School of Business & Economics

Corporate Governance and Financial Performance of Deposit Taking Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies in Meru County, Kenya

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Corporate Governance and Financial Performance of Deposit Taking Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies in Meru County, Kenya Tharamba, Eva Kanini Corporate governance is a critical tool for enhancing the performance of Deposit-taking Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOs) and ensuring they meet their members' economic and social needs. Properly structured cooperatives can contribute to equitable development and justice. However, a significant challenge facing these SACCOs is the issue of corporate governance. Some have faced mismanagement problems, resulting in the cessation of their operations. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between corporate governance and the financial performance of deposit-taking SACCOs in Meru County by focusing on the impact of the audit committee, board size, and transparency. The study design involved 92 directors from all eleven deposit-taking SACCOs in Meru County, with a sample of 75 directors selected using stratified random sampling with proportional allocation. The questionnaire's reliability was validated through a pilot study. Data collection employed questionnaires containing closed-ended questions and secondary data collected from the SACCO supervision annual report; the analysis encompassed descriptive and inferential statistics, including multiple regression analysis using SPSS software (Version 26). The results were presented in tables, highlighting the significant associations discovered among the audit committee, board size, transparency, and the performance of Deposit-taking SACCOs in Meru County. Correlation and multiple regression analysis were carried out to establish the relationship between the study variables. The findings disclosed a significant association between the audit committee, board size, transparency, and financial performance of Deposit Taking SACCOs. The main contribution of the research revealed that the audit committee members were transparently selected and held frequent meetings. In addition, the study found that these SACCOs had effectively managed their liquidity, retaining funds for reinvestment rather than distributing all profits as dividends. The implications of these findings are substantial, particularly for the directors of Deposit-taking SACCOs and other cooperative organizations. Directors of SACCOs can employ strategies to enhance governance practices within their societies, ultimately improving their overall performance. The study recommends that audit committee members maintain regular meetings to assess the SACCOs' performance, ensuring smooth operations from the findings. Additionally, Deposit-Taking SACCOs should engage with their customers frequently to keep them informed of the SACCO's progress and involve them in governance through voting rights in board decisions. These recommendations can contribute to better governance and improve SACCO's financial performance

Effects of Evaluation On Employees' Performance in Isiolo County Government

2024-01-01T00:00:00Z

Effects of Evaluation On Employees' Performance in Isiolo County Government Mungania, Agnes Kinanu; Guyo, Hussein Boru; Mwirig, Rael Nkatha Management by Objectives (MBO) is a performance management approach where employees and managers collaborate to set individual goals aligned with broader organizational objectives. While MBO's potential benefits are recognized, its effectiveness particularly in the context of varying organizational cultures and appraisal purposes, remains unclear. The general objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between MBO and employee performance within Isiolo County Government. The study specifically examined the influence of evaluation on employees’ performance in Isiolo County. The study was grounded on image theory. The population of study was 260 employees across seven county ministries. Data was collected using a questionnaire subjected to pilot study. Quantitative data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study showed that overall evaluation (with a p-value of 0.897) does not significantly contribute to employee performance within the County Government of Isiolo. Therefore, the null hypothesis for evaluation was accepted. Because the study found no significant influence of evaluation on employee performance, there is a critical need for organization to refine their evaluation systems. To gain a deeper understanding of the long-term impact of evaluation on employee performance in Kenyan county governments, longitudinal research is warranted. The study recommends need for Isiolo County Government to improve its evaluation processes. Evaluators should provide valuable input to aid in performance improvement in employees of Isiolo county government.

Brand Loyalty and Customer Citizenship Behavior Among Students of Selected Universities Within Mount Kenya Region

2024-01-01T00:00:00Z

Brand Loyalty and Customer Citizenship Behavior Among Students of Selected Universities Within Mount Kenya Region Moywaywa, Anne Bonareri; Nkaabu, Clement; Huka, Guyo Purpose: Enrollment in Kenya’s public universities has been declining. This study sought to determine the effect of brand loyalty on customer citizenship behavior among students of selected universities within Mount Kenya region. The study is anchored on Keller brand theory. Methods: The study adopted a descriptive research survey. The accessible target population was 3000 4th year students from selected universities within Mount Kenya region. The study used a sampling formula proposed by Israel (2009) to obtain the required sample size of 254 respondents from the study. Primary data was collected using both closed and open-ended questionnaires. The questionnaires were carefully structured pre-tested and adjusted to meet the demands of the study. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: According to correlation outcome, brand loyalty had a strong positive and significant correlation with customer citizenship behavior (r =0.658, p=0.000). Regression findings showed that brand loyalty had a positive and significant effect on customer citizenship behavior (β=0.174, p=0.002<0.05). Conclusion: The study concluded that brand loyalty contributes significantly to enhanced customer citizenship behavior. The university management should create brand loyalty for the university by ensuring they offer quality education which can enhance competitiveness and thus increase the number of students enrolling in the universities.

Effect of Leave Administration on Employee Performance in Public Universities in Kenya

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Effect of Leave Administration on Employee Performance in Public Universities in Kenya Mungania, Kinanu Agnes; Kimathi, Karimi Faith; Mwirigi, Rael Nkatha Work-life Balance allows employees greater plasticity in their work therefore enhancing balance between work and the responsibilities outside their work stations. Leave Administration involves how paid absence is managed after a period of service with a particular employer such as annual, sick and compassionate leave .Leave days allow the workers to relieve themselves from work related issues and focus more on family matters. When leave is granted, it stimulates motivation hence ensures performance and productivity among workers. Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, also known as the motivation-hygiene theory, guided this research. The study adopted descriptive research design because it describes the state of affairs, as it exists at present in the study. The study adopted disproportionate stratified sampling technique since it is a probabilistic sampling technique which is distinguished by its two-steps procedure. The study targeted 17,221 employees in the 7 public universities in Kenya established under the old constitution and chartered under individual Act of parliament. The sample size was 376 respondents which comprised of academic and non-academic staff. Primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire which was dropped to respondents and collected later. The quantitative analysis technique was used for analyzing data collected from the respondents. Descriptive summary measures specifically frequencies, percentages, means and standard errors were used to describe profiles of the Universities and respondents. Correlation was used to establish the relationship between the research variables. Hypotheses was tested using t-test while the overall significance of the model was tested using F-test at 5% level of significance. The findings were presented by use of tables and figures. Cronbach Alpha coefficient of 0.7 was used to test the reliability of research instruments. The study findings indicated that leave administration has an effect on employee performance in public Universities in Kenya. The study concluded that leave administration has a statistically significant effect on employee’s performance in that 70.1 % of the variations in employee performance can be explained by the independent variable leave administration while 29.9% of variations in employee performance are explained by random error or other factors. Further the study results indicate that leave administration should be effective so as to enable employees to meet their expectations and ultimately influences university’s performance. Therefore, a lack of leave administration may lead to decreased employee service delivery, efficiency, and effectiveness, which negatively affects the university’s performance. The study recommends that universities should sustain and continually improve on their leave administration by instituting a leave policy to ensure consistent leave administration that is in accordance with the existing laws.