Effect of lean manufacturing on organizational performance: a case of south nyanza sugar company, awendo, kenya

Due to the present business landscape that is characterized by global competition and high cost pressures, both of which have motivated companies to take a global approach to their supply markets, lean manufacturing has become a common practice among organizations worldwide. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of lean manufacturing on organizational performance in Sony Sugar Company, Awendo, Kenya. The study objectives were to establish the effect of elimination of waste on organizational performance, to examine the effect of intellectual knowledge on organizational performance, to determine the effect of an Andon on organizational performance, to establish the effect of technology adoption on organizational performance in Sony Sugar Company, Awendo, Kenya and to establish the moderating influence of organizational culture on the relationship between lean manufacturing and organizational performance. The study population was 371 who were HoDs, Divisional HoDs and Supervisors of Sony Sugar Company in nine departments with a sample size 79 out of 371 targeted population. The study used correlation research design. Questionnaires use correlation research design. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used as tools for data collection. Qualitative data was analyzed and presented in themes while quantitative data was analyzed descriptively using percentage, frequencies, mean and standard deviation. Inferentially, Pearson Correlation coefficient and use multiple regression analysis were used as analysis tools to test for significance among various hypotheses. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to analyze the data with the assistance of SPSS software program version 22. Five hypotheses were formulated and subsequently tested to establish the influence organizational culture. It was therefore concluded that there is a regression relationship between lean manufacturing combined with organizational culture and organizational performance implementation. It is therefore recommended that organizations to intensify application of lean manufacturing practices so that it could help in reduction of production cost and production of quality products and services at a cheap cost. Management of various organization to organize for induction of lean manufacturing practices from time to time in which internal experts or external consultants on lean manufacturing are tasked to design training programme that are tailored to the needs of particular industry to supplement application of lean manufacturing practices. Both the government, private sector and the education stakeholders should design a way of empowering the employees on the need to be equipped with lean manufacturing practices so as not to affect the its implementation since the finding indicated that the strength of relationship of lean manufacturing and organizational performance depended on organizational culture. Quarterly production and customer satisfaction reports should be filed in order to track the quality of products and services delivered and the extent of customer satisfaction with a view of increasing profit and market share through the application of lean manufacturing practices. Suggestions for further research. A study can be replicated in a larger number of sugar companies and in more counties. A study can be carried out to investigate the influence of other factors like “pull” production and lean manufacturing, just-in-time, total quality management and production smoothing on organizational performance

Dialogue as a management tool for conflict resolution at Rongo University

Other approaches have been used for decades to solving issues in Kenyan public universities, but the methods have been found to be less humane and costly. The need to embrace dialogue is a better approach in conflict resolution and should be encouraged towards a transformed society. This study investigates dialogue as a management tool for conflict resolution at Rongo University. It raises the need for knowledge of what dialogue is, competence in how to employ dialogue and its use for it to be a tool in conflict resolution. Employees move beyond any one individual’s understanding to gain new insights and create new ideas in ways that cannot be achieved individually. It describes the dialogue process and explores how it shifts both individuals and a group to a collective, shared understanding. In dialogue all parties involved are givers and takers, dialogue can be carried out at different levels at which participants are influenced or influence others. The study was guided by the following objectives; to identify the importance of dialogue in conflict resolution at Rongo University, investigate the requirements for dialogue in conflict resolution at Rongo University and examine if dialogue can be used as a sustainable management tool in conflict resolution at Rongo University. Data was collected from employees of Rongo University. Descriptive study was applied, and purposive sample used. The target population was a total of 500 employees and a sample size of 217 using Krejcie and Morgan sampling table. It was anchored by dialogue theory. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were adapted using questionnaires and observation. Tables, graphs and pie charts were used in data presentation. Results indicated that some of the approaches used in conflict resolution were due to delays, fear of dialogue, and insensitivity of management. The conclusion from the study was that dialogue had not been fully embraced and lack of dialogue was due to the attitude that has developed over time. Employees have not been adequately informed on the importance of embracing dialogue as a better approach to conflict resolution

Sectoral credit diversification, bank performance and monitoring effectiveness; a cross-country analysis of east African banking industries

