MSIT Theses and Dissertations (2008)

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    A GIS decision based model for determining the best path for connection to a power distribution network a case study of Kenya power and lighting company limited
    Kinuthia, Augustine Muturi; Kimani, Stephen
    The purpose of this study is to present a GIS based decision model for determining the best path for connection to a power distribution network. The model was derived from studies that consider the design of the power distribution system and the GIS field of network analysis along with the method used by KPLC for connecting premises to the distribution network. A digital map of the study area and the distribution network was generated and taking into account the distributors and distribution transformers the best path between the premises and the transformer was derived. In this study it is demonstrated that the distributors’ length and size and the distribution transformers’ capacity, load and location influence the connection of premises to the distribution network. The results also show that combining geospatial methods with the power distribution network enables engineers to visualize the spatial distribution of data in maps which yields better insight into the nature of the power distribution network.
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    A Framework for evaluating ICT use in teacher educ...
    Oredo, John Otieno
    Teachers are under increasing pressure to use Information and Communication Technology to impart to students the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to survive in the 21st Century. The teaching profession needs to migrate from a teacher centered lecture based instruction, to a student-centered interactive learning environment. To attain this aspiration, an ICT enabled teacher education is fundamental. Towards this end, international and national authorities have been spending huge amounts of money to facilitate the implementation of ICT teacher education. This work attempts to evaluate the ueage of the available ICT facilities in Kenyan Public primary teacher colleges focusing ion the quantity of computer use,and the levels attained in terms of using ICT's support.
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    A Software upgrades investment model : a case of Windows operating system in Kenya
    Kimutai, Shadrack Metto
    The revolution of software has introduced new actors and market mechanisms. Effective software management is crucial for development and survival of any company. IT upgrades investment in a crucial part in software management. The investments are usually costly and risky. Firms tend to treat such costs as operating expenses within the period incurred. Waiting too long may lead to lost competence, relevance and may prohibit a business from taking advantage of better vendor technologies in future, more so putting the company at risk by increasing the gap with the suitable business technology and business leadership opportunities. There are some factors which are critical in influencing the threshold point of change namely : acquisition and installation cost, change management (training and support), cost and opportunity cost. In context of both software and hardware upgrades, this project develops a simplified algorithm and tests its validity using data acquired from the Kenyan market to determine when is the appropriate time to upgrade where all costs are at minimum. The project focuses on study of Windows operating system.
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    An evaluation of the use of electronic databases by academic institutions
    (2013-11-14) Njoroge, Rose W.
    The study sought to evaluate the use of electronic databases in academic institutions. A case study was done for Catholic University of Eastern Africa. The main focus for the study was to investigate the level of awareness of the electronic databases among the community in academic institutions, investigate the extent and purpose of use, find out the challenges encountered in the use of electronic resources and also find out who actually uses the electronic databases in academic institutions and for what purpose are the electronic resources being used. It also set out to investigate the relationship between the use of electronic databases and the computing skills of the patrons. Relationship between the training on the use of the electronic databases and the level of use was also investigated. A survey was done through a questionnaire which was submitted to academic staff and postgraduate students. The sample comprised of 40% (60 out of 148) of the academic staff and 40% (73 out of 182) of the postgraduate students. The study revealed that there is high awareness (94%) of the electronic databases subscription by the CUEA community; the extent of use is average (65%). Majority of the users were the postgraduate students. Challenges experienced include; lack of connectivity, slow internet connectivity, lack of personal computers and password problems.
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    IT business value the case of kenyan insurance companies
    (Strathmore University, 2008) Muthuri, Brettah Karimi
    This research addresses the perpetual problem raised by many companies on how to improve management of value from Information Technology (IT). Evidence in academic and professional literature shows firms often perceive poor returns on IT investments overall. The scope of this research is restricted to management of value from IT so as to yield business value, over the business lifetime of IT-enabled initiatives, as expressed by current theory and as demonstrated in practice. This research also develops a matrix that companies can use to determine if their approaches to IT value will bring forth some business value or not. The theoretical focus pursues models or frameworks for IT value management that attend to all the phases in the business lifetime of an IT enabled initiative and tht also tightly connect IT value management with business strategy and activities. The objectives are to assist insurance companies in Kenya improve management of value from their IT investment and specifically, to contribute to the development of theoretical considerations and frameworks in academic research targeting IT value. The value of an IT system can be considered from a number of different perspectives. Specifically, the same IT system can be valued differently across different stakeholders, time periods, usage environments and other contextual factors. When measuring the value of an IT system, it is important to consider what value perspectives are relevant and how those perspectives affect the development of value metrics. An IT value assessment framework is proposed to aid in identifying such contextual factors and exploring how those factors affect the value that is realized from an IT system. The proposed framework takes a holistic view of the organization where IT is applied to ensure that value is achieved from the investments that companies make. The holistic view ensures that all aspects of the organization have been considered including the people. The proposed framework also goes ahead to detail activities, outputs, measurement metrics that organizations can put in place to ensure they IT investments are of value to the organization.