THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INTERNAL AUDIT AND INTERNAL CONTROLS IN WATER SERVICE PROVIDERS IN KENYA

The aim of this study was to establish the association between internal audit and internal controls of Kenyan water service providers. To attain this objective, the researcher collected data on a population of 93 Water service providers. This cross sectional descriptive study that attained a response rate of 78% of the targeted 93 water service provider units was guided by a positivist research philosophy. Correlation analysis and regression analysis was then used to test the hypotheses. Correlation research analysis found a statistically significant positive relationship between internal audit and internal controls. The null hypothesis was rejected as the regression analysis found that a unit change in internal audit leads to a change of 0.505 in internal controls. . This infers that internal audit influences internal controls of Water service providers in Kenya. This study has provided an empirical foundation for investigating the relationship between internal audit and internal controls. Further, the study has made a unique contribution to policy formulation and development to benefit the understanding on how internal audit in the Kenyan context influences internal controls resulting to formulation of reforms in various public institutions to strengthen internal audit

FRANCHISING PROPENSITY AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF FRANCHISING ORGANISATIONS: A CRITICAL LITERATURE REVIEW

ABSTRACT Purpose - This paper investigates the relationship between franchising propensity and financial performance of franchising organisations and explores literature on possible intervening and moderating factors on the relationship. Methodology - This is a critical review of theoretical and empirical literature on franchising propensity and financial performance. Findings - Literature reveals that most studies on franchising focus on the antecedents of franchising but very few examine the consequences moreover, the studies are anchored on either agency theory or resource scarcity theory. Studies examining the relationship between franchising and performance provide conflicting results. Some studies indicate that increasing the number of franchised units result to superior performance while other studies find no significant difference between franchising and running company owned units. The effect of franchising on capital structure of the franchisor has been examined by a few studies with no conclusive results. Furthermore, prior studies indicate that the relationship between franchising and performance is influenced by firm characteristics. There is a dearth of studies examining franchising in sectors other than the restaurant industry moreover there is need to use time series data to observe the consequences of franchising over time. Implications: This review of literature mainly consists of studies carried out in developed economies which have superior business models and access to finance. Developing economies are mostly supported by small and medium enterprises and lack the skills and resources similar to advanced economies. Therefore, although developing economies stand to benefit more from the franchising model, there are few studies carried out in developing economies. Therefore, the findings of this study may vary in the developing economies. Value: This study has presented a new dimension that may explain the inconsistent findings from prior studies and contribute to the discussion of franchising and firm performance. The relationship between franchising and firm performance may be moderated by firm characteristics and mediated by capital structure

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century