Strategic Human Resource Management Practices and Performance of Employees in the Ministry of Health, Nairobi City County, Kenya

Performance of employees in the Ministry of Health, Nairobi City County has been dismal. There have been instances of inability amongst employees to meet deadlines, low efficiency, and dismal productivity. The objectives of the study included; assessing the influence of recruitment, career management, reward and performance appraisal practices on performance of employees in the Ministry of Health. The study was guided by the strategic management and performance theories. The study adopted mixed methods approach and thus applied descriptive research design. The target population comprised of 15 Departmental Heads and 425 employees all totaling to 440. Using the Central Limit Theorem, 132 respondents, that is, 30.0% of 440, was selected. Stratified sampling was applied to create five strata based on the number of departments in the Ministry of Health Nairobi. Heads of department will be selected using purposive sampling whereas 25 employees will be selected from each department using simple random sampling to avoid bias. This procedure enabled the researcher to realize a sample of 5 heads of departments and 127 employees. The questionnaire was used to collect data from employees whereas interviews with heads of departments. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically along the objectives and presented in narrative forms whereas quantitative data were analyzed descriptively using frequencies and percentages and inferentially analyzed using ANOVA Test Analysis with the help of SPSS Version 23. The study established that, at the Ministry of Health in Nairobi County, employees’ efficiency, productivity and ability to meet deadlines are low. It is also evident that strategic human resource management practices such as recruitment, career management, reward and performance appraisal practices have not been fully exhausted. Thus, the study recommends that the Ministry of Health should endeavor to train their employees in order to improve the organizational performance. The Ministry of Health should provide employees opportunity to make decisions on how to go about their tasks, seeking employees’ input in managerial decisions, delegating to them tasks that they can handle, equipping them with skills required by their jobs, setting achievable targets and incorporating employees in fair evaluation of performance, salary increase and fair administration of rewards. Job performance should be considered in determining the compensation of employee’s performance

Effect of Covid-19 Pandemic on Performance of Women Owned Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Kenya

The year 2020 marks the silver jubilee of the Beijing Platform for Action, and was expected to be a moment to celebrate the milestones made in enhancing gender parity and opportunities. However, the effects of COVID-19 pandemic threaten to erode the minimal gains achieved this far. The pandemic, initially a health hazard, fast mutated to a twin-menace that would threaten both lives and livelihoods. Global stock markets plunged in value by about US$6 trillion in less than a week (24th to 28th February 2020), according to S & P Dow Jones Indices; with many yet to recover. The pandemic decelerated Kenya’s projected GDP growth; the Central Bank of Kenya revised its estimate for 2020 from the initial 6.2% to 3.4%. Most affected were Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; due to limited resources unable to withstand prolonged uncertainty and multi-faceted restrictions, as demanded of them by the pandemic. Key among the ventures threatened with extinction are women owned Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises that faced numerous pre-pandemic challenges. The inevitable priority shift for women entrepreneurs, diversion of business funds, sharp decline in demand and supply of commodities, and costly production, all stifled the mostly informal firms. Theories supporting this magnitude of impact are limited too; with the closest being resource dependency theory, structural inertia theory and real options theory. As uncertain as the viral spread is its ultimate impact on businesses and economies. This study uses available secondary multi-disciplinary resources; research papers, case studies, stakeholder reports and other online sources. Findings are that women owned businesses are disproportionately affected by the pandemic. The study recommends targeted policy, research and resource interventions to help small ventures prepare for recurrence of such contagions through resurgence of the same or new pandemics in future

Linking Ambidextrous Learning with Organizational Performance: Critical Review of Literature and a Research Agenda

Modern organizations are confronted with the dilemma of ensuring effectiveness and efficiency in management of current operations while at the same time adapting to the dynamics of business environment for future viability. Achieving a balance in this paradigm requires organizations to be ambidextrous. Research on ambidexterity is inconclusive with studies giving divergent and even contradictory results particularly on the configuration and conceptualization of the dimensions of ambidextrous learning and their effect on organizational performance. This paper, therefore, makes a critical review of literature on the linkage between ambidextrous learning and organizational performance and proposes a conceptual framework and research methodology for future research. Keywords: Ambidextrous learning, employee ambidexterity, exploitative learning, exploratory learning, innovative work behaviour, environmental dynamism, organizational performance

