Strategic Planning in the Higher Educational Sector of Kenya

This paper provides an overview of the strategic planning process, the dynamics involved in university-based strategic planning and the need for strategic thinking in the higher education sector of Kenya. The paper challenges current planning systems that do not appear to be changing with the times. The paper relies mostly on secondary data but also used primary data. Primary data was collected through interviews of knowledgeable individuals. The paper recommends that strategic planning in universities could be improved through incorporation of strategic thinking and acting in the process, and through incorporation of key stakeholders such as industry, faculty, and students in the process of planning. It also makes recommendations on how current planning systems could be improved in Kenyan universities. The paper suggests a model of strategic planning that could prove useful if applied in strategic planning in Kenyan universities

Corporate Governance and Performance of Health Sector Non-Governmental Organizations in Nairobi County

Health sector non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Nairobi County play a pivotal role in providing health care services though questions pertaining to their governance, accountability and sustainability have persisted despite their growth and prominence. Prior research in corporate governance has shown that well-performing governance function coincides with high performing organizations. The study sought to answer the research question what is the relationship between corporate governance attributes (CEO duality, audit committee composition, gender diversity) and performance of health sector Non-Governmental Organizations in Nairobi County” through a self-administered cross-sectional survey using a random sample of 242 CEOs in from NGOs. The study was based on a positivist ontological paradigm and therefore used deductive reasoning and quantitative techniques. Descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis techniques were used to analyze the data collected. All the respondent NGOs had a mean board size of eight members with the mean number of female members being three per organization. Further, CEO duality, audit committee composition and gender diversity significantly influenced performance with all corporate governance variables combined accounting for 56.3 percent of the variability in performance. Specifically, whereas CEO duality and gender diversity significantly influence performance in health sectors NGOs in Nairobi County, Audit committee composition had a statistically insignificant influence. These findings suggest that NGOs should reconstitute their boards by merging the roles of the CEOs and chairpersons of the boards, appointing members without financial expertise to the audit committees in order to improve their performance and increasing the number of women board members. Additionally policy makers should consider developing corporate governance guidelines that are specific to NGOs Keywords: Governance, Accountability, Performance, Diversity, Duality, Sustainabilit

Board Composition and Performance of Health Sector Non-Governmental Organizations in Nairobi County

A firm is as good as its corporate board. The health of an organization is mirrored by the composition of its board of directors. Prior research in corporate governance has shown that well-performing boards coincides with high performing organizations. Health sector non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Nairobi County play a pivotal role in providing health care services though questions pertaining to their governance, accountability and sustainability have persisted despite their growth and prominence. The study sought to answer the research question what is the relationship between board composition (CEO duality, board independence and gender diversity) and performance of health sector Non-Governmental Organizations in Nairobi County through a self-administered cross-sectional survey using a random sample of 242 CEOs. Correlation and regression analysis techniques were used to analyze the data collected. Result showed CEO duality and gender diversity significantly influenced performance with all board composition variables jointly accounting for 65.5 percent of the variability in performance. These findings suggest that NGOs should combine the roles of the CEOs and chairpersons of boards, appoint more executive board members and increase the number of women board member in order to improve their performance. Keywords: Board Composition, Performance, Diversity, Independence, Duality, Sustainabilit

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