Impact of the Government Funding Reforms on the Research and Development at Malaysian Public Universities

Strategic innovation is a strategic tool that can be used to align the institution’s resources and capabilities with opportunities in the external environment in order to enhance survival and long term success of the organization. Innovation promotes use of technology consequently impacting positively on service delivery. Public universities reforms have been a necessary and on-going policy objective for the Government of Kenya. Innovation as one of the approaches to the reforms is intended to induce an overhaul the public university system to better serve the needs of both government and the citizens with improved delivery of public services. In Kenya technology in public institutions has not been effectively used to enhance service delivery more so institutions where technology use has been embraced, its impact on service delivery has not been assessed effectively. This study applied the institutional theory, diffusion of innovation theory and stakeholders theory of management to determine how strategic innovation at Kenyatta University impacts on service delivery. The general objective of this study therefore was to determine the effect of strategic innovation on service delivery in Kenyatta University. Specific objectives included finding out the influence of eLearning, online student registration and use of e-messaging services on service delivery in Kenyatta University. A population of 72,000 students admitted to Kenyatta University was used from which random sampling was conducted to a sample of 200 students using Nassiuma’s formula. Data was collected by disbursing physically the questionnaires to the students. Descriptive and regression analysis was conducted using SPSS 22 to provide findings on the study. The study conducted a multiple regression analysis to estimate the model for the study. The study had a coefficient of correlation R of 0.912 an indication of strong of correlation between the variables and a coefficient of adjusted R2 was 0.814.This means that there was a significant correlations between the variables and service delivery at Kenyatta University however other factors that are not considered in the research paper contribute approximately 18.6% of the service delivery at Kenyatta University. Therefore, a very extensive further research is highly required to investigate and come up with other factors of the viability to service delivery at Kenyatta University. The study concluded that the strategic innovation of the public universities ranges from the products and services offered and is determined by the technology that is revolutionizing the current global world and has improved the service delivery at Kenyatta University. A strategic innovation brings a lot of advantages and has a great impact on human and business daily life. Therefore, strategic innovation development is the best choice in helping higher institution of learning stay on track.

Download Full-text

Special Solicitude: Religious Freedom at America’s Public Universities

Laws ◽

10.3390/laws10020030 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 30

Author(s):

William E. Thro

Keyword(s):

First Amendment ◽

Religious Freedom ◽

Public Universities ◽

Religious Organizations ◽

Equal Rights ◽

Religious Groups ◽

Religious Expression ◽

University Campuses ◽

The Supreme Court ◽

The Government

Rejecting the Obama Administration’s argument that the First Amendment requires identical treatment for religious organizations and secular organizations, the Supreme Court held such a “result is hard to square with the text of the First Amendment itself, which gives special solicitude to the rights of religious organizations.” (Hosanna-Tabor, 565 U.S. at 189). This “special solicitude” guarantees religious freedom from the government in all aspects of society, but particularly on public university campuses. At a minimum, religious expression and religious organizations must have equal rights with secular expression and secular organizations. In some instances, religious expression and religious expression may have greater rights. The Court’s 2020 decisions in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, and Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, reinforce and expand the “special solicitude” of religion. Indeed, Espinoza and Our Lady have profound implications for student religious groups at America’s public campuses. This article examines religious freedom at America’s public universities. This article has three parts. First, it offers an overview of religious freedom prior to Espinoza and Our Lady. Second, it briefly discusses those two cases. Third, it explores the implications of those decisions on America’s public campuses.

Download Full-text

Marketization of Public Universities: Lessons from a Developing Economy

Business Perspectives and Research ◽

10.1177/22785337211021562 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 227853372110215

Author(s):

Andy Fred Wali ◽

AGYO Atswenbuma ◽

Emmanuel A. Amangala ◽

Obabuike Ikeni Nkpurukwe

Keyword(s):

Public Universities ◽

Academic Staff ◽

Future Research ◽

Sample Population ◽

Developing Economy ◽

Postgraduate Students ◽

Template Analysis ◽

New Findings ◽

The Government ◽

Group Interviews

This study investigates the marketization of public universities in a developing economy with the aim of providing findings for repositioning public universities for global attraction. It adopts a qualitative approach, and the sample population comprise undergraduate and postgraduate students from four public universities (two federal- and two state-owned) in Nigeria. Purposive sampling was used to identify the students selected from each of these universities, and focus group interviews were conducted. We employed content and thematic template analysis techniques to analyze the generated data with NVivo 11. The findings show that the key themes that shape interviewees’ experiences include: infrastructure deficit, poor tutor commitment, unprofessionalism, and inadequate training. Policy recommendations were suggested for the tripartite work relationship between the government, university leadership and the academic staff union for repositioning public universities. The study is limited to a single research paradigm but offers future research opportunities using alternative strategy for strengthening emerging themes and new findings.

