Social networks: ethnicity and the informal sector in Nairobi

This paper is part of a larger study entitled "The Role of Social Networks And The State In The Urban Informal Sector: The Case of Nairobi, Kenya." The social dynamics of the informal sector, popularly referred to as "Jua Kali" are considered an important component of this sector. We argue that they should be understood and tapped where possible for the future development of the informal sector. Three aspects of social networks in Nairobi's informal sector are identified. These are: kinship, friendship and ethnicity. In this paper, we discuss ethnicity as it is manifested in the informal sector. We also discuss how it has helped new migrants not only to find shelter in Nairobi but also to find an economic occupation which most of them may not have got in the formal sector. Four subsectors mainly: the metal artisans, the drum sellers, the food sellers and the garment makers all in the Eastlands of Nairobi and the Industrial Area were studied in 1987. We also had a sample of 200 operators of the informal sector representing each of the four subsectors. In the paper a background of ethnicity in Kenya is discussed at a macro-level before presenting our findings on ethnicity at a micro-level —specifically among the subsectors we studied. There is evidence on ethnic specialization/various subsectors. Certain skills for example in the metal artisanry are predominantly ethnic specific. We found such evidence among the metal artisans and the food sellers. Using both participant observation and survey methods in the field, the data places ethnicity prominently in the discussion of Nairobi's informal sector

Technological, Organizational, and Environmental Factors Affecting the Adoption of Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences between organizations that adopted Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (Cloud ERP) systems and organizations that did not adopt Cloud ERP systems based on the Technological, Organizational, and Environmental (TOE) factors. _x000D_ Using an online survey, data were collected from individuals throughout the United States of America who identified themselves as working in an Information Technology (IT) job. Analysis from 159 respondents indicated that all the proposed TOE factors were significant predictors of Cloud ERP systems. In comparison to organizations that did not adopt Cloud ERP systems, organizations that adopted Cloud ERP systems had the following characteristics: higher level of relative advantage, higher level of compatibility, higher level of security concern, higher top management support, higher level of organization readiness, bigger sizes, more centralized, more formalized, higher competitive pressure, and perceived Cloud ERP system vendors as offering more support._x000D

The Forgotten Factor: The Economic Principles of Affirmative Action

Presented January 19, 1998 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Western Michigan University. Sponsored by the Center for the Study of Ethics in Society, the Department of Philosophy and the Wesley Foundation

Climate Forecast Information: The Status, Needs and Expectations Among Smallholder Agro-Pastoralists in Machakos District, Kenya

The potential use of seasonal climate forecasts in farm and resource management has been studied in a number of cultural contexts around the world. Many of these studies reveal difficulties that smallholders encounter in accessing, interpreting and applying forecasts for their own benefit. This study looks at the awareness of and usage of climate forecast information in central Kenya in the aftermath of the 1997/98 El Niño event. Household surveys were conducted in Machakos District, Kenya, in January 2001. Retrospective and concurrent awareness and application of seasonal forecast information was assessed for 240 households across a range of agroecological zones. The results reveal a surprisingly high degree of awareness and use of forecasts. Farmers discussed both actual and potential application of forecasts for both above-normal and below-normal rainfall. The influence of the El Niño event of 1997/98 was clear in their emphasis on strategies to mitigate the impacts of above-normal rainfall. Applications of information in both crop and livestock management are documented. Constraints still exist, such as interpretation of information, relevance of the variables forecast to the management decisions of concern, confidence in the forecasts, and access to resources such as seeds. It is suggested here that collaborative efforts between the forecast providers and the users of information may be directed towards addressing these constraints

Promoting Patient Mobility to Decrease Hospital Length of Stay

Practice Problem: Promoting patient mobility may reduce hospital-acquired complications and length of stay (LOS). Evidence-based studies have established that there is a correlation between immobility and an increased length of stay in the hospital. How can nurse-driven mobility interventions effectively increase patient mobility and reduce the risk of complications and length of hospital stay? PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: For veteran patients in the Progressive Care unit (PCU) of a medical center (P), will using the Johns Hopkins Highest Level of Mobility tool (JH-HLM) (I) compared to not using a mobility tool (C) decrease hospital length of stay (O) in 8 weeks (T). Evidence: Evidence supported the implementation of an early mobility protocol to reduce length of stay, as well as the PICOT intervention in terms of adopting an evidence-based mobility instrument with demonstrated validity and reliability. Intervention: To implement and monitor the effectiveness of a nurse-led mobility intervention with the aim of decreasing patient length of stay, through the integration of the Johns Hopkins mobility tool (JH-HLM). Outcome: The outcome showed that the average LOS prior to the use of the tool was 6.39 days and decreased to 4.27 days after its implementation for the patients who received mobility interventions. This shows a significant decrease in the length of stay for the MOB category between the two months of August (pre-implementation) and September (implementation). Conclusion: The intended outcome for this EBP project was a decrease in length of patient stay. Statistical analysis showed that the mean of LOS was statistically significant and decreased between pre-intervention, Jun/July and post-intervention, Aug/Sep time periods

