International Journal of Advanced Research

Knowledge Management Practices and Employee Performance at DFCU Bank in Uganda

Daphine Asiimwe, Rogers Barigayomwe, PhD — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 09:42:54 +0000

This study examines the relationship between knowledge management practices and employee performance at DFCU Bank in Uganda. The study is based on the firm's knowledge-based theory, which states that knowledge is a critical resource for organizations and that effective knowledge management can improve organizational performance. A total of 150 employees from DFCU Bank were surveyed to gather data on knowledge management practices and employee performance levels. The results of the study indicate that there is a positive relationship between knowledge management practices and employee performance. Specifically, employees who reported higher levels of knowledge management practices also reported higher levels of employee performance. The study also identified the knowledge management practices that were most effective in improving employee performance at DFCU Bank. These practices include knowledge sharing, training and development, and communication. The findings of this study have important implications for organizations looking to improve employee performance. By implementing effective knowledge management practices, organizations can enhance employee performance, leading to improved organizational performance

Knowledge Management Practices and Job Satisfaction at DFCU Bank in Uganda

Rogers Barigayomwe, PhD, Daphine Asiimwe — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 09:46:35 +0000

This study examines the relationship between knowledge management practices and Job Satisfaction at DFCU Bank in Uganda. The study is based on the firm's knowledge-based theory, which states that knowledge is a critical resource for organizations and that effective knowledge management can improve organizational performance. 150 employees from DFCU Bank were surveyed to gather data on knowledge management practices and employee performance levels. The results of the study indicate that there is a positive relationship between knowledge management practices and employee performance. Specifically, employees who reported higher levels of knowledge management practices also reported higher levels of employee performance.The study also identified the knowledge management practices that were most effective in improving Job Satisfaction at DFCU Bank. These practices include knowledge sharing, training and development, and communication.The findings of this study have important implications for organizations looking to improve employee performance. By implementing effective knowledge management practices, organizations can enhance employee performance, leading to improved organizational performance

Strategic Human Resource Planning and Service Delivery in County Governments in Kenya

Boru Hussein Roba, Anita Wachira, PhD, Lilian Mwenda, PhD — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 10:12:20 +0000

Strategic human resource management in public sector organizations enables governance arrangements that promote efficient service delivery. However, service delivery in county governments in Kenya gets stymied by both human resource and funding constraints. Due to contextual gaps in the strategic human resource management practises in county governments in Kenya, the study evaluated the role played by strategic human resource planning on service delivery in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive design and systematically examined the HRM practises by sampling 140 respondents (47 county secretaries, 47 county directors of HRM and 46 municipality managers from municipalities based at the county headquarters of 46 counties) through interviews and questionnaires. The respondents were selected based on their operational and functional human resource management roles in various units in the 47 counties. The research instrument was validated through a review by a panel of supervisors and a pilot testing exercise. The qualitative reports indicated that the county governments can attract qualified and competent persons with critical skill sets to match the various job descriptions and optimally sustain service provisions at the county level. The correlation analysis indicated that service delivery positively correlated with strategic HR planning practises (r = 0.6510, p< 0.05) at 0.05 significance levels, while the regression analysis indicated that strategic HR planning practises explains about 41.61 % variance in service delivery with an effect size (β1 = 0.6451 (t = 8.97, p< 0.05). Based on the findings, the study concludes that strategic human resource planning practises hold a positive and significant potential impact on service delivery in county governments in Kenya. The study recommends proactive planning and proper structuring of the county workforce based on knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics

Theoretical Review of Pay Restructuring in Uganda's Public Service Health Sector

Samson Olum, Akena Francis Adyanga, PhD, Johnson Ocan, PhD — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 13:34:03 +0000

This article examines the impact of wage reforms on service delivery, financial stability, managerial efficiency and donor influence and focuses on the public health sector in Uganda. Like other reforming countries, Uganda also implemented salary structure reform for various reasons, but the most important ones were to pay civil servants a living wage, make remuneration transparent, align the salary structure with the single-spine structure and consequently increase the number of employees motivation and efficiency in service delivery. The study analysed research articles, policy documents, reports, and media coverage on pay changes for public health workers. Key findings show that the original goal of wage reforms, such as the single-spine structure, has not been achieved; several pay scale structures were reintroduced. Different service models are used to calculate wage. Similar cadres of civil servants receive different salary grades; and wage allocation receives more funding than other areas, such as development and supplies. The results suggest that salary increases affect allocations in other important areas but do not always result in public health workers' commitment to service. Compromise and negotiation have played an important role in public sector wage restructuring. A review of wage reforms implemented across Uganda's public sector will be based on the recommendations and issues addressed in this study. The study provides crucial benchmarks with regard to wage reform strategies that promote diversity in the public sector and the distribution of authorities. This study is unique because it focuses on wage restructuring in the public sector to align practices with policies. Although based on a review of relevant documents, it was conducted for the first time in Uganda

