Journal Articles

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Evaluation of software visualization tools: Lessons learned
(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2009) Ogao, Patrick; Sensalire, Mariam; Telea, Alexandru
Many software visualization (SoftVis) tools are continuously being developed by both researchers as well as software development companies. In order to determine if the developed tools are effective in helping their target users, it is desirable that they are exposed to a proper evaluation. Despite this, there is still lack of a general guideline on how these evaluations should be carried out and many of the tool developers perform very limited or no evaluation of their tools. Each person that carries out one evaluation, however, has experiences which, if shared, can guide future evaluators. This paper presents the lessons learned from evaluating over 20 SoftVis tools with over 90 users in five different studies spread on a period of over two years. The lessons covered include the selection of the tools, tasks, as well as evaluation participants. Other discussed points are related to the duration of the evaluation experiment, its location, the procedure followed when carrying out the experiment, as well as motivation of the participants. Finally, an analysis of the lessons learned is shown with the hope that these lessons will be of some assistance to future SoftVis tool evaluators.
Motivators of choosing a management course: A comparative study of Kenya and India
(The International Journal of Management Education, 2012) Nyaribo, Misuko; Prakash, Ajai; Owino, Edward
The quest for management training is gaining prominence as organizations restructure to assimilate a workforce with advanced skills in management. This paper presents a comparative examination of the motivators of pursuing a management course in Kenya and India. Five factors are proposed as critical influencers of student choices. A survey design guided by a structured questionnaire was employed in data collection. A comparative analysis reveals that the motivators to pursue an MBA course differ significantly amongst Kenyan and Indian university students. Influence of acquaintances and employability are critical motivators that emerge from the combined data set. A logistic analysis confirms that two predictors, institutional infrastructure and employability are statistically significant. Recommendations are made to institutions of higher learning on the key drivers of their customer expectations.
Modeling and mapping crime in Eastern Nairobi, Kenya
(AGILE PhD School, 2013) Mburu, Lucy W.
This working paper provides a description of the phases of my PhD study. Drawing on assumptions from various theories of environmental criminology, this study applies various crime mapping methodologies to observe geographic and temporal patterns of crime in the eastern part of the Kenyan capital city, Nairobi. This paper outlines the first completed phase which employs criminal geographic profiling to predict offender abodes, and also briefly identifies the next two phases of the study that involve spatio-temporal analysis and a regression modeling respectively. Results from the completed study have potential implications on the prediction and ultimate reduction of criminality, both within the Nairobi capital and also in other cities with similar spatial patterns.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System Implementation : A case for User participation
(2013) Ogao, Patrick; Matende, Samuel
The introduction of an information system such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system in an organization brings with it changes on how users work. An ERP system cuts across the different functional units of an organization and therefore if not properly managed during its implementation may lead to resistance from the users. The different streams of research on ERP systems have mainly been on ERP adoption, success measurement, and critical success factors (CSFs). There is a paucity of studies on user participation and the contribution of users towards the successful implementation of ERP systems. This paper reviews literature on ERP implementation with an aim of building a case for involving users in this implementation.
Small And Medium-sized Entities In The Agricultural Sector: Fair Value Reporting Challenges
(Agrekon, 2013) Njuguna, Peter; Wingard, W C
Biological assets should be valued at fair value less point of sale costs only if an active market exists. The quoted price in an active market is the appropriate basis for determining the fair value of the asset. The objective of this research was to identify the challenges in respect of fair value reporting on the part of small- and medium-sized entities that publish general purpose financial statements, but that do not have public accountability in implementing the requirements of the International Financial Reporting Standard for Small and Medium-sized Entities. Through the research it was established that in Kenya the commodity markets operate in a simplified auction system with no clear price discovery mechanism. The lack of an active and transparent market is a serious challenge in terms of the application of fair value to biological assets. Consequently most of the farmers prefer to model the market information available. In the light of the diverse nature of agricultural produce, this article recommends virtual trading and development of commodity futures in order to reduce the market access cost, to improve accessibility to market information and to transform the role of middle traders to that of market linkages.