Traditionally, banking has been viewed as a pathway to reducing the frictions of transaction costs and information asymmetries. However, innovations in information technologies, deregulation, and financial deepening have deprived banks of the intermediation advantages by reducing the costs and information gaps. The emergence of shadow banking model further erodes these advantages. Banks have often responded by ameliorating their intermediation costs, through sectoral diversification. Indeed intermediation theories advocate for diversification to attain efficiency by reducing costs. However, given the nature of their operations, banks never hold sufficient balances to guarantee full liquidity. This exposes them to runs and portfolio losses if they don’t efficiently monitor and recover the advances. This scenario raises two questions that are critical to the very core of bank intermediation. First, does sectoral credit diversification enhance bank profitability; and secondly, are banks able to effectively monitor the many portfolios resulting from diversification? To answer these questions, secondary data was collected from Bank Supervision reports of the central banks in four East African Community (EAC) countries for eight firm years from 2008 to 2015 and analysed using Generalized Linear Models (GLM). A positive and significant effect of sectoral credit diversification on banking industry returns on assets was observed while a significant negative relationship between diversification and asset quality as a proxy for monitoring effectiveness was reported. This shows that sectoral credit diversification improve the monitoring effectiveness of banks. The paper recommends a diversified loan portfolio where intermediaries distribute their credit offerings across various economic sectors

Patterns of utilization of uwezo fund among the youths in Kenya: a case of Rongo sub-county, Migori County

Uwezo Fund is provided to youths in Kenya to enhance self-employment among them. However, utilization of such fund remains a challenge. Nearly 80% of youths in Rongo sub-county cannot account for Ksh. 16,943,338 which has so far been disbursed to them. This study therefore sought to assess the patterns of utilization of Uwezo Fund among youths in Rongo Sub-County, Migori County, Kenya. Specific objectives of the study are: influence of accessibility of Uwezo fund on its usage; socio-demographic factors that influence the usage of the fund; and the socio-economic factors influencing the usage of Uwezo Fund. Literature was reviewed in relation to the specific objectives of the study. The study adopted Theory of Planned Behavior and Social Learning Theory. It utilized a cross-sectional descriptive survey design. The study targeted youths who were recipients of Uwezo Fund in Rongo Sub-County. The target population was 1,296 youths and two Sub-county Uwezo Fund officers. Cluster, Proportionate and Simple random sampling were adopted where 125 youths were used as a sample. Data was collected using questionnaires, key informant interview and focus group discussion. Validity of research instruments were ensured by discussing them with research supervisors. Reliability was ensured by doing a pre-test. Data was subjected to both descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. Results were presented in tables, bar charts and pie charts. The study found that most youths (76.80%) do not receive amount of Uwezo Fund they apply for. The study also found that amount of Uwezo Funds accessed has a strong significant association with its planned use (ᵪ2=69.512 at 1df and P=0.05, with a Cramer‟s V of 0.746). Regarding socio-demographic factors, the study found weak association between planned use of Uwezo Fund and Age (ᵪ2=9.388 at 2df and P=0.05, with a Cramer‟s V of 0.274) and marital status (ᵪ2=7.398 at 2df and P=0.05, with a Cramer‟s V of 0.243). The study found no significant association between use of Uwezo Fund and gender (ᵪ2=1.622 at 1df and P=0.05) and religion (ᵪ2=0.588 at 2df and P=0.05). On socio-economic factors, the study found weak association between use of Uwezo fund and level of education (ᵪ2=8.006 at 3df and P=0.05, with a Cramer‟s V of 0.253) and income (ᵪ2=7.568 at 2df and P=0.05, with a Cramer‟s V of 0.246). The study found no association between use of Uwezo Fund and occupation (ᵪ2=6.303 at 3df and P=0.05). The study concludes that there exist a strong relationship between amount of Uwezo Fund accessed and its use. There is also a relationship between socio-demographic and socio-economic factors and planned utilization of Uwezo Fund. The study recommends the following: Government through the ministry of finance should increase amount allocated to individual youth groups; Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs to consider socio-demographic factors of youths in distributing the fund; and the ministry Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs should also consider socio-economic factors of the youths in allocating funds and carry out monitoring and evaluation on economic projects undertaken by youths

