Business Commons^™

The Belt And Road Initiative In Kenya, As Represented By The Standard Gauge Railway (Sgr), Its Effects And The Response Of Kenyans To It., Kiplangat Arap Yegon

Master's Theses

China has sought to strengthen ties with many countries in the Global South, and many African countries have signed Memorandum of Agreements(MoU) with China leading to trade treaties, foreign direct investments, loans and grants flowing into the African continent from China. This aggressive push by China into Africa has come under intense scrutiny with different actors, scholars and powers having mixed takes on the move. In my thesis, I look at the ways in which China’s Belt and Road Initiative has been undertaken in Africa. I use Kenya as a main case study in looking at the ways in which …

Building A Future Microfinance Community In Kenya, Jack Spiehs

Senior Theses

The lack of access to financial tools has been a significant problem in many areas around the world for a long time. It prevents certain groups of people from being able to progress financially and improve their economic standing. This issue stems from an overall lack of resources and infrastructure in the area. Without the acquisition of new funds, there is no path to poverty alleviation in underdeveloped areas. Currently, the global response has been to try to provide these resources through various methods, including microfinance activities.

Microfinance institutions have been operating in Kenya for decades. They provide a variety …

Stakeholder Involvement In Upscaling Of Soil Fertility Research Output In Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya, Serah W. Kimaru-Muchai

Journal of Global Awareness

Food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa has prompted a lot of research in the development of soil fertility technologies; however, few of the recommendations from soil fertility management research have been put into use by the target end-users. The objective of the study was to investigate information exchange pathways used by researchers in upscaling of soil fertility in Maara and Mbeere South Sub-counties in Kenya. Structured questionnaires were used to collect information from 22 researchers and 240 farmers. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics like frequency, mean, and percentages, while Chi-square, Kendal's correlation coefficient was used to test the magnitude of …

Evaluation Of Self-Help Groups In Promoting Women Socio-Economic Empowerment In Kibra Sub-County, Nairobi County, Kenya, Philip Onyango Were, Sarah Wairimu Kimaru-Muchai

Journal of Global Awareness

Women play a crucial role in developing the economy, but their contribution has been negatively affected by limited financial services access. The study investigated the role of self-help groups (SHGs) in promoting women's economic empowerment in Kibra, Nairobi County, Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The sample size was 108 SHGs as respondents. The study utilized primary means of data collection by using questionnaires, key informant interviews (KIIs) and focused group discussions (FGDs). The findings showed that SHGs utilize group savings to expand credit access to vulnerable women in the sub-county. Leadership experience in SGHs has changed …

Trade Financing In Emerging Markets, Jamie L. Morris

Senior Theses

Businesses need capital to initiate trades, drive growth, and produce profit, but unfortunately, not all companies can access to capital easily. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), although critical to the global economy, typically have trouble funding trades because of a lack of creditworthiness. This problem worsens for SMEs in emerging markets in volatile economies with political instability (“Trade finance and SMEs” 2016, p.11-21). In this study, we analyze how third-party trade finance companies can help finance trades more easily for SMEs in eight (8) emerging markets: Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Chile, Peru, Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia. We use a unique source …

Cyberbullying Among University Students: The Kenyan Experience, Joshua R A Ndiege, Gabriel Okello, Patrick K. Wamuyu

The African Journal of Information Systems

Although considerable literature has grown around cyberbullying, there are still only limited studies on this within developing economies, especially African countries. In particular, studies on cyberbullying in Africa have failed to have a direct focus on the prevalence of this phenomenon among students in universities. Not only does cyberbullying have an emotional-social impact, it has ramifications on the learning process as well. This subject remains of utmost relevance within academia, and a number of institutions continue to grapple with its impact. The study reported here is an exploratory investigation of 396 students from one of the private universities within Nairobi, …

World View: Self Perceptionhow Do Traditional Healers See Themselves?A Comparative Study Between Two Tribes: The Kikuyu (Kenya) And El Gabaleya (Egypt), Iman El Bastawisi

