Faculty of Business and Economics
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://repository.tmu.ac.ke/handle/123456789/170
Browse
39 results
Search Results
Item Comparative Economic Analysis of Clonal Tea Yield Response to Nitrogen Fertiliser Rates within Selected Geographical Areas in Kenya(International Journal of Tea Science, 2020-09-09) Rosebell A. Owuor; Alphonce J. Odondo; P. Okinda Owuor; David M. KamauTea sector contributes approximately 30% of export earnings in Kenya. Despite the industry continuing to realize positive gross margins, high costs of production coupled with weak trends in export prices threaten its future contributions. Nitrogen fertiliser is mandatory in tea production and its appropriate use promotes tea growth rate and yields. Previous studies using different tea cultivars established that optimal fertiliser rates varied with clones and geographical area of production. However, economics of nitrogenous fertilisers use on same tea cultivar in different tea growing regions in Kenya remains undefined. This study evaluated response of NPKS 25:5:5:5 fertiliser applied at 0, 75, 150, 225 and 300 kg N/ha/year on clone BBK35 to determine the viable economic rate under uniform management in different locations (Karirana, Timbilil, Changoi, Sotik Highlands and Kipkebe) within Kenya. The study used time series tea yield data and corresponding variable costs from field experiments running from 1997 to 2007. The data were subjected to Partial Budget Analysis (PBA) procedures for economic analysis of on-farm experiments. The economic returns varied with rate of nitrogen and region of production. Maximum marginal rate of return (MRR) were achieved at 75 kg N/ha/year at Kipkebe, Changoi and Timbilil, and 150 at Sotik Highlands and Karirana. However best economic returns were recorded at 300 kg N/ha/year in Kipkebe and Sotik Highlands, 225 kg N/ha/year in Changoi, and at 150 kg N/ha/year in Timbilil and Karirana. These results demonstrate that current uniform fertiliser recommendation rate of 100 to 220 kg N/ha/year may not be suitable for all regions. There is need to develop region specific nitrogen fertiliser requirements for tea growing areas in Kenya.Item Effects of Strategy Control Measures on Strategy Implementation at the Lake Victoria North Water Services Board, Homabay County,Kenya(2020-07) Belyndah Shitakwa Ligare; Thomas Okoth Otieno; Dr. Victor AliataThe Lake Victoria North Water Services Board (LVNWSB) in Homabay initiated a project with the aim of improving and expanding the network and infrastructure for drinking water and its sanitation in the county of Homabay. At that time, about 92% of the population had no access to piped water which was also of poor quality and high cost. Only 8% of the residents benefited from a continuous water supply. The Homabay Project is worth Ksh 300M which was to be completedby 2017 but up to date it has not been completed. The objective of this study was to establish the effect of strategy control measures on strategy implementation at the LVNWSB, in Homa Bay County, Kenya. The stakeholder theory was used in the study that suggests that an organization is a social construction made of interaction of various stakeholders. This study used correlation survey design.The target population for this study was 50 employees of LVNWSB. Census method was used to survey the target population. The respondents were given questionnaires that were administered through drop and pick method.The questionnaires were pre-tested by conducting a pilot survey from 5 respondents taken from the 50 employees using the internal consistency technique by employing Cronbach Coefficient Alpha test for reliability. Validity was determined using Content Validity Index (CVI). The research instrument was designedto collect qualitative and quantitative data. The researcher used multiple regression analysis using SPSS so as to determine the effects of independent variables on dependent variable.The study findings revealed that strategic control systems have a positive significant effect on strategy implementation (β=.389, p=.000). The study concluded that strategic control systems have positive effect on strategy implementation. The study therefore recommends that the government improves the strategic control measures to enhance strategy implementation at LVNWSB.Findings from this study will be valuable to a number of stakeholders in and outside thewater sector: expanding existing knowledge, referencing and finding comparisons in the quest of getting an ideal strategy-ethics composition and policy approach to stakeholder involvement that would improve service delivery.Item Structural Characteristics and Conduct of Sweet Potato Market in Rachuonyo Region, Kenya: Perception of Sweet Potato Farmers and Traders(East African Journal of Business and Economics, 2023-07-31) Dr. Alphonce Juma Odondo, PhD1*Myriad studies have been conducted on commodity markets in different parts of the world. However, such studies have yielded inconsistent results on various facets of market structure and market conduct, implying that each market may have its distinctive characteristics which impact on its performance. In SubSaharan Africa, the growth of sweet potato industry is hindered by lack of information on sweet potato market structural characteristics. Kenya’s sweet potato industry is facing a similar