study indicated the urgency for microfinance organizations to adopt growth strategies that encompass innovative digital advancements, the introduction of novel products, innovation-focused strategies, and the digitization of services. The findings further highlighted the pivotal roles played by strategic positioning, strategic leadership, information technology integration, and differentiation in significantly shaping microfinance institutions’ performance. The findings also indicated that a unit enhancement of strategic positioning indicator had a significant enhancement on their individual performance. However, the effect of customer focus and resource allocation did not exhibit the same level of significance. The study recommended the reinforcement of strategic positioning, optimized resource allocation, embracing technological integration, and an unwavering focus on customer needs. The study recommended the exploration of diverse leadership styles, resource allocation strategies, and the undertaking of comparative analyses to draw insights into the effects of these factors on microfinance institutions.

Worldwide, startup businesses are essential for any country's economic development. Despite the rapid growth of start-ups, their likelihood of success and viability remain low. This trend is more observed in developing countries due to the low uptake of business incubation services such as Kenya. The aim of the current study was to determine the effect of networking services, physical incubation, and management mentoring on the growth of start-ups in Kenya. The study was based on the social network theory, the theory of the firm, the stochastic theory and the trait theory of entrepreneurship. A cross-sectional research design was used. A sample size of 227 respondents was selected from a total population of 567 respondents using proportionate stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire. The data was analyzed with multiple linear regression with the help of SPSS. The finding of the study indicated that there was a positive and significant effect between networking services, physical incubation infrastructure and management mentoring and growth of startups. The study suggests that startups should join associations like the Associations of Startups and SME Enablers of Kenya and the Association of Countrywide Innovation Hubs to access incubation infrastructure. This will allow access to investor networks, civil society programs, and government agencies, accelerating business growth. Additionally, business incubators can partner with universities for specialized research in areas like health, agriculture, and climate change through the triple helix model.

This paper aims to examine the effect of selected factors that link to completion of NSSF construction projects and how they are influenced by the various critical factors. The main objective was to establish the critical success factors and their effects on performance of construction projects. Four theories namely Game theory, Principal-Agent theory, Construction Management, and Soft Value Management (SVM) theory served as the foundation for this research.  Descriptive research design was employed for data collection, analysis, presentation and interpretation.The target population was 512 stakeholders from six complete commercial and residential projects. Purposive sampling was used to select 84 participants for the study. Semi-structured questionnaires were used in the study to collect data. The data was analyzed using SPSS whereby descriptive and inferential statistics were used. The results show that the R-square value was 0.282 and R was 0.531. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was significant at p=0.001 with an F statistic of 9.961 indicating that the model used was fit for the data. The data also revealed that client variations (p= 0.05), financial availability (p = 0.047), and construction disputes (p = 0.001) are statistically significant determinants affecting the performance of NSSF construction projects. The main findings of the study demonstrate that the key critical success factors used in this study affected the performance of NSSF-completed construction projects either positively or negatively. The study recommends that companies should adhere to the principles that safeguard project management to adequately manage the critical factors and ultimately minimize project delays.