BAU Journal - Health and Wellbeing

In terms of all the changing orientations and perspectives towards “Traditional Healing” as an activity and professional that might meet with the call of “back to nature”, the present research aims to shed light on the views and perceptions of the one who are truly and totally involved in this practition. By using the comparative method in presenting and analyzing two different cases : the case of a traditional healer from the Kikuyu tribe in Kenya and the case of a traditional healer from El Gabaleya tribe in Egypt. Field studies were carried out among both tribes and intensive in …

How Does Energy Matter? Rural Electrification, Entrepreneurship, And Community Development In Kenya, Antoine Vernet, Jane N. O. Khayesi, Vivian George, Gerard George, Abubakar S. Bahaj

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We examine the impact of rural electrification on individuals and businesses within a community in order to test a resource-based theory of entrepreneurship. We show that access to electricity increases average households’ income and entrepreneurial activities. The impact of electricity on entrepreneurial activity has wide-ranging implications for development policy in countries where access to electricity is sparse. Results show a significant difference in entrepreneurial opportunities with respect to firm formation, with the electrified site reporting more new micro-enterprises than the control site after implementation. Electrification affects both households’ income, individuals’ perceptions of their social position, and opportunities for business development. …

The Impact Of An Electrical Mini-Grid On The Development Of A Rural Community In Kenya, Abubakr Bahaj, Luke Blunden, Christopher Kanani, Patrick James, Issac Kiva, Zoe Matthews, Heather Price, Hildah Essendi, Jane Ealkingham, Gerard George

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Electrical mini-grids can provide electrification to rural communities far from the national network. However the benefits of such schemes are disputed. We observed changes in two matched trading-centres in Makueni County, Kenya, neither of which were initially electrified. During the study a solar photovoltaic mini-grid scheme (13.5 kWp) was constructed in one of the trading-centres. After electrification there were relative increases in the number of businesses and business income. Comparing the households in the areas around the trading centres, perceived wealth increased more around the electrified trading centre. Qualitative interviews indicated improvements in service provision by the local school and …

Progress On The Economic Empowerment Of Female Entrepreneurs In Kenya's 30% Preferential Public Procurement Policy, Rukaya Mohammed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Kenya, a 2013 presidential directive reserved 30% of government procurement opportunities for enterprises owned by women, youth, and persons with disabilities to promote economic empowerment; however, as of 2016, female entrepreneurs continued to be outpaced by their male counterparts. The lack of policy evaluation from the female entrepreneur perspective limits the ability to assess progress and identify obstacles. Through purposeful sampling and semistructured interviews, this qualitative phenomenological study obtained the perceptions of the implementation and impact of Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) on economic empowerment from the perspective of 20 female entrepreneurs in Kenya previously awarded procurement contracts. …

M-Pesa’S Failure In India: Why Couldn’T Vodafone Replicate Its Kenyan Success? An International Marketing Case Study (Addendum By Former And Current Executives At The Vodafone Group), Jackson Lott, Mona Sinha

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

Vodafone’s mobile wallet service, M-Pesa, was originally created in 2007 for Kenya and was extremely successful in providing millions with access to mobile-based financial services. Essentially, a mobile wallet service enables payments via digital money in the form of mobile airtime. According to industry estimates, the global mobile money market is expected to reach USD 112.3 billion in 2021, with a compounded annual growth rate of 39.6% since 2016. Vodafone launched M-Pesa in India in 2013, but by mid-2019 it had announced its plans to merge its mobile wallet business with an associate company or a third party. Clearly, Vodafone …

Getting Ahead And Getting By: Exploring Outcomes Of Youth Livelihoods Programs, Elisabeth E. Lefebvre, Acacia Nikoi, Richard Bamattre, Amina Jaafar, Emily Morris, David Chapman, Joan Dejaeghere

