Eastern Africa Journal of Contemporary Research

Mediating effect of dynamic capabilities on the relationship between strategic firm resources and competitiveness of MICE destinations

2024-12-08T17:59:11+00:00

Dynamic capability view theory stipulates that an organization's basic competencies should be used to create short-term competitive positions that can be developed into long-term competitive advantage. This study aimed at establishing the mediating effect of dynamic capabilities on the relationship between strategic firm resources and competitiveness of Meetings, Incentives, Conference and Exhibition (MICE) destinations in Nairobi and South-Rift circuits. The study used explanatory research design with a purposive sampling technique to arrive at a sample size of 107. Closed-ended questionnaires were utilized during data collection with key respondents being marketing and /operations managers. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse data. Findings revealed that dynamic capabilities did not significantly mediate the relationship between strategic firm resources and competitiveness of MICE destinations in Nairobi and SouthRift circuits, however dynamic capabilities had direct significant effect on competitiveness. Consequently, this study proposes a path dependence process for MICE destinations that will enable them adapt to rapidly changing competitive environment by marshalling, building, integrating and reconfiguring their resources and capabilities portfolio.

A balanced scorecard analysis of financing practices and business sustainability in private hospitals in Nairobi, Kenya

2024-12-08T18:04:52+00:00

Health is one of socio-economic components of delivering the vision’s 2030 Social pillar. However, it remains a global challenge and an impediment to the human capital growth and development. The sector is credited with the robust role it plays in ensuring healthy and skilled workforce capable of driving the economy and meeting global commitments for health such as the Abuja and Maputo Declarations. To this end, the sector contributes an average of 6% to the GDP. Therefore, the realization of fundamental rights to health and the contribution to economic development as enshrined in the vision 2030 is anchored on the development and sustainability of comprehensive investment in health systems. In Kenya, private hospitals provide over 47% of the healthcare services to the general population of over 53.8 million people in Kenya. This is an indicator of a strong yardstick in which the economic growth and prowess of a nation can be assessed. Despite the importance of hospitals in provision of health, their sustainability has been at risk. This has a major ramification on the smooth provision of health services to Kenyans, and the implementation of the Kenya Health Policy 2014-2030. Effective financing practices play a great role in safeguarding sustainability of private hospitals thus ensuring business continuity. Through a balanced scorecard analysis, this study evaluated how business sustainability was influenced by the financing practices of private hospitals in Nairobi County, Kenya. This study adopted positivism research philosophy and a descriptive research design. The study involved 68 private hospitals located in Nairobi, as advised by the 2019 Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Board retention register. A closed ended questionnaire was employed in collecting primary data. A bivariate linear regression was used for inferential analysis after testing the data for normality, independence. The study established a strong, positive, and statistically significant relationship between financing practices and the sustainability of private hospitals in Nairobi. The study recommended that private hospitals should continuously build the capacity of the financing function by pooling of resources to increase efficiency in utilization of health resources as it has a significant relationship with sustainability of hospitals. In addition, they should consider borrowing assets in cases of financial crisis as a sustainability safeguard. Such practices will not only aid in developing and strengthening healthcare financing but also in reviewing of the criteria for resource allocation and utilization. Hospitals should also continuously establish good working relationships with their suppliers and service providers to enable them access necessities on credit in case of financial crisis. This will not only ensure success of the private hospitals but also in the reinforcement of the sustainability potential. In addition, hospitals should consider lease of assets to boost the financing of the hospital operations as a way of improving on the cash inflows.

Is Kenya’s public debt sustainable? An NARDL approach

2024-12-08T18:11:20+00:00

The macroeconomic and financial health of an economy depends on the sustainability of its debt. It speaks to the government's capacity to fulfill its present and upcoming financial commitments. The Debt Sustainability Threshold is used as a warning when a nation has reached a risky level of debt and should implement fiscal and monetary policies to reduce it. Kenya’s debt rose from 1.8 trillion in 2013 to 9.182 trillion in January 2023. In 1990, Kenya’s debt-to-GDP ratio was 15.2%. In 2022, the debt-to-GDP ratio reached 72.3%, 12.3% more than the IMF’s middle-income economy recommendation of 60.0%. By 2022, the country’s debt service to revenue ratio was 47.9%, 17.9% above the IMF’s 30.0% recommendation, indicating how public debt servicing affects the country’s budget. This prompts the question: is Kenya’s public debt level sustainable? Sustainability is critical to an economy’s financial and macroeconomic well-being. It refers to the government’s ability to meet its current and future payment obligations. The debt Sustainability threshold is used to signal a country’s entry into a dangerous debt level, triggering fiscal and monetary policies to correct it. The measurement of public debt is done in both absolute and relative terms. In absolute terms, public debt is defined as the total value of liabilities that obligate a borrowing government to pay the principal and chargeable interest. In terms of relative sustainability, public debt is measured in relation to the country’s economic potential, particularly its ability to pay off the debt. In this regard, the percentage of debt to GDP ratio is the most used relative measure of debt in the literature. From the findings, Kenya’s public debt is not sustainable in the long-run if the government continues to borrow.

Privacy policy analysis of licensed mobile loan applications in Kenya

2024-12-08T18:16:05+00:00

Mobile loan applications users should be informed of the privacy practices of the application before they consent to use the mobile loan application. The study assessed availability and scope of privacy policies in licensed mobile loan applications operating in Kenya using a descriptive study design. All the 32 licensed mobile loan applications were selected for the study. The study findings revealed that only 13 (40.6%) of the mobile applications had privacy policies. Further analysis of the 13 discovered privacy policies reviewed revealed that only 5 (38.4%) of the policies stated the type of personal information collected; 3 (23%) gave the rationale for collecting the stated personal information; 10 (77%) gave information concerning sharing of the collected personal information with third parties and 7 (53.8%) communicated the measures taken to protect the privacy of the collected personal information. The study recommended that mobile loan applications should to improve their privacy policies to comply with the regulatory framework, and also to thus build trust with the users.

Influence of managerial oversight on the performance of public hospitals in Embu County, Kenya

2024-12-08T18:19:46+00:00

Public hospitals (PHs) worldwide operate better when managerial oversight is in place. This study sought to assess how managerial oversight influences the performance of Embu County PHs in Kenya. The key goal of the study was to establish the use of efficiency, employee satisfaction, and customer satisfaction levels to evaluate performance in PHs. Given the paucity of research in managerial oversight on the administration of PHs, particularly in Embu County, this research addressed management's difficulties in helping County Governments (CGs) develop policies and strategic direction. The theoretical framework for managerial oversight was modeled by goal-setting theory. Using questionnaires, data was collected from 140 respondents. Sixty of the respondents were health professionals and eighty were clients of PHs. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0 was used to analyze quantitative data using descriptive statistics expressed as percentages, mean scores, and frequencies. Ms Excel was also used to draw graphs and charts. Utilizing the content analysis method, qualitative data was also analyzed. The major findings showed that 66.7% of health professionals agreed that PHs had successful corporate goals that improved performance. The study recommended that Embu County should further implement corporate goals in PHs to help management develop successful team goals and provide general direction for the organization.