2018 Research and Innovation Conference
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Theme: Looking into the future : solving tomorrow's problems with today's research
Venue: Strathmore University, Nairobi, Kenya
Dates: 29/10/2018 - 02/11/2018
Thematic areas
Venue: Strathmore University, Nairobi, Kenya
Dates: 29/10/2018 - 02/11/2018
Thematic areas
- ICT, Mobile Applications and Cyber-Security
- Mathematical Applications and Economics
- Tourism and Hospitality
- Humanities and Social Sciences
- Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
- Law and Justice
- Health, Healthcare Management and Research Ethics
- Public Policy, Governance and Integrity
- Business Innovation and Management
- Food, Energy and Water (FEW) Nexus
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- ItemDoes inflation rate convergence spur exchange rate volatility? Evidence from East Africa(Strathmore University, 2018) Mose, Naftaly G.Attaining a monetary union is an ambition for most regional economic blocks. However, the arrangement towards monetary union for the East African nations has remained indifferent. Inflation rate is critical for EAC members to achieve a level of harmonization required for establishing a stable and sustainable monetary union. Most existing studies on the relationship show conflicting results and mainly focus on developed countries. It was against this backdrop that the study sought to determine the effect of convergence in inflation rate, a panel data of 5 countries, for the period 2000-2016 was used. Secondary data was obtained from Statistical Abstracts and World Bank Report. The study was guided by the Optimum Currency Area framework. The study made use of Standard deviation and LCC to determine convergence and panel unit root respectively. LCC test established that exchange rate and inflation are stationary at level. Standard deviation test concluded that inflation and exchange rate manifested a negative relationship. This means that convergence in inflation among the EAC countries reduces exchange rate variability within the region. Thus a policy should be made towards controlling this effect resulting from Inflation as East Africa bids for monetary union.
- ItemAssessment in higher education: learning support or measure of achievement?(Strathmore University, 2018) Muthuma, Lydia W.Curriculum change is happening at a national level in Kenya; the 8-4-4 system is being phased out and replaced with the competency-based curriculum, CBC. This change is confined to basic education i.e. from pre-primary level to tertiary education, offered in different colleges throughout the country. University education does not form part of basic education. It is seemingly untouched by change in the national curriculum. However, university undergraduates are intellectually formed and otherwise prepared through the basic education system. Any change, therefore, in basic education will necessarily affect the content and style of learning programmes in universities. Without going into a plethora of these changes, the paper considers a salient factor: assessment. The suggested change in, and rationale behind, assessment in the CBC may signal an equivalent shift in higher education. Undergraduates joining universities, from the CBC system, will have been habituated to formative assessment. Will the traditional approach of sole summative assessment, in higher education, still be fit for purpose? And what purpose? No hard and fast rules or fixed solutions, to this situation, are offered. This is not a setting out of policy; it is rather an elucidation of the rationale and intended purpose of formative assessment –the significant change in Kenya's curriculum. It is compared and contrasted to summative assessment; nuances in both assessment methods and their intended effect on the learner are highlighted. The aim is to signal, to universities, the expected attitude of mind that future undergraduates may bring to their institutions.
- ItemThe Complexity of institutional logic in the context of regional economic organisations: a case study of the East African Community(Strathmore University, 2018) Gakuo, WairimuThis paper proposes an in-depth study on the institutional logics in the East African Community (EAC), one of the regional economic organizations on the continent. As countries across the come closer together to cooperate on trade, economics and security for the benefit of their populations, the organizations that are mandated to manage the integration agenda are still not well understood. The organizations are varied in their structures and strategies, and so are their outcomes. Regional economic organizations (RECs) have existed for almost a century across the world, the most well-known being the European Union (EU). Africa has a dense population of regional organizations, which has presented unique challenges to the management of the organizations. It is widely acknowledged that the continent’s integration agenda has not led to improved economic performance, with globalization and increased competition among countries weakening the integration agenda (Fawn, 2009; Söderbaum & Shaw, 2003). Institutional logics, which are the social and historical practices, assumptions, values, rules and beliefs (Thornton & Ocasio, 1999), inform actors’ and institutional intermediaries’ actions and decisions. Using the institutional logics lens, this study proposes to explore and get new insights on how regional economic organizations manage institutional complexities that affect organizational structures and strategies. The proposed in-depth qualitative case study of the EAC, will inform continuing research on institutional logics, which is a nascent field, particularly on the African continent, and will identify areas for further research. The results will provide the EAC and similar organizations, with information that helps managers better understand the institutional logics that influence the organization and how these could be harnessed and changed for more effective delivery of defined goals and objectives.
