scholarly journals Farmers’ Information Literacy and Productivity Performance of Smallholder Horticulture in a Highland Zone, Kenya

Author(s):  
Nelly Chebet Sang ◽  
Joseph Kipkorir Cheruiyot

The horticulture sub-sector contributes substantially to the Kenyan economy, but smallholder productivity is low. This study investigated the role of information literacy on smallholder horticultural productivity performance in a lower highland zone of Belgut Sub-county, Kericho County, Kenya. The study used descriptive cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected between January and April 2019. Smallholder horticulture farmers who previously participated in a program; NALEP, in Belgut Sub-county were purposely selected and interviewed. Data was collected from 31 respondents through face-to-face household interviews using pre-tested semi-structured interview schedules and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Descriptive statistics were utilized to document the farmers’ information sources. Associations between attributes were analyzed by running Goodman and Kruskals’ gamma and Somers’ d. Findings indicated that the smallholder horticulture farmers obtained horticultural information mostly from the public extension, but also from private companies, NGOs/FBOs, mass media, and other farmers. Farmers’ level of formal education, organizational skills, accounting, and farming skills; as indicators of information literacy, showed moderate strength of relationship with productivity and profitability (Gamma = 0.200 to 0.563) but showed mixed strength with horticultural produce quality (Gamma = 0.138 to 0.948).Somers delta showed similar patterns (Somers d = 0.089 to 0.684). When the four indicators of information literacy were amalgamated into an information literacy score, there was evidence of a moderate strength monotonic relationship between information literacy and performance as measured by the Spearman rank correlation; rs (29) = .571, P = .001.The study concludes that farmers obtain horticultural information from diverse sources. Information literacy contributes to the productivity and profitability of smallholder horticulture. Capacity building of the farmers on information literacy is recommended.

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Rehman ◽  
Fathyah Hashim

Purpose The purpose of this paper is the measurement of forensic accounting’s (FA) impact on sustainable corporate governance (SCG) within Omani public listed companies. Beyond merely cataloging the latest criminal innovations and SCG problems, this paper offers a path forward to overcome the myriad threats that can harm the organization and society. FA and SCG can achieve, anticipate and prevent tomorrow’s fraud today before organizations reach the point of no return. Design/methodology/approach For this study, FA is an independent variable and SCG is the dependent variable. This study used a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. Data are collected by internet-based tool and analyzed via partial least squares structural equation modeling and Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Findings Result suggests that FA has a significant direct impact over SCG; moreover, FA can become the part of governance management toward the elimination of fraud and achievement of SCG. Practical implications This study can assist regulators, professional bodies and organizations in amending their codes of corporate governance and organizational policies by introducing the SCG clauses and making FA as a compulsory part of governance system. Originality/value Up to the best of the knowledge of researchers, there is no study conducted before which verifies the FA impact on SCG; moreover, previous relevant studies verify only one constituent for SCG, whereas this study is identifying three constituents necessary for SCG.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 826-856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yewande Adetoro Adewunmi ◽  
Reuben Iyagba ◽  
Modupe Omirin

Purpose Benchmarking in FM practice although understood and applied globally, little is known about the practice in Nigeria. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework to guide the use of benchmarking. Design/methodology/approach The research adopts a cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires on FM organizations in Lagos metropolis, Abuja and Port Harcourt. The results of the survey were supplemented with interviews with FM unit heads in the study areas. The framework was validated using a focus group discussion with ten FM industry experts. Findings A framework which serves as a guide for the use of best practice benchmarking was developed. It showed that there is a relationship between best practice benchmarking and location. Research limitations/implications The evaluation of the framework was limited by the number of participants involved and being that it has not been put to use. Originality/value This study develops a multi-sector framework to guide the use of best practice benchmarking in facilities management (FM). The framework explains the relationship between organizational characteristics and best practice benchmarking. In addition, there are limited empirical benchmarking frameworks in FM literature.


