Relationship between Recruitment Information System and Management of Human Capital: A case of James Finlay Limited, Kenya

Technological advancement in the 21st century has unlocked possibilities in all spheres of existence. Lately, with the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, the workplace has been transformed, and businesses are operating in unchartered waters. A human resource management information system is believed to guarantee a more efficient and effective way of managing human capital in organizations. However, its implementation has not effectively transformed from the manual method of running the human resource functions. Many organizations are, therefore, still stuck with the traditional way of managing human capital. On this basis, this study sought to establish the effectiveness of recruitment information systems in human capital management. The study was anchored on the resource-based theory of the firm and used a cross-sectional research design with a target population of 458 employees. A sample size of 213 respondents was determined while stratified and simple random sampling techniques were adopted to select the respondents for the study. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain primary data from the respondents. The reliability of the questionnaire was tested through a pilot study where an average Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.89 was obtained. The validity of the questionnaire was ensured by doing a detailed literature review and consultation with subject experts. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to summarize data, while correlation analysis was used to test the study's hypothesis. Results were presented using tables. The findings established that recruitment information systems had a strong positive relationship (R = 0.873, β1 = 0.518, R2 = 0.762, p = 0.05) with human capital management, indicating that James Finlay Limited should invest more in Recruitment information systems. The study recommended that the company improve the recruitment information system to enhance the job interview process and improve the system to allow efficiency in tracking job applications and appointment processes.

Influence of Green Recruitment and Selection on Sustainability of Selected Tea Factories in Kericho Highlands Region, Kenya

The focus of this study was to assess the influence of green recruitment and selection on the sustainability of selected tea factories in Kericho Highlands region, Kenya. The study was anchored on human capital theory. It adopted a correlational research design, with a targeted population of 915 respondents drawn from tea factories in the Kericho highlands region. A sample size of 278 respondents was determined scientifically using the Yamane taro formula. Primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire. The validity of the research was checked together with the supervisors and subject experts, while instrument reliability was determined through Cronbach's alpha coefficient, where a coefficient of 0.7987 was obtained. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis was used to analyse data. The findings established a significant positive relationship between green recruitment and selection and the sustainability of the tea factories. The study concluded that green recruitment and selection influenced the sustainability of the factories.

Influence of Enterprise Strategy Typologies on Youth Livelihood Outcomes in Kenya

Youth unemployment and underemployment are grave social issues prevalent in developing countries. Ensuring that youth attain productive ends or sustainable livelihood outcomes is a major concern of many governments, organisations and institutions globally. The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of enterprise strategy typologies on youth livelihood outcomes in Kamukunji Sub-County, Nairobi County, Kenya. Anchored on Department for International Development livelihoods framework and the General Systems Theory, the study applied a cross-sectional survey research design to gather data from 201 youth from registered youth groups. Analysis was conducted using descriptive frequencies and inferential statistics, namely Chi-square, Z statistic and Ordered Logistic Regression. Findings from inferential statistics established that regardless of the livelihood strategy typology youth adopted (business, wage employment, homemaking, arts & talents and agriculture-based), the livelihood outcomes did not differ significantly. As a group, livelihood strategy typology did not jointly determine youth livelihood outcomes. However, specific enterprise strategies whose parameters attained statistical significance were: wage employment (β = 0.74, p < 0.05) and arts/talent (β = 0.26, p < 0.05) which were important in predicting the level of YLO level. The study recommends that State and Non-State actors should implement elaborate and expansive business incubation and mentorship programs for youth. To improve livelihood outcomes for all youth, development agencies should ensure that youth-focused interventions target all typologies of enterprise strategies undertaken by the youth.

Microfinance Services and the Clients’ Socioeconomic Wellbeing During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Uganda

Microfinance is reported to be an effective tool of empowerment for vulnerable and marginalised groups, especially women. This study set out to investigate the relationship between microfinance services and the clients’ socioeconomic wellbeing during the Covid-19 pandemic in Uganda. The study involved 73 employees of microfinance institutions that deal directly with the clients. The study findings revealed that while no significant relationship exists between microfinance services and clients’ socioeconomic wellbeing, there is a significant moderate positive relationship between microfinance client protection policies and the clients’ socioeconomic wellbeing. The regression model revealed that a unit increase in client protection policies increases the socioeconomic wellbeing of microfinance services beneficiaries by 72%. It is recommended that microfinance institutions integrate client protection policies in their activities in line with their known social mission

Inventory Audit and Supply Management: An Evidence of Inventory Control Practices.

