Every organization desires to achieve competitive advantages more than others and employee engagement is the best instrument for it. For the past 5 years the manufacturing industry has experienced a significant growth; however the sector has done a poor job of properly engaging its expanded workforce. The level of employee engagement in the manufacturing industry is quite low. According to Kenya Association of Manufacturers in the manufacturing industry the level of employee engagement is at an estimated. The sector trails other small sectors such as the telecommunication sector. Therefore, the study sought to investigate the influence of employee engagement on organizational performance among manufacturing companies in Kenya. More specifically the study sought to investigate the influence of communication and fair opportunities on organizational performance of manufacturing companies in Nakuru town. Theories underpinning this study include expectancy theory and social exchange theory. The study employed a descriptive research design which assisted the researcher to obtain results which are relevant to the study. The target population of this study included all the permanent employees working in the 20 selected KAM registered manufacturing firms in Nakuru County. There are a total of 450 permanent employees in the targeted manufacturing firms in Nakuru town. Sampling technique was employed where 153 employees from the 20 companies were selected to be the target population of the study. Questionnaires were used for data collection. Questionnaires were tested for validity and reliability. Data collected was analyzed by both descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. Descriptive analysis was involved frequencies and percentages mean and standard deviation while inferential statistics involved correlations and multiple regression analyses. The finding of the study was then presented in form of tables followed by relevant discussions. From the findings the researcher further found out that a positive, moderately strong and statistically significant relationship exists between communication and performance of manufacturing companies. The study also established that manufacturing companies are fundamentally important in improving the performance of manufacturing companies. From the conclusion the researcher recommended that there is a need for an organization to ensure that there is work balance between employee work and their life daily activities. Organization should organize for training programs that tend not to feel value for them. The researcher suggested that further studies should be conducted to determine the effect of pay-for performance on employee performance of manufacturing firms.

For many years, both in Europe and in Turkey porcelain dinnerware was identified with wealth and aristocracy. Today porcelain is an indispensable material for tableware products. While the production methods and technologies were developed, new clay deposits were discovered, and the knowledge about material are widespread; porcelain products became reachable for any consumer in any market for a broad range of price. Consequently, the meaning of the material and product has evolved. Beyond mentioning the symbolic meaning of porcelain dinnerware or semiotic significance of ownership, this paper attempts to draw a map in order to understand how porcelain dinnerware fit into existing ways of life, frameworks of meaning, and contexts of practice of Turkish family. 

Corporate social is one of the most important factors influencing an organization’s corporate image. Despite findings that a positive corporate image in the eyes of stakeholders can provide a competitive advantage many stakeholders remain skeptical about firms’ reasons for engaging in CSR, making it more difficult for researchers and practitioners to understand the specific consequences and effects of engaging in CSR activities. The purpose of the study was an assessment of corporate social responsibility initiatives on organization image of Safaricom Kenya Limited in Nakuru County. The study specifically sought to establish environmental initiatives and philanthropic initiatives on organization image of Safaricom Kenya Limited in Nakuru County. The study adopted stakeholder’s theory and legitimacy theories. This study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population were employees in charge of the six major organization funded by Safaricom Foundations in Nakuru County. Specifically the study targeted 48 employees working in organization funded by Safaricom Limited Company. The study also targeted 7 officers in the CSR department at Safaricom Limited in Nakuru County, therefore the study total target population was 55 respondents. Considering the target population was small the researcher used census technique to incorporate all the 55 targeted respondents. Questionnaires were used to collect primary data and consisted of a list of questions relating to the objectives of study. A pilot study was conducted on 6 respondents who were drawn from Sipili School for the deaf in Laikipia.  Data collected was quantitative in nature. Quantitative data was analyzed by use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. Both descriptive and inferential statistics was used in the study. Descriptive statistics involved the use of measures of central tendencies (mean) and measures of dispersion (standard deviation). The findings revealed that environmental initiatives have a significant influence on organization image of Safaricom Kenya Limited in Nakuru County. The study additionally found that philanthropic initiatives have a significant influence on the organization image of Safaricom Kenya Limited in Nakuru County. From the findings the researcher recommended that organizations should realize and invest in corporate social responsibility scheme in order to enhance their relationships with customers by initiating robust corporate strategy particularly in social concerns such as setting reasonable price, improving their services, developing innovation, and implementing privacy policy. The study recommends that further study should be conducted to find out the effect of corporate sustainability on performance of financial institutions.

In these years when we are nearing the quarter of 2000, where global competition is increasing day by day customer expectations and demands are accelerated in parallel with the speed of the competition. It can be seen both as a reason and as a result of this acceleration caused by design strategies. 

