A Generic Competitive Business Strategies Typology for Micro-Enterprises

The important role of the micro enterprises (ME) sector in generating growth, creating jobs and reducing poverty, especially in developing countries is widely acknowledged.  Literature on competitive business strategy typology development and validation, however, reveals a significant focus on small, medium and large enterprises, with virtual absence of any discourse on MEs.  Although several competitive business strategies (CBS) typologies can be found in the literature, they have mainly been developed from and validated on medium to large enterprise data.  These typologies, therefore, may not be fully applicable to MEs.  The new typology of generic competitive business strategies for MEs described in this paper is built on two dimensions of  Collaboration and Competency, yielding four generic types, representing four broad types of strategic groups better suited than current models, in providing avenues for MEs seeking competitive advantage. The new typology provides a concise model relevant to MEs, providing a structured set of consistent and well understood guidelines for choice of adaptation by owner/managers who are typically involved, whether formally or informally, in an incremental process of strategic formulation and implementation. Keywords: Generic Strategy Typology, Informal Sector, Micro Enterprises, Competitive Advantage

Implementing a mobile diagnostic unit to increase access to imaging and laboratory services in western Kenya.

Access to basic imaging and laboratory services remains a major challenge in rural, resource-limited settings in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2016, the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare programme in western Kenya implemented a mobile diagnostic unit (MDU) outfitted with a generator-powered X-ray machine and basic laboratory tests to address the lack of these services at rural, low-resource, public health facilities. The objective of this paper is to describe the design, implementation, preliminary impact and operational challenges of the MDU in western Kenya. Since implementing the MDU at seven rural health facilities serving a catchment of over half a million people, over 4500 chest radiographs have been performed, with one or more abnormalities detected in approximately 30% of radiographs. We observed favorable feedback and uptake of MDU services by healthcare workers and patients. However, various operational challenges in the design and construction of the MDU and the transmission and reporting of radiographs in remote areas were encountered. Our experience supports the feasibility of deploying an MDU to increase access to basic radiology and laboratory services in rural, resource-limited settings

GENERIC BUSINESS STRATEGIES IN THE MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISE TYPOLOGY: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION AMONG NAIROBI MANUFACTURING MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES

Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) play a significant role in Sub-Saharan Africa national economies, however, few transition to formal medium or large size enterprises due to a wide array of challenges faced. The MSE typology sought to provide an array of business strategies MSEs could use to overcome these challenges and improve their performance. A central foundation of the typology is the generic nature of the strategies, that is general applicability across industry, organization type or size. The general objective of this study, therefore, was to determine the extent to which the business strategies within the typology are indeed generic. The study evaluated the generalization across two sub-sectors (Furniture manufacturing and agro-food processing) as well as across gender (taken as male and female). From the study, and using binary logistic regression only two of the twenty-eight variables were statistically significant, albeit mild discriminant, therefore supporting generalizability across sub-sectors. In addition, none of the variables served as statistically significant discriminants between male or female owners. Though limited in scope the generic nature of the defined strategies was established, providing support for the MSE typology meeting the generic requirement from typology theory

EMPIRICAL VALIDATION OF AN MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES TYPOLOGY: IMPACT OF PERFORMANCE ON MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES IN NAIROBI

The Micro and Small Enterprises (SMEs) typology suggests competitive business strategies that MSEs can use to overcome the challenges they face and improve their performance. The typology combines strategic alliance (collaboration) and competency (differentiation and low cost) theories. The general objective of this study was the empirical determination of the extent to which the application of business strategies based on the MSE typology is associated with better performance. The study was carried out among Nairobi informal sector MSEs in the manufacturing sector. From the results, the ideal types captured in the typology were supported. In addition, there was partial support of better performance among four of the nine classes of strategies within the typology. These accounted for 64.8 percent of the sampled enterprises. None of the enterprises that did not fit into any of the classes, however, performed better than those that did

