MMA Theses and Dissertations (2024)

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    Attributes that influence consumer’s willingness to pay for fruit leather-based footwear within Nairobi County
    (Strathmore University, 2024) Wangere, M. A.
    Green marketing as a promotion tool for products or services emphasizes on environmental and sustainability benefits while meeting consumer demand with eco-friendly and socially responsible options. However, in a fast-changing world where every aspect of life is coming under increased scrutiny - the food that we eat, the clothes we choose to wear, the energy consumption, the way we think about leather and how we promote it needs to take account of these changes. Fruit leather is classified as a new product in the market. Hence, it is important to understand consumer preferences regarding fruit leather attributes, enabling producers to design a market-acceptable product. The research analyzed characteristics that shape consumer’s willingness to pay for fruit leather-based footwear. The attributes that were studied in this research included social-economic (age, income level and education level), functional (material type and lifespan), marketing (price, and eco-label) and psychological (pro- environmental behaviors-self green-identity, reduce, reuse, and recycle). The main research question was: Which attributes influence consumer’s willingness to pay for fruit leather-based footwear in Nairobi County, Kenya? Data was collected using a survey that was distributed to different customers with preference to leather based footwear in Nairobi County. The survey consisted of 3 parts; 1) questions regarding socio-demographic; 2) questions regarding consumer’s pro- environmental behavior; and 3) questions of choice based conjoint experiment. The survey consisted of eight choice-based questions with two alternatives provided for each question. Thus, binary logistic regression was used for the analysis. The response rate for the study was 91.2% representing 456 of the 500. Respondents between the age of 18 years to 60 years were selected as they were exiting from Citywalk Shops-Central Business District (Starehe constituency), Bata shops- Westlands Sarit center mall (Westlands constituency), and footwear shops-Krikor market (Starehe constituency). The study findings indicated that in order of significance, social-economic attributes illustrated the highest influence on consumers' inclination to pay for fruit leather-based footwear which it accounted for 45.2% variability in consumers' readiness to pay for fruit leather-based footwear – gender was the most influential attribute among other social-economic attributes, followed in second place by psychological attributes accounting for 22.5% variability in consumer’s willingness to pay for fruit leather-based footwear – self green-identity was the most influential attribute among other psychological attributes. In third place marketing attributes accounting for 19.3% - ecolabels was the most influential attribute as a marketing attribute- followed and from a distance in fourth place was functional attributes accounting for 1.4% variability in consumer’s willingness to pay for fruit leather-based footwear- material type was the most influential attribute in the functional attributes category. The study established from the binary logistic regression, that the attributes considered significantly contributed to the consumer’s willingness to pay for fruit leather-based footwear – given that the value of R squared was 94.1% an indication that, 94.1% variation in the consumer’s willingness to pay (dependent variable) was attributed to the attributes (independent variables). Thus, proper consideration of the attributes considered in this study during product design would result in an improvement in the consumer’s willingness to pay for fruit leather-based footwear. Key words: Green marketing, Willingness to pay, Social economic, Psychological, Pro-environmental behavior, Self-green identity, Ecolabels, Functional attributes
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    Influence of innovation on the growth of export business among horticultural firms in Kenya
    (Strathmore University, 2024) Gakure, H. N.
    The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of innovations on the growth of export business among horticultural firms in Kenya. The study focused specifically on product innovations, market innovations, supply-chain innovations and financial innovations and their influence on growth of export business among horticultural firms in Kenya. In addition, the study was guided by the Diffusion of Innovation Theory and New Growth Theory. The research adopted the positivism research philosophy and employed descriptive cross-sectional research designs in data collection and analysis. The target population comprised of 658 registered horticultural firms in Kenya. The study used purposive/judgmental sampling technique and the Yamene (1967) formula to obtain a sample size of 249 managers. Primary data was then collected using structured questionnaires which consisted of closed-ended questions. After data was collected through the questionnaires, the data was edited, categorized and coded in MS Excel. It was then input into the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) v27 which assisted in generating the descriptive and inferential statistics. The descriptive statistics that were generated included mean, standard deviation and percentages while the inferential statistics comprised of correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. The results of the study revealed that majority of the respondents agreed product innovations, market innovations, supply-chain innovations and financial innovations are key innovations that have been employed in horticultural firms in Kenya to a good extent. The findings also indicated that product, market, supply-chain and financial innovations had a positive and significant relationship with growth of export business in horticultural firms in Kenya. Additionally, the study also established that product innovations had the most positive and significant influence on growth of export business, followed by financial innovations, market innovations and lastly supply-chain innovations. The study also recommended that the management of horticultural firms should invest in research and development (R&D) to continuously improve the quality, variety, and uniqueness of horticultural products and enhancing post-harvest handling to extend shelf life. Policymakers should also implement policies that foster partnerships between government agencies and private sector stakeholders to create financing programs that support innovation in the horticultural export industry. On the other hand, the study was also restricted to using one quantitative research instrument that is the structured questionnaire and had a limited time and budget scope.