Supply management is increasingly becoming a focus in this 21st century. For an organisation to compete and successfully operate in the current risky supply management atmosphere, it must apply control measures that are effective within its internal supply management. The supply management environment today is characterised by many risk factors that may have a negative impact on the inventory control operations of an enterprise. However, there is an outcry in the universities procurement sector for inadequate stock control. The paper aims to establish the relationship between inventory audit and supply management in public and private universities in Nakuru County. The study was guided by stock diffusion. The study adopted a correlation research design. The target population of this study was 115 employees drawn from the procurement department from Egerton and Kabarak University since their headquarters are found in Nakuru County. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select the respondents of the study from the two Universities. Taro Yamane’s formula was used to obtain a sample size of 89 respondents. The data were analysed using both quantitative and inferential statistics. Findings revealed that inventory audits were efficiently done. This was improved by ensuring accuracy in recording. The universities also ensure that costs are well controlled to reduce waste and mismanagement of resources in the universities. The inventory audit was also done periodically to ensure all university property and resources were secured. Hence, there existed a significant relationship between inventory audit and supply management (R = 0.836, P<0.05). The study concluded that inventory auditing had a significant influence on supply management. The study recommended that the universities had room for the elimination of shortages, losses and wastage through periodic inventory audits. The universities should also adopt an electronic inventory management system that can make tracking easy

Relationship Between Budgetary Monitoring and Financial Performance of County Government of Kericho, Kenya

Budgeting has become a fundamental issue for many organizations and business entities across the globe. Despite the availability of a legal framework on budgetary processes in the public sector, County Governments are still facing challenges such as delays in payment to suppliers, budget deficit, stalled projects, and poor development records. It is on this basis that this study sought to investigate the relationship between monitoring and financial performance of the County Government of Kericho. The study was guided by expenditure theory. The study adopted a correlation survey research design. The target population for the study was 3,848 employees from 12 departments of the County Government of Kericho. A stratified sampling technique method and simple random sampling technique were used to ascertain the sample size for the study. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics were presented by frequency tables, charts, and graphs, while inferential statistics were presented by correlation and regression models. The findings established that there was a significant statistical relationship between budgetary monitoring and financial performance (β = 0.901, p < 0.05). The study concludes that the budgetary monitoring had significant impact on financial performance of County Government of Kericho. The study recommends that for an efficient budgetary process, the county government should set realistic revenue targets to ensure that expected expenditure matches expected incomes and also acquire and train staff involved in budget planning for an efficient planning process. Participation from other stakeholders was also recommended to enhance the implementation process. The study recommends that further research on determinants of budget implementation in county governments should be carried out.

Assessment of the Determinants of Balance of Payment in Tanzania

The purpose of the study was to assess the determinants of the balance of payment in Tanzania. The nature of this study was quantitative where secondary time series data covering a period of thirty-one years between 1990 and 2020 were collected. The study performed descriptive statistics and diagnostic tests such as normality test, unit root test for stationarity, Pearson’s Correlation matrix to check if there is a multicollinearity problem in the data. The diagnostic tests revealed that the data bring unbiased results, therefore the ordinary least square regression was performed and we found that foreign direct investment and inflation rate have a negative and significant influence on the balance of payment, whereas exchange rate has a positive and insignificant influence on the balance of payment, and the interest rate has an insignificant negative influence on the balance of payment. Finally, we recommend that a country have to introduce relative prices of imports in order to improve the inflows of FDI in order to have a favourable balance of payment in a country like Tanzania. Also, Tanzania's central bank must be cautious in its monetary policy and take some beneficial steps to regulate the money supply. To attract the new internal investor, it must keep an eye on interest rates and charge a low-interest rate.