Strategic management practices and performance of public health institutions in Mandera county, Kenya

The general objective of this study was to look at strategic management practices on performance of public health institutions in Mandera County. This study sought to examine the influence of environmental analysis on performance of public health institutions, to establish the effect of strategy formulation on performance of public health institutions, to determine the impact of strategy implementation on performance of public health institutions and to find out the effect of strategy evaluation on performance of public health institutions in Mandera County. This study adopted a descriptive survey. Mandera County has a total of Fifty (50) public health institution. The study targeted one hospital administrators from five (5) Sub-county Hospitals, Two (2) staff from Mandera Referral Hospital (Director of Medical Service and Administrator), nineteen (19) Health Administrators from Health Centers and twenty five (25) nursing officer in charge of dispensaries thus totaling to Fifty one (51) respondents.The findings revealed that environmental analysis, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, strategy evaluation and performance of public health institutions in Mandera County are positively and significantly related. Correlation analysis showed that environmental analysis, strategy formulation, strategy implementation and strategy evalaution are significantly and positively related to performance of public health institutions in Mandera County. Based on the findings the study concluded that environmental analysis, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, strategy evaluation affects performance of public health institutions. The study recommends that public health institutions formulates strategies that can enable them to define their corporate mission, specifying achievable objectives, develop strategies and setting policy guidelines

A Logit Test of Turnover Intentions of Teachers Professionals. The Role of HRM Practices and Community Embeddedness in Public Secondary Schools in Murang’a County Kenya

The problem of turnover intentions has continued to draw the interest of researchers, HR practitioners and employers. However the moderating role of community embeddedness in the relationship between Human Resource Management (HRM) practices and turnover intentions has received little attention. The study thus sought to investigate the moderating effect of community embeddedness in the relationship between HRM practices and turnover intention of teachers in public secondary schools in Murang’a county Kenya. The study was guided by the Social Exchange, Theory (SET) and Job Embeddedness Theory. The target population was 3752 Teachers Service Commission (TSC) teachers in 304 public secondary schools in Murang’a county Kenya. The study used multi stage random and purposive sampling methods to select a sample size of 400 teachers. A self-administered semistructured questionnaire was used to collect data. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings of the study indicated that community embeddedness moderates the relationship between HRM Practices and turnover intentions of teachers in public secondary schools in Murang’a county Kenya. The study thus concluded that community embeddedness plays an important role in turnover intentions decision of teachers

Alliance Motives among Manufacturing SMES: Evidence from an Emerging Economy

This study was designed to investigate the effect of environmental-based motives on firm performance. The study targeted manufacturing Small and Medium Enterprises based in Kenya whose performance has been negatively affected by high industry competition, low technology uptake, and industry regulation. The study was geared towards establishing the environmental-based motives pushing and pulling manufacturing Small and Medium Enterprises toward strategic alliance formation. To this end, the study was set to investigate whether compliance with government regulation, the need to grow market share, and the need to increase customer base motivates manufacturing Small and Medium Enterprises in Kenya to form strategic alliances. The target population for the study consisted of 74 SMEs and the study adopted descriptive and explanatory research designs and collected data from company CEOs or senior managers. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the survey data. The study findings indicated that environmental-based motives have a positive and significant effect on the performance of manufacturing Small and Medium Enterprises in Kenya (Adj R2 = 0.484). Based on these findings, the study concluded that environmental-based motives of compliance with the government regulation, market share, and customer base motivate manufacturing Small and Medium Enterprises to form strategic alliances and that these motives have a positive and significant effect on firm performance. The study contributed to the general body of knowledge by bridging the contextual and empirical gaps identified after the literature review. The study recommends that top management teams in the manufacturing industry should map environmental-based motives and align such motives to specific aspects of their value chain activities

Resource Isolating Mechanisms and Sustainable Competitive Advantage Among Commercial Banks in Kenya

