School of Business

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://localhost:4000/handle/20.500.12092/1773

Browse

Filters

2014 - 20194

Settings

Start date: 2014End date: 2019

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Resources, external environment, innovation and performance of insurance companies in Kenya
    (University of Nairobi, 2014) Ombaka, Beatrice Elesani
    In spite of a growing body of literature on firm performance, explaining why firms in the same industry and markets differ in their performance remains a fundamental question within strategic management field. Researchers have attributed differences in firm performance to resources owned by a firm. However, other researchers have argued that resources alone cannot be a source of competitive advantage. Therefore, the debate is still open. This study sought to contribute to knowledge and was premised on the view that resources influence performance both directly and indirectly through intervening effect of innovation and moderating effect of external environment. The study was anchored on the resource based theory, dynamic capabilities theory, knowledge based theory and the open systems theory. The main objective of the study was to establish the influence of external environment and innovation on the relationship between organizational resources and performance of insurance companies in Kenya. The study employed a positivist research paradigm and a cross-sectional survey design. Both primary and secondary data were collected from 46 insurance companies. Primary data was collected using a 5 point Likert type questionnaire and an interview guide. Secondary data on financial performance was collected from Association of Kenya Insurers annual report of 2011 and 2012. The study was guided by six specific objectives. To achieve these objectives, eight hypotheses were formulated and tested. Descriptive statistics, correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze data. The findings established that both tangible and intangible resources had a statistically significant influence on non financial performance of insurance companies in Kenya. However, there were mixed findings as regards the individual influence of resources on various firm performance indicators. Intangible resources evidenced statistically not significant results individually but when combined, they had a statistically significant influence on non-financial performance. The study also revealed that intangible resources had a statistically significant positive moderate correlation with innovation. Tangible resources evidenced a weak positive correlation with innovation that was not statistically significant. Innovation had a statistically significant intervening influence on the relationship between resources and non-financial performance. There was a statistically not significant relationship between organizational resources, external environment and innovation. The external environment did not have a statistically significant moderating effect on the relationship between organizational resources and performance of insurance companies in Kenya. Finally, the joint effect of organizational resources, innovation and the external environment on non-financial performance was found to be greater than that of the individual variables. In the joint influence, innovation had the highest contribution followed by organizational resources. The contribution of the external environment was statistically not significant. The findings of this study lend partial support to previous studies. The results support the resource based view which proposes that resources are a source of a sustainable competitive advantage for the firm. The results of the study are significant for theory, policy and practice. The findings adds to the knowledge in the field of strategic management by establishing that organizational resources influence firm performance both directly and indirectly through intervening effect of innovation. The moderating effect of the external environment was statistically not significant.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Evaluation of the Relationship Between Incubation Practices, Entrepreneurial Orientation and Performance of Incubator Centres in Kenya
    (Karatina University, 2018-10) Kinya, Miriti Jane
    Small businesses are the fundamental drivers of Kenya’s economy. However, empirical evidence shows that in a highly turbulent business environment, 46.3 percent of small businesses tend to fail in their first year of operation in Kenya. It was assumed that, with appropriate use of Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO), these businesses would take off and become successful. Despite EO intervention, the failure rate of 46.3 percent of small businesses is high, a great concern to the government and development partners. To reduce this failure rate, the Government of Kenya licensed and mandated incubators to nurture small business owners. Despite their presence, small businesses in Kenya still face unique problems of uncertainty, poor innovations and slow evolution. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between incubator practices, entrepreneurial orientation and performance of incubator centres in Kenya. The study was guided by client selection criteria, incubator funding and entrepreneurial management as independent variables, EO as the moderator and performance of incubator centres as dependent variable. The study was anchored on Resource Based Theory which supports the strategic entrepreneurship concept. The study used a correlation design because it focused on a causal-effect relationship. The study population was 51 incubator managers. Secondary data was obtained from published sources such as institutional reports, manuals and research done by other scholars. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach was used to analyze the measurement model and test the hypothesized relationships in this study. Hierarchical moderated regression model was used to measure the strength of the relationship between incubation practices, EO and performance of incubator centres in Kenya. The joint effect model results indicated that client selection criteria had the most significant relationship with performance of incubator centres (Regression coefficient=1.441, p-value<0.05=0.001, followed by entrepreneurial management (Regression coefficient=-0.041, p-value<0.05=0.856). In addition, analysis showed that entrepreneurial orientation had a moderating effect on incubation practices and performance, yielding a significant R2 change of 0.075 that is 7.5 percent additional variance. The study recommends that, the incubator centres should put proper institutional systems in place to track and categorize graduate incubatees through proper record keeping of the previous incubatees history, to minimize failure of incubators, the state department of Industrialization should embark on developing policies that will assist in incorporation and management of incubators whether public or private. The department should also develop entrepreneurship skills and capacity building programmes that match the technical and entrepreneurial skills and mind-set within the incubation process. Sensitize and re-orient the growing labour force towards the entrepreneurial development programmes. Partnerships with relevant stakeholders are established to ensure relevance of our youth in the job market. It is envisaged that the findings of this study offer positive insights to entrepreneurs, academicians and financiers contribution to reshaping government policy as far as optimal management of business incubators is concerned. CHAPTER ONE
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Determinants of Choice of Sustainability Strategies Adopted by Group Ranches in Samburu County, Kenya
    (Karatina University, 2018-10) Kithumbu, Eustace Njagi
    The purpose of this study was to identify, analyze and document determinants of the choice of sustainability strategies adopted by group ranches in Samburu County, Kenya. The concept of group ranches was introduced in Kenya to promote commercial ranching and to recognize, protect and register communal land rights. About five hundred, thirty nine group ranches were established. However, most of them dissolved and subdivided into individual land holdings within a short period.Numerous studies have been conducted on the establishment of group ranches, their dissolution and coping strategies. However, the aspect of sustainability and the choice of sustainability strategies adopted by group ranches have received little attention in these studies. This study visualized environmental, organizational, management and societal characteristics as the independent variables while the choice of sustainability strategies was the dependent variable. The general objective of the study was to examine determinants of the choice of sustainability strategies adopted by the group ranches in Samburu County, Kenya. The specific objectives were to: establish environmental characteristics determining the choice of sustainability strategies adopted by group ranches in Samburu County; assess organizational characteristics determining the choice of sustainability strategies adopted by the group ranches in Samburu County; identify societal characteristics determining the choice of sustainability strategies adopted by the group ranches in Samburu County and to find out management characteristics determining the choice of sustainability strategies adopted by the group ranches in Samburu County. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design employing the use of questionnaires, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and observation as primary data collection methods. The target population for the study was the 16,611 registered members in the 38 group ranches spread out in the County. The study sampled twelve group ranches with approximately 5,643 members from which 374 respondents were systematically sampled. Purposive sampling was used to select key informants and participants in the focus group discussions. The study adopted the multi-linear regression model to establish the relationship between variables. The study was guided by three theories: the Tragedy of the Commons Theory, Resource-Based View Theory and the Theory of Sustainable Livelihood. The research procedure began with a pilot study that was conducted to test the validity and reliability of the research instruments. Adjustments and recommendations from the pilot study were incorporated into the research instruments. The study found out that environmental, organizational, management and societal characteristics influenced the choice of sustainability strategies adopted by the group ranches in Samburu County to a great extent. The study established that the past experiences were the most significant factor influencing the choice of sustainability strategies, with a regression coefficient of 0.432. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to test the hypotheses and p-values of 0.000 were obtained. The study concludes that environmental, organizational, societal and management factors determine the choice of sustainability strategies adopted by the group ranches in Samburu County. The study recommends consideration and integration of environmental, organizational, societal and management factors when formulating policies affecting the group ranches. The study also recommends change in the policy to allow individual land ownership within a group ranch without necessarily dissolving the group ranches.
©karatina University