challenge. This scenario calls for a baseline survey on the sweet potato market structural characteristics and conduct as a basis for subsequent robust studies on the possible nexus between the market structure, conduct and performance of the industry. The study adopted a descriptive survey design based on interpretivism research paradigm. A sample size of 384 farmers, 166 retailers and 55 wholesalers were taken. Pretested questionnaires were used to gather perception of the respondents on various parameters based on a fivepoint Likert scale. The views were then summarized in terms of means scores. It was established that the sweet potato market was imperfect since there were notable elements of potato differentiation and barriers to entry into the market. Such barriers included competition from other traders and uncertainties in the demand for sweet potato. The situation was exacerbated by lack of suitable storage facilities given the perishable nature of the commodity. High market concentration was noted at the wholesale level, a likely indicator of price collusion and exploitation by the few large sellers that dominated the market. In this regard, there is need to enhance value addition activities that can enable the market players especially the farmers to be more competitive within the supply chain. Efforts should also be made to eliminate the identified market barriers.Item Job Promotion and Employee Performance among the Administration Police in Bungoma County, Kenya(Cross Current International Journal of Economics, Management and Media Studies, 2020) Belyndah Shitakwa Ligare; Dr. Kadian Wanyonyi Wanyama; Dr. Victor Lusala AliataAccording to Kenya Police Service Annual Crime Reports (KPSACR) of 2016, the number of criminal offences is still on the increase with the 2013, 2014 and 2015 reports evidencing an offence number of 71832, 72,490 and 73,376 respectively. Based on this upward trend, it is still unclear if the trend is related to human resource practices such as job promotion as applied in the administration police which in turn have an effect on the performance of the administration police. In the service industry, especially the Kenya National Police Service, little research has been conducted on job promotion and employee performance especially in Bungoma County. The purpose of this study was to establish the influence of job promotion on the performance of administration police. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The target population was 1,318 administration police officers in Bungoma County rom which a sample size of 384 respondents was used. Questionnaires were the main instruments used to collect primary data. Stratified random sampling, simple random sampling and systematic random sampling techniques were used. Data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Reliability analysis gave an average Cronbach alpha value of 0.8034 which indicated that the instruments were reliable. Results of the study showed that there was a statistically significant positive relationship between job promotion and employee performance and that job promotion accounted for 71.3% (R2 = 0.713) variations in the employee performance. It was concluded that if job promotion was well executed in the administration police, the performance of the staff would be enhanced. The following were the recommendations of the study: organizations should adhere strictly to its promotion policy, ensure promotion process is fair and that employees are promoted based on merit. The findings of this study is expected to inform administration police management policy makers, the government and other stakeholders on relevance and implications of on job promotion in the administration police aimed at improving the performance of staffItem INFLUENCE OF RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION ON RETENTION OF TEACHERS SERVICE COMMISSION SECRETARIAT STAFF IN BUSIA COUNTY, KENYA(2021) Esther Tawarar; Dr. Sylvia C. Sirai, PhD; Dr.Victor Lusala Aliata, PhDPurpose: Employee retention has been a key source of competitive advantage as well as achievement of business goals and objectives. Employee turnover can have a detrimental influence on the implementation of business strategies and eventually lead to productivity reduction. The secretariat staff labour turnover at the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has for years increased and this has affected the overall performance at the TSC since qualified employees with experience leave the TSC yearly. For example, in 2018, the recorded turnover of employees was at 20% and the efficiency of TSC fell by 5%. The purpose of the study was to establish the influence of recruitment and selection on retention of Teachers Service Commission secretariat staff in Busia County, Kenya. Methodology: Human Capital and Motivation theories served as the foundation for this study. In this study, a descriptive research design was used. The target population was115 employees working at the TSC in Busia County as secretariat staff. The sample size was 115 according to Slovins, (1980). Findings: The findings revealed that recruitment and selection had a positive significant effect on retention (β=.408, p<.05). The study concluded that HRM practices have a positive influence on employee retention. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The output of the research may be utilized by the Department of HRM practices at the TSC Kenya, by employers, academicians, employees, trade unions, HR practitioners, Ministry of Labour in the formulation of a systematic process of ensuring employee retention at work places. The outcome may also lead to efficient and effective service delivery as well as proper utilization of resources by all the departments at the TSC offices in Kenya.Item The Relationship between Relationship Marketing and Brand Loyalty in Mobile Telecom Service Providers: Case of Nairobi County, Kenya(Stratford Peer Reviewed Journals and Book Publishing, 2023-09) Jessica Atieno Ooko; Dr. Fredrick O. Aila; Dr. Alphonce J. OdondoRelationship marketing remains a major predictor of brand loyalty in the telecommunication industry. Regardless of this, mobile telecommunication firms in Kenya are yet to achieve required brand loyalty levels. This is evident given high levels of switching freedom and churn rate levels which rose from 21.20% to 31.45% in Safaricom, while in Airtel, this rose from 4.9% to 6.0% in 2021. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of relationship marketing on brand loyalty in mobile telecommunication service providers in Kenya. The study was hinged relationship marketing theory and descriptive research design. Target population was 124,849 subscribers drawn from four telecoms; Safaricom, Airtel, Telecom and Equitel. Stratified sampling technique was used to select a representative sample of 443 respondents. The primary data for the study was collected using a closed ended survey instrument. The study adopted Cronbach’s metrics of alpha to determine the internal consistency of the instrument while its validity was assessed by supervisors. Quantitative data was analyzed using both descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Correlation and Regression). The findings indicated that there is a positive and significant relationship between relationship marketing and brand loyalty, where relationship marketing explained 60.1% of the variance in mobile telecommunication service providers brand loyalty. The study concludes that relationship marketing has a significant effect on brand loyalty. The telecos management should put more effort on human interactions and activities, enhanced Collaborative Perspective, aligned and empowerment employee and value co-creation behaviors in order to advance relationship marketingItem Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Brand Loyalty(THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT, 2023-09) Jessica Atieno Ooko; Dr. Fredrick Onyango Aila; Dr. Alphonse Juma OdondoGlobally, customer satisfaction remains a major predictor of brand loyalty and customer satisfaction in the telecommunication industry. Regardless of this, mobile telecommunication firms in Kenya are yet to achieve the required brand loyalty levels. This is evident given the high levels of switching freedom and churn rate levels, which rose from 21.20% to 31.45% in Safaricom, while in Airtel, this rose from 4.9% to 6.0% in 2021. Studies on the relationship between customer satisfaction and brand loyalty revealed both positive and negative results. The main purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. The study hinged on the theory of planned behaviour. The research used descriptive research design. The target population was 124,849 subscribers drawn from four telecoms: Safaricom, Airtel, Telecom and Equitel. The stratified sampling technique was used to select a representative sample of 443 respondents. The primary data for the study was collected using a closed-ended survey instrument. Quantitative data was analyzed using both descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Correlation and Regression). The findings indicated that there is a positive and significant relationship between customer satisfaction and brand loyalty, where customer satisfaction explained 50.9% of the variance in mobile telecommunication service providers' brand loyalty. The study concludes that customer satisfaction has a significant effect on brand loyalty. The study recommended that the telecom management should put more effort into service promptness, responsiveness, staff courtesy and customer understanding to enhance brand loyalty in their companies.Item Online Perceived Risk’s Influence on Consumer Purchase Decisions of Households in Nairobi City County, Kenya(International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI), 2025-07-02) Linsey Wanjiku Waweru1; Stephen Ntuara Kiriinya2; Elyjoy Micheni3; Hellen Kabue4The study assessed the influence of online shopping dimensions: convenience, product presentation and perceived risks in regard to the purchase decisions of households in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study also investigated the effect of data security and internet access as the moderating and intervening variables, respectively. The study was based on positivist philosophy and employed both descriptive and explanatory research designs. It was anchored on the Theory of Reasoned Action, Uses and Gratification Theory and Howard-Sheth Model. In determining sample sizes, the study adopted the Roscoe’s rule of thumb. The study further used a mixed sampling design where cluster sampling was applied to come up with the households of the eight (8) constituencies in Nairobi City County. Simple random sampling was also used to select households from the respective clusters. To identify the respondents, purposeful sampling technique was used to pick the household member who most frequently shopped online. The study employed structured questionnaires with both openended and close-ended questions to ensure the researcher’s biasness did not interfere with the data collection process. Descriptive statistics, like cross-tabulations, frequency distributions, means and standard deviations were used to summarize and make sense of the data which described all the variables of the study. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 27 was used for data analysis. Inferential statistics were employed to draw conclusions about the entire population by looking only at a sample of the populationItem EFFECT OF PRODUCT DESIGN ON OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF SUGAR FIRMS IN KENYA(International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development, 2023-07) Kunyoria Ogora Joseph1; Albert Washington Ochung Tambo2; Victor Lusala Aliata3Product design is a key indicator of a successful operational performance realization and is gaining robust momentum among Sugar Firms as a survival and growth strategy. The Sugar Firms in Kenya contribute approximately 26% directly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and an additional 25% indirectly through agro-based and associated industries linkages. However, they have experienced a significant decline of milled sugar production from about 635,700 tonnes in 2015 to 491,100 tonnes in 2018 according to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics in 2019. This decline was mainly attributed to the high cost of production stemming from inefficiencies across the value chain from inadequate research and extension leading to the design of production systems that are inefficient. Despite the vast contribution of the Sugar Firms to the economy, this problem ofinefficient production system has not been solved and thus the Sugar Firms performance continues to spiral downward leading to the dissolution of some firms, downscaling of operations etc. Reviewed the studies also, established a weak relationship between product design and operational performance and warrants investigation. It is in this regard that this study purposes to establish the effect of product design on operational performance of Sugar Firms in Kenya. The research was guided by the resource-based view theory and transaction cost theory. A census survey was conducted targeting all 164 managers and assistant managers of Sugar Firms in Kenya. A pilot study was conducted of 14 participants constituting of managers and assistant managers of seven departments in Transmara Sugar Company to test for reliability using Cronbach‘s alpha, with a threshold of 0.70, indicating satisfactory instrument reliability. The Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient obtained in this study was 0.849. Primary data was collected using questionnaires. A multiple linear regression model was applied to establish the association among explanatory variables in this study. The results established that product design significantly affects operational performance (β =0.742, p=.000), hence, adoption of a one-standard deviation increase in product design yields a significant 0.742 unit increase in operational performance for Sugar Firms. Indicating a positive and significant association between the two variables. Hence, the study offers a products design model that can assist in enhancing operational performancItem Effect of Cash Transfers on Household Consumption amongst the Vulnerable Population in Awendo Sub-County(Journal of Economics & Management Research, 2021-07-21) Donald Indiya; Oloo Willis Otieno; Odondo Alphonce; Gulali Donald; Odayo FranklineDespite the national cash transfer programme, poverty rate among the Kenyan population is still high at a prevalence rate of 48.9% in 2016 up from 45% in 2008. In Kenya, poverty prevalence is disproportionately spread across the 47 counties and sub-counties. In Awendo sub-county, poverty prevalence rate is 49.8 % in 2018 which is higher than the national figure prompting this empirical study. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of cash transfer on consumption among vulnerable households in Awendo Sub-County. The study was anchored on the Life Cycle hypothesis of consumption and savings, the study used a correlational design to aid the determination of relationship and association between cash transfers and status of household consumption. Using stratified sampling method, a total of 390 respondents were selected. However, the response rate was 98.7 %. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was estimated to test for reliability and the value was 0.782 which was greater than the threshold of 0.7. The study used multiple linear regression models which indicated that, there is a positive significant effect of cash transfer on consumption (α1 =0.060;p=0.046). In conclusion; cash transfer is an important factor determining levels of consumption of the vulnerable population in Awendo Sub-County. The study recommends for policy to enhance allocations among the vulnerable population in Awendo and Kenya in general. The study provides empirical evidence on the current body of knowledge for researchers and policy makers.