Top management commitment for successful small and medium-enterprises(SMEs): A hoax or a reality?

The role of small and medium enterprises in any country’s economic development cannot be under estimated. It is important for all countries especially the developing ones to note that the key to having a sustained development is to improve the performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This ensures economic growth is inclusive of all people. The success of these enterprises should be the concern of all governments that are interested in not only alleviating poverty as a major threat to sustainable development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of top management commitment as a Total Quality Management (TQM) practice on performance of small and medium enterprises. The study concentrated on youth group projects in Kajiado north sub county, Kajiado County, Kenya. Youth projects were randomly selected from Kajiado north sub-county, in five wards. The study used mixed method approach in the data collection and analysis, to capture both the qualitative and quantitative data. The design is descriptive. The target population was 210 youth that were involved in youth group projects. Spearman’s correlation was used to test the relationship between the variables. The analyses indicated that there is significant relationship between top management and performance

Professional Development In Monitoring And Evaluation And Result Utilization In Meru Region In Kenya

This study was carried out to determine the influence of professional development in Monitoring and result utilization in Meru Region; Kenya. Pragmatic approach was used to lay foundation for a mixed mode approach in methodology thus allowing for both descriptive and inferential analysis of data. The study targeted employees working in project organizations in the region and had an experience of over two years. The sample size was 218. In general, the study noted high level of M&E results utilization at project level by project employees and that Professional development activities were being carried in the region at moderate extent. Together, all activities carried out to develop professionalism in M&E had a positive high correlation thus concluding that they have influence on the actual utilization of M&E result. The study established that a unit increase in professional development in the region result to 43.6% increase in M&E result utilization. It was recommended that more of professional development activities in M&E be undertaken to include even other users of M&E result outside the Project organization to maximize on the evaluation results in order to justify the resources used in carrying M&E in organizations

Households’ Involvement in Monitoring and Evaluation Decision-Making and Performance of Tanzania Conditional Cash Transfer Project

Poverty is one of the challenges affecting developing countries. In the efforts to curb this problem, Tanzania has been implementing a Conditional Cash Transfer project for reducing the poverty reduction rate among households that were identified to be extremely poor. Therefore, this study assessed the extent to which households’ involvement in Monitoring and Evaluation decision-making influenced the performance of the Tanzania Conditional Cash Transfer Project. Descriptive cross-sectional and correlational research designs were used, supported by a pragmatic paradigm. By using Yamane’s (1967) formula, a sample size of 400 respondents was obtained from a target population of 61,240 households. Data were collected through administered questionnaires, key in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions. The findings established a significant influence between households’ involvement in Monitoring and Evaluation decision-making (t=4.970, p-value=0.000) on the performance of the Tanzania Conditional Cash Transfer Project. It was concluded that households’ involvement in Monitoring and Evaluation decision-making played a significant role in the performance of the Tanzania Conditional Cash Transfer Project. Therefore, it was recommended that implementers of the project were required to establish the section in the M&E document that incorporates the involvement of households at the decision-making levels as a catalyst for influencing the performance of the Tanzania Conditional Cash Transfer Project

Small And Medium Enterprises Training For Survival In A Competitive World

This study explored the influence of Total Quality Management practices on performance of Small and Medium Enterprises. Youth Projects in Kajiado County, Kenya were used as the target population. One of the key TQM management practices is training of employees. The study sort to determine the influence of training of employees on performance on SMEs. The study was carried out on 168 youth group projects in Kajiado County.Questionnaires and interviews were used as research instruments. For triangulation purpose, the interview schedule was used to confirm the information captured by the questionnaire. Data was collected from both primary and secondary sources. The study used mixed method approach in the collection and analysis, to capture both the qualitative and quantitative data.Spearman’s correlation was used to test the relationship between training and performance of SMEs. The analyses indicated a moderately positive relationship between training and performance of SMEs in Kajiado county which was statistically significant rs=0.400, p=0.600.Based on the findings and conclusions of the study, it is recommended that to improve the performance of the youth groups, they should strive to ensure their product in the market is superior. This can only be ensured by equipping their employees with proper skills, knowledge and values through training

Resource Allocation, Evaluational Capacity Building M&E Results Utilization Among Community Based Organizations in Meru County in Kenya

Building capacity for evaluation has become a big concern in the effort of ensuring that evaluations are meaningful. Part of this capacity includes making sure that M&E activities have resources needed to carry them out. This study sought to establish the influence of allocating resources for M&E activities on the utilization of M&E result at the project level in Kenya’s Meru County. The study used a mixed mode approach in methodology and it was both a descriptive survey and a cross-sectional survey and used both descriptive and inferential analysis of the data collected. The study sampled 186 respondents from a targeted population of 430 employees working in Non-Governmental organizations and other community based organizations in the county. The study showed that resources were allocated for various M&E activities to a great extent. The study also noted high level of M&E results utilization at project level by project employees and all the indicators of resources allocation had positive correlation with M&E result utilization. It was noted that for every unit increase in resource allocation, there was an increase of 26.1% in M&E result utilization score which is a percentage that would justify allocating resources for M&E activities by project organizations