Education Faculty Publications

This report is a collaboration between the Mastercard Foundation and University of Minnesota that examines the livelihoods of youth aged 16–25 who participated in two Learn, Earn and Save programs in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. It documents their post-program trajectories and examines the role that gender, employment sectors, certification, engaging in mixed livelihoods, financial capital, and social networks have had on their lives. Data were collected from 130 youth over a five-year period through qualitative interviews as well as surveys and demographic data. That longitudinal, mixed methods approach allowed researchers to explore youth employment, learning, and well-being trajectories as they …

Information Security Awareness Amongst Students Joining Higher Academic Institutions In Developing Countries: Evidence From Kenya, Joshua R A Ndiege, Gabriel O. Okello

The African Journal of Information Systems

Although there is a steady use of information technology in institutions of higher learning, little is known about the level of information security awareness (ISA) amongst students joining universities in developing countries and more specifically Africa. The purpose of this study was to investigate ISA amongst undergraduate students at a higher education institution in Kenya. The study made use of a quantitative survey approach. Overall, the study findings indicate that majority of the students surveyed did not possess adequate understanding of ISA. Consequently, we submit that there is a strong need to cultivate ISA culture amongst students joining universities in …

Motivations For Remittances And Philanthropy – Lessons From A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis Of Literature, Sabith Khan, Daisha M. Merritt Ph.D.

Publications

Why do people send remittances? Also, what are the motivations for diaspora philanthropy? While each of these questions have been addressed by scholars in different way – with the most influential theories suggesting that ‘identification’ is the key theme that explains each of these phenomenon, we contend that there is much more than purely ‘identification’ with the recipients that is at play. In this study, based on synthesis of various theories and some empirical studies, we propose a new ‘mid-range’ theory, that seeks to explain the motivations for giving – both remittances and philanthropy. We explain how the motivations in …

Client Protection Regulations For Microfinance Institutions In Ghana, Kenya, And Tanzania, Hanna Carlson

Oswald Research and Creativity Competition

This paper examines the financial sectors of Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania in relation to the regulation of microfinance institutions, specifically looking into client protection policies. The first section introduces the topic of microfinance in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the impact it has on the financial sector. A frame of reference is created by a brief introduction of the financial and regulatory climate in each of the three countries. Following this introduction, regression analyses demonstrate the impact of client protection policies on the performance of microfinance institutions in Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania.

A Context And Stakeholder Focused Exploration Of The Sustainability Of Local Organizations In Development, Brad Tucker

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The design and development of this study emerged as the result of the investigator’s work with local nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in the Global South – particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Through experience and study, the investigator observed: 1) The conceptualization and the study of organizational sustainability and effectiveness (OS/OE) – both in scholarship and in practice – are fragmented and, while emphasizing the critical importance of context, do not explain how context impacts sustainability. 2) Existing conceptualizations of OS/OE lack the perspectives of key stakeholders – namely the management and staff of the local NPOs themselves. 3) There is a considerable …

Rethinking Ethical Leadership In Kenya: Adopting A New Paradigm, David Mwaniki Minja

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

Developing countries appear to many on the outside to be besieged by pervasive and endemic corruption. Although present in most governing systems globally, least developed countries especially struggle with a “business as usual, quid-pro-quo” institutionalized system of corrupt governing. Writer David Minja bravely takes on corruption at its most insidious level, drawing upon the prowess of both classic and contemporary scholars by introducing a path for those in positions of power and influence to more effectively connect theory to practice and effect fundamental change.