Kenyan commercial banks are facing intense rivalry within the industry due to dynamic changes in the external environment. For survival in the industry, it is important that banks respond to the changes in the external environment. Sustainable competitive advantage has become the core focus of corporate strategy, has increasingly gained much attention in strategic management and is a concept which enables organizations to survive in the long-run. The main purpose of this study was to establish the effect of resource isolating mechanism on sustainable competitive advantage among commercial banks in Kenya. The specific objectives in this study were to ascertain the effect of economic deterrence, identification of rival competitive advantage and exploitation of opportunities on sustainable competitive advantage among commercial banks in Kenya. Descriptive and explanatory research designs were employed in the study. The research targeted all the commercial banks in Kenya. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 160 respondents from the key departments of Finance, Sales and Marketing, Strategy and Operations of all the forty (40) commercial banks’ headquarters in Kenyan capital Nairobi. The data collection instrument used was semi-structured questionnaire. The variable characteristics were summarized using descriptive statistics. Agreement to the most frequent responses to the statements on the study variables ranged between moderate and high extent. Based on results of hypotheses testing, there exists a positive effect of resource isolating mechanism on sustainable competitive advantage

Organizational Conflict Management: The All Important Public Universities Performance Strategy Under Neglect in Kenya

Workplace conflicts are inevitable in any work-organization. However, there is contestation as to whether management of organizational conflicts enhances or deteriorates employees’ performance. This study sought to determine the effect of organizational conflict management techniques, namely negotiation, mediation, collaboration and avoidance, on employees’ performance in selected public universities in Kenya. The study was based on the human relations, human capital and contingency theories. The study adopted a positivist quantitative approach - a methodological approach that seeks to quantify data and generalize results from a sample of a target population in an objective manner using statistical means. The study adopted descriptive research design. The study population was employees of the selected public universities in Kenya. A sample of 160 participants was chosen using stratified and simple random sampling methods. Gathered data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the help of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Both ANOVA and regression analysis were utilized in analysis of the data. The study established that there was a strong positive and significant relationship between negotiation, mediation as well as collaboration and employees’ performance in the selected public universities in Kenya as the three variables had positive beta coefficients and p-values less than the set significance level threshold. However, avoidance was found to have a negative and significant relationship with employees’ performance in the selected public universities in Kenya as denoted by its negative beta coefficient value and a p value less than the set significance level threshold. The study concluded that negotiation, mediation and collaboration positively influenced employees’ performance while avoidance adversely affected employees’ performance. Consequently, the study recommends that the managements of public universities in Kenya may apply a mix of these organizational conflict management techniques to achieve optimal outcomes in resolution of organizational conflicts

Cost Leadership Strategy: A New Game Strategy for Competitive Advantage in Milk Processing Firms in Kenya

Competitive advantage refers to the benefits that firms accrue from unique combination of possessions to outperform competitors. To build competitive advantage as a gateway to superior performance, firms pursue various beneficial strategic orientations. This study sought to establish whether cost leadership strategy gave rise to competitive advantage in milk processing firms in Kenya. The authors utilized the indicators of economies of scale, economies of scope and operational efficiency to operationalize cost leadership strategy while competitive advantage was operationalized through capabilities and knowledge. A census of all the milk processing firms was conducted with 148 respondents participating in the study. Data was collected using semi-structured self-administered questionnaires and subsequently analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study concluded that cost leadership strategy was a source of competitive advantage for the milk processors. It therefore recommends pursuit of cost leadership strategy as a competitive tool. It further recommends building of relevant capabilities and protection of tacit knowledge by firms as foundational blocks for competitive advantage

Financial Risk and Financial Performance: Evidence and Insights from Commercial and Services Listed Companies in Nairobi Securities Exchange, Kenya

In Kenya, the last few years has seen the performance of companies listed under the commercial and services segment on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), experience mixed fortunes. The study sought to assess the implications of financial risk on the performance of these companies. The study applied explanatory research design. The target population were the 14 companies listed under this segment of NSE. Secondary panel data contained in published annual reports for the period 2013–2017 was collected. Panel regression model was applied with the random effect model being used based on the Hausman specification test. Findings showed that credit risk had an insignificant positive effect on return on equity (ROE) while liquidity risk had a significantly negative effect on ROE and operational risk had a positive insignificant effect on ROE. The positive coefficients from the data analysis indicated that commercial and service companies at NSE were able to take in more credit to boost performance of these companies however the negative coefficients shows that within the period of study these companies experienced high liquidity problems in that the current liabilities exceeded the current assets. Thus, concluding that these companies were unable to pay all their obligation when they were due