Remittance and Household Expenditures in Kenya
(2013)
Remittances constitute an important source of income for majority of Kenyan households. The World Bank reports a steady increase in inward remittance flows to Kenya. In addition, the evolution of mobile-money services has led to an increase in domestic remittances received by Kenyan households, especially those in the rural areas. This paper endeavors to answer the question of how these increased remittance receipts are used in Kenya focusing on Education, Health, Food and "Other" household expenditure, using a panel survey of 295 households from Rift Valley and Nyanza provinces of Kenya. The Fixed Effects (FE) model is applied on the data, and the analytical results provide evidence that remittances are mainly used on immediate consumption needs such as payment of utility bills and transportation costs.
3-Category pedagogical framework for context based ambient learning
(IEEE, 2013) Mwendia, Simon N.; Waiganjo, Peter; Oboko, Robert
Mobile phones have taken centre stage in transforming people’s lives in all sectors of African economies. With regard to Education sector, studies show that, there is high prevalence of mobile phones among learners in African universities but no computer prevalence. However, E-learning technologies are not readily available among learners. Learners are therefore forced to access content from few fixed locations with internet connectivity such as cyber cafes and workplace, eliminating access flexibility in learning. The ‘Mobile phone rich’ but ‘computer poor’ context prevailing in African universities presents an opportunity to establish an appropriate type of learning that utilizes mobile phones rather than computers. This paper explores existing categories of m-learning projects and proposes a 3-category framework to provide better understanding of ambient learning and allow integration of future ambient learning projects situated in different learning environments.
Small And Medium-sized Entities in the Agricultural Sector: Fair Value Reporting Challenges
(Taylor & Francis, 2013) Maina, Peter N; Wingard, H C
Biological assets should be valued at fair value less point of sale costs only if an active market exists. The quoted price in an active market is the appropriate basis for determining the fair value of the asset. The objective of this research was to identify the challenges in respect of fair value reporting on the part of small- and medium-sized entities that publish general purpose financial statements, but that do not have public accountability in implementing the requirements of the International Financial Reporting Standard for Small and Medium-sized Entities. Through the research it was established that in Kenya the commodity markets operate in a simplified auction system with no clear price discovery mechanism. The lack of an active and transparent market is a serious challenge in terms of the application of fair value to biological assets. Consequently, most of the farmers prefer to model the market information available. In the light of the diverse nature of agricultural produce, this article recommends virtual trading and development of commodity futures in order to reduce the market access cost, to improve accessibility to market information and to transform the role of middle traders to that of market linkages.
Corporate Turn Around Strategies By Financially Distressed Companies Quoted At The Nairobi Securities Exchange
(IISTE, 2014) Waweru, Gabriel; Mbogo, John
Firms that are experiencing financial distress take one action or another in order to turn around their performance. This study sought to find out what turnaround strategies are taken by companies that faced by financial distress. The financially distressed companies generally take actions that are aimed at reducing costs e.g. laying off employees, asset sales and dividend cuts or take actions that are aimed at increasing revenue generation e.g. asset acquisitions in order to improve efficiency. In severe cases of financial distress a company may opt or be forced into liquidation through bankruptcy proceedings. The Kenyan economy under the period of review had mixed results of growing and declining presumably as a result of among others, the global economic crises, the post election violence, loss of investor confidence at the NSE and increased inflation, thus the need to establish the restructuring strategies that the financially distressed companies took in order to turnaround their performance. This study carried out a survey of the companies that were listed for the entire period of the study (2002-2008). Performance of the companies was established by conducting the Z score analysis on each of the companies. The Z score analysis identified 8 companies has having been financially distressed at one point or another during the period of the study. The survey found out that employee layoff was the most preferred course of action being carried out by 63% by the companies. Asset restructuring was the second most preferred turnaround strategy being carried out by 50% of the companies. Debt restructuring and top management change were the least preferred turn around strategies each one of them being taken by one company each. The study also found out that, in the year of distress the restructuring strategies are more intensified and are carried out less intensively in the subsequent years after distress. This may is presumably because of reducing the immediate liquidity problems being faced by the firm.
Antecedents of Customer Perceived Value: Evidence of Mobile Phone Customers in Kenya.
(International Journal of Business and Social Science, 2014) Owino, Edward O.
As the mobile phone industry in Kenya gets competitive, customer retention becomes an imperative precursor to firm performance. For this reason, the study was so conceived to examine factors that influence customer perceived value amongst Kenyan mobile phone customers. The study analysed perceived service quality and the perception of price amongst cell phone users. A survey of 400 randomly selected respondents was undertaken. A structured instrument covering background information, customer expectation and customer perception was adopted in primary data collection. The results shows that perceived quality of service and perceived price determine customer’s perception of value. The results indicate the existence of a significant differences exist between what customers expect and what they perceive they experience after a service encounter. Service managers should compete on providing services of high value to gain a competitive edge in this market.
