Microfinance Lending Services as a Tool for Sustainable Entrepreneurship Development in Uasin Gishu County

Sustainable development is gathering momentum in public discourse, and   greater attention and reverence in academic research. This study sought to asses’ Microfinance lending services as a tool for sustainable entrepreneurship development in Uasin Gishu County. The study adopted descriptive survey design. The target population was employees in Microfinance institutions. The study employed cross-sectional survey design. Questionnaires were used to collect data from  114 employees. The data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Finding suggests MFIs lending services influenced entrepreneurship development and it further influence Microenterprises growth and innovation. This study recommends that microfinance institutions should consider engaging strategic leading programmers to gain competitive advantage and provide innovative dynamic business growth. Keywords: Micro-finance, Lending, Sustainable, Entrepreneurshi

Effects of internal corporate social responsibility practices on employee job satisfaction: evidence from commercial banks in Kenya

The importance of Internal corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an important issue for banks to address, however, these issues have been neglected and do not appear to have the desired impact on all employees as expected by the management. Therefore this study intended to determine the effects of internal CSR practices on employee job satisfaction among the commercial Banks in Kenya. The study was to ascertain the effect of workplace health and safety conditions, work life balance, pay and benefits, and equality and diversity, on employee job satisfaction. The study was guided by Social exchange theory, the theory of planned behavior and Stakeholder theory. Explanatory research design was used. The study targeted 283 employees from 17 Commercial Banks in Uasin-Gishu (Kenya Commercial Bank data base, 2013). Stratified and random sampling technique was used to obtain sample size of 165 employees. The study used questionnaires as a tool for data collection. In order to test the reliability of the instrument, Crobanch alpha test was used. The study adopted both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics such as Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis to estimate the causal relationships between internal CSR and employee job satisfaction, and other chosen variables. Study findings indicate that workplace health and safety, pay and benefit, equality and diversity, and work-life balance has a positive and significant effect on employee job satisfaction. Thus, the study concluded that pay and benefits are motivating factor to employees’ job satisfaction, fair treatment of workers in accordance with their individual needs and circumstances in the workplace contributes to employee job satisfaction. Therefore the study recommends that organizations should include the development of health management policies to implement health practices as a way of improving employee health. There should be diversity training programs with compulsory participation for all employees and offer equal opportunities for employees in terms of promotion and also education scholarships. There is also need for the organization to provide allowances for employees on participation of social responsibility. KEYWORDS: Employee job satisfaction, Workplace health and safety, Work life balance, pay and benefit, and Equality and diversi

Moderating effect of social networking on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and performance of small and medium enterprise in Nakuru county, Kenya

An emerging stream of research indicates that entrepreneurial orientation is a critical factor in enhancing entrepreneurial outcomes such as firm performance. However, few studies have examined how a firm’s embedded in inter-firm networks influences enterprise performance. The study aimed at evaluating the moderating effect of social networking on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and Small and Medium Enterprises performance in Nakuru town Kenya. The specific objectives were; to determine the effect of risk-taking and pro- activeness on performance of small and medium enterprises and finally to determine the moderating effect of social networking on relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and performance of small and medium enterprises. The study utilized the resource based view theory (Barney 1991). Explanatory research design guided the study. A questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 214 SMEs in Nakuru town. Collected data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Correlation and multiple regression analysis were employed to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that Risk-taking, Pro-activeness and Innovativeness were significant in affecting performance of SMEs. Also the results revealed that social networking positively moderates the relationship between risk-taking Proactiveness and performance of SMEs. It is recommended that SMEs need to endeavor and embrace social networking since it offers a cost effective way in expanding contact bases and enhancing the profitability of firm. Finally the study contributes to knowledge and theory by establishing the moderating effect of social networking on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and performance of SMEs in Keny