- ItemThe Curriculum for human development(Strathmore University, 2018) Atieno, Chelsea OnyangoEach year, there are steadily increasing rates of jobless youth, cases of mental illnesses and suicide among other issues that negatively impact the society. It is no surprise that even as countries become more economically developed, there seems to be a regression when it comes to the social and mental aspects of the human being. The curriculum, world over, has focused on educating students on how they can pass exams, acquire jobs and fend for themselves while it has practically ignored the most essential human needs, which are character, wellness and contentment. Hygiene is a Danish art that emphasizes on well-being and this explains why the Danes are some of the happiest people in the world. If education was fashioned to cater for the most intrinsic human needs such as well being, then some of the physical needs would be tackled simply by contentment and that would curb many social evils such as theft, corruption and fraud. This underscores that there are certain issues in curriculum review and development that have barely been addressed and even where they have been addressed, students do not understand the importance of certain arts of life due to the bureaucratic culture that they have been brought up in. This suggests that there needs to be radical changes in the curriculum in order to have a well- functioning society where peoples’ well-being is at the forefront of every subject.
- ItemTowards high-impact community-based projects through data-driven monitoring - a case study of the community service centre at Strathmore University(Strathmore University, 2018) Ndirangu, Charles M.; Omondi, Allan O.Over the year’s philanthropic spirit has been on the rise across the globe. The gesture has enabled community outreach make strides in impacting and uplifting the livelihood of poor stricken nations and communities. A lot of projects have been funded and executed to completion successfully and commissioned to and opened to the public to serve the community. When a sustainability checks are conducted on whether projects are still useful to the community members you always find that their projects are under-utilized or not running at all. This study was aimed at finding an appropriate approach to come up with a community-based analytics tool that is a web-based system to help oversee and monitor project progress in order to achieve high impact community-based projects. In order to achieve that a myriad of surveys and analysis of the feedback collected along was conducted in order to see if the projects being done were on course and in line with the initial goals upheld and chances of adoption once completed were high. The Web-Based information system was developed using standard HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript. The REST API was developed using the Go Programming Language. The PostgreSQL database management system was used to persist the data in a relational database. The community feedback provided by the community via the analytic tool helped the stakeholders converse and if necessary, the project was re-routed for optimality and usefulness to the local community hence helping the community spearhead their journey towards sustainability
- ItemBlockchain certificates: a prototype implementation for digitizing educational certificates(Strathmore University, 2018) Otolo, Richard; Maingi, Eunice; Sevilla, JosephThe prevalence of fake academic certificates in the country is worrying. This has come to light in the media during the vetting process for different jobs such as when recruiting candidates for key public sector positions. The fraudulent use of fake qualifications is a fact that educational institutions and employers have to face. In order to curb this trend, institutions have taken measures that usually involve a third party to verify the authenticity of educational certificates. The main weaknesses of this approach include the time taken to verify certificates is too long. Additionally, the fact that there is an intermediary introduces aspects such as extra costs and the potential inaccessibility to institutions in all geographies. This research project proposes to set up a system that not only makes it easy to maintain records of academic achievement but also make the fast and effective verification of a certificate’s authenticity possible. The system will rely on distributed ledger technology also known as blockchain, to accomplish this goal. A blockchain is a trustworthy, distributed digital ledger that contains records of transactions that are replicated across many systems. The records are cryptographically guaranteed to be immutable. This research intends to leverage these and other features of distributed ledgers in order to develop a system that can address the issue of fake certificates.
- ItemInfluence of financial literacy training on the performance of village savings and loan associations supported by NGO’s in Kenya: a case study of VSLA’s in Kwale county(Strathmore University, 2018) Onyango, Edward ClementStudies in Kenya largely indicate that VSLA’s have been adopted as a strategy to alleviate poverty in non-formal settlements like the slums in Mathare, Kibera, Korogocho and Kianduti villages or slums for more than 10 years now. Despite these gains there is very scanty information available on the financial literacy of the members of these groups and the impact it has on their performance. Establishment of Voluntary Savings and lending Associations has a had a great impact in ensuring there is economic empowerment of members and groups in the villages through donor fundings.It is from this background that this research intended to determine if there is an influence of financial literacy trainings on the financial performance of village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA’s) projects in supported by NGO’s in Kenya, a case study of Kwale county. The study was done on the members of the VSLA’s in Kwale County who are registered within the groups in that region. There was a total of 73 participants in the study undertaken. The hypothetical question was to establish if financial knowledge has an impact on the financial performance of the VSLA’s supported by NGO’s in Kenya. The study used stratified sampling method and questionnaires in collecting required information through interviews. The findings showed that there was a strong relationship between financial literacy and financial performance of VSLA’s. this led to a conclusion that there is need to ensure the groups are empowered properly since most of the VSLA that have not been performing well have their members not well trained on financial literacy components such as budgeting, expenditure control and savings.
