An Assessment of the Effect of Leadership Style on the Performance of Public Health Service Providers: A Case of Western Kenya

This study was designed to investigate the impact of leadership style on the performance of Public Health Service providers Western Region of Kenya. The study investigated the impact of Leadership style saw how it is tied to the end performance as measured in terms of the numbers reached, the quality of service provided and several other pertinent parameters listed in the Kenya Quality Model. This study was intended to generate knowledge that will enable Public Health Service Providers asses the connection between leadership style and performance of Public Health Service Providers. The study was conducted through a correlational descriptive survey design covering respondents from the Government owned healthcare facilities targeting specifically, District Hospitals in Western Kenya. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected through the use of structured questionnaires. Reliability of the selected measures was done through the use of Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient due to its ability to determine internal consistency of items in a survey. The researcher tested the questionnaires on pilot group that did not form part of the main study. The pilot study enabled removal of any ambiguities hence focus the questionnaire to collect data relevant to the study. The study collected both secondary and primary using the prescribed data gathering tools to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. Data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics such as tabulations, measures of central tendency and regression analyses so as to arrive at appropriate conclusions. To determine the relationships between the study variables Karl Pearson’s Coefficient of correlation was used to describe the strength and degree of the relationship. From the regression results, leadership style had significant effect on performance of Public Health Service Providers. The regression results also shows that 56.8 percent of the performance of Public Health Service Providers can be explained by leadership style (R squared = 0.568)

Moderating effect of Organizational Factors on the relationship between Diversification Strategies and Competitiveness: Case of Sugar Firms in Kenya

This study sought to analyze the effect of organizational factors on the relationship between diversification strategies and competitiveness sugar firms in Kenya. The main objective was to establish the effect of organizational factors on the relationship between diversification strategies and competitiveness of sugar firms in Kenya. The specific objectives were to: establish the effect of age of the firm on the relationship between diversification strategies and competitiveness sugar firms in Kenya, to establish the effect of size of the firm on the relationship between diversification strategies and competitiveness sugar firms in Kenya and finally to find out the effect of management structure on the relationship between diversification strategies and competitiveness sugar firms in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive correlational survey design and this being a census study; all the sugar firms in the Kenya were studied. Using a questionnaire, primary data was collected from the production and marketing managers as key informants of each of the sugar firms. The production  and marketing managers of every sugar firm were selected to take part in the study as they are perceived to be knowledgeable on the issues under study and for which they are either responsible for their execution or they personally execute them. The questionnaire was pre-tested on a pilot respondent who are not part of the study respondents but knowledgeable in the study aspects in order to ensure their validity and relevance.  Secondary data was extracted from annual reports, publications and documentary analysis was also used to gather background information by reviewing literatures relevant to the study.   Reviews of the measures used to measure the study variables were also used to construct the questionnaire to ensure face and construct validity. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to measure the reliability of the scale, which was used to assess the interval consistency among the research instrument items. To determine the effect of organizational factors on the relationship between diversification strategies and competitiveness, the researcher used Karl Pearson’s first order partial coefficient (rxy.z). Organizational factors had no overall moderating role on the relationship between diversification strategies and competitiveness in that they had an overall significance value greater than the set p-value of 0.05 (Overall significance = 0.069). However, on individual significance, the degree of moderation varies from one organizational factor to another. The findings of this study are of great benefit to practitioners, academicians in the area of knowledge development, farmers and other stakeholders in the sugar industry.Key Words: Moderating factors, Diversification strategies, Competitiveness, Sugar Firms in Kenya

Assessment of the Influence of Organizational Factors on the Relationship between Pre –Service Training and Service Delivery by the Kenya National Police Service: A case of Bungoma County