Online psychotherapy practice in public teachers training colleges in the lake region, Kenya

Introduction of Information Communication and technology in particular internet aimed at widening access to flexible distance education in institutions of learning. This included the practice of online psychotherapy in learning institutions. In developed countries online psychotherapy has been practiced for many years. However there is less information on whether it has taken root in public teacher training colleges in Kenya. The purpose of this study was to examine Online Psychotherapy practice in Public Teacher Training Colleges in the Lake Region, Kenya. The Objectives of this study were to establish the attitude of tutors and trainees towards online psychotherapy practice, identify resources available for online psychotherapy practice, determine the trainees’ level of usage of online services, to find out advantages and disadvantages of online psychotherapy practice and to find out the factors that contribute to online psychotherapeutic relationship in teacher training colleges in the Lake Region, Kenya. The study utilized the Person Centered Theory and Technology Acceptance model for conceptual framework. Questionnaire for the tutors and trainees and in depth interview for lead counselors based on the objectives were used to collect data. The study population comprised 2200 and a sample size of 327 from the five teachers training colleges. The study adopted purposive sampling procedure to select 40 tutor counselors from the five teacher training colleges. Sampling techniques used to select trainees were stratified and simple random sampling procedures. Streams were identified as strata and 287 trainees were selected from the eight streams from each of the five colleges. The streams were further sub divided according to gender then followed by simple random sampling procedure for each gender to obtain averagely 7 cases from each second year class totaling to 57 trainees from each college and 287 from the five teachers training colleges. The research supervisors of Rongo University viewed the instruments of research to ascertain their validity. Reliability of the instrument was established by test retest procedure and a reliability co-efficient of +0.6 was reported. The study utilized descriptive survey design and data was analyzed using descriptive statistics with the aid of computer program that is Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. The findings of the study revealed that the respondents had a positive attitude towards online psychotherapy practice. The study also established that online resources are available and this provides a platform for online psychotherapy practice in teachers training colleges. The results further found that there was high level of usage of online services among tutors and trainees. The study findings challenged trainees and tutor counselors to embrace technology integration policy in teachers training colleges. Therefore, the Ministry of Education should allocate more resources for the development of online psychotherapy practice in Teachers Training Colleges. There is also need for the Ministry of Education to ensure that similar future research is carried out in all the teachers training colleges in Kenya

Organizational communication on devolved governance: a case of kisii county executive

In the year 2010, Kenya promulgated a new constitution that advocated for a devolved system of governance. This led to the establishment of 47 County governments in the country that are charged with the responsibility of providing services to the local people. Devolution, being a new phenomenon in Kenya, the capacity of the counties to face up with communication challenges and potential structural complexities to ensure that they are managed sustainably is a concern. County Government‟s capacity to entrench communication to ensure proper service delivery remains an area of concern. The purpose of this study was to assist in understanding how organizational communication contribute to the general performance of county governments in Kenya and possibly stimulate the exchange of ideas among public and private experts, policy makers and implementers on policy guidelines for optimal implementation of devolved governance. The specific objectives were to establish how organizational communication channels affect devolved governance in Kisii County, determine the effect of employee communication skills on devolved governance in Kisii County and examine the effect of organizational communication structure on devolved governance in Kisii County. The study targeted 620 employees and a sample size of 86 respondents was used for the study. The location of the research was limited to the county headquarters at the former Municipal building along Kisii-Daraja Mbili road. The study adopted a descriptive research design and also used stratified sampling technique. The study used questionnaires and observation in the collection of primary data while secondary data was obtained through published documents such as books, journals, periodicals, magazines and reports to supplement the primary data. Data was analyzed and presented in tables and column charts. Based on the study findings, the study concludes channels of communication, employee communication skills and organizational communication structure as the major factors that mostly affect devolved governance. The study recommends for improvement in the way the county executive conducts its management operations and activities by communicating to other employees properly besides equipping them with necessary communication skills through training to enhance and support devolved governance. It also recommends for an establishment of an internal communication policy in Kisii County government to guide the communication processes