Download Full-text

THE IMPACT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENT ON AGRICULTURAL SECTOR PERFOMANCE IN KENYA

Journal of Agricultural Policy ◽

10.47941/jap.161 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 34-57

Author(s):

John Githii Kimani ◽

Dr. George Ruigu Ruigu

Keyword(s):

Research And Development ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Research Policy ◽

Trade Openness ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Long Run ◽

Short Run ◽

The Government ◽

Parsimonious Model ◽

The Impact

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of research and development investment/expenditure on the agricultural sector performance in Kenya.Methodology: The study took the peoples impact assessment direction. The data for this study was collected from various government agencies such as KARI, ASTI, Kenya Agricultural Sector Data compendium website, FAOSTAT, World Bank among others. Co-integration and error correction modeling methods were used in analyzing the data for this study.Results: Co-integration results for both the parsimonious and non-parsimonious model indicated that that there is a long-run relationship among the variables in the agriculture performance in Kenya. Further, findings in this study indicated that the variables under study were insignificant determinants of the long run Total Factor Productivity of the agricultural sector. Meanwhile, Trade openness was the only significant determinant of the short run agricultural Total Factor Productivity.Unique Contribution to Policy and Practice: This study recommends the institutionalization of policies aimed at ensuring interaction between the various stakeholders in the agricultural sectors. This interaction will ensure that resources are better allocated to reduce duplication of research and dissemination activities. In addition, greater collaboration among the stakeholders will promote and strengthen the connection between research, policy and the application of research findings. The study further advocates that the government should follow a trade liberazation oriented approach to the agricultural sector as opposed to a trade tightening approach.

Download Full-text

Developing a monograph book for teaching English skills to young learners in wetlands areas

International Journal of Educational Studies in Social Sciences (IJESSS) ◽

10.53402/ijesss.v2i1.39 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 18-26

Author(s):

Dini Noor Arini ◽

Raisa Fadilla

Keyword(s):

Research And Development ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Asia Pacific ◽

Teaching English ◽

Young Learners ◽

Academic Settings ◽

The Government ◽

Suitable Reference ◽

English Instruction

To enable Universitas Lambung Mangkurat (ULM) to become the Asia-Pacific centre for wetlands development in 2027, one of the efforts ULM makes is to raise awareness about the importance of optimising human resources in wetlands through research and development in the educational and cultural fields. English is considered a foreign language in Indonesia, allowing students to use the language outside of academic settings. English becomes a required subject in junior and senior high school; however, the government requires that English be taught in primary schools as a local topic. English, on the other hand, remains a mandatory subject in a large number of Indonesian primary schools, particularly in Banjarmasin. The issue arises in primary school English instruction because there is no clear guidance for teachers on how to teach English in an appropriate and engaging manner for the students. Due to the absence of a monograph book on teaching methods, teachers in some primary schools in Banjarmasin, particularly those located in wetland areas, have limited access to teaching English to young learners (EYL). In light of the university's policy and the critical nature of achieving teaching and learning objectives, as well as the absence of a suitable reference book for teaching EYL, this study aims to develop an appropriate monograph book on teaching techniques for students of young ages. The research and development design is chosen because it aims to create a product and meets the needs of the reference book's development. The results are expected to improve students' academic performance and to assist EYL teachers in wetland areas in conducting effective and meaningful teaching.

Download Full-text

Determinants of Loan Repayment of Government Funding to Vulnerable Groups; A Case of Biashara Fund in Kiambu County, Kenya

International Journal of Current Aspects ◽

10.35942/ijcab.v3ivi.80 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (VI) ◽

pp. 83-100

Author(s):

Keziah Njoki Mbugua ◽

George Kosimbei

Keyword(s):

Univariate Analysis ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Government Funding ◽

Vulnerable Groups ◽

Primary Data ◽

Future Research ◽

Group Leadership ◽

Inferential Statistics ◽

Loan Repayment ◽

The Government

In an attempt to alleviate poverty and empower the vulnerable population, many non- governmental organizations and government line agencies have provided revolving funds to its citizens. The County Government of Kiambu introduced Biashara Fund to empower its youth. The major challenge has been identifying the most deserving beneficiary and minimizing the risk of loan non-repayment. Such, has however not been possible as at times, the rate of defaulters has been reported to be substantially high, leading to writing off such debts at the expense of the revolving funds. The role of the government in providing start-up funds and ensuring sustainability is crucial. Ideally when such funds are borrowed, it is expected that they are repaid in order to empower another beneficiary thus creating a revolving fund and ensuring sustainability of the fund. However, this is often not the case as change of the government of the day at times leads to higher default rate of such funds. This study focused on determinants affecting loan repayment of government funding to venerable groups, a case study of Biashara Fund in Kiambu County, Kenya. The study specifically evaluated the influence of amount of credit borrowed, legislation put in place on loan repayment, borrowing process set and group leadership on loan repayment of government funding to venerable groups accessing Biashara Fund in Kiambu County. Descriptive survey was adopted for this study. The study targeted youth, women and persons with disability with emphasis on 60 groups and 865 individuals drawn across the 10 sub-counties in Kiambu County. The target category had advanced loans by the Biashara Fund from 2014 to 2017. A sample of 274 participants was used and was selected using stratified and simple random sampling. The study used a questionnaire as the sole primary data collection instrument. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences where both descriptive and inferential statistics were employ yed. A univariate analysis was done to get standard deviation, means frequency tables, histogram pie chart, graphs and percentages. Further inferential statistics were applied using regression analysis. The study established a relationship between group leadership and loan repayment of government funding by venerable groups accessing Biashara Fund in Kiambu County. The study findings show that there is a significant negative relationship between the amount of credit borrowed and loan repayment of government funding by venerable groups accessing Biashara Fund in Kiambu County. The study concludes that there is a relationship between loan size and capacity to repay. The study also concludes that most of the youth, women and persons with disability were partially conversant with the Biashara loan rules. Policy makers need to come up with viable interventions to stimulate and create an enabling economic environment for innovation and business competitiveness, hence inducing performance of youth, women and disabled business projects. The youth, women and disabled problem thus requires properly planned well-structured and broad based programs. The study recommends that adequate liquidity should be ensured as depositors and borrowers should be able to access funds without subjecting the institutions to solvency and attainment of acceptable rates of return. Research and academicians with an interest in entrepreneurship and startup funding as they will understand the issues raised for future research.