Jurnal NERS ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Ryan Michael Flores Oducado

Introduction: Empowerment has become an important concept in nursing that has gained acknowledgment in theories and practice of leadership and management. A positive organization espouses empowerment to attract and retain employees. While it is not new to nursing, there is little published research on empowerment among nurses in the Philippines. This study aimed to measure young staff nurses’ perception of leader empowering behaviors and psychological empowerment.Methods: This study used a cross-sectional survey design participated by 44 conveniently chosen staff nurses in a private teaching and training hospital in Iloilo City, Philippines. The participants were asked to answer 5-point Likert scale questions utilizing adopted instruments. Descriptive and non-parametric statistical stools were used with Mann-Whitney U test to determine differences and Spearman’s rank correlation to establish relationship between variables.Results: Overall, young staff nurses perceived their leaders’ behaviors to be highly empowering (M=3.89). Staff nurses also had a high level of psychological empowerment (M=4.07). Leader empowering behaviors was significantly related to staff nurses’ perception of psychological empowerment (p=.001). Staff nurses’ level of psychological empowerment were significantly different in terms of employment status (p=.020) and years of work experience (p=.014).Conclusion: This study highlights the positive influence of the empowering behaviors of leaders in enhancing staff nurses’ level of psychological empowerment. It is vital for nurse managers to continually demonstrate leadership behaviors that empower staff nurses at the unit level.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric E. Mang’unyi ◽  
Oumar T. Khabala ◽  
Krishna K. Govender

Since customer loyalty is key, especially in the highly competitive commercial banking environment, this article evaluated the effects of features of electronic customer relationship management (e-CRM) on customer loyalty. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from a convenience sample of customers of a major international Kenyan bank using self-administered questionnaires. The findings based on correlation and multiple regression analyses, revealed that pre-service, during (the) service and post transactional e-CRM features have a positive and significant relationship with loyalty, and that the pre-service and during service features significantly predict loyalty. Thus, enhancing e-CRM practices could be a strategic competitive tool to impact the banks’ relationship with their customers.


Author(s):  
Fathima E. Mahomed ◽  
Sebastiaan Rothmann

Orientation: Research regarding strengths use, deficit correction and thriving of academics in higher education institutions is necessary, given the possible effects thereof on their task and contextual performance.Research purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationships among strengths use and deficit correction, thriving at work and performance of academics. Furthermore, it sought to investigate whether performance-related pay moderates the effects of thriving on performance.Motivation for the study: No studies were found regarding the relationships among a balanced strengths- and deficit-based approach, thriving at work, and performance in the context of South African higher education.Research approach/design and method: A cross-sectional survey design was used, with a convenience sample of 276 academic employees from three universities of technology in South Africa. The participants completed the Strengths Use and Deficit Correction Scale, the Thriving at Work Scale, a scale that measured perceptions of performance-related pay and measures of task and contextual performance.Main findings: The results showed that perceived organisational support for strengths use, as well as individual strengths use and deficit correction, predicted thriving at work. Thriving predicted task and contextual performance. A significant interaction was found between thriving and perceptions of performance-related pay. The most robust relation between thriving and performance existed when performance-related pay was perceived to be good.Practical/managerial implications: Higher education institutions must invest resources to enable academics to thrive at work via the balanced strength- and deficit-based approach. This approach should be seen as a core development tool for academics to increase employees’ thriving at work.Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to scientific knowledge regarding strengths use and deficit correction, thriving and performance of academics in higher education institutions. It also resulted in new knowledge regarding the interaction effects of performance-related pay and thriving on task performance of academics.


The aim of this study was to empirically examine the association between staff training& development and Organizational performance of deposit money banks in Rivers State. The study applied cross sectional survey design in structured questionnaire to collect data from 66 personnel of designated positions of any accessible branch of the 22 deposit money banks. Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient tool was employed with the help of SPSS Version 21.0, in statistically analyzing data. Results revealed that staff training and development have positive and significant relationship with organizational performance. Consequently, the study concludes that staff training and development are strategic assets in equipping employees with the necessary tools to improve productivity. The research recommends that banks that want to improve productivity are encouraged to invest more on staff training and development; particularly mentoring and job orientation.