Ontology of Plagiarism: the Non Academic Perspectives

Mon, 22 Jan 2024 14:18:11 +0000

Existence of plagiarism is an occupation of education in two dimensions: for learning and a mental process construct of lack of acknowledgement of innovations in learning. Unfortunately, the common concepts of plagiarism has not been clarified in learning process. This paper argues that plagiarism is an inherent natural process of learning. With the objectives; to examine the intrinsic nature of plagiarism and to explore the trans-disciplinary existence of plagiarism in human knowledge as categorised by Dewey Classification scheme 000-999. The study applied positivist paradigm and investigated the existence in relationship between learning processes and plagiarism. The study quantitatively measured opinions of 28 participants in these processes using the Likert scale. Dewey Decimal Classification Systems was used to examine epistemic harnessing of plagiarism in the advancement of different disciplines. The findings were that plagiarism is a natural, intrinsic process of learning through which research, innovations and evolution builds on. The paper concludes by putting a case that acknowledgement and development of referencing and citation technologies are evidence of ontological realities of plagiarism and evidence of the learning process

Talent Management Strategies and Service Delivery in County Governments in Kenya

Boru Hussein Roba, Anita Wachira, PhD, Lilian Mwenda, PhD — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 11:26:48 +0000

A proactive human resource management (HRM) system in public sector organizations is critical for effective public service delivery. However, sub-national(county) governments (SNGs) in Kenya faced significant challenges in acquiring and retaining talented staff because of a labour supply and demand mismatch. Based on the challenge, the study evaluated the nature of the talent management strategies and their influence on service delivery in sub-national governments in Kenya. The study utilized the descriptive design and critically examined the HRM structures by sampling 140 respondents (47 county secretaries, 47 county directors of HRM and 46 municipality managers from municipalities based at the county headquarters of 46 counties) through interviews and questionnaires. The respondents were chosen based on their functional human resource management roles in the counties. The research instrument was validated through a panel review and piloted in three counties. The qualitative reports support the establishment and strengthening of county HR structure and systems, building staff capacity through training, and adopting talent management policies and practices to reduce staff turnover. This process would optimize staff competencies in sustaining service provisions at the county level. The correlation analysis indicated that service delivery positively correlated with talent management strategies (r = 0.6731, p< 0.05) at 0.05 significance levels, while the regression analysis revealed that talent management strategies explain about 45.30 % variance in service delivery with an effect size (β1 = 0.6210 (t = 10.6, p < 0.05). Based on the findings, the study concluded that talent management strategies are crucial to improving service delivery in Kenya's sub-national(county) governments. The study recommends proactive planning and adequately structuring the county's workforce based on knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics. The study suggests that county governance structures should integrate and concretize the HRM initiatives geared towards talent management

Water Service Delivery Issues and Challenges for the Urban Poor Zones in South Western Uganda

Horace Muhamya, Johnson Ocan, PhD, Akena Francis Adyanga, PhD — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 10:34:48 +0000

The article aims to examine the issues and challenges associated with providing water services to urban impoverished areas in South Western Uganda. The research methodology employed in this study involved conducting a comprehensive desktop study and literature review, systematically searching, and selecting peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and conference proceedings within a specified scope, using carefully chosen keywords and search criteria. After collating and evaluating the selected literature, a thorough synthesis was done to identify existing knowledge gaps and provide insights into the research questions under investigation. The main findings of the results highlight the need for integrated service models to expand water service delivery for the urban poor zones in southwestern Uganda. The study concludes that the problems addressed in this research and the suggestions presented provide the basis for improving water services to urban impoverished areas in South Western Uganda. This research will broaden service models for urban areas while also creating service models for locations with features of impoverished conditions. It is crucial to remember that households in urban cells were more likely to use improved water sources (including piped water on-premises), make regular payments for water, rely on shared sanitation facilities, and use manual sludge emptying services

Cultivating Neurodiverse Connections Through Competent Leadership: Integrative Literature Review

Ann Gaceri Kaaria, PhD, Grace Karamunta Karemu, PhD — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 12:22:43 +0000

This study examined the relationship between neurodiversity and leadership competency to create inclusive and encouraging settings. The concept of neurodiversity in the workplace stresses the acceptance and celebration of neurological variations, including autism, ADHD, and other neurodevelopmental disorders. In order to promote diversity, inclusion, and shape corporate culture, competent leadership is essential. In order to investigate how leaders might develop neurodiverse connections, this review synthesises the literature and looks at how they may embrace inclusive practices, recognise the special advantages and difficulties faced by neurodivergent people, and create a positive work environment. An extensive review of the present state of knowledge in this burgeoning topic is provided by the analysis, which includes studies from a variety of disciplines such as management, organisational behaviour, and psychology. The results underscore the significance of leadership competencies, including empathy, adaptability, and communication, in fostering settings that enable neurodivergent persons, hence augmenting creativity and efficiency. Furthermore, this study investigated the complex relationship between neurodiversity and leadership ability, with a particular emphasis on creating inclusive and supportive workplace settings. The findings highlight the importance of competent leadership in encouraging diversity, inclusiveness, and moulding corporate culture, particularly in terms of embracing neurodiverse relationships. As a result, this assessment suggests that leaders actively engage in inclusive practices, recognise the particular strengths and challenges that neurodivergent people confront, and help to create a pleasant work environment. Moving forward, it is believed that applying these recommendations will result in a more inclusive workplace culture, increasing acceptance and appreciation of neurological variances such as autism, ADHD, and other neurodevelopmental diseases. Organisations may empower neurodivergent individuals by building leadership abilities such as empathy, adaptability, and effective communication, resulting in increased creativity and efficiency. This study, which draws on a thorough evaluation of current knowledge from a variety of fields, is an invaluable resource for organisations looking to promote neurodiversity and capitalise on its potential benefits in the pursuit of a more inclusive and innovative workplace