Importance of the Neutral Category in Fuzzy Clustering of Sentiments
(International Journal of Fuzzy Logic Systems, 2014) Nderu, Lawrence; Jouandeau, Nicolas; Akdag, Herman
Social media is said to have an impact on the public discourse and communication in the society. It is increasingly being used in the political context. Social networks sites such as Facebook, Twitter and other microblogging services provide an opportunity for public to give opinions about some issues of interest. Twitter is an ideal platform for users to spread not only information in general but also political opinions, whereas Facebook provides the capability for direct dialogs. A lot of studies have shown that a need exists for stakeholders to collect, monitor, analyze, summarize and visualize these social media views. Some authors have tended to categorize these comments as either positive or negative ignoring the neutral category. In this paper, we demonstrate the importance of the neutral category in the clustering of sentiments from the social media. We then demonstrate the use of fuzzy clustering for this kind of task.
Evaluating the accuracy and effectiveness of criminal geographic profiling methods: the case of Dandora, Kenya
(Taylor & Francis Group, 2014) Mburu, Lucy W.; Helbich, Marco
Criminal geographic profiling (CGP) prioritizes offender search, extensively reducing the resources expended in criminal investigations. The utility of CGP has, however, remained unclear when variations in environmental characteristics and offense type are introduced. This study evaluates several CGP strategies with data from Dandora, a small but densely populated suburb of Nairobi, Kenya. The research employs error distance and search-cost measures to determine CGP accuracy. Characterized by much shorter journeys to crime than those observed in Western cities, this study discovers significant applicability of CGP strategies in prioritizing offender searches. The negative exponential CGP strategy is identified to generate the most accurate geo-profiles.
Open mobile ambient learning(OMAL): The next generation of mobile learning for 'mobile-rich' but 'computer-poor' contexts
(DAAD, 2014) Mwendia, Simon N.; Buchem, Ilona
By the end of year 2011, Africa had over 620 million mobile connections, overtaking Latin America to become second largest mobile market after Asia. According to Ilona Buchem in 2012, since mobile devices and applications are used every day in order to interact, plan, work, play and orientate, mobile pedagogies in context of HE in Africa should focus more on ambient assisted learning to facilitate greater independence and improve quality of life, which is especially beneficial to learners with special needs (e.g. disabled people and people living in remote locations). African universities face challenges in their attempts to offer quality educations, including the lack of access to university educational facilities and scientific information, poor access to computers, scarce availability of qualified teachers and the irrelevance of formal education to African needs, according to research conducted in 2008 and 2009. This removes flexibility that is needed in personalized learning, according to a 2010 study. This calls for innovative learning approaches that facilitate flexible access of open education resources (OER) in settings with high prevalence of mobile devices (such as mobile phones) but poor prevalence of location dependent devices (such as computers) as it is the case in Africa. Current forms of mobile learning aim at enabling context-sensitive learning, e.g. interacting with learners by considering learner’s current context (e.g. location, activity, social relations), mixed reality learning, for example, enhancing the meaning of learning content by allowing learners to participate in a media-rich environment, as well as ambient learning, for example, delivering learning content at anytime, anywhere and anyhow by placing digital artefacts within the environment of the learner, according to a 2006 report. However, a number of European projects in this area assume availability of adequate infrastructures, such as location dependent devices, which are hard to implement in setting such as African based universities, given the lack of sophisticated technological infrastructures. This presentation focuses on mobile learning as a means for supporting advancement in the quality of education by addressing mobile pedagogies that provide flexible access to learning through consideration of learner’s current context. Based on the Mobile Interface Ambient Learning (MIAL) framework, according to a 2013 report, designed for contexts with high penetration of mobile devices (mobile rich) but low prevalence of location dependent devices (computer poor), we propose Open Mobile Ambient Learning (OMAL) as an approach to enhance adoption of ambient learning by integrating Open Educational Resources (OER) into Personal Learning Environments (PLE), e.g. individual collocations of distributed applications, services and resources, according to a 2011 study, in context of HE in Africa. OMAL targets to benefit university students with special needs (e.g. disabled, elderly) by improving their learning independence and digital marginalization (e.g. own phones but have poor access to computers) through enhancing access flexibility. OMAL combines mechanisms of embedding intelligent interface in mobile devices to monitor special learning needs and contexts (Mobile Ambient Intelligence), with mechanism of appropriating adaptable learning tools and services by learner through mobile devices Adaptable Mobile Personal Learning Environment (AMPLE) and mechanisms of dynamically discovering Personal Learning Networks (PLN) in OER driven environments.