In this study, the design priorities of the designers involved in the design of ad-hoc design were investigated, 36 participants from Istanbul were asked to question about design priorities. With the use of survey primary data were obtained from the answers and analyzed using SPSS 23.0 one-way anova was used for the analysis.  With results this research analyses existing ad-hoc design strategies in design process and selection of design priorities in the ad-hoc design process. According to the resulting results, the criteria that the designers gave importance to during the ad-hoc design process were found to be fashion and creativeness.

The main purpose of the study was to determine the strategies used by shop business to achieve competitive performance. Specifically the study sought to establish the influence of product differentiation and supply chain management as strategies adopted by shop business to achieve competitive performance of hawkers. The study was guided by dynamic capability theory and Porter’s perspective of competitive advantage. The research employed descriptive cross sectional survey which enabled the researcher to explain the relationships among many variables. The main focus of the study was quantitative in spite of some focus being qualitative. The sample size was calculated using the mathematical approach developed by Miller and Brewer. The target population of the study constituted 260 shop business owners in Nakuru CBD dealing with electronics while the sample comprised of 72 shops. The study used a structured questionnaire to collect primary data from the respondents. After data was collected it was cleaned to get rid of extreme outliers and analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. This was performed with the help of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) tool. Descriptive analysis entailed measures of distribution, central tendencies and variations while inferential analysis used Pearson’s correlation coefficient and multiple regression. A linear regression model was used to depict the connection between the various variables. From the findings the researcher concluded that a positive association between product differentiations and competitive performance of shops against street vendors. The researcher further concluded that there is positive significant association between supply chain management and competitive performance of shops against street vendors in Nakuru town CBD. From the findings the researcher recommended that shops within Nakuru Town should differentiate themselves and their product from street vendors. They can achieve this by making the customer more sensitive toward the buying process. The study further recommended that shop business owners should find a low-cost supply base and at the same time meet the quality requirements. The researcher suggested that further studies should be conducted on capability dynamism and competitive advantage of SMEs in Nakuru Town.

The Bakkhali River is one of the most important tidal rivers in Southern Bangladesh. In 1995, a rubber dam was constructed across the river to conserve perennial water for irrigation that changed the geo-morphological pattern of Bakkhali River. Different methods including Focused Group Discussion (FGD) and structured questionnaire were used to know the environmental as well as the socio-economic impacts of construction a rubber dam.  Analysis of the data from the Bakkhali River of the year 1996 (pre-dam situation), 2003 (post-dam situation) and 2008 (post-dam situation) reported major changes in north-west part of the river, adjacent to the rubber dam where as less changes occurred in the upstream, far from the rubber dam. However, the river course-changing pattern due to sedimentation is measured 83.62 ha (upstream) and 75 ha (downstream) by using planimeter. It can be stated that the downstream of the river is in danger according to the morphological viewpoint but in terms of socio-economic perspective the upstream zone of the Bakkhali River is more vulnerable.  

Despite the opportunities brought about by agency banking for both the customers and commercial banks, by December 2016, 16 commercial banks and 3 microfinance banks had contracted 95,789 customers and 58 agents across the country with a concentration of 90% of the agents in 3 banks; Equity Bank with 13,767 agents, Kenya Commercial Bank with 9,687 and Cooperative Bank with 8,765 (CBK, 2016). Many of the banks that have embarked on agency banking roll-out have found that agents lack the capacity to handle large transactions of cash and that they are not spending enough on security measures leading to poor performance of agency banking. The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of risk management controls practices on sustainability of agency banking in commercial banks in Nakuru town. The study sought to determine the influence of liquidity management and auditing on sustainability of agency banking in commercial banks in Nakuru town. The study was guided by agency theory and lending Credibility Theory. The study adopted descriptive research design. The study’s target population was 46 employees working in the agency department from 6 banks in Nakuru town which operate agency banking. The study also targeted 94 agents in Equity Bank, 39 agents in Co-operative Bank, 23 agents in family Bank, 14 agents in Post Bank, 23 Agents in National Bank and 44 Agents in Kenya Commercial Bank. Each agent outlet produced one respondent who was either the owner or the manager. Since the population of employee working in the agency department was small the researcher used census technique to incorporate all the targeted employees. Nassiuma’s formula was used to calculate the sample size of the agents to get a sampled of 75 agents. Questionnaire was used to collect the primary data desirable for the study. Both descriptive and inferential statistics was used in the study. Descriptive statistics involved the use of percentages, frequencies, measures of central tendencies (mean) and measures of dispersion (standard deviation). Multiple regression analysis was used to establish the relationship between the dependent and the independent variables. The findings revealed that exists a strong, positive and significant relationship (r=0.597, P=0.018) between liquidity management and sustainability of agency banking. The study also indicated that there exist a strong, positive and significant relationship (r=0.604, P=0.032) between auditing and sustainability of agency banking. The researcher recommended that banks should ensure that the gadgets used to do transactions in agent banking are always supplied with network coverage to ensure all-time accessibility/use. This will enhance the performance of agent banking businesses.