MBA Theses and Dissertations (2020)

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    Effect of information technology integration on lean production: a case of Nestle Kenya
    (Strathmore University, 2020) Mbula, Susan
    Lean production in the business improves productivity and competence by that business stability and profitability can be achieved per the recent trends in the business management and technology. Lean production cannot achieve the organizational goals alone. It need some support such as strategic planning, leadership and techno logy. Successful lean implementation can be done by using the information technology in enterprise, by integrating the lean and IT, misalignment can be eliminated which results in exact product output with least waste. By integrating lean and IT. An enterprise maintains their financial data, client orders and purchasing. The broad research objective was to investigate the effect of information technology integration on production in Nestle· Kenya. Specific objectives included; determining the effect of I IT integration on lean external IT integration on lean production in Nestle· Kenya, and also determining the role of knowledge management on the two relationships. An ex post facto and causal research design was adopted because it established the cause and effect relationship. The target population were all the employees of Nestle Kenya, numbering 70. The study employed primary data which was collected by use of a close ended questionnaire. It was a case study because entailed analyzing one firm, Nestle' Kenya. It was a cross-sectional study since data was collected across several units in a uniform timeframe. Data was analyzed through SPSS and interpretation through quantitative methods as per objectives and questions of the research. The study utilized descriptive statistics to gauge the existence of IT integration and utilization of lean management in Nestle ' Kenya. The researcher employed inferential statistics. Which included correlation analysis, simple linear regression, and hierarchical multiple linear regression to analyze data collected during the study. The study established that there is a significant association and relationship between both internal and external IT integration and lean production. Finally, the study established that knowledge management does not play a significant moderating role on the two relationships. The study established that internal IT integration had a positive significant association with lean production implementation and a significant positive effect on lean production. The study makes recommendations to the policy makers in the ministry of trade and industrialization, KAM, KNCCJ. Other bodies, practitioners in the industrial sector, and consultants to implement both internal and external IT integration in order to boost LP implementation. Thus, the stakeholders should engage IT in human resource management, customer credit procedures. Product development and research risk management systems and ERP systems. Additionally they should engage IT in customer relationship management and marketing processes. In addition, they should divide lead time in a supply chain into electronic ordering in limitation lead-time and physical material movement lead-time share demand and inventory data with suppliers/distributors to shorten the order processing to select most appropriate supplier. The study makes further recommendations that there should also be focus on knowledge management when utilizing IT integration to augment lean production.
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    The Role of top management, resource availability and stakeholder engagement in implementing corporate social responsibility strategy in commercial banks in Kenya
    (Strathmore University, 2020-07) Mbula, Susan
    There is an increasing consensus that corporate social responsibility has moved from being a business subject to becoming a critical business strategy. The general objective of the study was to investigate the role of top management, resource availability and stakeholder engagement in implementing CSR strategy in commercial banks in Kenya. Specific objectives were to establish the influence of top management support, resources availability and stakeholder involvement on implementation of CSR strategy in commercial banks in Kenya. This study used descriptive survey design. The study population was 240 senior management and middle level management employees of each of the 40 registered commercial banks. The sample size was 150 respondents. Questionnaire was the tool for data collection. Analysis of qualitative data was by use of descriptive statistics using SPSS version 23. Information was presented through percentage, mean, standard deviation, mean, standard deviation and frequency. Qualitative data was analysed by use of content analysis method. Multiple regressions were also used for data analysis. The study found that top manager’s support was statistically significant to execution of CSR strategy; while resources availability and involvement of stakeholder had a significant positive association with implementation of CSR strategy. The study findings will be important to the management of commercial banks. It will improve their understanding on the factors influencing implementation of CSR strategy. The managers will be able to adopt the factors identified to enhance implementation of CSR strategy in their organizations. The findings of the study will be helpful as it will also guide policy makers and other regulators in decision-making about how best commercial banks should implement their CSR programs. This study will also be useful in offering information that is critical for raising awareness and promoting a debate about the efficiency in engaging in CSR strategies.