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    Factors influencing employee turnover intention in family-owned agribusinesses in Kitui County
    (Strathmore University, 2024) Kavindu, A. D.
    Employee turnover has for long been a problem and costly affair for many organizations. Numerous studies on the reasons for employee turnover have been carried out with major focus on corporates. Whereas family-owned firms face challenges like limited opportunities for non-family employees, family feuds affecting workplace, and preferential treatment for family members, there is scarce information on turnover intention in family-owned businesses specifically those in the agricultural sector. Agribusinesses are faced with retention problem primarily due to the challenging agricultural environment. The study objectives were to investigate the influence of demographic factors, organizational factors and external factors on employee turnover intention in family-owned agribusinesses. The study anchors on two theories; The Adam’s Equity Theory and Herzberg’s Two Factory Theory. A descriptive research design approach was employed. The study was undertaken in three sub-counties within Kitui County; Mwingi West, Mwingi North and Mwingi Central. Data was collected using questionnaires. The study has a target population of 297 employees engaged by family-owned agribusinesses within the study area. 271 employees representing 91.2% of the population responded. Data was analyzed quantitatively using regression by examining the direction and significance of the coefficients. This focused on the theoretical interpretation of these findings. Multiple regression was applied to find correlations between variables under investigation and discussing how the variables were positively or negatively associated in addition to explaining the implications of these relationships in a theoretical manner. The study had several limitations. To start with, the research was constrained by a relatively small sample size, which limited the generalizability of the findings beyond the specific agribusinesses in Kitui County. In addition, the study relied on self-reported data from employees to assess factors influencing turnover intention. This introduced response bias which affected the accuracy and reliability of the results. The study findings show that of all the demographic characteristics, only marital status, salary in Kenya Shillings and tenure had statistically significant effects on employee turnover intention in family-owned agribusinesses in Kitui County based on Levene statistic and Pearson correlation. Furthermore, analysis of variance shows that organizational factors and external factors could statistically and significantly predict turnover intentions among employees in family-owned agribusinesses in Kitui County. This was reiterated by regression coefficients that marital statuses, organizational factors (Pay/remuneration/other benefits, nature of work/job stress, supervision, work environment and organization commitment) and, external factors (perceived alternative employment opportunities and job-hopping) were statistically significant. This shows that family obligations influenced turnover intentions. Also, the work environment and external allures influenced decisions to quit or remain in employment. The study recommends that it is important to have a favourable work environment to motivate employees to remain in employment in family-owned agribusinesses in Kitui County. Family-owned agribusinesses in Kitui County should put in place policies that guarantee adequate employee remuneration to support both individual and family needs. At the same time, these businesses should proactively compare their compensation and benefits with other industry peers to mitigate talent attrition to competitors. Likewise, they should enforce conducive workplace conditions and offer opportunities for personal development to ensure a favorable work environment. Further, implementing continuous benchmarking and improvement policies will enhance the family-owned agribusinesses' attractiveness to potential employees.
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    Effect of record keeping practices on dairy farming business performance in Kiambu County: a case of Kiambaa Constituency
    (Strathmore University, 2024) Wahome, A. W.
    Studies have revealed that maintaining accurate farm records is a prerequisite for improved business performance irrespective of the nature of the farming activity that a farmer engages in. This study examined the existing record-keeping practices and their impact on business performance among smallholder dairy farmers in Kiambaa constituency of Kiambu County. The practices examined were the types of records kept, the methods used to keep them, and the frequency of recording. Business performance was measured using annual milk revenue. The study was underpinned by the profit maximization and competition-based theory as well as the Porter’s generic strategies. The study targeted a randomly selected sample of 400 farmers out of a population of 4800 dairy farmers drawn from the Kiambaa Dairy Farmers Cooperative Society. Factor analysis and regression analysis were used to model the relationship. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences software. The general conclusion was that the type of record kept, frequency of record keeping, and method of record keeping had a positive and statistically significant effect on dairy farming business performance. The study recommended that the County Government of Kiambu conduct intensive smallholder dairy farmer training on the importance of record keeping and digital literacy through the extension department since agriculture is a devolved function. Also, financial institutions like Kiambaa Dairy Farmers Cooperative Society sensitize the farmers on the importance of good record-keeping practices. System developers should come up with simple, economical and standardized digital systems for recording to enable the smallholder dairy farmers maintain different types of records and update them on a daily basis in order to accrue the benefits that come with use of real-time information. Keywords: Record keeping; Smallholder farming; Dairy farming; Kiambaa Dairy Farmers’ Cooperative Society; Kiambu County