Download Full-text

OPTIMIZATION OF ZAKAT FUND MANAGEMENT IN REGIONAL ZAKAT INSTITUTION

Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews ◽

10.18510/hssr.2018.6217 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 133-139 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tika Widiastuti ◽

Imron Mawardi ◽

Anidah Robani ◽

Aam Slamet Rusydiana

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Economic Development ◽

Research And Development ◽

Design Methodology ◽

Fund Management ◽

Threat Analysis ◽

Gift Economy ◽

Considerable Research ◽

Societal Needs ◽

The Government

Purpose: The implementation of zakat fund management especially in some zakat institutions is considered not optimum yet. This condition is represented by disparity between potential and actual collection. In Islam, the objective of zakat is not only to collect wealth and keep it idle, instead zakat should become a source of productive fund to fulfill societal needs. Some countries with advanced zakat institutions have developed zakat to become a pillar of economic development. Today, each zakat institution is competing against each other to innovate in zakat fund management. Empowerment in zakat institutions with the appropriate strategies will enhance zakat management and distribution for the betterment of zakat recipients (mustahiq) and the Muslim society at large. Design/Methodology/Approach: This research is aimed to analyze optimization of management in regional zakat institution with SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity, threat) analysis approach with IFE-EFE Matrix. Descriptive qualitative analysis is used to explain optimization of fund in zakat institution. Major Findings:Findings of this research shows that zakat institution should improve their strategy by developing strength and turning threat into opportunities. Originality/Value: The study provides a guideline for regional zakat institution on how they can enhance their role and efficiency to boost the economic growth for the Islamic community in Indonesia. It may also be instrumental for the government to improve in efficiency and innovative manpower, considerable research and development in optimizing Islamic Gift Economy to enhance economic growth of the Islamic community of Indonesia.

Download Full-text

Within Source Diversification When the Going Gets Tough: Examining Alterations to Human Service Nonprofit Funding by Levels of Government

Journal of Health and Human Services Administration ◽

10.37808/jhhsa.44.1.3 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 45-66

Keyword(s):

Nonprofit Organizations ◽

Human Service ◽

Local Governments ◽

The United States ◽

Government Funding ◽

Federal State ◽

The Great Recession ◽

Nonprofit Funding ◽

State And Local ◽

The Government

Government increasingly relies on nonprofit organizations to deliver public services, especially for human services. As such, human service nonprofits receive a substantial amount of revenue from government agencies via grants and contracts. Yet, times of crises result in greater demand for services, but often with fewer financial resources. As governments and nonprofits are tasked to do more with less, how does diversification within the government funding stream influence government-nonprofit funding relationships? More specifically, we ask: How do the number of different government partners and the type of government funder—federal, state, or local—influence whether nonprofits face alterations to government funding agreements? Drawing upon data from over 2,000 human service nonprofits in the United States, following the Great Recession, we find nonprofit organizations that only received funds from the federal government were less likely to experience funding alterations. This helps to illustrate the economic impact of the recession on state and local governments as well as the nonprofit organizations that partner with them.

Download Full-text

The Secret Science of Formulas

10.1332/policypress/9781529215144.003.0012 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 95-100

Author(s):

Rob Kitchin

Keyword(s):

Relative Deprivation ◽

Government Funding ◽

Objective Method ◽

The Government ◽

Statistical Formula

This chapter reveals how choices and decisions concerning the analytics applied to data shapes outcomes, through an account of a working session between academics and a government minister to devise and implement an 'objective' method for allocating government funding. The nub of the problem was the Minister had a very particular outcome in mind. He wanted the investment from his new scheme to be spread across as many constituencies as possible, and certainly the ones that traditionally voted for his party or those that might swing away from the government. However, he did not want to be seen to allocate the funding on political grounds, nor run the scheme on a competitive basis. Instead, he wanted to be able to say that the monies had been apportioned using a statistical formula that assessed need objectively. Creating a formula for producing a map that pleased the Minister proved to be trickier than anticipated. In part, this was because he had his own ideas about which variables were good indicators of relative deprivation and need.

Download Full-text