The objective of the study was to determine the factors influencing labour demand in Uganda for the period 1987 through 2020by specifically determining the long run determinants of Labor demand, investigating the short run determinants of Labor demand as well as finding out the causal effect of the determinants on Labor demand in Uganda by using the data from World Bank. Johansen’s Cointegration Procedure was used to test for the existence of a long run relationship among the variables and found out that there exists at most 3 cointegrating relationships. The Vector Error Correction modelwas employed to determine the short run and long run determinants of labor demand and found out that final consumption expenditure, GDP and capital formation have statistically significant and positive relationships with Labor demand in the short-run at 5% level of significance. The VECM results also reveal that final consumption expenditure, GDP and capital formation have statistically significant and negative relationships with Labor demand in the long-run at 5% level of significance. Granger Causality test was used to find out the causal effect of the macroeconomic indicators (Gross Domestic Product, Capital Formation and Final Consumption expenditure) on Labor demand in Uganda and found out that capital formation, GDP and consumption expenditure do not granger cause Labor demand. The study recommended that the government should support agriculturalists to undertake modernization in agriculture, BoU should adopt efficient inflation-adjusting and reducing strategies so as to keep the inflation rate at mild level, aim at investing in the human capital and health and should encourage the establishment of the import substitution industries in Uganda.

The study sought to achieve the following objectives to determine the extent of liberalization within the sugar industry in Kenya and to establish the competitive strategies adopted by sugar processing firms in response to liberalization of the sugar industry in Kenya. The research was conducted through a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. The target population of the study comprised of all the 9 sugar processing firms in Kenya (Appendix I). For each firm, 3-5 managers were targeted for the census. The researcher collected both primary and secondary data. The drop and pick method was used to collect data.Primary data was obtained by use of a questionnaire (Appendix III). The questionnaire consisted of structured questions on the effects of liberalization on competitive strategies adopted by sugar processing firms in Kenya. The questionnaires were then administered on such managers for the desired data. The respondents were also allowed to submit electronic copies of filled questionnaires. In order, to increase the response rate, the researcher made use of telephone calls to remind the respondents to fill and return the filled questionnaires.Secondary data was collected from news bulletins,audited financial reports,news items and any relevant literature material like related academic research projects.The data was then be processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel 2010 computer software with these findings as at 5.2. The study concluded that there was slow adoption of competitive strategies by sugar processing firms in Kenya towards the effects of intended liberalization. This is attributable to lack of top management support and failure to invest in modern technologies for example information communication technology. This negatively impacts on efficiency of operations and cost reduction. The study recommends that top management should provide guidance where key supply chain management is most inefficient. This is between planting and delivery of the cane. This is as a result of planting of long maturity cane, use of manual harvesting methods and slow delivery of the cane to the Millers. The researcher faced a number of challenges: it was not easy to have busy employees to help in filling the questionnaires since most of them thought that the process was tedious and non-paying. In most cases, white collar workers consider their time precious and worth payment; therefore, it was a hard subject convincing them that the research was meant for the betterment of their working conditions. Also, due to social desirability nature of the questions in the questionnaire, it was presumably difficult to convince the respondents to give only true information.

Abstract

Smoke from open fires and traditional cook stoves fires have been a silent killer in developing countries for a very long time. There are important signs that the sector is a tipping point strategy to develop a thriving market for clean cook stoves and fuels. More training is needed to maximize these opportunities and transform the sector (Hamilton & Akbar, 2010). The use of modern cook stoves is considered a luxury in the developing world. Nearly three billion people across the developing world still cook their food the way it has been for thousands of years-over open flame or crude cook stoves. These stoves use solid fuels like wood, coal crop residues and animal dung. In sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, the lack of access to clean cooking fuels, is the reason why the vast majority of the rural poor use these solid fuels to cook over open fires or inefficient cook stoves (Legros & Organization, 2009). In many African countries especially in the rural areas the rate of usage is 80% to 90% .The Energy agency estimates that by 2030, one hundred million more people will use traditional biomass fuels than do so today. Even where there is access to electricity or LPG gas, primarily in urban areas, the use of solid fuels for cooking persists due to cost and cultural factors (Birol, 2010).