Culture aware M-learning classification framework for African countries
(IGI Global, 2014) Mwendia, Simon N.; Wagacha, Peter W.; Oboko, Robert
African countries are currently experiencing proliferation of mobile phone subscriptions but no prevalence of personal computers or electricity (Parker, 2011). It is estimated that, by the end of 2015 in Sub-Saharan Africa, the percentage of people with mobile network access will surpass that of access to electricity in homes (Rao, 2011). This phenomenon is also experienced in learning institutions, particularly universi- ties, where almost every student owns a mobile phone (Kashorda & Waema, 2009). Although there is a great potential for Mobile Learning (M-Learning) in education, the formal integration of M-Learning in the education systems is in its infancy since there is limited number of M-Learning projects in the region. This is in contrast with the rapid increase and integration of mobile phones in the daily lives of the population in the region (Isaacs, 2012). According to Olaniran (2009), online learning needs to be culturally aware and investigate the dimensions of cultural variability as well as its influence on learning within global education. In an attempt to address this need, this chapter focuses on the African region in describing dimensions of cultural variability and proposes four categories for M-Learning projects as well as their influences on dimensions of cultural variability.
Service Quality in Kenyan Universities: Dimensionality and Contextual Analysis
(European Journal of Business and Management, 2014) Owino, Edward; Kibera, Francis; Munyoki, Justus; Wainaina, Gituro
The dimensionality of service quality remains debatable with extant literature revealing divergence in thought. This study examined the dimensions of service quality and tested the existence of a significant difference in service quality perception between public and private university students in Kenya. Guided by a positivist paradigm and cross-sectional sample survey, data was collected from 750 randomly selected respondents. A 56 item scale instrument based on performance only paradigm was self-administered to select university students. Factor analysis was employed in determining potent service quality dimensions and Analysis of Variance test used in comparative analysis. A four-factor construct was revealed, with service blueprint emerging as an additional dimension of service quality in the Kenyan university context. It was established that there exists a significant difference in the dimensions of service quality between public and private university students. This implied that an appreciation of service quality dimensions is imperative in managing student’s expectation and that the university managers have to apply contingent service quality practices. The study recommends adequate regulation to standardize service quality irrespective of the service context.
Supporting e-learning in computer-poor environments by combining oer, cloud services and mobile learning
(ICCE2014, 2014) Mwendia, Simon Nyaga; Hoppe, H. Ulrich
Abstract Research supervision is an important type of support for advanced students when engaged in study projects or in writing their final theses. One of the most common complaints from research students is erratic or infrequent contact with supervisors, who might be too busy with other responsibilities or are not present frequently enough . High proliferation of mobile phones(i.e. 'mobile-rich') but no computer prevalence (i.e. 'computer-poor') in African countries calls for using mobile technologies to address this challenge. However, limitations of mobile devices (such as usage cost, memory capacity and small screen) are some of the barriers for mobile learning adoption. In this paper, we combine mobile learning with OER and Cloud Computing Services to enhance supervisors’ availability to their research students, who are in 'mobile-rich' but 'computer-poor ' learning settings typical for African universities.
Ambient learning conceptual framework for bridging digital divide in higher education
(IGI Global, 2014) Mwendia, Simon N.; Wagacha, Peter W.; Oboko, Robert
According to ITU (2012), digital divide is the difference between countries in terms of levels of ICT development. This difference remains significant. In 2011, the ICT Development Index (IDI) value of developed countries (6.52) was twice as high as that of developing countries (3.24). The need to link the digital divide for universal broadband Internet access is within the key international development goals, which include World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) goals and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Ambient learning is the next generation of M-learning (Bick, Kummer, Pawlowski, & Veith, 2007), which allows flexible content access by considering learner's current situation and learning context (Kofod-Petersen, et al., 2008). However, ambient learning has not yet attained a state of common understanding (Winker, Scharf, Hahn, & Herczeg, 2011) and is not widely used or adopted (Bick, et al., 2007). This chapter presents a theoretical conceptual framework to foster creativity for innovative ambient learning applications, which can be used to bridge the digital gap between universities in developed and developing countries.
