MCOM Theses and Dissertations (2017)

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    Influence of competitive strategies on performance of insurance firms in Kenya
    (Strathmore University, 2017) Mukya, Charles Mutisya
    The key objective of this study was to investigate the influence of the competitive strategies on the performance of insurance companies in Kenya. The study examined the effect of the three generic competitive strategies (cost leadership, differentiation and focus strategies) on the performance of insurance companies within the Kenyan market. The study was based on Porter's generic theory and the resource based theory. Descriptive cross-sectional design was utilized which covered the 55 registered insurance companies. Using the questionnaire, primary data was collected and analyzed. The study also used descriptive statistics and correlation analysis to show the relationship between the dependent and the independent variables. The study established that cost leadership, differentiation and focus strategies influence the performance of insurance companies positively. Though the cost leadership strategy did not register significant influence on the performance of the insurance, the companies that pursued the differentiation strategy and the focus strategy reported the greatest influence on organizational performance compared to those that do not. Therefore, the study recommended that the insurance companies need to pursue focus strategy since it seemed to have the greatest influence on performance of the insurance companies. The study also recommended that insurance companies can benefit through the lessons learnt so as to tailor their products, focus on the right target market, among others. In this way, they are assured of improving the organizational performance and therefore stand in a better position to serve their intended clients in the best way possible. The limitation of the study was that it only focused on the insurance companies and yet there are other players in the industries such as the agents, brokers and the reinsurance companies. Future studies could therefore focus on the wider coverage in order to assess the effect of the competitive strategies applied by all the players on the overall performance of the insurance industry.
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    The Influence of contractor relationships on total quality management practices in the construction industry in Kenya
    (Strathmore University, 2017) Njenga, Robert Chege
    This study investigated the influence of contractor relationships on total quality management practices in context of the Kenyan construction industry. The study was guided by five specific objectives: to establish total quality management practices among contractors in the Kenyan construction industry; to analyze influence of contractor-client relationship on total quality management practices among contractors in the Kenyan construction industry; to analyze influence of contractor-subcontractor relationship on total quality management practices among contractors in the Kenyan construction industry; to analyze influence of contractor-supplier relationship on total quality management practices among contractors in the Kenyan construction industry; to examine barriers to total quality management practices among contractors in the Kenyan construction industry. The study was premised on Juran’s, Deming’s and Six Sigma theories on total quality management. This study applied a cross-sectional research design. The target population for the study is 5,777 contractors as registered by the National Construction Association (NCA) in Nairobi County. The sample size was established at 197 contractors. The study adopted stratified random sampling procedure. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data for the study. Data analysis techniques used were central tendency (mean, standard deviations, percentages), correlation and regression analysis using SPSS Version 22. The data was presented in tables and charts and researcher’s interpretation. The findings showed that contractor-client relationships had the most significant effect on TQM practices, customer focus and management was the most practiced TQM principle and procedural barriers are a hindrance to TQM practices in the construction industry in Nairobi County. The study concludes that contractor relationships have a positive effect on TQM practices in the Kenyan construction industry. The study recommends that customer focus and management should be the focus of contractors in practicing total quality management in their work. Through collaborating and cooperating with the client during the construction process means that contractors can be able to meet the client quality requirements thus achieving total quality management.