Technological, organizational, and environmental factors affecting the adoption of cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences between organizations that adopted Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (Cloud ERP) systems and organizations that did not adopt Cloud ERP systems based on the Technological, Organizational, and Environmental (TOE) factors. Relevant technological factors were identified as relative advantage of Cloud ERP systems, compatibility of Cloud ERP systems, and security concern of Cloud ERP system environment. Organizational factors included top management support, organizational readiness, size of the organization, centralization, and formalization. External environment factors were identified as competitive pressure and vendor support. A survey was developed using constructs from existing studies of technology adoption and modified to fit this research. Using the survey, data were collected from individuals throughout the United States of America who identified themselves as working in an Information Technology (IT) job. Analysis from 159 respondents indicated that all the proposed TOE factors were significant predictors of Cloud ERP systems. In comparison to organizations that did not adopt Cloud ERP systems, organizations that adopted Cloud ERP systems had the following characteristics: higher level of relative advantage, higher level of compatibility, higher level of security concern, higher top management support, higher level of organization readiness, bigger sizes, more centralized, more formalized, higher competitive pressure, and perceived Cloud ERP system vendors as offering more support. In the final chapter of this dissertation, practical and theoretical implications of these results are discussed, and suggestions offered for future research

Teacher Professionalism, Education Reform and 21st Century Skills in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract The United Arab Emirates National Agenda Vision 2021 calls for a ‘complete transformation’ of the current education system ‘to serve the knowledge economy’. The Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), with 16 campuses, are the largest Higher Education Institution in the UAE. Aligning with the national vision, their strategic plan 2017- 2021 sets out key goals ‘to empower students with 21st Century skills’ and to ‘improve academic programmes’ through ‘blending traditional and innovative teaching methods to ensure student centred learning’. To promote this, HCT aimed to increase teacher professionalism through a collection of measures: HEA membership, a new professional pay scale, training in a learning management system and 40 annual hours of professional development, all orchestrated through a performance management tool. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, recurrent themes are identified which reflect the experiences of seven teachers, who come from countries with exposure to, and experience of, student-centred pedagogies. The in-depth interviews found that HCT strongly promoted a form of controlled professionalism, within which knowledge development and innovative teaching methods became subsidiary to the instrumental outcomes of the strategic plan. A managerial and administrative approach to accountability relayed control in a way that teachers’ agency and co-agency were significantly reduced. The higher order cognitive competencies, behaviours and values (21st-century skills) of teachers and students envisioned by the reform were constrained in the controlled model. The study was able to elaborate on how the positioning of the individual within the processes, procedures and accountability mechanisms that surround their work shapes their capacity to affect change. The findings present a professional model that moves away from the individualising concept of ‘performance management’, towards horizontal modalities, where advancement is positioned as both individual and mutual, locating transformation within an inclusive, institutional dialectic based on democratic participation

The Association between Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and the Risk of HIV/AIDS in Kenyan Girls and Women (15-49 Years)

INTRODUCTION: Kenya like the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be plagued with high rates of AIDS/HIV. Research has shown that cultural practices have serious implications for the spread of HIV/AIDS, as well as other communicable diseases. One of the practices that have been speculated to have an impact on AIDS/HIV is female genital mutilation (FGM). Despite efforts to eradicate the practice, prevalence of FGM in Kenya remains relatively high. Researchers have postulated that various forms of FGM may be associated with the spread of HIV/AIDS. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between FGM and HIV/AIDS using a representative sample of Kenyan girls and women. METHODS: Data (n=3271) from the Kenya 2003 Demographic and Health Survey was used for this study. Chi-square test was used to examine the distribution of selected risk factors across HIV/AIDS status. Odds ratios from multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine association between FGM and HIV/AIDS. RESULTS: This study shows an inverse association (OR=0.508; 95% CI: 0.376-0.687) between FGM and HIV/AIDS, after adjusting for confounding variables. DISCUSSION: The inverse association between FGM and HIV/AIDS established in this study suggests a possible protective effect of female circumcision against HIV/AIDS. This finding suggests therefore the need to authenticate this inverse association in different populations and also to determine the mechanisms for the observed association