scholarly journals Shared Service Centers and Financial Performance of Panafrican Equipment Group in Kenya

Author(s):  
Louiza Mogoa ◽  
Jeremiah Koori

Modern firms have realised the need to take advantage of the opportunities in the emerging markets the concept of centralisation and co sharing of service providers gave rise to Shared Services (SS) and Shared Services Centres (SSC). However, little has been done in sub-Saharan Africa. This study sought to address this gap. For this reason, this study seeks to by determine the effects of shared service centres and financial performance of pan African equipment group in Kenya. The study specifically determined the effects of procurement shared services, finance shared services, inventory management shared services and ICT shared services on financial performance of Pan African equipment group in Kenya. The study was anchored on three theories namely: Transaction Cost Economics Theory, Resource Based View Theory as well as Agency Theory. The study adopted descriptive research design on 137 top-level management staff from the four sectors (mining & mineral processing, civil and infrastructure, power and energy and agriculture & forestry) of operating Pan African equipment group in Kenya. For selecting a sample of 86 participants, stratified random sampling method was used. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect primary data. The tool of studies was tested. The study used both face and content validity to assess the validity of the research tool while testing the accuracy of the research tool using the alpha (α) coefficient of Cronbach. The research considered a coefficient of 0.6 or more to be sufficient. Research information, including mean results, normal deviation and frequencies, was analysed using descriptive statistics. Analysis of conceptual material was also used for primary data analysis. Regression analysis was also used to analyse the effects finance shared services, inventory management shared services and ICT shared services on financial performance of Pan African equipment group in Kenya. Finally, the research considered ethical considerations where the permission to carry the study was obtained from the company and respective government bodies. The study concluded that Pan African Group significantly embraced procurement, finance, inventory management and ICT shared services. The study concluded that the firm by sharing procurement services it centralized and enhanced efficiency of purchases, pricing, supplier evaluation and quality control which contributed to peak performance. It was further concluded that to a significant extent finance shared services influenced financial performance of the firm. It was concluded that sharing of inventory management services at the firm enhanced effective and efficient inventory planning, costing, quantity and quality management and material optimization hence improving financial performance. It was concluded that database management, automation of processes, information security and network and facilities management services affected financial performance of the firm. It was recommended that enhancing more shared service centres will improve efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery and customer service.

Author(s):  
Peter Ngek Shillie ◽  
Dorine Neitebef Sengla

This study examines inventory management and financial performance of Small Scale Apicultural Enterprises in Cameroon, the case of Oku Honey Cooperative Society Limited (OHCSL). The independent variable (Inventory management) proxy by raw materials inventory, work-in-progress inventory, finished products inventory, and packaging material inventory was regressed against dependent variable (financial performance) proxy by gross profit margin. Data used in this study cover the period 1988-2017. The primary data was collected using interviews, structured and semi- structured questionnaires administered to the management staff of the organization. Using magazines, internship reports and annual reports of the enterprise, secondary data was collected. Using multiple regression analysis, the study established that a positive relationship exist between the independent (inventory management) and dependent variables (financial performance) at OHCSL. However, it was uncovered that holding raw material inventory contributed minimal on the financial performance of OHCSL. This was attributed to the fact that honey is processed within 24hours postharvest and hence the cooperative avoids holding raw material inventory. Consequently, the study recommended improvement in inventory management practices including improving staff capacity at the cooperative.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 34
Author(s):  
Mohamed Hussein Nur ◽  
Dr Jeremiah Koori

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine inventory controls and financial performance of Garissa county government, Kenya. Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population of the study was all the 250 employees in the Garissa county treasury department. The sample size was 70 employees in the Garissa county treasury department who was selected using stratified random sampling. Primary data was collected through the administration of the questionnaires. Results: The study found that that inventory recording have a positive and a significant effect on financial sustainability. The study also found that stock taking has a positive and a significant effect on financial sustainability. Also the study found that E-procurement had a positive and a significant effect on financial sustainability. Lastly, the study found that inventory management training has a positive and a significant effect on financial sustainability. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommends that the county governments adopting e-procurement ought to scale down on traditional procurement activities if the benefits of e-procurement are to be realized. Additionally, it is recommended that county governments should focus more on streamlining e-tendering, e-requisitioning and e-sourcing because a strong and significant relationship exists between those e-procurement processes and procurement performance in supermarkets.