Communication function of student governing council in the administration of public secondary schools: a case of Awendo sub-county - Kenya

The role of communication function of Student Governing Councils (SGCs) in the administration of Public Secondary Schools is increasingly becoming important. Currently, the government in partnership with other stakeholders has made it mandatory for schools in Kenya to have active SGCs who should play active roles including communication between the students and the school administration. However, it is not empirically established what exact communication functions these SGCs exercise in Awendo Sub- County. It was in light with this that the researcher sought to investigation the communication functions of SGCs in the administration of public secondary school in Awendo Sub-County, Migori County, Kenya. This study examined the understanding, implementation and the success of the communication functions of SGCs in the administration of public secondary school in Awendo Sub County. The study employed qualitative research design. The target population for the study was 24 principals, 24 deputy principals and 118 student leaders making a total population of 166. The students leaders was selected from 3 schools out of the 24 public secondary schools based on the category of the school i.e. girls, boys or boarding. Simple random procedure was used to randomly choose the student leaders from the 3 public secondary schools. The research instruments were a structured questionnaire distributed to each participant. The study revealed that the students as well as the school administrators understand the communication functions of SGCs. Majority of the schools have fully implemented the communication functions and have acknowledge its success in the administration of public secondary schools. The student councils have acted as a channel of communication between the students and the school; a role that this research have discovered to be significant for school administrative purposes. However, when undertaking this communication function, the SGCs have faced various challenges such as being termed as a sell out by other students, lack of motivation as well as the inability to handle issues such as drug abuse, homosexuality and indiscipline cases in schools. The study concludes that the communication function of SGCs is not yet exhausted in various school and further investigations should be done to ascertain how it can be strengthened. The study recommends that the student councils should be trained in order to acquire skills that will enable them overcome the challenges. In addition, benchmarking programs should be encouraged for the student councils to learn how their colleagues do it elsewhere

Contemporary vernacular broadcast media intervention in communities prone to intra-ethnic conflict: a case of the Abakuria in Kenya

The rapid growth in the vernacular broadcast media sector in Kenya has been lauded as key in the social and economic transformation of the rural communities. However, how they can be used in conflict management still remains datable. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contemporary vernacular media intervention in the Abakuria community which has been prone to internecine intra-ethnic conflicts for a long time. The study analysed sources of information from broadcast media and their role in conflict resolution; evaluated the existing media reportage of intra-ethnic conflict; identified shortfalls in the usage of existing broadcast media platforms for resolving ethnic conflict and assessed the suitability of vernacular broadcast media in resolution of intra-ethnic conflict among the Abakuria community. The study used libertarian and social responsibility theories to advance understanding of the media in enhancing conflict management. It used a mixture of survey and qualitative methods of research design. Data was obtained from 162 victims of previous conflict and 162 local community members as well as 12 media practitioners and 12 key informants from the four divisions of Mabera, Ntimaru, Kegonga and Kehancha. Analysis of previous media reports was also done. Data were collected through observation, interviews, questionnaires, focus group discussions, and Participatory Vulnerability Analysis (PVA). The data were coded and entered in the computer for analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study established several findings. The main sources of information among the respondents were radio with 80% listenership, television (TV) with 40% viewership and newspapers at 20-25% readership. The most frequently used media for obtaining information was radio, followed by TV while newspaper was low and internet least preferred. Radio Citizen, Citizen TV and NTV were the most preferred channels from where information on intra-ethnic conflict is obtained. There were also up to 20% of the respondents who sought information from the Ekegusi language radio channel known as Egesa FM and another 3-5% of the respondents obtained information from one or the other of several Luo language FM stations. The national and vernacular broadcast media provided very little information about conflict resolution for the community. This study therefore recommends that a vernacular broadcast media channel distinctly dedicated to the Kuria language be established. It also recommends that a mass media advisory committee on conflict management should be set up at the local, county and national levels to advise media practitioners and coordinate activities of the mass media to set standards of enhancing management of intra-ethnic conflict among the communities in Keny