The roled performed by FDI has been appreciated by many governments and they are coming up with means of attracting it. Foreign direct investment inflows movements into a country are said to have a positive and significant influence on economic progress of a country. Countries have to find new methods of attracting FDI stock because investors have different motivations all over. However, it is possible that FDI inflows influences overall growth but not necessary the growth of different sectors and therefore the need to investigate the relationship between FDI inflows and sectoral growth. This research attempted to find out the effect that FDI inflows have on manufacturing sector growth in Kenya. The independent variables were direct foreign investments, the rates of interest, public debt and balance of payments. Growth of the manufacturing sector was the response variable that this study aimed on explaining. The researcher gathered quarterly data of 10 years (January 2010 to December 2019). An explanatory research design was adopted whereas in analyzing their relationship amongst the variable multiple linear regression model was applied. Statistical packages version 23 was used to analyze the data. The findings of the study generated an R-square value of 0.595 that implies that 59.5 percent of that variation in the Kenyan manufacturing sector growth could be attributed to the independent variables selected in the study whereas 40.5 percent was attributed to factors not incorporated in the current study. The study showed that the independent variables had a strong association with growth of the manufacturing industry as shown by (R=0.771). ANOVA outcomes exhibited that the F statistic was significant at 5% level with a p=0.000. This implies that the model was appropriate in explaining the growth of the manufacturing industry. Further, the results showed that only public debt was a significant determinant of growth in the manufacturing sector. Although FDI inflows has a positive influence on growth of the manufacturing sector, the influence was not statistically significant. Interest rate and balance of payment exhibited negative but not statistically significant influence on growth of the manufacturing sector. The study recommends that measures are needed to control the prevailing levels of public debt as they significantly influence growth of the manufacturing sector.

In view of the key roles played by listed firms in an economy, it becomes very important that their financial soundness and viability is maintained. This is only possible if the different factors that play to affect listed firm’s financial positions are known. This research work sought to establish the effect of capital structure on the financial performance of listed firms in Kenya. An exception was made on the financial firms as they have high liquidity which can make their financial structures very peculiar and specific to their industries. Data was collected for 5 years ending with the year 2018 and in total, 47 companies were studied. The factor was studied alongside other factors as literature review identified other factors with possible effect on financial performance. Such factors are the corporate governance characteristics as measured by the number of directors, use of interest-bearing debt as measured by the amounts of interest payments, liquidity positions as determined by the current ratio and the firm size as measured by the amount of assets held by a firm. The study established that the factors actually affected the financial performance of the listed nonfinancial firms. The study established that the factors were relevant and they affected the financial performance in a way. Their effect was found to account for 12.55% of the variations in performance of companies. More equity in the capital structure was found to affect financial performance positively. The effect was that, for every unit increase in equity ratio, there was, a corresponding 0.62 units increase in financial performance. Board size and use of interest-bearing debt were found to affect financial performance negatively. For every unit increase in board size, there is a decrease in financial performance by 0.08 units while unit increase in interest expense decreases financial performance by 0.06 units. Firm liquidity and size were found to impact positively on performance. Unit increase in liquidity and firm size caused a corresponding increase in financial performance by 0.04 and 0.23 units respectively. The impact of board size and firm size were significant while liquidity, capital structure and interest-bearing debt were insignificant. The factors had p-values of board size (0.049), liquidity (0.570), capital structure (0.070), firm size (0.017) and interest-bearing debt (0.364). These findings indicate that counties need to optimise on use of equity in their capital structures and use less of interest- bearing debts. The management in these companies also need to be more liquid to advance financial performance by taking advantage of opportunities emerging and enhance their size to take advantage of economies of scale. The companies also need to relook into the composition of their boards in terms of expertise as currently, the boards and causing a negative performance although it’s insignificant.