2019 ◽  
Vol 227 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Voracek ◽  
Michael Kossmeier ◽  
Ulrich S. Tran

Abstract. Which data to analyze, and how, are fundamental questions of all empirical research. As there are always numerous flexibilities in data-analytic decisions (a “garden of forking paths”), this poses perennial problems to all empirical research. Specification-curve analysis and multiverse analysis have recently been proposed as solutions to these issues. Building on the structural analogies between primary data analysis and meta-analysis, we transform and adapt these approaches to the meta-analytic level, in tandem with combinatorial meta-analysis. We explain the rationale of this idea, suggest descriptive and inferential statistical procedures, as well as graphical displays, provide code for meta-analytic practitioners to generate and use these, and present a fully worked real example from digit ratio (2D:4D) research, totaling 1,592 meta-analytic specifications. Specification-curve and multiverse meta-analysis holds promise to resolve conflicting meta-analyses, contested evidence, controversial empirical literatures, and polarized research, and to mitigate the associated detrimental effects of these phenomena on research progress.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 393-398
Author(s):  
Andreas Ahrens ◽  
Olaf Bassus ◽  
Jeļena Zaščerinska

AbstractUniversity as a social enterprise has become the dominant response to the challenge of bringing up an engineer as a first-rate technical expert who acts as a social agent, rather than just a technician, with a “broad understanding of the social and philosophical context in which he will work” [3]. Aim of the research is to analyze student engineers' Enterprise 3.0 application in engineering curriculum. The meaning of the key concepts of university as a social enterprise, engineering curriculum and Enterprise 3.0 is studied. Explorative research has been used. The empirical study was conducted at Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia, in 2011. Descriptive statistics was implemented for primary data analysis. The findings of the research allow drawing the conclusions on the favourable context of Enterprise 3.0 application in engineering curriculum as the student engineers' knowledge and attitude towards Enterprise 3.0 application are positive. Direction of further research are proposed.


Author(s):  
Ipseeta Satpathy ◽  
B. Chandra Mohan Patnaik ◽  
Chandrabhanu Das

The existence of Yoga dates back to more than ten thousand years around India and all nations. The Hindu Mythology considers the genesis of Yoga by incorporating Lord Shiva as Guru and Goddess Parvati as Shishya. Gradually with the development of civilization mankind assessed the benefits of this spiritual discipline and different leaders propagated the Yoga in different ways.In this era of 21st century Baba Ramdev propagated the yoga sutras with simple and effective techniques. The Pranayam and Suryanamaskar are the popular routines practiced by many followers of Baba Ramdev. Today Yoga is practiced as a way of Living to prevent Lifestyle diseases, combat stress and rejuvenate self. Yoga has gained immense popularity over the years with July 21st being celebrated as International Yoga Day. Corporate are also now introducing Yoga for employees as a means to relieve their stress and improve productivity. Long Hours of sitting, standing and excessive use of electronic gadgets puts pressure on bones, joints and responsible for Lifestyle diseases. Yoga is now increasingly used as a wellness solution replacing high cost antibiotic drugs. Employee well-being leads to Cost Savings in terms of personnel by reduced payment of Insurance and Medical Bills. The paper studies the Impact of Yoga to Financial benefits in MSME Organizations in Odisha in light of three different perspectives of Internal Control, Inventory management and Cash Flow. The primary data was collected from a sample of 155 high profile finance executives working in the MSME sector. Ranking Table and Regression Analysis Methodology was used to derive meaningful conclusions. The research takes initiative to transform the effectiveness of Yoga into improved financial health for the Organization. The observation from the study interprets a positive impact of Yoga on good financial health of Organization.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 106
Author(s):  
Bader A. Alyoubi

Big Data is gaining rapid popularity in e-commerce sector across the globe. There is a general consensus among experts that Saudi organisations are late in adopting new technologies. It is generally believed that the lack of research in latest technologies that are specific to Saudi Arabia that is culturally, socially, and economically different from the West, is one of the key factors for the delay in technology adoption in Saudi Arabia. Hence, to fill this gap to a certain extent and create awareness about Big Data technology, the primary goal of this research was to identify the impact of Big Data on e-commerce organisations in Saudi Arabia. Internet has changed the business environment of Saudi Arabia too. E-commerce is set for achieving new heights due to latest technological advancements. A qualitative research approach was used by conducting interviews with highly experienced professional to gather primary data. Using multiple sources of evidence, this research found out that traditional databases are not capable of handling massive data. Big Data is a promising technology that can be adopted by e-commerce companies in Saudi Arabia. Big Data’s predictive analytics will certainly help e-commerce companies to gain better insight of the consumer behaviour and thus offer customised products and services. The key finding of this research is that Big Data has a significant impact in e-commerce organisations in Saudi Arabia on various verticals like customer retention, inventory management, product customisation, and fraud detection.


2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 281-290
Author(s):  
Shouhong Wang ◽  
Hai Wang

Shared services have been widely spread in the government and private sectors. Unlike outsourcing, shared service is the standardization and consolidation of common functions across the multiple organizations to reduce information process duplication and increase information and knowledge sharing. Shared services should be viewed less as a phenomenon of cost saving and more as a challenge of organization redesign. Five general leading theories of organizational design are examined in the perspective of shared services. A quasi-general organizational design approach is proposed specifically for shared services projects. The proposed approach emphasizes the organizational support for the shared services strategy identification, collaborative partnership network design, optimal shared services process design, and policy and regulation system design.


Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 824
Author(s):  
Sunghyun Cho ◽  
Prabuddha Manjula ◽  
Minjun Kim ◽  
Eunjin Cho ◽  
Dooho Lee ◽  
...  

Korean native chickens (KNCs) comprise an indigenous chicken breed of South Korea that was restored through a government project in the 1990s. The KNC population has not been developed well and has mostly been used to maintain purebred populations in the government research institution. We investigated the genetic features of the KNC population in a selection signal study for the efficient improvement of this breed. We used 600K single nucleotide polymorphism data sampled from 191 KNCs (NG, 38; NL, 29; NR, 52; NW, 39; and NY, 33) and 54 commercial chickens (Hy-line Brown, 10; Lohmann Brown, 10; Arbor Acres, 10; Cobb, 12; and Ross, 12). Haplotype phasing was performed using EAGLE software as the initial step for the primary data analysis. Pre-processed data were analyzed to detect selection signals using the ‘rehh’ package in R software. A few common signatures of selection were identified in KNCs. Most quantitative trait locus regions identified as candidate regions were associated with traits related to reproductive organs, eggshell characteristics, immunity, and organ development. Block patterns with high linkage disequilibrium values were observed for LPP, IGF11, LMNB2, ERBB4, GABRB2, NTM, APOO, PLOA1, CNTN1, NTSR1, DEF3, CELF1, and MEF2D genes, among regions with confirmed selection signals. NL and NW lines contained a considerable number of selective sweep regions related to broilers and layers, respectively. We recommend focusing on improving the egg and meat traits of KNC NL and NW lines, respectively, while improving multiple traits for the other lines.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamuda Aminu ◽  
Sarah Bar-Zeev ◽  
Sarah White ◽  
Matthews Mathai ◽  
Nynke van den Broek

Abstract Background Every year, an estimated 2.6 million stillbirths occur worldwide, with up to 98% occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). There is a paucity of primary data on cause of stillbirth from LMIC, and particularly from sub-Saharan Africa to inform effective interventions. This study aimed to identify the cause of stillbirths in low- and middle-income settings and compare methods of assessment. Methods This was a prospective, observational study in 12 hospitals in Kenya, Malawi, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe. Stillbirths (28 weeks or more) were reviewed to assign the cause of death by healthcare providers, an expert panel and by using computer-based algorithms. Agreement between the three methods was compared using Kappa (κ) analysis. Cause of stillbirth and level of agreement between the methods used to assign cause of death. Results One thousand five hundred sixty-three stillbirths were studied. The stillbirth rate (per 1000 births) was 20.3 in Malawi, 34.7 in Zimbabwe, 38.8 in Kenya and 118.1 in Sierra Leone. Half (50.7%) of all stillbirths occurred during the intrapartum period. Cause of death (range) overall varied by method of assessment and included: asphyxia (18.5–37.4%), placental disorders (8.4–15.1%), maternal hypertensive disorders (5.1–13.6%), infections (4.3–9.0%), cord problems (3.3–6.5%), and ruptured uterus due to obstructed labour (2.6–6.1%). Cause of stillbirth was unknown in 17.9–26.0% of cases. Moderate agreement was observed for cause of stillbirth as assigned by the expert panel and by hospital-based healthcare providers who conducted perinatal death review (κ = 0.69; p < 0.0005). There was only minimal agreement between expert panel review or healthcare provider review and computer-based algorithms (κ = 0.34; 0.31 respectively p < 0.0005). Conclusions For the majority of stillbirths, an underlying likely cause of death could be determined despite limited diagnostic capacity. In these settings, more diagnostic information is, however, needed to establish a more specific cause of death for the majority of stillbirths. Existing computer-based algorithms used to assign cause of death require revision.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Adabere ◽  
Kwame Owusu Kwateng ◽  
Esther Dzidzah ◽  
Francis Tetteh Kamewor

PurposeThe introduction of information technology (IT) in port operations has been a tremendous contributor to transformation in world trade. This study was carried out to examine the influence of IT on the efficiency of seaport operations.Design/methodology/approachThe study is quantitative in nature, and it relied on a closed-ended self-administered questionnaire to collect primary data. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the theoretical model and hypothesis.FindingsThe results indicate that IT has a positive direct effect on port operational efficiency (OE) and an indirect effect on port OE through organizational culture (OC). The mediating role of OC is statistically insignificant.Originality/valueThis is among the first few attempts in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that provides researchers with a contemporary view of IT and seaport operations.


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