Author(s):  
Obabuike Ikeni Nkpurukwe ◽  
Jonathan Peter Uzah ◽  
Andy Fred Wali

The aim of this study was to empirically examine the association between staff training& development and Organizational performance of deposit money banks in Rivers State. The study applied cross sectional survey design in structured questionnaire to collect data from 66 personnel of designated positions of any accessible branch of the 22 deposit money banks. Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient tool was employed with the help of SPSS Version 21.0, in statistically analyzing data. Results revealed that staff training and development have positive and significant relationship with organizational performance. Consequently, the study concludes that staff training and development are strategic assets in equipping employees with the necessary tools to improve productivity. The research recommends that banks that want to improve productivity are encouraged to invest more on staff training and development; particularly mentoring and job orientation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-222
Author(s):  
Ugo Chuks Okolie ◽  
James Ogwugwua Ochei

Employee empowerment and continuance commitment are two concepts that are of significance to all modern corporate entities. A robust appreciation and application of employee empowerment will contribute in measurable respects to the growth and sustainability of various organizations and continuance commitment of their employ-ees. This study is an assessment of the relationship and the effect of employee empow-erment on continuance commitment in the Nigerian manufacturing industry. A cross-sectional survey design method was adopted and data was collected via a survey of three hundred and three (303) respondents randomly selected from a population of 1243 employees of 25 manufacturing companies in Delta State, Nigeria. Data collect-ed were analyzed using Spearman’s Rank Correlation and linear regression analysis with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23. The results of the study showed that there is significant relationship between employee empowerment and continuance commitment. As predicted, the study also revealed that employee empowerment exerts a positive and statistically significant effect on continuance commitment in manufacturing companies in Delta State, Nigeria. Based on these find-ings, we conclude that employee empowerment has significant influence on continu-ance commitment. The study therefore recommends among others that management of manufacturing companies in Nigeria should grant their employees power to initiate change, thereby encouraging them to take charge of their work tasks.


2020 ◽  
pp. 108482232096308
Author(s):  
Zainab Toteh Osakwe ◽  
Izuagie Ikhapoh ◽  
Bhavleen Kaur Arora ◽  
Rose Saint Fleur-Calixte

The objective of this study was to describe the perception of home healthcare (HHC) nurses toward persons with dementia (PWD). Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 225 registered nurses at 11 home care agencies across 7 states in the U.S. A web based modified Approaches to Dementia (ADQ) was used to assess nurses’ perception of person-centeredness. Most of the respondents were female (91.6%). Overall, greater years of experience as a registered nurse and age (<40 years) were associated with higher mean person-centeredness scores. Efforts to improve patient-centered dementia care in the HHC setting may need to be tailored to unique groups of HHC nurses.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ammar Abdulameer Ali Zwain ◽  
Kong Teong Lim ◽  
Siti Norezam Othman

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the associations between total quality management (TQM) core elements, knowledge management (KM) processes, and educational organization outcome with respect to academic performance (AP). Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a cross-sectional survey design. The survey was conducted on 87 colleges in Iraqi higher-education institutions (HEIs). Four main hypotheses were developed and tested statistically by applying multivariate data analyses. Findings The results provided evidence that both TQM core elements and KM processes should be implemented holistically. TQM core elements have a positive and significant impact on both KM processes and AP. Moreover, KM processes partially mediate the association between TQM core elements and AP. Originality/value Empirical research on the association between TQM, KM, and performance is very limited. This study provides insights and further understanding of the effect of TQM core elements on KM processes and AP, and therefore, allows decision makers to get in-depth knowledge about these associations and the mediating effect of KM in HEIs context.


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