EXPLORING FACTORS THAT AFFECTING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION AMONG GRADUATE STUDENTS IN KENYA

The aim of this study was to adopt and test the validity of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and explore the determinants of entrepreneurial intentions among graduate students using structural equation modeling. Since most literature agreed that using Theory of Planned Behavior could determine entrepreneurial intention, this theory is used as a theoretical framework in this study. 206 graduate students of United States International University-Africa were selected as the respondents. A set of questionnaire on Entrepreneurial Intention and its antecedents, which consists of several semi-structured questions, was used for data collection. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The results revealed that personal attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control are the predictors of entrepreneurial intention accounting for 75%.  Personal attitude and perceived behavioral control had a positive effect on entrepreneurial intention while subjective norms had a negative effect on the same.Keywords: Theory of planned behavior, graduate students, entrepreneurial intention, Kenya

The Influence of Organizational Leadership on M-commerce Performance in Kenya’s Commercial Banks

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of organizational leadership on performance of mobile commerce (m-commerce), in relation to strategy implementation in Kenya’s commercial banks. The study was motivated by the fact that banks are experiencing competition from Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). In the developed countries, several mobile money payment initiatives have developed and despite promising high returns, some have either stagnated or failed. Studies indicate that traditional banks could have up to 35 percent of their revenues taken by MNOs. The study used correlation to establish the relationship between organizational leadership and m-commerce performance, Chi square test to determine association of variables and ANOVA analysis and SEM to test the hypotheses. The findings demonstrated that organizational leadership in commercial banking sector in Kenya was found to have a significant and positive relationship with m-commerce performance. The study recommends that banks need experienced people with well-developed leadership capabilities and business acumen. Bank leaders should build a strong relationship with their teams, be flexible in the current environment to support new innovations and to be seen to be the visible vision bearer of innovations in the bank. Keywords: Organizational leadership, strategy implementation, m-commerce performance, Kenya’s Commercial Banks

The Role of A Decentralized Organizational Structure on KM Infrastructure Capability during the Implementation of ERP Systems in Kenya

It is a well-established fact that most Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP) fail due to a myriad of implementation problems. This study was motivated by the high failure rate of ERP systems around the world during the implementation stage. Most studies report failure rates of between 65% and 75%. Many developed countries have adapted flexible organizational structures as a technique of minimizing ERP implementation problems. This paper investigated the influence of organizational structure on KM infrastructure capabilities during the implementation of ERP systems in organizations listed in the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) in Kenya, with the aim of establishing whether these organizations have embraced organizational structures which enhance knowledge sharing. Three hundred and six (306) questionnaires were distributed to senior managers and users of ERP systems in the companies listed in the NSE. One hundred and eighty four (184) responses were received representing a 60% response rate. The study employed factor analysis, correlation analysis, univariate analysis, multivariate regression analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to investigate the relationship among variables and measure the strength and direction of the relationships between constructs. Data was cleaned and analyzed using SPSS version 20 and AMOS version 21. The research found out that organizational structure is not considered a significant component of KM infrastructure in the companies listed in the NSE. The findings imply that most companies listed in the NSE in Kenya still practice silo behavior where individual divisions, units, or functional areas operate as silos or independent agents within the organization. This study leads to the conclusion that the organizational structures in Kenya are not flexible enough to enhance ERP implementation success and recommends that organizations should embrace decentralized structures, which provide the flexibility required for knowledge sharing in ERP implementation projects. Keywords: ERP implementation, organizational structure, KM infrastructure capability, Social Capital Theory, Dynamic Capability View, Resource based theor

The Impact of Higher Education on Entrepreneurial Intentions of University Students in Kenya

A Conference Paper by Dr. Ngugi, a lecturer at USIU-AfricaEntrepreneurship is a driving force of emerging economies and an effective way to ease employment pressure of university students. The Kenya government has made great efforts to support entrepreneurial behaviors but nothing much seems to happen than before, only a small number of students start up a business after graduating for the universities. The objective of this study therefore, is to investigate the impact of global social sustainable entrepreneurial (GSSE) post graduate course designed from an American perspective-offered by Colorado State University as a professional and sponsored by MIT and USAID-to enhance entrepreneurial intentions among our students in Kenya. The study uses a cross-sectional survey and Theory of Planned Behavior model will be adopted and tested for the formation of Kenyan university students’ entrepreneurial intentions using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Data will be collected from graduate students from United States International University-Africa who have undertaken the course from Colorado State University. The main results of this empirical study is expected to demonstrate a clear and plausible explanation on the difference between how entrepreneurship is taught from an American perspective and its effects on entrepreneurial intentions development among group of students with various education backgrounds at pos

Exploring Factors that Affect the Entrepreneurial Intention Among Graduates Students In Kenya.

