Analysis of Brand Loyalty in Cosmetic Products: A Case of Selected Salons in Nyeri Town

Cosmetic industry is a lucrative business that progressively attracts more attention from marketing research. The highly competitive environment in the cosmetic industry makes it a valuable area to study brand loyalty in cosmetic products. Brand loyalty is one of the important aspects which is significant for the management to sustain competitive advantages in the market. In this research, the relationship between brand loyalty and determinants of brand loyalty was unveiled, with special focus on brand trust, brand price and perceived value. The general objective was to examine the determinants of brand loyalty in cosmetic industry in Nyeri Town. The specific objectives were to determine the effects of brand price on brand loyalty, to assess the effects of brand trust on brand loyalty, to establish the effect of perceived quality on brand loyalty. The researcher adopted a descriptive survey research design where questionnaires were used for data collection. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and has been presented using tables. The researcher used Karl Pearson correlation coefficient and logistic regression analysis to statistically analyze the data. The target population was 60 salon operators who are consumers of Cosmetic Products in Nyeri Town. A census study was conducted in the salons within Nyeri Town. This study supports the view that brand trust, brand perceived value and price should remain prime focus for the organization to maintain market share in today’s competitive business environment. Key words: Brand loyalty, Brand trust, brand price and perceived qualit

Dairy production systems and the adoption of genetic and breeding technologies in Tanzania, Kenya, India and Nicaragua

Development of the livestock industry and its role in poverty alleviation in developing countries depends on how adaptive the production systems are to changing global environmental and economic trends. This paper characterizes dairy production systems in India, Tanzania, Kenya and Nicaragua, and describes the genetic and breeding technologies that hold promise for the advancement of global development goals. The dairy value chain has been prioritized for development under the CGIAR research programme on Livestock and Fish in Tanzania (East Africa), India (South Asia) and Nicaragua (Latin America), while ILRI is involved in research on dairy development in Kenya. In all the countries, a large number of smallholder farmers operating mixed crop–livestock production systems play a significant role in dairy production. In Tanzania, Kenya and Nicaragua, milk is predominantly produced by cattle of genotypes that differ both across countries and among production systems within the same country. In India, buffaloes contribute to a larger proportion of the national milk than cattle. Information on productivity per animal and on optimal genotypes to utilize within the smallholder production systems of all the countries is however limited. Crossbreeding and artificial insemination were identified as the most widely utilized breeding and reproductive technologies. Only in Kenya is there a national organization conducting livestock recording and monitoring productivity, however, the proportion of the dairy cattle population enrolled in the recording system is small (<2.5 percent). In all the countries, enhanced and adequately planned use of breeding and reproductive technologies, complemented with the relevant infrastructure, is needed to sustainably increase dairy productivity. The capacities of actors in the dairy value chain need to be developed in order to properly implement and manage improvements

Influence of Market Orientation on the Relationship Between Customer Relationship Management Practices and Performance of Large-Scale Manufacturing Firms in Kenya

The main objective of the study was to measure the influence of market orientation on the relationship between customer relationship management practices and firm performance of large-scale manufacturing firms in Kenya. The population of the study comprised large-scale manufacturing firms that were members of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM). A descriptive cross-sectional survey was used. The target respondents were three top managers in each firm, and aggregated single scores were computed to lessen single source response bias. Data was analyzed through descriptive statistics and regression analysis. The results revealed that market orientation was a strong statistical predictor of firm performance. In addition, the moderating effect of market orientation on the association between CRM practices and performance (F=9.138, P-value&lt;0.05) was found to be statistically significant.  The study supported findings of previous studies on the influence of CRM practices on firm performance. In addition, the study found that both CRM practices and market orientation had a positive and significant influence on performance. Further, the findings of the study support the theoretical link between CRM practices, market orientation and performance. Acknowledgment I thank and appreciate almighty God for this opportunity, his grace and favor. I also extend my sincere gratitude to my University Supervisors; Prof. Justus Munyoki, Dr. Joseph Owino and Dr. James Njihia for their valuable guidance, support and encouragement during the writing and completion of my Ph.D thesis. I also thank all members of the University of Nairobi Business Administration who contributed in one way or the other to make the writing of my thesis a success. I would also like to thank sincerely all top and senior managers in large-scale manufacturing firms in Kenya who participated in this research.  Finally my sincere appreciation goes to my family members for supporting, encouraging and being there for me during the entire journey of pursuing my Ph.D. program. Keywords: customer relationship management, market orientation, performance, large-scale manufacturing firm

Influence of Firm Characteristics on the Relationship between Customer Relationship Management Practices and Performance of Large-Scale Manufacturing Firms in Kenya

The objective of the research was to measure the influence of firm characteristics on the relationship between customer relationship management practices and performance of large-scale manufacturing firms in Kenya. To establish this objective, two objectives focusing on financial and non-financial performance were set and corresponding hypotheses formulated. The population of the study comprised large-scale manufacturing firms that were members of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM). A descriptive cross-sectional survey was used. The data analyzed was obtained through a structured questionnaire. To test the influence of firm characteristics on the relationship between customer relationship management practices and firm performance regression analysis was used. The findings indicated that the moderating influence of firm characteristics on CRM practices and firm performance was only found to be statistically significant on non-financial performance and not statistically significant on the association between CRM practices and financial performance. Further, the interaction of CRM practices and firm characteristics on non-financial performance was statistically significant. One major contribution of this investigation is that CRM practices and firm characteristics account for significant variation in non-financial performance. Further, the findings of the study support the theoretical link between CRM practices, firm characteristics and performance. Acknowledgement I would like to thank God for his providence, his faithfulness and for seeing me through completion of my Ph.D. program. I sincerely thank my University Supervisors; Prof. Justus Munyoki, Dr. Joseph Owino and Dr. James Njihia, their insightful contributions, critique and patience moudlded my academic reading, thinking and writing. Special thanks to my family for their patience encouragement and prayers. Keywords: Customer relationship management, firm characteristics, performance, large-scale manufacturing firm