Parenting Approaches on Children Food Uptake and Nutrition Status in Kiambu County, Kenya

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 09:44:07 +0000

Parental use of reward and punishment is a key to reinforcement or deterrence of food choices among children an aspect that affects nutritional status throughout an individual’s life span. Kenya has a population of 47,564,296 people according to demographic survey of Kenya 2019, of whom 1.4 % are school-going children aged 6-years in Juja Sub-County of Kiambu, (Kenya National Beural of Statistics,2019). Cross-sectional analytical research design was adopted on 384 parent-child pairs, who were disproportionately sampled. Researcher-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. SРSS software version 26.0 was used to analyse the data with significance p<.05. Anthropometry data was analysed using WHO Anthro-Plus Survey Analyzer and compared to BMI-for-age (BAZ), weight-for-age (WAZ) and height-for-age (HAZ) Scores for the target population. Pearson’s correlation (r) was used to establish association. Boys were 48.0% while girls were 52.0% with a mean age of 6.4± 0.1. Almost half the index children (45.1%) were born first. Mean household size was 5.0± 1.66 with maternal mean age at 34± 4.9 years and that of the fathers at 39± 4.8 years. The majority of mothers (73.0%) and fathers (76.1%) had tertiary level of education with more fathers than the mothers in the formal sector of employment, with a higher income. All (100%) children reported being rewarded by receiving incentives like praise words (60.1%), while majority of them (92.0%) reported being punished in multiple ways by the mothers when they refused to feed yet a third of fathers (61.0%) praised and gifted their children to feed. Prevalence of stunting (6.9%), underweight (7.1%), wasting (7.2%), overweight (16.4%) and obesity (11.7%) was observed in the study population. A positive strong significant relationship (p=0.05, x²=5.2) between age of the mothers and punishment was noted, also shouting threats, grounding, inflicting pain & withdrawal of privileges (p=0.05, x²=9.6) was common among the married mothers. More parents with tertiary education (74.6%) and higher incomes (40.5%) gifted and gave special permissions which had a stronger positive relationship to food choices (p=0.06, x²=4.33) and nutritional status (p=0.04, x²=5.9). Food choices had a strong positive relationship to nutritional status (p=0.05) and so did dietary diversity (p=0.6). Majority of the parents reported that the demographic characteristics (83.8%) and Socio-economic characteristics (90.7%) affected their food choices as a household. Almost all mothers (98.8%) and more than half of the fathers (55.4%) felt that rewarding and punishing the study children in relation to food had an effect on their food choices and approaches

Experiences of Female Scientists in Research Networks in STEM fields in Public Universities in Uganda

Safina Galenda — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 13:48:41 +0000

Research networks are inevitable for female scientists in STEM fields, where research is carried out in teams in higher education. They promote privileged access to relevant knowledge and support from peers due to social connections. This qualitative study set out to explore the experiences of female scientists in research networks in STEM fields in public universities in Uganda. The study's population encompassed female scientists in research networks in STEM fields in public universities in Uganda that included Makerere University, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Gulu University and Busitema University. In respect to this study, my participants were selected in the STEM fields in public universities in Uganda. Female scientists in research networks were selected in the hard pure and hard applied disciplines as classified by Becher and Biglan's typology of academic disciplines of 1973. From their classification of academic disciplines, the STEM fields belong to the hard pure and hard applied disciplines. This study was anchored on the existential phenomenology by Martin Heidegger in the interpretive worldview. Both semi-structured interviews and document check data collection methods were used in this study. A sample size comprising of eight female scientists in research networks in STEM fields in public universities in Uganda were interviewed. Data were thematically analysed where clustering into catergories and emerging sub-themes were developed to form themes. This study concludes that those female scientists in research networks had positive experiences such as funding, networking, research skills, career growth, conferences, mentoring, and negative experiences like hectic schedules and delayed funding. The findings that emerged from the study indicated positive experiences with the research networks, which enabled them to win research grants, projects, and postdoctoral fellowships successfully. Those female scientists believed that their inter-institutional, national, regional, and international interactions and engagements spurred excellent opportunities for them in their universities. This was because they were exposed to top-notch scientists in their disciplines. This study, therefore, recommends to the management of public universities in Uganda to establish formal research networks and strengthen the existing informal research networks