- ItemA System development methodology guidance tool for supervision of IT projects(Strathmore University, 2018) Bongo, Betty K.; Omondi, Allan O.Top universities in the world have shown that successful research activities can be the largest source of value and revenue for a University. However, many universities in Kenya still over-rely on tuition fees such that a low intake of students has a substantial negative impact on the state of the University. There is an urgent need for such teaching-centred Universities to rely more on valuable research activities. For this to happen, the success rate of research activities must be increased. One of the main factors that leads to low success rates in research is poor application of a formal methodology. This research investigates on how a web-based application can be used as a guidance tool in Universities to guide students on how to apply a system development methodology for the success rate of IT-based research that involves software development. The web-based application can as well be used by supervisors to track the progress of the IT-based research that they are supervising. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the researchers and the supervisors. The scrum framework, which is a subset of agile methodology, was applied to guide the development of the application. This methodology supports the collection and analysis of constant feedback from the end users and controlled improvements; and this leads to higher user satisfaction. HTML5 and CSS was used to develop the front end and PHP was used for server-side scripting for the backend. A MySQL DBMS was used to store the project details, student and supervisor details and project progress data. The expected outcome is a web-based project management application for students and Faculty supervisors. This application is expected to promote the success rate of IT-based research in universities through the correct application of system development methodologies.
- ItemSmart democracies in Africa: legitimizing Kenyan elections through block-chain technology(Strathmore University, 2018) Nyiha, Adrian; Wanjau, Munene; Mwandware, DaltonIn numerous nations in sub-Saharan Africa, national elections are accompanied by allegations of – if not actual – malpractices, including electoral fraud, imprisonment of opposition candidates, and constitutional amendments to extend the limits of leaders’ terms in office beyond what the electorate seems to desire. Often, these serve to exacerbate ethnopolitical and other tensions and conflicts among multiple factions. Such blemishes on the voting process reduce the legitimacy of the government in the eyes of the populace. If these elections were watertight, and, more importantly, were seen to be watertight, the governments elected through them would gain a measure of legitimacy. Consequently, sub-Saharan African states could move closer to lasting peace. Since the emergence of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, the spotlight has slowly shifted towards the vast potential of its underlying technology: the blockchain. Where elections are concerned, this ‘trustless’ system has the capability to solve four critical issues in the voting process: lack of transparency, lack of election system security, constitutional amendments to change presidential term limits and the cost burden of the election process. However, the blockchain is not without its challenges. A legal framework acknowledging it as a tamper-proof source of truth where votes are concerned will be necessary. Regulations will also have to be crafted to ensure the network’s independence, voter anonymity, and the equal say of every citizen. Other pertinent issues are the assignment of liability for errors, and of responsibility for updating the blockchain’s code.
- ItemA Comparison of the use of risk measures and the application of the adjustment coefficient in calculating optimal reinsurance.(Strathmore University, 2018) Wanja, Richard RodrotReinsurance is a mechanism by which an insurance company can protect itself against the risk of losses by transferring the risk to other companies. A reinsurance arrangement could be considered optimal if it minimizes the probability of ruin. When an insurer effects reinsurance, they are required to pay a reinsurance premium. Therefore, the total cost to the insurer in the presence of reinsurance is the cost of meeting the retained loss in the event of a claim and paying the reinsurance premium. The purchase of reinsurance is therefore a compromise between expected gain and security. Reinsurance reduces the cedant’s risk; on the other hand, it will reduce the expected gain of the cedant. Claims experience is assumed to follow a particular loss distribution. i.e. the exponential, pareto, gamma, lognormal, Weibull and burr distributions. This paper determines optimal reinsurance by use of risk measures such as VaR and CTE. The results are compared with the use of the adjustment coefficient in determining the optimal reinsurance strategy. Claims experience data is simulated through the Monte Carlo simulation techniques
- ItemUnpacking the disruptive potential of data driven policy making process and blockchain technology in enhancing good governance transparency and development among African countries in line with Agenda 2030(Strathmore University, 2018) Okello-Orlale, RosemaryThis paper on Unpacking the Disruptive Potential of Data Driven Policy making process and block-chain Technology in enhancing Good Governance Transparency and Development among African Countries in line with Agenda 2030 analyses the various challenges policy makers in Africa’s government institutions faces and how Big data and block-chain technology are increasingly becoming the cornerstone on which policy-makers can be able to make effective decisions for public good. As public problems grow in complexity and increasingly require new forms of expertise and information, policymakers across Africa need to explore new ways to become more data driven. And Since Big Data and block-chain technology are being, touted as a potentially transformational force for policy makers and their ability to increase the accessibility and inclusivity of institutional systems, the article examines their disruptive potential to government services (R Zambrano - 2017). And the importance of having better data for better policy (S. G. Verhulst 2017) this paper explores nature of the problem as well as the potential—and current limitations in public policy.