Factors Affecting the Adoption of Financial Reporting Standards by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Tanzania: The Case of Mbeya City Council

Different studies have revealed that the majority of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Tanzania do not use basic accounting principles and practices which are consistent with financial reporting standards in managing business though Tanzania adopted International Financial Reporting Standards for small and medium enterprises (IFRS for SMEs) in 2009 and issued financial reporting standard for Micro entities in 2018. This shows that the level of adoption and applicability of the standards is very low. Therefore, this study was carried out to assess factors that affect the adoption of financial reporting standards by MSMEs in Tanzania. The study was conducted in Mbeya City Council where primary data was collected from a sample size of 245 respondents via a Likert scale questionnaire. The descripto-explanatory research design was employed where the results were quantitatively analysed through descriptive statistics and chi-square (x2) model hypothesis testing. The results show that non-adoption of the standards was the result of inadequate knowledge by MSMEs, lack of awareness by most MSMEs on the existence of the standards, high perceived cost of conversion and implementation, weak legal and regulatory enforcement strategy, low level of technology applicability by SMEs and complexity of the standards as it needs a well-trained accountant to implement. The study recommends the government to come up with the implementation strategy that will first ensure that a large number of MSMEs is well trained on financial reporting standards because the decision to adopt or not to adopt largely depend on the adequacy of knowledge.

COVID 19 The pandemic and Price Volatility: An Analysis of Hospitality Industry in Emerging Market Economy - Case Study of Tanzania

Hotel industries have had the most impact in most of the countries as people went into lockdowns and quarantines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed at assessing the degree of price change in relation to the profit of hotels before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tanzania has been considered to represent developing countries that have taken a different course in a fight against the pandemic. Price movement determines the reaction from customers and therefore performance. This study prepared to identify the knowledge gap on how supply shocks affecting prices of hotels caused by COVID-19 pandemic that are beyond control, especially on a developing country like Tanzania could have on the performance of hotels and whether the recovery of such recession can be predicted in the short run. Movement in supply, demand and management strategies were regarded as an indicator of the direction of the performance of hotels in Tanzania pre and during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative analysis for a period of two years, 2019 to 2021, for a sample of two hotels in Dar es salaam which are 5- star hotels. Focus group discussion was used as a way to collect data along with secondary data. The regression analysis has been adopted to analyse secondary data after considering the correlation between variables in the study. Performance of hotels was measured using daily demand generated in pre and during the pandemic period against changes in prices influenced by COVID-19 pandemic. The study found out that the influence of price movement during the pandemic period was not significant enough to have led to the deteriorating performance of hotels in Tanzania. However, hotel performance deteriorated as a result of other contributing factors such as a fall in occupancy rate, lack of markets and increasing additional costs to fight against the pandemic, supply shocks which led to a fall in efficiency. It was evidenced that this was highly triggered by the overdependence of hotels on foreign markets. Travelling restrictions and lockdowns cultivated the deteriorating performance in hotels even though Tanzania never went into lockdown. However, hotel management adopted measures to contain the impacts through various ways, such as cutting down costs and revising prices. The study concluded and recommended that Tanzania hotels management should adopt flexible strategies on pricing that would accommodate unprecedented events that are beyond the control of the market forces (demand and supply). This would enable management to have decisions that reflect the condition in the country and not get influence from companies within the group situated in other countries.

The Relationship between Credit Risk and Financial Performance: Evidence from Commercial Banks in Tanzania

This research study purposed to determine the relationships between credit risks and the performance of commercial banks in Tanzania. Generally, the study aimed to establish the relationship between credit risk and financial performance in Tanzanian Banks. Specifically, to determine if the long-run relationship between credit risk and performance existed and investigated if credit risk and financial performance existed with a causal relationship in Tanzanian Banks. The research collected secondary data samples of 15 commercial banks in Tanzania from 2005-2019. This study adopted an explanatory approach to fulfil the above objectives. Both fixed and random effects models were engaged to determine the relationship. Hausman Test executed to determine the appropriate model. In the model, NPLR, LLPR, CAR, and BAS were used as the credit risk proxies, while return on asset (ROA) was used as the dependent variable. The findings reveal that the credit risk has both negative and positive relationships with the proxies used. The performance was inversely significant with NPLR and negatively insignificant with LLPR, while positively significant with CAR and positively insignificant with LBAS. The study concluded that the credit risk proxies, i.e., there was a significant relationship between NPLR and CAR with the commercial banks’ performance in Tanzania. Furthermore, the researchers concluded that the long-run relationship existed on the variables in the study, while granger causality existed in all variables except LLPR, i.e., Credit risk proxies except LLPR can granger cause the performance of commercial banks while the granger causality reveals no causal relationship among independent variables themselves. The study recommended that commercial banks in Tanzania should put more emphasis on handling credit risk and management of capital adequacy so as to have better financial performance.