The Moderating Role of Teacher Self-Efficacy in Technology on the Relationship between Transformational Leadership Style and ICT Integration in Teaching and Learning

In spite of the trainings mounted by the government and other stakeholders in Education to capacity build the teachers in using technology the uptake has been low Previous studies report that the integration of Information Communication and Technology ICT into the curriculum remains problematic in the school context Some of the problems encountered in the process of integrating ICT into the curriculum are school leaders perceptions of ICT It is against this backdrop that the present study sought to investigate how transformational leadership style predicts ICT integration in teaching and learning in public primary schools in Nairobi County and the moderating role of teachers self-efficacy on technology and school environment respectively The target population for this study comprised of 6150 teachers drawn from public primary schools in Nairobi County The study was conducted in a sample of the public primary schools in the eleven sub-counties of Nairobi County namely Embakasi Makadara Kamukunji Starehe Njiru Kasarani Westlands Langata Kibra Mathare and Dagoretti Simple random sampling from the target was employed in the study Teachers responded to a structured questionnaire while the head teachers had an in-depth intervie

Curriculum resources and academic performance of distance learning students in selected Kenyan public universities.

Distance learning is a mode of study which involves the separation of the lecturer from the student in space, time or both. The mode of study is increasingly being adopted globally due to development in technology, its flexibility and the benefits which accrue to individuals and the society as a result of investment in education. Academic performance of distance learning students has been of interest to scholars. Findings in developed countries have been consistent, however in Kenya, they have been inconsistent. This study sought to establish the extent to which curriculum resources influence academic performance of distance learning students in selected Kenyan public universities. The study is based on pragmatism due to its focus on objectivity and use of scientific methods. Mixed methods of research were used. The sample consisted of 847 Bachelor of Education (Arts) distance learning students, 149 lecturers teaching distance learning students and 2 administrators in charge of distance learning programmes. The research instruments consisted of questionnaires, interview guides, document analysis and the instrument for measuring academic performance. The findings indicated that curriculum resources, significantly and positively influence academic performance of distance learning students. The study recommends that effort should be geared towards enhancing accessibility and the use of online curriculum resources by distance learning students. Key words: Distance learning, curriculum resources, academic performanc

Learners’ self efficacy and academic performance of distance learning students in selected Kenyan public universities.

Academic performance of distance learning students has been of concern to researchers. Several researches done since 1920s in developed countries have revealed that there is no significant difference in performance between distance learning students and conventional students. In Kenya, however, the result findings have been inconsistent. The objective of this study was to establish the moderating influence of learners’ self efficacy on the relationship between institutional factors and academic performance of distance learning students. The study is based on pragmatism due to its focus on objectivity and use of scientific methods. Mixed methods of research were used. The target population consisted of 847 Bachelor of Education (Arts) distance learning students, 149 lecturers teaching distance learning students and 2 administrators in charge of distance learning programmes. The research instruments consisted of questionnaires, interview guides, document analysis and the instrument for measuring academic performance. The findings indicated that the moderating influence of learners’ self efficacy on the relationship between institutional factors and academic performance was statistically significant. Key words: Distance learning students, learners’ self efficacy, academic performanc

Factors Affecting Project Implementation of School Projects In Private Secondary Schools in the Larger Nyeri District

ABSTRAC

The influence of gender in the relationship between Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation, and Citizen Empowerment

Participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) has over the years been considered indispensable means to citizen empowerment. However, the validity of this claim has hardly been established empirically. This study sought, not only to establish the influence of PM&E on citizen  empowerment, but also the moderating role of gender in this relationship. The empirical investigation took the form of a mixed-methods approach involving concurrent parallel design, in which samples for quantitative and qualitative components were different but drawn from the same population and data collected within the same timeframe. Two hundred and twelve participants responded to a self-administered questionnaire. Two Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were also conducted to establish the qualitative mechanisms at play in the quantitative data generated. Participants of the study were community members who participated in a World Vision International’s PM&E model dubbed ‘Integrated Programming Model’. Whilequantitative data were analysed through linear regression analyses, the qualitative component utilized interpretive technique, coding and recursive abstraction. Both the quantitative and qualitative findings support the notion that there is a positive linear relationship between PM&E and citizen empowerment; and that gender does not significantly moderate the relationship between PM&E and citizen. The study revealed that PM&E can be a tool for pacifying the effect of inequality, since the experience of empowerment outcomes is not sensitive to one’s gender.Key words: Citizen Empowerment; Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation, gende