SMEs in Kenya are struggling to survive amid challenges that are threatening their survival due to their evolving nature. Availability of market for their products is one of the major challenge SMEs in Kenya are struggling with. Although the SMEs are putting a lot of work into their products, the local market is congested due to a high number of SMEs focusing on one clientele as well as the entrant of international players such as Amazon and Ali Express. This study aimed to test whether SMEs in Kenya are using internet to sell their products in the global market. The study was anchored on three objectives that sought to: identify actual internet tools used by SMEs in Kenya; determine the extent to which SMEs use internet in reaching international market and establish the consumer category patterns with respect to SMEs adoption of internet for international interactions. Diffusion of innovation Theory, Technology Acceptance model theory and Social Exchange theory were used in this study. The study used a mixed-method approach to collect data and interpret findings. This study targeted Manufacturing SMEs in Nairobi County, Kenya. Purposive and Random sampling was used to develop the sample for this study. An interview schedule and a survey were used to gather data. Forty-three SMEs were surveyed and the data collected was presented through tables and graphs while thirty SMEs were interviewed and data presented in coded themes. The findings suggested that Kenya’s manufacturing SMEs are still in the experimental stage in terms of adopting internet for internationalization purposes and internet is primarily used in communicating, administrative support and research marketing. This study recommended that SMEs take initiative in embracing internet, collaborate and create network that will help them reach international market and SMEs increased adoption of internet as a tool for reaching international market.

Financial performance is a domain of management which has remained and will continue to be the focus of management executives and scholars for a long time to come because of its centrality in the life of an organization. Because of the importance attached to financial performance, great attempts have been made to understand it over time in terms of factors that contributes to its realization or none realization. The relationship existing between macroeconomic factors and firms performance is a subject that has interested many scholars and practitioners. Often times, it is proved that a firm’s performance is dictated by some basic macroeconomic variables like rate of interest, economic growth, money supply, exchange rate and inflation. The objective of this study was to determine how selected macro-economic variables influence financial performance of DT-SACCOs in Kenya. The predictor variables were economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates, inflation rates and money supply. Financial performance was the response variable that the study intended to explore and it was given by ROA of the DT-SACCOs on a quarterly basis. The study was guided by three theories namely; modern portfolio theory, the international fisher effect theory and arbitrage pricing theory. A ten year period (2010-2019) was chosen for the study and the quarterly data from the period collected from a secondary source. A descriptive design was chosen and analysis was made using the multiple linear regression model to determine how the selected variables relate. SPSS version 23 was utilized for analysis. From the results from the software used, the R-square value was 0.529 which can be translated to mean that 52.9% of the variations in financial performance of DT-SACCOs are attributable to the five selected independent variables and the 47.1 percent remainder are attributable to other factors beyond the scope of this research. The study also revealed a strong relationship between predictor variables and financial performance (R=0.728). ANOVA results at 5% significance level show an F statistic of 7.648 hence the model was found fit to explain financial performance of DT-SACCOs. Additionally, the results showed that individually, economic growth, interest rate and inflation rate are statistically significant factors affecting financial performance while exchange rate and money supply do not substantially determine financial performance of DT-SACCOs. The recommendation made by the study was that more focus should be placed by policy makers to the current levels of interest rates, economic growth and inflation rates since they significantly influence financial performance of DT-SACCOs.

This study sought to analyse communication dynamics in workplace conflict management dialogues within Civil Society Organisations in Nairobi County. The objectives of the study comprised; to investigate communication hurdles that necessitate the use of dialogue in workplace conflict management; to establish the different types of dialogue in workplace conflict management; to explore the factors that influence the main communication dynamics in workplace conflict management dialogues and to establish the conditions necessary for constructive dialogue in workplace conflict management. The coordinated management of meaning theory was used to illuminate the understanding of communicative actions during these dialogues. The spiral of silence theory was used to expound on why and how silence is used during workplace conflict management dialogues. The study design was descriptive, and the research approach was qualitative. To collect primary data, the researcher conducted key informant interviews using an interview schedule. Informants were purposefully selected based on the inclusion-exclusion criteria. The data was analysed thematically using Lanigan’s simplified three-step qualitative data analysis method and presented in the form of narratives. Confidentiality, adherence to University of Nairobi research regulations as well as other ethical considerations were observed. The findings of this study showed that within Civil Society Organisations in Nairobi County, passive communicative actions like silence derailed the dialogue process whereas communicative actions like empathic listening aided in achieving a desirable outcome. The findings also intimated that dialogue is preferred in managing workplace conflicts for its suitability in maintaining workplace relationships, but its use is usually informal as it is not ingrained in the workplace conflict management policies. Gender too was a factor that influenced the dialogue process. This study concluded that workplace conflicts can be managed best using dialogue when the dialoguers are cognizant of the communication dynamics taking place and the factors influencing them. This study recommends that workplace conflict management dialogue be considered as one of the official ways of managing workplace conflicts.