BRAND ASSETS AND CHOICE CRITERIA OF FAST-MOVING CONSUMER GOODS AMONG UNERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI

Branding is increasingly becoming important in organizations as a competitive strategy. Brand assets are perceived to influence the consumer choice of various brands, but the extent to which the various assets do this is not clear. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of brand assets on the choice criteria of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) among Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) students of the University of Nairobi. The study adopted the descriptive cross-sectional research design, with the population being BCom degree students of the University of Nairobi. The study targeted 90 conveniently selected students, 30 in the regular programme, 30 in module 11 (day class) and 30 in module 11 (evening class) . Of the 90 students targeted, a total of 55 responded, mainly from module 1 and module 11(day) class, which was a response rate of 61 percent. Validity and reliability was done by first issuing the questionnaires to 4 students and checking their responses. The questions were also thoroughly checked to ensure that they were correct, before doing the final study. Descriptive analysis as well as factor analysis, and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The study found that brand assets, namely, brand awareness, brand association, brand loyalty and perceived quality have a positive influence on the selection criteria that a customer makes. Brand awareness, brand association, and perceived quality have a positive influence on the selection criteria, while brand loyalty has a negative influence. The results of this study demonstrate that in making decisions, marketers need to always be guided by the various brand assets. It is therefore recommended that manufacturers and marketers consider these assets in marketing their products. Since this study was based on BCom students in one campus of the University of Nairobi, the findings may not be generalizable to all the students. A wider study focusing on several universities may therefore shed more light on the choice behavior of the student

BRAND ASSETS AND CHOICE CRITERIA OF FAST-MOVING CONSUMER GOODSAMONG UNERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI

Branding is increasingly becoming important in organizations as a competitive strategy. Brand assets are perceived to influence the consumer choice of various brands, but the extent to which the various assets do this is not clear. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of brand assets on the choice criteria of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) among Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) students of the University of Nairobi. The study adopted the descriptive cross-sectional research design, with the population being BCom degree students of the University of Nairobi. The study targeted 90 conveniently selected students, 30 in the regular programme, 30 in module 11 (day class) and 30 in module 11 (evening class) . Of the 90 students targeted, a total of 55 responded, mainly from module 1 and module 11(day) class, which was a response rate of 61 percent. Validity and reliability was done by first issuing the questionnaires to 4 students and checking their responses. The questions were also thoroughly checked to ensure that they were correct, before doing the final study. Descriptive analysis as well as factor analysis, and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The study found that brand assets, namely, brand awareness, brand association, brand loyalty and perceived quality have a positive influence on the selection criteria that a customer makes. Brand awareness, brand association, and perceived quality have a positive influence on the selection criteria, while brand loyalty has a negative influence. The results of this study demonstrate that in making decisions, marketers need to always be guided by the various brand assets. It is therefore recommended that manufacturers and marketers consider these assets in marketing their products. Since this study was based on BCom students in one campus of the University of Nairobi, the findings may not be generalizable to all the students. A wider study focusing on several universities may therefore shed more light on the choice behavior of the student

Simulation of Alternative Plans for Community Based Goat Breeding Program in Arid, Semi-Arid and Mixed Production Systems in Ethiopia

On station small ruminant researches in Ethiopia were ineffective due to various factors. As alternative, community based breeding program (CBBP) has emerged. In the current CBBPs, sire side selection only (SN1) is practiced. The objective of the present work was to compare SN1 by simulating alternative breeding scenarios for Abergelle (AB), Centeral Highland (CH) and Woyto-Guji (WG) goat breeds in Ethiopia. Three scenarios including selection on dam side (SN2) in addition to SN1, application of genomic selection (SN3) onto SN1 and use of sires from SN1 for mating in additional flocks (SN4) were simulated and compared with SN1 based on the predicted annual genetic gain (PAGG) and discounted profits. The breeding objective traits or selection criteria were six month weight (6mw, kg) for all breeds, average daily milk yield (ADM, kg) and survival to six month of age (SURV) for AB, litter size at birth (LSB) for CH and WG, litter size at weaning (LSW) for CH and kidding interval (KI, days) for WG. ZPLAN+ software was used for the simulation. The PAGG for 6mw (kg) ranged from 0.087 (SN4) to 0.25 (SN3) for AB where it ranged from 0.47 (SN4) to 0.97 (SN3) for ADM (kg) for same breed. PAGG in 6mw (kg) ranging from 0.13 (SN4) to 0.47 (SN3) and from 0.20 (SN4) to 0.31 (SN3) for CH Gonder and Ambo sites, respectively were simulated whereas this parameter ranged from 0.10 (SN4) to 0.27 (SN3) for WG. The alternative breeding scenarios to SN1 resulted in better PAGGs, especially for 6mw in three of the goat breeds and for ADM in AB. Based on the PAGGs and profitability, we recommend SN2 over SN1. However, SN4 could also be applied, compared to SN1, in view of suitability of addressing emerging demands