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    Assessment of the influence of corporate risk disclosure determinants on the share returns of listed companies in Kenya
    (Strathmore University, 2017) Musyoki, Simon Nguva
    Despite corporate risk disclosures (CRD) being widely encouraged and gaining increasing concern by regulators and market participants, the determinants of those disclosures remains relatively unknown. Concerns have been raised by scholars, practitioners and other market participants regarding the relevance of increasing CRD by listed companies in Kenya. This study sought to assess the influence of CRD determinants on share return of listed companies in Kenya. This study used descriptive research design and multiple regression analysis to determine key determinants of the level of CRD and the influence on share return. Using a disclosure index comprising 37 information items, the study employed content analysis of audited financial reports to determine the level of CRD by 36 listed companies in Kenya over the period 2008-2014.To corroborate the results, questionnaire data obtained the managers’ perspective. Six hypothesis were tested from the regression results .The findings revealed a relatively low level of CRD with listed companies disclosing more business risk and less credit risk .The finding revealed a positive relationship between the level of CRD and stock returns of listed companies in Kenya .The study highlighted the need for companies to increase the level of disclosures by revealing the factors influencing the level of corporate risk disclosures. The findings revealed that the level of corporate risk disclosure is significantly and positively influenced by the type of auditor, institutional equity ownership concentration and negatively influenced by existence of audit committee and the board composition. The study highlighted the need for degree of caution in choosing the type of auditor. Since the study relied extensively on disclosures provided by companies in the audited financial statements as established using content analysis, a study of disclosures using other publications like internal management reports may be necessary. Further study may also be necessary to assess the relevance of corporate risk disclosure involving more listed companies over an extended period of time. Despite the study assessing relevance of CRD in a single country setting, it contributes to the extant literature on relevance of CRD in a developing country.
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    The Drivers of audit report lag by listed companies in Kenya
    (Strathmore University, 2017) Owino, Fredrick J. Otieno
    Despite the time taken by external auditors to release the audit report (herein referred to as the auditor report lag, ARL) being regarded as a significant qualitative aspect of timely financial reporting, little known about the determinants of ARL in listed companies in developing economies. This study sought to investigate the determinants of ARL in companies listed in Kenya. A descriptive research design was used to study the auditor-related factors, company-specific factors and corporate governance factors affecting ARL. Two-stage panel least squares regressions were performed to establish the drivers of ARL. The study focused on a ten-year period from 2006 to 2015. The findings revealed that auditor type was the most significant auditor related factor that was associated with ARL. In terms of company-specific factors, the return on assets (ROA) was significant and negatively associated with ARL. In terms of industry sector, the study found that listed companies in the banking sector had lower ARLs. Similarly, companies in the manufacturing sector had lower ARLs. The study found that listed companies in the investment sector had longer ARLs. Next, the study found that listed companies with a higher corporate governance score had shorter ARL. The findings revealed that there exists auditor-specific, company-specific and corporate governance influences on ARL. To corroborate findings from secondary data, semi-structured questionnaires were used. The findings from the questionnaires demonstrated that alongside auditor-, company- and corporate governance-related factors, there are also regulatory factors influencing ARL. The findings should be of interest to managers, auditors and policy makers because these results may help the assessment of the influence of such variables on improving the timeliness of audit reports. Despite the study focusing on ARL in a single country-setting, it contributes to the sparse literature of drivers of ARL in developing countries.
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    Influence of customer relationship management capabilities on performance of Commercial Banks in Kenya
    (Strathmore University, 2017) Githinji, Lisa Nyambura
    The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of customer relationship management capabilities on the performance of commercial banks in Kenya. The study aimed to establish whether customer relationship management capabilities such as human resource capabilities, information technology capabilities and business architecture capabilities influence the performance of commercial banks. The performance measures used were non-financial measures which were assessed from the employees’ perspective. The target population was 41 commercial banks regulated by the Central Bank of Kenya. A descriptive and correlational research design was used. Semi-structured questionnaires were distributed to a sample size of 111 employees who work in the 37 commercial banks in Nairobi County. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (Version 16). Regression analysis was used to establish the relationship between customer relationship management capabilities and organizational performance. The findings established that the most dominant customer relationship management capability used by commercial banks was the human resource capability where building relationships with customers was emphasized on. Both the information technology and human resource capabilities had a significant positive effect on organizational performance. Based on these findings, the human resource capabilities should be enhanced by training employees on how to improve their skills and competencies by developing more profitable and sustainable relationships with customers. Additionally, information technology combined with the people skills would further improve the organizations effectiveness in service delivery. This is because the technological innovations provide suitable infrastructure to employees to increase their responsiveness to customer queries, increase their productivity and reduced the amount of time required in dealing with a large pool of customers. The study had its limitations. The use of a descriptive cross-sectional research design reduced the generalizability of the results. Future research should address these limitations by corroborating with a longitudinal research design and increasing the industries with which the study was conducted. Replication of the study to other industries could serve as a useful reference for future research.