Higher Education And Income Distribution In A Less Developed Country, Gary S. Fields

Gary S Fields

[Excerpt] The primary purpose of this paper is to empirically test among both the intra- and the inter-generational version of these three hypotheses for higher (i.e. post-secondary) levels of education for one less developed country, Kenya. A secondary purpose is to investigate other economic aspects of spending on higher education, most notably the question of horizontal equity in school finance. Before proceeding, a methodological point is in order. There is no consensus in the public economics literature on what is a suitable criterion for assessing the equitability of a fiscal programme. At least three criteria may be distinguished (the terminology …

Lessons Learnt From The Westgate Shopping Mall Terrorist Attack In Nairobi, Kenya: Involving The Meetings, Incentives, Conferences And Exhibitions Sector In Crisis Communications, Ashley Schroeder, Lori Pennington-Gray, Kelly Bricker

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The terrorist attacks in Nairobi Kenya have been widely disseminated by the world media, thus, affecting the long-term interests of stakeholders. The tourism industry is made up of a vast number of these stakeholders, with the operating sector alone including the accommodation, tourism services, transportation, entertainment, food services, adventure and outdoor recreation, attractions, meetings, incentive, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE), and travel trade sectors. Within each operating sector, there is also a variety of different stakeholders in various segments and organisations. The purpose of this manuscript is to examine tourism crisis communications surrounding the Westgate Shopping Mall attacks in Kenya. The …

Savings Account For Microenterprise, Meghan Jarow

Honors College Theses

Will bundling savings accounts with loans increase the effectiveness of microfinance as a tool for alleviating poverty? Microfinance is the practice of offering small loans to poor people in developing countries. The development of this practice into a poverty dimishining, self-sustaining business won Muhammad Yunus a Nobel Prize in 2006. Today, there are thousands of microfinance institutions (MFIs) serving millions of people in developing countries. However, there is recent evidence that these loans do not help reduce poverty, and may do as much ahrm as good.

In truth providing credit to the poor may not be enough to eliminate poverty. …

Financial Inclusion Initiatives And National Economic Development, Paul N. Eluhaiwe

Bullion

The paper present a clear understanding of the term financial inclusion, its role in economic development, measures being adopted to forge financial inclusion by selected countries and the attempt being made by Nigerian to follow suit. Section two of this paper gives an overview of the concept financial inclusion, section three highlights the difference between financial inclusion and economic development. Section four presents country experiences on financial inclusion followed by highlights of the current state of financial inclusion in Nigeria.

Where To Vocational Education In Kenya? Is Analysing Training And Development Needs The Answer To The Challenges In This Sector?, Susan W. Ngure

Research outputs 2013

This paper examines training and development (T&D) systems in the technical, vocational education and training (TVET) in Kenya. It is in response to the Kenya Vision 2030 document that identifies TVET as the anchor of its economic pillar through science, technology and innovation to boost Kenya’s industrialisation status. The document notes that skills training faces challenges such as mismatch of skills between the training institutions and the industry, and disparities in accessibility at all levels. This paper seeks to explore whether the accurate assessment of training needs is the answer to the challenges faced by the training program. Data for …

Slides: Nokero: Power To The Powerless, Stephen Katsaros

2012 Energy Justice Conference and Technology Exposition (September 17-18)

Presenter: Stephen Katsaros, Inventor, Founder, and CEO, Nokero

13 slides

Factors Influencing Successful Use Of Mobile Technologies To Facilitate E-Commerce In Small Enterprises: The Case Of Kenya, Patrick Kanyi Wamuyu, Manoj Maharaj

The African Journal of Information Systems

This paper interrogates the suitability of Mobile Technologies to facilitate e-commerce in Kenyan Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs). The study proposed a theoretical model and empirically tested it using a sample selected using proportionate stratified sampling within well-defined geographic clusters. The study revealed that, while there is massive use of mobile Internet Services (MIS), there is limited use of Mobile Money Transfer Services (MMTS) for B2B and B2C transactions as opposed to C2C and C2B e-commerce transactions. Results also indicated that utilizing MIS and MMTS, positively and significantly influenced organization’s performance through operational, transactional and interactional benefits. On the research …

Trends. The Paradise Hotel Bombing: Trouble In Judicial Paradise, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discussed the bombing of the Kenyan Hotel Paradise in November 2002, and the detention of suspects.