A Journal Article by Dr. Joseph Kamau, a Faculty in the Chandaria School of Business at USIU AfricaThe aim of this study was to adopt and test the validity of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and explore the determinants of entrepreneurial intentions among graduate students using structural equation modeling. Since most literature agreed that using Theory of Planned Behavior could determine entrepreneurial intention, this theory is used as a theoretical framework in this study. 206 graduate students of United States International University-Africa were selected as the respondents. A set of questionnaire on Entrepreneurial Intention and its antecedents, which consists of several semi-structured questions, was used for data collection. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The results revealed that personal attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control are the predictors of entrepreneurial intention accounting for 75%. Personal attitude and perceived behavioral control had a positive effect on entrepreneurial intention while subjective norms had a negative effect on the same

The Influence of Strategic Communication on M-Commerce Performance in Kenya’s Commercial Banks

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of strategic communication in the context of strategy implementation on performance of Mobile-Commerce (M-Commerce) in Kenya’s commercial banks.  This study was motivated by the high failure rate in strategy implementation and the view that effective strategy implementation influences performance. The study adopted a positivistic research orientation and design. There is limited research on strategy implementation and challenges associated with organizational strategy implementation. A significant amount of scholarly work has gone into strategy formulation, but implementation of business strategies has not had a strong focus. Studies on M-Commerce have concentrated on customer adoption and end user performance, and not from the financial provider perspective and this study was intended to close this gap. The results inform the banks, Central Bank of Kenya, Communication Authorities and the scholarly world on the opportunities in the development of appropriate strategy implementation process, the risk of not adopting the right strategy. Keywords: Strategy Implementation, M-Commerce, Commercial Banks in Keny

Strategies Adopted By Commercial Banks in Kenya to Combat Fraud: A Survey of Selected Commercial Banks in Kenya

A Journal article by Dr. Joseph Ngugi Kamau, an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Chandaria School of Business in USIU- Africa.Over the past 10 years, commercial banks across the globe have experienced an upsurge of losses arising from frauds that affect customers’ accounts as well as the banks’ internal accounts. In Kenya, as in other rapidly developing countries, the impact of the upsurge in frauds has been particularly hard on the fragile financial infrastructure. The discussions of this paper sought to explore strategies adopted by commercial banks to combat fraud in commercial banking sector in Kenya. Specifically the paper sought to explore influence of know your customer, crime and anti-money laundering, technology and internal controls issues to combating fraud. Based on the objectives, the study concluded that legal Framework set by organizations and central banks such as verification of client personal information assist in combating fraud to a great extent. Most of the organization had access to personal and private information that they use in combating fraud to a great extent. On internal control, the study concluded that commercial banks are major institutions responsible for controlling accounts conducts and relationship. Finally, the study concluded that Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) mode of payment is associated with less frauds compared to manual methods of payments to a great extent

Factors affecting the adoption of information and computer technology in small and medium enterprises in kenya: a case of matatu saccos in thika town

The study aimed at investigating the factors that affect the adoption of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) by Small-and-Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the Matatu SACCOs in Thika town. The study was based on the following general objectives: the influence of innovative top management and organizational innovation on the adoption of ICT adoption among Matatu SACCOs. The study was significant since the findings of this study are expected to benefit government policy makers, ICT specialists, business experts and SMEs in transport sector. The study was carried out in Thika Town in Kenya. The study focused on the Matatu SACCOs who had adopted ICT adoption in their transactions. The study used survey study method to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. Self-administered questionnaires were used in collecting data. Cronbach’s alpha was used to test the reliability of the measures of the questionnaire. Quantitative data was edited to eliminate inconsistencies, summarized and coded for easy classification. Descriptive statistics were used in describing the sample data with an aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). A response rate of 78% was obtained from the study participants with 27 % of the respondents being managers, 46 % drivers and 51% were conductors. The study findings revealed that 77 % of the respondents had secondary school certificate. At the same time, 47 % of the Saccos had an average of 11-49 workers with most of the Saccos (53 %) having above 50 workers. The study findings revealed that 2NK, Chania, and Manchester saccos were evenly distributed with a population of between 21-22% of the Matatus in Thika. 4NTE and Thika road sacco had a population of between 17 and 19% of the population. Majority of the respondents agreed with the assertion that knowledge level affects ICT adoption. Reliability test was conducted and all factors had cronbach alphas of 0.7 and therefore measures were internally consistent. The questionnaire was validated using discriminant validity tests. The measures of convergent validity met threshold of more than 0.5 AVE. The first objective of this study was to establish the effect of innovative top management support on the adoption of ICT adoption among the Matatu SACCOs in Thika town. Innovative top management had the leading correlation of 0.876 which is a strong positive correlation. This implied that the Sacco growth solely depends on the management skills and innovation of its top managers. The second objective of this study was to determine the effect of organizational innovation on the adoption of ICT among the Matatu SACCOs. Organization innovation had the second best correlation, a moderate positive correlation of r=0.549. This implied that the Sacco’s ability to integrate ICT in its operations is important in the overall success, survival and growth. The third objective sought to establish the effect of innovative IT expertise in the adoption of ICT adoption among Matatu SACCOs. This implied that integration of ICT in the Sacco operations will still give it an edge over its competitors. The study concluded that, innovative top management had the leading correlation which was a strong positive correlation. The strong relationship indicated the important role the management of the Matatu Saccos plays in decision making in terms of whether the organization is to adopt ICT and grow and prosper or the status quo will remain. Organization innovation had the second best correlation which was a moderate positive correlation to adoption of ICT. It was concluded that the ability or inability of an organization to adopt ICT is an indicator of prosperity or growth problems. The overall success the adoption of ICT by Matatu Saccos will solely depend on the ability of top management to embrace innovation, the organization to be holistic to technology, the ability to positively compete and the effective utilization of innovation and technology expertise to drive the organization to growth. The study recommended that the Government should make ICT more affordable to small enterprises by lowering the tax and regulating their prices so as to curtail dealers inflating prices. The Government through the relevant bodies should initiate and support training programmes to develop the capacity of small and medium entrepreneurs in Matatu Saccos on ICT tools