Service delivery is the combination of customers experience and their perception of the outcome of the services provided. In order for governments to succeed in delivery of their services to the public, they must equip their employees with among other skills, resources and values. However, in order to achieve this, there are many challenges because of having many customers. The prime objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between pre-service training and service delivery. This is training that takes place before a person is placed on the job or assignment. The study was guided by the following specific objective, to establish the effect of organizational factors on the relationship between pre service training and service delivery by the National Police Service. A descriptive correlational research design was used to cover all the 14 police stations in Bungoma County. Simple Random sampling was used to cover 50% of the Police Stations in Bungoma County to come up with 7 Police Stations. Purposive Sampling was carried to come with selected categories of staff from the 7 Police Stations upon whom questionnaires were administered. These officers included Officers Commanding Police Stations, Officer-in charge of Crime and officers in charge of Scenes of Crime. 5 consumers and 5 police constables were randomly selected from the service points within the Police Stations in order to come up with 35 consumers and 35 police constables respectively. This service centres are offices including those of the Officer Commanding Station, Officer Charge-Crime, Children and Gender Desk, Report Office, and Customer Desk. Primary data was collected using open and closed ended questionnaires. Secondary data was collected using Government reports, Kenya Police bulletins, Police Strategic Plans and other relevant documents from authoritative sources on the topic under study.  The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential/statistical analysis. The descriptive analysis included central measure of tendencies such as the mean, mode, standard deviation, percentages and pie charts. The analysis of inferential statistics was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences and the conclusions were then drawn. The author expected that the outcome of the study will be used as a point of reference in improving police services. Police Officers will in future be kept abreast, be informed, get motivated and thereby benefit the National Police Service towards effective service delivery to the public. The government will in future be enabled to plan on organizational resources. The general public also appreciates the services rendered by the National Police Service. The research generated new knowledge and hence contributes to existing literature. The organizational factors of the police station have been found to have a moderating effect on the relationship between pre-service training and service delivery hence the need to improve the organizational factors in a police station in order to improve on their service delivery

Board Nationality and Educational Diversity and Organizational Performance: A Systematic Review of Literature

Board diversity is an important aspect of corporate governance. This paper reviewed research on board nationality and educational diversity and organizational performance in both developed and developing contexts. Further, the paper identified research gaps that may have restricted generalization of the results. The study adopted a qualitative research approach where data was obtained from peer reviewed articles published during the 2010-2022 period. Based on the review most studies revealed that Board nationality and educational diversity influenced firm performance. This study highlights the importance of nationality and educational board diversity. It also offers insights to policy makers so that they can develop, implement and even improve on policies and regulations on board nationality and educational diversity as a way of strengthening board effectiveness thus resulting to organizational performance. The recommendation for firms is to consider nationality and educational diversity when appointing board members

An Assessment of the Effect of Vertical Diversification on Organizational Competitiveness: A Case of Sugar Firms in Kenya

This study sought to analyze the effect of vertical diversification on organizational competitiveness of sugar firms in Kenya. The main objective was to establish the effect of effect of vertical diversification on organizational competitiveness of sugar firms in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive correlational survey design and this being a census study; all the sugar firms in the Kenya were studied. Using a questionnaire, primary data was collected from the production and marketing managers as key informants of each of the sugar firms. The production  and marketing managers of every sugar firm were selected to take part in the study as they are perceived to be knowledgeable on the issues under study and for which they are either responsible for their execution or they personally execute them. The questionnaire was pre-tested on a pilot respondent who are not part of the study respondents but knowledgeable in the study aspects in order to ensure their validity and relevance.  Secondary data was extracted from annual reports, publications and documentary analysis was also used to gather background information by reviewing literatures relevant to the study.   Reviews of the measures used to measure the study variables were also used to construct the questionnaire to ensure face and construct validity. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to measure the reliability of the scale, which was used to assess the interval consistency among the research instrument items. In order to test the hypothesis, the aggregate mean score of firm Competitiveness measures were regressed against the mean score of measures of Vertical Diversification. the regression results reveal that vertical diversification had overall significant positive relationship with the competitiveness of sugar firms (? = 0.464, p-value = 0.004). The study therefore rejected the null hypothesis since ? ? 0 and p-value ? ? and concludes that Vertical diversification significantly affected competitiveness of sugar firms in Kenya. The regression results also shows that 46.4 percent of the sugar firm competitiveness can be explained by vertical diversification (R square = 0.464)