The study examined the impact of financial inclusion on monetary policy in East Africa countries. Notably, the three countries included Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The specific objectives of the study were to examine the impact of financial inclusion, bank lending rates, GDP per capita growth and money supply on monetary policy. The study was based on public good theory, systems theory and Keynes’s theory of monetary policy. The study used secondary data from IMF and World Bank. The study utilized a cross country panel design to get aggregate observations across the East Africa countries under the study. The descriptive statistics was tested before subjecting the data for regression analysis to provide an overview of the study variables. Based on the correlation result, it was found that financial inclusion, GDP per capita growth and money supply were negatively correlated with the Inflation rate. However, bank lending rates was positively associated with the inflation rate. The regression results showed that financial inclusion was negatively and significantly related to the inflation rate (β=-6.24367, p=0.0000). Further, GDP per capita growth was negatively and significantly related to the inflation rate (β=-0.66537, p=0.044). Likewise, money supply growth was negatively and insignificant related to inflation (β=-0.06984, p=0.467). Finally, the banks’ lending rates had a positive relationship with the inflation rate (β=0.6129486, p=0.006). The study concluded that financial inclusion, GDP per capita growth and bank lending rates were significant in determining the monetary policy. The policy implications are that government needs to improve financial inclusion and GDP per capita growth. The expansion of formal financial services to reach millions of underserved and underserved adults will help Kenya achieve its goal of poverty reduction and continued dynamic growth, advancing to the vision of prosperity. Financial inclusion brings about more economic well-being to individuals and small and medium enterprises. There is a need to enhance consumer protection and financial literacy to help individuals be better equipped with modern financial services.

A country’s monetary policy dictates the amount of cash available for government expenditure or repayment of external debt. A reduction in money supply would trigger open market operations that enables the government to obtain the cash that it requires and one of the securities that can be used is Treasury Bills. Theoretically, Treasury bills are considered lucrative for risk averse investors hence being a competing security to the stock market. The aim of this paper was to understand the impact of Treasury bill rate on stock return of companies listed in the NSE. The research design employed was descriptive correlation design. Population was made up of companies trading at the NSE for duration of 4 years (January 2015 to December 2018). A sample of 20 companies that make up the NSE-20 index was purposively chosen and data used was secondary. Multiple linear regression carried out on the data to comprehend the relation between the variables. The study controlled for effect of exchange rates and inflation rate. Tests of significance were carried out on the data. The study noted that Treasury bill rate had a negative influence on stock market returns. Exchange rate was noted to have a positive influence on stock market returns. It was also noted that inflation rate had a negative effect on stock market returns. The coefficient of determination was found to be 24%. Analysis of variance identified Treasury bill rate, exchange rate and inflation rate collectively significantly influenced stock market returns at the 5% level of significance. The study reached the conclusion that Treasury bill rate and stock market return for listed firms are significantly inversely related and are competing investment products. It also concluded that increases exchange rate caused stock returns to increase significantly. Further, the study concluded that increase in inflation rate caused stock market returns to decrease but the decrease was not significant. Finally it was concluded that variation in T-bill rate, exchange rate and consumer price index explained 24% of the variation in stock market return. The study recommended that investors and portfolio managers should tilt their portfolio allocation towards stocks when there is an expectation of T-bill rate to go down and toward T-bill when there is an expectation of T-bill rate to rise. The study also recommended increasing exposure to the stock market when exchange rates are rising as the stock market is expected to perform better in these periods. In addition the study recommends selling of stocks when the inflation rate is expected to be rising to avoid loss in expected returns. Finally, the study recommended higher T-bill rate by the Central banks’ monetary policy when seeking to reduce liquidity in the market. Further research may focus on investigating the mechanism through which Central Bank monetary policy is transmitted to the stock market. Researchers may also seek to evaluate the role of monetary policy in securities market development especially for developing economies.

In many regions within third world countries, women have formed organizations in response to their common problems. Though other groups came into being due to external initiatives like the church and non-governmental organizations, they all aimed at enabling women to achieve/attain advancement and improve on environmental conservation.This is a cross-sectional descriptive study on the role of women organizations in environmental conservation. Specifucally, the study set out to establish influence of culture,genderpolicy, resource mobilisation and socio-economic factors on environmental conservation. Guided by the ecofeminism theory, data was collected through a questionnaire and analysed through descriptive statistics using SPSS. The findings indicate that culture,genderpolicy,resource mobilisation and socio-economic factors influence environmental conservation . The study concludes that socioeconomic factors influence environmental conservation most. The study recommendsenvironmental advocacy bodies and non-government organizations (NGOs) should promote and enable this conversation. Different religious denomination should be motivated to develop common policies on environmental values benefiting every denomination; even including deeply-preserved traditions and respect for sacred sites of every denomination even the indigenous ones.