This research focuses on strategic planning practices at the Teacher Service Commission (TSC) of Kenya. Strategic planning has been viewed as a systematic process of envisioning a desired future and translating this vision into broadly defined goals or objectives and a sequence of steps to achieve them. Strategic planning is a means to an end, a method used to position an organization through prioritizing its use of resources according to identified goals in an effort to guide its direction and development over a period of time. Strategic planning practices have been adopted by many other institutions including State Corporations. The main interests of the study was to determine strategic planning practices in TSC through evaluating the factors that influence strategic planning practices in TSC establishing its efficiency, and determining the challenges that are associated with it. The researcher used an interview guide as the preferred data collection instrument. The interview guide was used to collect data through open-ended questions to the managers. Data was analyzed using context analysis. The findings of the study indicated that strategic planning practices at TSC composed of strategic themes that broadly outline the objectives and strategic initiating that outline action plans. It was found out that there are both internal and external factors that influence strategic planning practices at TSC. The organization ensures that their plans are in line with the strategic plan by use of the monitoring and evaluation tool.

Abstract

The research examines federalism and national stability in Somali. The overall objectives and hypotheses of the study include to provide an overview of the federalist debates and effects on national stability in Somalia. international interventions influence and lack of a central authority on federalism and national stability in Somalia. The research looks into the historical overview on federalism and national stability in Somalia. chapter one introduces the study, chapter two and three focuses on clan identity on federalism and national stability and the influence of international interventions on federalism and national stability respectively. chapter four is a critical analysis of the study and highlights key findings and emerging issues such as the absence of a central authority, the role of international actors and clanism as an issue in Somalia. The researcher's recommendations are mainly in line with the need for judiciary to build strong, independent legal institutions, addressing the issue of clanism, building trust and security and the need to go beyond state building.

There is consensus that diversification results in risk reduction. However there is no consensus on the number of securities required for maximum risk diversification. Studies done on different capital markets have yielded differing results. This study aimed to determine the optimal portfolio size for investors on the Nairobi Securities Exchange in Kenya. The study used mean variance optimization model and secondary data consisting of monthly security returns over a five year period from January 2009 to December 2013. Forty three of the sixty listed firms had complete information on monthly security returns and were used in the study. Portfolios of different sizes were formed by random selection of securities. The study found that portfolio risk reduced as the number of securities in the portfolio increased and that the optimal portfolio size in the Nairobi Securities Exchange was between 18 and 22 securities.

Abstract

Abstract This study sought to shed light on the relationship between employee perception on performance management and employee performance in the hotel industry in Kenya and sought to achieve three objectives. These were to establish employees‟ perception on performance management initiatives in the Hotel Industry in Kenya, to evaluate the extent to which employees view their performance as satisfactory and to determine the relationship between employee perception on performance management and employee performance. The study employed the descriptive design that employed stratified quota sampling and used questionnaires to collect primary data. The questionnaires were distributed to 90 staff members involved in customer service points across 10 hotels classified in the three, four and five star categories in Nairobi. The data collected was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. SPSS version 17 was used to analyze the data. The Findings indicated that employees appreciate performance management initiatives in the hotel industry. Quality and safety were key drivers in managing performance in the hotel industry. Easy exchange of information within and between departments was also important in ensuring that the quality of customer service was maintained. There was agreement that the management of performance had aided in fostering good working relations. The study concluded that managing performance aided employees in performing their duties but did not significantly influence their individual performance. The study recommended a re-evaluation of the contribution of employee performance in the industry with a view of establishing its main drivers/ predictors. This would enable managers to focus on the issues that positively influence both individual and organizational performance.