Prevalence of substance use among college students in Eldoret, western Kenya

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Substance use among college and university students predicts substance related problems in later life. Few studies on this phenomenon have been carried out in low income countries, and most focus on primary and secondary school students. This study therefore aimed to establish the prevalence and factors associated with drug use among university and college students in a low income country.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p><it>Design: </it>A descriptive cross-sectional survey using the Self-Administered WHO Model Core Questionnaire to collect information on use of various drugs among students in colleges and university campuses within Eldoret Municipality in Western Kenya. <it>Setting: </it>Four tertiary learning institutions in Eldoret Municipality were randomly selected for inclusion in the study- three tertiary level non-university institutions and one university campus. <it>Subjects: </it>Five hundred students who gave consent to participate in the study, 125 from each of the four participating institutions. The mean age was 22.9 years (18-32, s.d. 2.5), and males made up 52.2% of the sample.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Lifetime prevalence rate of any substance use was 69.8%, and none of the socio-demographic factors was significantly associated with this. Lifetime prevalence rate of alcohol use was 51.9%, and 97.6% of alcohol users had consumed alcohol in the week prior to the study. The prevalence rate of cigarette use was 42.8%, with males having statistically significantly higher rates than females (p < 0.05). Other substances used were cannabis (2%) and cocaine (0.6%). Among those who admitted to using substances, 75.1% were introduced by a friend while 23.5% were introduced by a relative other than a member of the nuclear family. Majority of those using substances wanted to relax (62.2%) or relieve stress (60.8%). Problems associated with alcohol use included quarrelling and fights, loss and damage to property, problems with parents, medical problems and unplanned unprotected sex.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The prevalence of substance use among college and university students in Eldoret is high and causes significant physical and psychosocial problems in this population. A large proportion of those using alcohol reported serious adverse effects, raising the necessity of targeted interventions to reduce the risk of subsequent substance dependence and other deleterious consequences.</p

The influence of personality and ability on undergraduate teamwork and team performance

The ability to work effectively on a team is highly valued by employers, and collaboration among students can lead to intrinsic motivation, increased persistence, and greater transferability of skills. Moreover, innovation often arises from multidisciplinary teamwork. The influence of personality and ability on undergraduate teamwork and performance is not comprehensively understood. An investigation was undertaken to explore correlations between team outcomes, personality measures and ability in an undergraduate population. Team outcomes included various self-, peer- and instructor ratings of skills, performance, and experience. Personality measures and ability involved the Five-Factor Model personality traits and GPA. Personality, GPA, and teamwork survey data, as well as instructor evaluations were collected from upper division team project courses in engineering, business, political science, and industrial design at a large public university. Characteristics of a multidisciplinary student team project were briefly examined. Personality, in terms of extraversion scores, was positively correlated with instructors’ assessment of team performance in terms of oral and written presentation scores, which is consistent with prior research. Other correlations to instructor-, students’ self- and peer-ratings were revealed and merit further study. The findings in this study can be used to understand important influences on successful teamwork, teamwork instruction and intervention and to understand the design of effective curricula in this area moving forward

Understanding interactions in face-to-face and remote undergraduate science laboratories

This paper reviews the ways in which interactions have been studied, and the findings of such studies, in science education in both face-to-face and remote laboratories. Guided by a systematic selection process, 27 directly relevant articles were analysed based on three categories: the instruments used for measuring interactions, the research findings on student interactions, and the theoretical frameworks used in the studies of student interactions. In face-to-face laboratories, instruments for measuring interactions and the characterisation of the nature of interactions were prominent. For remote laboratories, the analysis of direct interactions was found to be lacking. Instead, studies of remote laboratories were mainly concerned with their practical scope. In addition, it is found that only a limited number of theoretical frameworks have been developed and applied in the research design. Existent theories are summarised and possible theoretical frameworks that may be implemented in studies of interactions in undergraduate laboratories are proposed. Finally, future directions for research on the interrelationship between student interactions and laboratory learning are suggested

Y Chromosome Lineages in Men of West African Descent

The early African experience in the Americas is marked by the transatlantic slave trade from ∼1619 to 1850 and the rise of the plantation system. The origins of enslaved Africans were largely dependent on European preferences as well as the availability of potential laborers within Africa. Rice production was a key industry of many colonial South Carolina low country plantations. Accordingly, rice plantations owners within South Carolina often requested enslaved Africans from the so-called “Grain Coast” of western Africa (Senegal to Sierra Leone). Studies on the African origins of the enslaved within other regions of the Americas have been limited. To address the issue of origins of people of African descent within the Americas and understand more about the genetic heterogeneity present within Africa and the African Diaspora, we typed Y chromosome specific markers in 1,319 men consisting of 508 west and central Africans (from 12 populations), 188 Caribbeans (from 2 islands), 532 African Americans (AAs from Washington, DC and Columbia, SC), and 91 European Americans. Principal component and admixture analyses provide support for significant Grain Coast ancestry among African American men in South Carolina. AA men from DC and the Caribbean showed a closer affinity to populations from the Bight of Biafra. Furthermore, 30–40% of the paternal lineages in African descent populations in the Americas are of European ancestry. Diverse west African ancestries and sex-biased gene flow from EAs has contributed greatly to the genetic heterogeneity of African populations throughout the Americas and has significant implications for gene mapping efforts in these populations

Comprehensive transcriptome of the maize stalk borer, Busseola fusca, from multiple tissue types, developmental stages, and parasitoid wasp exposures

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