Implementation of the human resource plan ensures development of the project team which can make the differences between the project success and failure. Lack of the implementation of the human resource plan in the organization or ineffectiveness and inefficiency of the human resource plan have become a major problem in most project‟s performance in Kenya, thus the motivation of the study. The study intended to establish the effect of human resource plan implementation on project performance at Konza Technopolis Development Authority. The study was guided by the resource-based view, the human capital theory and the dynamic capability theory. The study adopted a case study in this case, KoTDA was the case of the study. The study used primary data with the use of an interview guide as a data collection and other document review. The researcher collected data from 15 heads of departments/ divisions representing 15 respondents. The collected data were edited, organized to meaningful way and were analyzed and presented in by using qualitative research procedures. Qualitative method constituted of content analysis which was used to extract key themes, concepts and augments. The major findings show that the human resource plan is partially implemented at KoTDA due to the challenges of the inadequate budget and resources at the disposal of the authority. It was established that succession plan, recruitment and retention, sufficient number of employees, employees‟ skills and capabilities and appraisal tool are some of the elements that have been incorporated in the human resource plan at KoTDA that are greatly influencing the project performance. The finding revealed elements that need to be included in the human resource plan that will influence project performance are reward scheme and bonus plan, compensation plan, excellence awards plans and transfer of skills plans especially for projects that are implemented through foreigners and Exchange programmes both locally and internationally. KoTDA has also been able attract and retain highly skilled work force due to the implementation of the human resource plan, promoted employee productivity and attracted and retained employees, training and capacity building and the succession element has led to knowledge transfers hence leading attraction of over 300 foreign and local investors to the KoTDA. The study concluded that human resource plan implementation has a strong relationship with project performance. Thus, effective human resource plan implementation supported with adequate budget and resources will lead to successful project performance and ineffective human resource plan implementation will lead to poor project performance. The study recommended that effective human plan implementation requires adequate budget and resources, and inclusion of key human resource needs and review of the performance of the project with the implemented elements of the human resource plan for an improved project performance

This study focused on track II diplomacy in conflict prevention and management in Africa; and specifically in Kenya. Objectives of the study included examining how track II diplomacy has led to conflict prevention and management in Africa, to find out how track II diplomacy has helped in preventing and managing conflict in Kenya and assessing the key challenges and future prospects of track II diplomacy in managing conflicts in the continent. The study was founded on liberal theory. Survey research design was adopted. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaires directed at different non-state actors like the civil societies, media, private citizens and non-governmental institutions. The data collected was then analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively in line with the study objectives. Findings established that track II diplomacy has broadly been employed in Africa, with notable countries including Mozambique, South Africa, DRC and Kenya. The employment of track II diplomacy in the enlisted states involved the use of non-state members such as religious leaders, youth leaders, influential business people, local NGOs and members of the international community. Application of track II diplomacy helped to restore order amongst adversaries, helped to voice the demands of victims, addressed the concerns of affected communities and facilitated justice for individuals in the community by bringing perpetrators of the war to book. In Kenya, notable conflicts necessitating the use of track II diplomacy included the 2007-2008 post-election violence, 2017 violence, conflicts amongst the pastoralist communities in Baringo and Turkana and conflicts at the border between Kenya and Somali. The use of track II diplomacy helped in opening and improving channels of communication, changing attitudes of conflicting parties about the “other”, restoring relationships by building trust, offering new opportunities for negotiation, changing the dynamic of conflict by strengthening voices of moderation and building stable infrastructure of peace. Challenges facing track II diplomacy as identified in this study included introduction of ‘wrong’ diplomats, introduction of right diplomats but with limited influence on policy formulation, changing of sides by diplomats, changing of the peace keeping environment and the dismissal of the efforts of track II diplomats in the official negotiation processes. The researcher concluded that track II diplomacy has been very important in managing and preventing conflicts in Africa, together with track I and other peace keeping processes.