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    The Role of Kaizen concept on quality improvement in motor vehicle assembly plants in Kenya
    (Strathmore University, 2020-04) Motirei, Charles Ondieki
    Kaizen is a well-recognized concept and highly revered in the manufacturing cycles all over the world because it stands for continuous improvements at the workplace with the participation, support of all employees and commitment of top management. Quality sits at the highest level in most organizations that value customers and the experience that comes with their products and services. The manufacturing pillar is one of the BIG 4 agendas that form the strategic plans of the government in pursuit of economic growth. Interestingly, auto industry is one on the key players in the manufacturing sector. The research was carried out to establish the impact of 5S KAIZEN on quality improvement in the motor vehicle assembly plants. Kenya, being the only country in the region that assembles motor vehicles for domestic and export market, it was deemed important to understand how quality improvement is enhanced by practicing Kaizen, one of the most famous and basic Japanese industrial practices and methodology. The target population of this study was 230 from 3 motor vehicle assembly plants from which a sample size of 146 employees was drawn through both simple random and stratified sampling. These employees were drawn from the technicians in production shop floor including the supervisory team of production managers, quality control managers and the Kaizen champions who are in charge of technical operations in the assembly plants. From the study, the response rate was 93.2% representing 136 of the 146. The study employed multiple regression analysis to study the relationship between quality improvement in the motor vehicle plants and the 5S kaizen. The study findings indicated that set in order was the most impactful on the quality improvement of motor vehicle with a beta coefficient of 0.866 in which it accounts for 61.0% variability in quality improvement. From the multiple regression the study established that the 5S kaizen significantly contribute to the quality improvement in the motor vehicle plants. However, these may prove to be of challenge owing to lack of financial resources, lack of support by the top management, lack of motivation from the employees and lack of skilled manpower.
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    Strategic factors influencing effective management of e-waste among waste management firms in Nairobi County
    (Strathmore University, 2020-11) Kamau, Samuel Maina
    Inside the most recent decade, upgrades in innovation have seen e-squander become the quickest developing problem in the global economy. This has resulted in increasing environmental, health, and economic challenges to developed and developing countries. With increasing technological advancement in Kenya, e-waste has become a key policy challenge to the government and firms on how to effectively manage the increasing e-waste. The current study sought to examine how strategic factors have influenced effective e-waste management in Nairobi County. The study specifically examined how managerial capacity, institutional capacity, and resource capacity influence effective e-waste management in Nairobi City County. The findings of the study are expected to be of importance to the management of waste management firms in Nairobi City as it will help in their formulation of policies geared towards effective implementation of e-waste management practices. The study was anchored on the theory of waste management and the resource-based view theory. The study adopted a descriptive research design with the population of the study being drawn from 150 registered solid waste management firms in Nairobi County. The unit of observation for the study was the managers of the 150 firms. The study employed a census survey of the 150 managers. The study relied on structured questionnaires to collect quantitative data that was utilized in solving the research problem. The study pre-tested the research instrument with 10% of the sample respondents. The collected research data was analyzed using measures of central tendency, correlation analysis, and regression tests. The results were presented using bar graphs, charts, and tables. The study was able to obtain a response rate of 64%. The study has limited. The findings of the study indicate that strategic factors (managerial capacity, institutional capacity, and resource capacity) lead to 38.5% effective e-waste management. The study concludes that resource capacity and institutional capacity have a significant positive effect on effective ewaste management. The research further concludes that management capacity has an insignificant negative effect on effective e-waste management. The study recommends that waste management firms should seek collaborations with stakeholders in the county who can help improve their waste management programs. The study further recommends that management teams in waste firms should enhance their financial resources mobilization which can be key to enhancing investment in better infrastructure.
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    Effects of firm size on the relationship between interest rates and capital structure of listed manufacturing and construction firms in Kenya
    (Strathmore University, 2020-01) Muriithi, Lameck Nyaga
    Manufacturing and construction businesses are capital intensive. Therefore, decisions on how to finance the operations of such businesses in a cost-effective and sustainable way are critical. The debt-equity mix depends on many things, key among them being the interest rates prevailing in the debt markets accessible to the firm. The aim is to find the effect of interest rates on the capital structure of manufacturing and construction firms. Specifically, this study analysed whether the interest rates regime, whether market-determined or capped, influenced the capital structure preference by these capital-intensive sectors. This study further investigated the moderating effect of a firm’s size on the relationship between interest rates and capital structure. The research borrowed heavily from the trade-off theory and adopted a descriptive research design. The population used included all the 67 firms listed in the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE). 14 firms were used as a sample from all listed companies on the NSE. Data was collected from both financial statements as well as the Central Bank of Kenya website. The research obtained a 95% observation rate and the panel data was used to give a more appropriate understanding of the phenomena being tested. The findings indicate that firms will take up less debt when interest rates are market-determined compared to when interest rates are capped. On a macro level, the research findings recommend that government policy and regulation should be done considering the impacts of regulating interest rates on the performance of private sector firms. On a micro level, boards and management teams should take advantage of low and stable interest rates to increase debt holding in financing their business operations. The results of the research are useful in informing strategic capital structuring decisions by the manufacturing and construction sector players and policy formulation by regulatory bodies.