The Role of A Decentralized Organizational Structure on KM Infrastructure Capability during the Implementation of ERP Systems in Kenya

A Journal article by a DBA Alumni and co-authors who are Faculty in the Chandaria School of Business at USIU-AfricaIt is a well-established fact that most Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP) fail due to a myriad of implementation problems. This study was motivated by the high failure rate of ERP systems around the world during the implementation stage. Most studies report failure rates of between 65% and 75%. Many developed countries have adapted flexible organizational structures as a technique of minimizing ERP implementation problems. This paper investigated the influence of organizational structure on KM infrastructure capabilities during the implementation of ERP systems in organizations listed in the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) in Kenya, with the aim of establishing whether these organizations have embraced organizational structures which enhance knowledge sharing. Three hundred and six (306) questionnaires were distributed to senior managers and users of ERP systems in the companies listed in the NSE. One hundred and eighty four (184) responses were received representing a 60% response rate. The study employed factor analysis, correlation analysis, univariate analysis, multivariate regression analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to investigate the relationship among variables and measure the strength and direction of the relationships between constructs. Data was cleaned and analyzed using SPSS version 20 and AMOS version 21. The research found out that organizational structure is not considered a significant component of KM infrastructure in the companies listed in the NSE. The findings imply that most companies listed in the NSE in Kenya still practice silo behavior where individual divisions, units, or functional areas operate as silos or independent agents within the organization. This study leads to the conclusion that the organizational structures in Kenya are not flexible enough to enhance ERP implementation success and recommends that organizations should embrace decentralized structures, which provide the flexibility required for knowledge sharing in ERP implementation projects. Keywords: ERP implementation, organizational structure, KM infrastructure capability, Social Capital Theory, Dynamic Capability View, Resource based theor

Influence of Transformational Leadership Style on Employee Job Satisfaction: Case Study of Firms Listed At the NSE

A journal article by Salome Gitoho a, DBA Alumni of USIU-Africa, co-authored with her supervisiorsPurpose: this study examined the influence of transformational leadership on employee job satisfaction. In this leadership style, the leader enhances the motivation, moral and performance of his follower group. The paper provides a conceptual discussion of value based leadership in management and business practices. Descriptive survey design was adopted. The study sample comprised of 400 employees working in all levels in various companies listed at NSE. Stratified sampling technique was used to select the study respondents. The study utilized both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study used factor analysis through principal component analysis and varimax rotation method to generate factor scores for each construct. Multiple linear regression was used to test the study hypothesis. The findings show that a manager who promote and adhere to company values and mission and inspires employees to follow them. It also established that managers allow employee opinions when seeking solutions to situations, an aspect that greatly motivates them. This finding supports the view by Burns (1978) and Bass (2009) that transformational leaders have an effect on employee motivation and job satisfaction. The coefficient of contingent reward is 0.274 with a p-value of 0.000 implies that variable is statistically significant at 1percent significance level. A unit change in contingent reward can cause a 0.274 change in employee job satisfaction. The coefficient of management by exception-active is 0.017 with a p-value of 0.641 implying that variable is statistically insignificant at 10percent significance level. This implies that management by exception-active as a dimension of transactional leadership has no influence on one’s job satisfaction. The coefficient of management by exception-passive is 0.302 with a p-value of 0.000 implies that the variable is statistically significant at 1 percent significance level. A unit change in management by exception- passive can cause a 0.302 change in employee job satisfaction. Implications: Most organizations have to go through processes of change for them to thrive, such companies can use these findings to identify the type of leadership they should source to drive this change agenda. Additionally even when not going through change, companies should lay emphasizes on building the skills of their management team by ensuring there are trained and retrained on leadership skills such as transformational leaders in order to improve employee job satisfaction