- ItemOn the portrayal of the Messiah(Strathmore University, 2018) Deche, FadhiliWithin religious belief systems, God serves to represent one or both of two ideas: the incomprehensible and uncontrollable nature of reality and the instantiation of all moral virtue. The research question for this paper is: how does the portrayal of Jesus in the Biblical Gospels compare to the Qur’anic portrayal of Prophet Issa? The focus of this essay will be to analyze the commonality and differences between their respective roles as the Messiahs within both texts; how their respective representations of the Messiah figure function as a means to convey their fundamental religious message. This essay will specifically discuss some of the similarities and differences with which the respective texts describe the circumstances surrounding their births, the antagonism directed towards them and their respective associations with the religion’s deity. This will be a textual analysis of their respective character portrayals. The conclusion that is made from this investigation is that the characterizations of both Messiahs are meant to depict an awe-inspiring quality of God. In the Qur’an, the character of Prophet Issa serves to portray the God of Islam as a being who can never be subject to full human comprehension, making it foolish to attempt to either deify anyone else in comparison or to go against his will. Within the Gospels, the portrayal of the Messiah as “God made flesh” serves to portray a deity who is capable of understanding the basic human condition.
- ItemImplementation of Article 159 bit by bit: a place for online dispute resolution in the Kenyan bar(Strathmore University, 2018) Muthusi, Musau EvansThe Constitution guarantees and promises all persons access justice, reasonably and the affordably. This rightly chimes with Article 159 of the Constitution giving all persons the right to exercise judicial authority through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. Internationally, with the rise of innovation in e-commerce the use of e-dispute resolution (online dispute resolution (ODR)) as form of internet-based dispute resolution has been embraced. This paper in its simplest form seeks to pose the question, “Does ODR stand a chance with the bar? Does it break the traditions of the bar?” In analyzing these questions, the discussion will first look at, the position of the advocate in the Kenyan context of the Advocates Act and the evolving practice rules. Second, the paper will delve into the use of electronic dispute resolution, placing it in the context of other jurisdictions to observe the threshold and the scope in implementation of ODR rules with a mind to exploring the position of the advocate. Third, we will bring it closer home, presenting the case for e-dispute resolution and whether it is attainable in the standards of the Constitution and what role the Advocate can play. At the same time, we will ask ourselves. “Does the Advocate really have a role in e-dispute resolution?”. Lastly, the discussion will be capped off with recommendations and possible reforms we may want to see the profession take in embracing ODR.
- ItemA Normative reflection on public relations and or corporate communications practice(Strathmore University, 2018) Marube, WilfredThere has been debate among scholars, students and practitioners and in the field of communication management regarding the correct name to describe the practice of public relations and corporate communications. One of the arguments that has stuck is the debate whether these two terminologies may refer to the same practice or are distinct disciplines. Some scholars and practitioners may dismiss such limited focus on nomenclature. On the surface this may appear trivial, but it underscores different theoretical and practical perspectives brought into the field. Such disagreements, while expected in a young field such as this, are not healthy for a discipline at its infancy, fighting for acceptance and respectability in academic and industrial circles. But then, the begging question is if practitioners and academicians seem not to be in agreement whether public relations and corporate communications are one and the same, what about the students and the industry? While there have been views from an American and European perspective leading towards a normative perspective, a consensus on how to describe the discipline has not been arrived at. This paper will attempt to identify, define, describe and interrogate the perspectives that embody the two labels and ultimately state whether the two disciplines are synonymous, through the application of a normative interpretive framework derived from the review of literature.