Knowledge management and employee engagement in the hospitality industry

Knowledge management is becoming indispensable in organizations since it is a powerful weapon for achieving competitive advantage. However, there is still a dearth of literature for employees and managers in organizations to link their investments in knowledge management and the value the organization gets in terms of employee engagement. This study was designed to assess knowledge management and employee engagement in the hospitality industry in the North Rift region of Kenya. An explanatory research design was adopted with a target population of 580 employees from star-rated hotels in the North Rift region out of which a sample size of 234 respondents was picked. Data was collected using questionnaires and interviews and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS version 25.0 for quantitative data and thematic analysis of interview data. From findings, knowledge management explained a 50.4 percent variation in employee engagement. A coefficient of .728 indicated that a unit change in knowledge management leads to .728 units of positive change in employee engagement. Knowledge management significantly affects employee engagement thus the rejection of the null hypothesis. The hospitality business should invest in proper employee knowledge-sharing initiatives to enhance employee competence and motivation, resulting in high levels of engagement. The finding of this study can help major stakeholders in the hospitality industry to strengthen knowledge management for employee engagement

Knowledge management and employee engagement in the hospitality industry

Knowledge management is becoming indispensable in organizations since it is a powerful weapon for achieving competitive advantage. However, there is still a dearth of literature for employees and managers in organizations to link their investments in knowledge management and the value the organization gets in terms of employee engagement. This study was designed to assess knowledge management and employee engagement in the hospitality industry in the North Rift region of Kenya. An explanatory research design was adopted with a target population of 580 employees from star-rated hotels in the North Rift region out of which a sample size of 234 respondents was picked. Data was collected using questionnaires and interviews and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS version 25.0 for quantitative data and thematic analysis of interview data. From findings, knowledge management explained a 50.4 percent variation in employee engagement. A coefficient of .728 indicated that a unit change in knowledge management leads to .728 units of positive change in employee engagement. Knowledge management significantly affects employee engagement thus the rejection of the null hypothesis. The hospitality business should invest in proper employee knowledge-sharing initiatives to enhance employee competence and motivation, resulting in high levels of engagement. The finding of this study can help major stakeholders in the hospitality industry to strengthen knowledge management for employee engagement

Transformational leadership and innovation in deposit taking SACCOs: The moderating role of competitor orientation

With the drive for enhanced financial inclusion of the population through encouraging savings and investments in a bid to spur economic growth and attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the critical role played by Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOs) in developing countries in this endeavor cannot be gainsaid. It is worth noting that the extent to which such entities will contribute to economic development depends on the leadership paradigm utilized in guiding their operations and the extent to which they are innovative in their undertakings. This may further depend on the moderating effects of various factors, among them competitor orientation, especially in developing countries like Kenya, where the SACCO sector has grown tremendously with many deposit-taking SACCOs licensed to operate by the government. This study sought to establish the influence of transformational leadership on innovation in Deposit Taking SACCOs as moderated by competitor orientation in developing countries with a focus on Kenya. The study utilized descriptive and correlation research designs where 49 respondents, drawn from all the 7 Deposit-taking SACCOs in the Western region of Kenya, were targeted. Structured questionnaires were employed for data collection. The study used descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze data. Findings revealed that transformational leadership had a positive and significant influence on innovation. Further, competitor orientation had a positive but insignificant moderating effect on the relationship between transformational leadership and innovation. The study recommends that managers utilize transformational leadership practices in their undertakings to encourage innovation that ensures firm competitiveness. They should also focus on competitor orientation to support the firms’ innovative efforts

Transformational leadership and innovation in deposit taking SACCOs: The moderating role of competitor orientation

With the drive for enhanced financial inclusion of the population through encouraging savings and investments in a bid to spur economic growth and attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the critical role played by Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOs) in developing countries in this endeavor cannot be gainsaid. It is worth noting that the extent to which such entities will contribute to economic development depends on the leadership paradigm utilized in guiding their operations and the extent to which they are innovative in their undertakings. This may further depend on the moderating effects of various factors, among them competitor orientation, especially in developing countries like Kenya, where the SACCO sector has grown tremendously with many deposit-taking SACCOs licensed to operate by the government. This study sought to establish the influence of transformational leadership on innovation in Deposit Taking SACCOs as moderated by competitor orientation in developing countries with a focus on Kenya. The study utilized descriptive and correlation research designs where 49 respondents, drawn from all the 7 Deposit-taking SACCOs in the Western region of Kenya, were targeted. Structured questionnaires were employed for data collection. The study used descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze data. Findings revealed that transformational leadership had a positive and significant influence on innovation. Further, competitor orientation had a positive but insignificant moderating effect on the relationship between transformational leadership and innovation. The study recommends that managers utilize transformational leadership practices in their undertakings to encourage innovation that ensures firm competitiveness. They should also focus on competitor orientation to support the firms’ innovative efforts