Moderating Role of Entrepreneurial Orientation on the Relationship between Relationship Lending and Financial Performance of manufacturing SMEs in Kenya
(European Journal of Business and Management, 2015) Rotich, Abraham K; Wanjau, Kenneth L,; Namusonge, Gregory
The purpose of this study was to determine the moderating role of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on the relationship between relationship lending and financial performance of manufacturing SMEs in Kenya. Relationship lending has gained a lot of interest worldwide as it is seen as an avenue to help bridge the information gap between SMEs and the banks thus ultimately helping SMEs access credit. Further, although credit is important to SMEs, entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is key as it determines the success or failure of SMEs. There is little research that has been done to determine if EO moderates the relationship between relationship lending and SME performance in Kenya. The study used a crossectional survey research design with the population being the 620 manufacturing SMEs involved in relationship lending arrangements with commercial banks in Kenya. Stratified random sampling was used to pick a sample of 160 from which the proprietors / CEOs of the respective companies filled the questionnaires. The main data collection instrument was a semi structured questionnaire. The hypotheses in this study were tested using structural equation modeling and hierarchical moderated multiple regression (MMR). The study found evidence that EO moderates the relationship between relationship lending and financial performance of manufacturing SMEs in Kenya. Further the study determined that relationship lending positively impacts on financial performance of SMEs. It also found
The Influence Of Stakeholder’s Perceptions Of Paratransit Saccos On Performance Of Urban Public Road Transport Industry In Kenya
(Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 2015) Wamalwa, Lucy S
The objective of Kenyan Government Legal Notices No. 161 of 2003, No. 83 of 2004 and No. 65 of 2005, Was to restore order, reduce accidents, increase passenger safety, reduce conflicts and safeguard private investment in the public transport sector .This notice directed all current and potential paratransit operators in Kenya to establish Paratransit SACCOs ; as a condition for the licensing of their vehicles to operate public service transport. The transport industry is affected by stakeholders who are affected by the achievement of the organization objectives. Their influence on the performance of urban road transport can be negative or positive, depending on whether their expectations are being met or not. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of stakeholder’s perceptions of paratransit SACCOs on performance of urban public transport industry in Kenya. The specific objective was to determine the perceptions of paratransit owners on the effect of paratransit SACCOs on the performance urban public transport industry, To ascertain the perceptions of Local Authority on the effect of paratransit SACCOs on the performance of urban public transport industry and finally To investigate the perceptions of paratransit operators on the effect of paratransit SACCOs on the performance of urban public transport industry. The study targeted 635paratransit (matatu) SACCOS registered in Kenya. A sample of 64 was selected from the registered SACCO. Data was collected using questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that stakeholder’s perceptions of the Paratransit SACCOS significantly influenced the performance of urban road transport in Kenya. The study recommended that the government should adequately engage stakeholders during urban road policy formulations and implementations this will result to the stakeholders ownership of decisions, reduces negative influence and consequently success of the policy.
Crime risk estimation with a commuter- harmonized ambient population
(Taylor & Francis Group, 2016) Mburu, Lucy W.; Helbich, Marco
Residential population data are frequently employed to link the crime incidence of an area with the number of residents to estimate the underlying risk. Human mobility patterns cause shifts in the baseline population, however, that can potentially influence the crime statistics. This study therefore employed an ambient population that combined residential population data with data depicting the commuting activity in small administrative areas. The effects of the commuter-harmonized ambient population on crime were then evaluated in a series of negative binomial regression models. The models also controlled for criminogenic factors and incorporated eigenvector spatial filtering to adjust for spatial effects. The results show significant effects of commuting patterns on crime outcomes. For certain crimes, such as violence, theft, and disorder, the inbound commuters are significantly associated with high risk. It was further discovered that an offset variable comprising the commuter-harmonized ambient population data models the crime outcomes more reliably than when residential population data are used. Spatial filtering was found to effectively eradicate residual spatial autocorrelation after accounting for effects of the predictor variables. We conclude that calculating crime rates using the residential population does not constitute an accurate risk measure and that the ambient population has crucial implications for realistic and reliable target representation and crime modeling.