- ItemRole of FACTS devices in enhancing integration of renewable energy sources to the grid: a review(Strathmore University, 2018) Muisyo, Irene N.; Mathenge, Joseph N.The modern power system is facing challenges such as exponential growth in demand, constrained infrastructure and deregulation of electricity markets. For a sustainable energy system, it is necessary to meet energy need by utilizing renewable energy sources (RES), which have minimum environmental impact. Over the last two decades, renewable energy generation and integration into the grid has received a lot of attention worldwide. In 2017 alone, more than half of all new electricity capacity installed globally was from RES. However, RES such as solar photovoltaic and wind energy are intermittent in nature. Integrating variable generating sources into the grid can cause problems such as voltage fluctuations and interruptions, which affect the performance of utility equipment as well as end user. Over the years, flexible AC transmission system (FACTS) device utilization in power systems has been on the rise. FACTS refer to the application of power semi-conductor devices to control electrical variables, thus influencing power flow and enhancing power system security. This paper investigates the role of FACTS devices in expediting renewable energy integration in power systems. Challenges associated with renewable energy injection into the grid, and how FACTS devices can mitigate these issues is presented. We conclude that the penetration rate of renewable energy will be accelerated if FACTS devices are incorporated in RES integration projects.
- ItemThe Impact of the expansion of the big four on the legal services market and mid-sized law firms(Strathmore University, 2018) King’ori, David WanjohiThis paper is based on an article by The Economist titled ‘Attack of the Bean Counters’ published in March 2015, which advances the argument that the Big Four audit firms are the biggest underestimated threat to the legal profession today and the firms most at risk from the expansion of the Big Four in the legal services market are the mid-tier law firms. This is attributed to a number of factors, including their global reach, large client base and more importantly their efficient integration of new legal practices. To interrogate these two assumptions, this paper first examines the basis for the rise of the professions in the society, the ‘inability’ of these professions to meet client needs which led to liberalization and subsequent penetration of the market by alternative legal service providers including the Big Four. Secondly, it examines the critical success factors for their expansion in the legal market through the adoption of new legal practices, enabling them to provide cheaper integrated services. It is debatable whether the Big Four are the biggest threat to mid-tier law firms, compared to other legal service providers, but what is certain is that they are an underestimated threat. Lastly, this paper concludes that, based on the current demand gap, the Big Four, mid-tier law firms and alternative legal service providers all stand an equal chance of thriving in the legal market based on their ability to provide cost-effective, and differentiated services that solve their client problems in the long-term.
- ItemA Web-based employee time tracking system: enhancing operational efficiency in the workplace(Strathmore University, 2018) Kimani, Mervyne; Nyatuka, DannyOriginally, the only way to confirm employee presence at work involved physical supervision and signing of sheets on arrival. People could report to work late and therefore, they could not render their services effectively thus leading to loss of time and low productivity. Also, such scenarios create thriving grounds for ghost workers in organizations, which lead to increased wage bills for companies and frustrations to human resource managers. As a result, there is lack of accountability among workers in areas of time management and work productivity to determine the compensation due. Unfortunately, there is lack of appropriate mechanisms to monitor employee punctuality and their movements in-and-out of the workplace. Apparently, in this era of modern technology, automated systems can be used to solve the aforementioned issues amicably. The proposed system will facilitate tracking of employees reporting and departure in real time via scanning their staff ID using barcode scanner technology. The project will use prototyping software development methodology whereby PHP, MySQL, HTML and NOTEPAD ++ tools will be used
- ItemThe Causal relation between art and its maker(Strathmore University, 2018) Njoroge, JothamThe aim of this paper is to show how art is a rich and valid source of anthropological, historical and social information. Human beings have produced works of art from time immemorial. Art is a constant in the history of humanity and it often gives us valuable insights into the nature, culture and worldview of the people who produced it. The main propositions in this paper are based on the causal relation between art and its maker, derived from the philosophical idea that every effect resembles its cause. I therefore wish to demonstrate the extent to which a work of art communicates the nature of its cause, the artist. Thus, by understanding a work of art from the point of view of how it comes to be, we can certainly acquire some insights into the human persons that produce them, thereby adding to our knowledge of anthropology and sociology.
- Item2018 Research and innovation conference : conference booklet(Strathmore University, 2018)
- ItemThe Influence of relationship marketing on customer loyalty in the telecommunication industry in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: lessons for entrepreneurial leadership(Strathmore University, 2018) Mhidze, Robert Wende; Njuguna, James NgugiRelationship marketing (RM) refers to the process of establishing, developing, and maintaining mutually beneficial relations with consumers at a profit. The main objective of this MCOM study was to analyze the relationship between marketing and customer loyalty in the telecommunication industry in Dar es salaam, Tanzania. The study adopted a descriptive survey design and primary data was collected using semi structured questionnaires. A sample size of 400 was derived comprising mobile subscribers from Vodacom, Tigo and Airtel living in Dar es Salaam. The results of the study established that there is a significant positive influence between relationship marketing and customer loyalty. The study has made contribution to theory, policy and practice in relation to RM and customer loyalty, highlighting challenges and opportunities on how entrepreneurial leadership can leverage on these two variables to transform this technology sector.