Journal of Business, Economics and Management Research Studies

Does Participatory Implementation Ensure Sustainability? Assessing the Efficacy of Post-M&E Functions in South Sudan’s DHAPP Project, Juba, South Sudan

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Despite decades of investment in participatory monitoring and evaluation (M&E) across development sectors, evidence remains inconclusive regarding whether stakeholder involvement in implementation-phase activities actually ensures project sustainability, particularly in fragile, donor-dependent contexts where participation may become ritualized rather than empowered. Although existing literature has extensively examined community participation in project planning and implementation, the distinct contributions of post-M&E functions remain theoretically underdeveloped and empirically understudied, especially within post-conflict health systems. This study addresses this gap by investigating the effects of participatory M&E in implementation and post-M&E functions on the sustainability of the Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP) in Juba, South Sudan, a setting characterized by extreme aid dependence, weak institutional infrastructure, and cyclical political instability. The study was guided by an integrated theoretical framework drawing on Resource Dependence Theory and Institutional Theory. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed, combining quantitative survey data from 162 program beneficiaries with qualitative semi-structured interviews from 8 key informants. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Qualitative data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The results revealed that participatory post-M&E functions demonstrated a statistically significant positive relationship with project sustainability (β = .190, p = .015), though the effect size was small (R² = .036). In contrast, PM&E in implementation showed no significant association with sustainability (β = .114, p = .150), despite high descriptive ratings (M = 4.32, SD = 0.84). The multiple regression model was significant overall (F(3, 158) = 8.42, p < .001, R² = .138), yet neither participatory dimension remained significant when controlling for the other, suggesting shared variance capturing a general participatory climate. Qualitative analysis identified embeddedness of data collection routines, capacity constraints in analytical functions, and the primacy of learning and adaptation through monthly data review meetings as core thematic areas. Participatory M&E alone cannot overcome structural barriers to sustainability in donor-dependent fragile states. Program designers should prioritize genuine design-phase co-creation, address implementation-phase capacity gaps, and institutionalize post-M&E learning systems, while simultaneously advocating for diversified funding and progressive transition planning.

Organizational Capital Efficiency and Labour Productivity: Evidence from Publicly Listed Firms in East Africa

James Mwenda Mugambi , James Onyango, Yabesh O. Kongo — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Organizational capital, the business processes, managerial routines, workplace organization, and external relational structures through which firms coordinate production, is theorized as a core driver of firm productivity, yet its payoff in developing economies remains contested. The study establishes the effect of organizational capital efficiency on labour productivity among publicly listed firms in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. Using an 11-year panel (2013–2023) of audited financial statements yielding 318 firm-year observations from 29 continuously listed firms, organizational capital efficiency was measured within the Modified Value-Added Intellectual Coefficient Model (MVAIC™), modified to isolate organizational capital from structural capital by treating it as the residual share of value added after direct human, innovation, and brand inputs are netted out, with organizational capital captured through investments in business processes, workplace organization, and external relations. Labour productivity was measured as labour-specific total factor productivity recovered residually from a value-added Cobb–Douglas production function rather than as a simple output-per-worker ratio. Fixed-effects estimation, validated by a Hausman test, shows that organizational capital efficiency has a positive but statistically insignificant effect on labour productivity (β = 0.022, p = .096). The findings suggest that organizational systems in East African firms evolve slowly, are unevenly implemented, and require sustained managerial commitment and complementary capabilities before measurable productivity gains materialize. The study concludes that the productivity-enhancing potential of organizational capital remains underexploited in the region and draws implications for managers seeking to formalize structures and for policymakers designing enterprise-upgrading and disclosure policies.

Does CEO Financial Expertise Drive Sustainability Disclosure? Evidence from an Emerging Market and the Moderating Role of Stakeholder Pressure

Benjamin K. Tarus , Carolyne Ayuma, Emmanuel Tanui — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Upper echelons theory predicts that the cognitive frames executives bring to the corner office shape what firms choose to tell the world about themselves. Yet the specific question of whether a chief executive officer’s financial expertise translates into more substantive sustainability disclosure remains largely untested outside developed markets, and the conditions under which that expertise is activated or suppressed remain poorly understood nowhere more so than on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), where reporting volumes have risen sharply while reporting depth has lagged. Grounded in upper echelons, legitimacy, stakeholder and institutional theory, this study examines the effect of CEO financial expertise operationalised as a graded 0–3 expertise-depth score capturing the CEO’s academic qualifications, professional certification and accounting or finance experience on sustainability disclosure among NSE-listed firms, and asks whether stakeholder pressure, proxied by ownership concentration (the percentage of shares held by owners with at least a 5% shareholding), amplifies or attenuates that effect. Using a balanced panel of 320 firm-year observations from 32 NSE-listed firms (2014–2023), sustainability disclosure is measured through content analysis of annual and sustainability reports against a 38-item economic, environmental and social index scored on a 0–3 quality scale. Fixed-effects panel regression (Hausman-selected) and hierarchical moderated regression, with standard errors clustered by firm, show that CEO financial expertise exerts a positive and statistically significant effect on disclosure quality (β = 0.201, p < 0.001), robust to controls for firm size, age, and profitability. Counter to the complementarity assumption in the stakeholder-pressure literature, pressure significantly attenuates this effect (β = −0.090, p < 0.00). Although the incremental variance explained by the interaction is modest in absolute terms (ΔR² = 0.011), it lies squarely within the range typical of moderation effects detected. The study extends upper echelons theory by identifying a boundary condition executive human capital is efficacious, but its efficacy is contingent on external pressure intensity and cautions emerging-market regulators that pressure-based regimes may generate disclosure volume at the expense of substance.

Audit Committee Attributes as Determinants of Financial Reporting Scandals among Firms Listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange

Nkobe Kenyoru, Collins Kapkiyai, Neddy Soi — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Despite the adoption of the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) Corporate Governance Code (2015), International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and strengthened corporate governance reforms, financial reporting scandals continue to persist among companies listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), undermining investor confidence and weakening the credibility of Kenya’s capital markets. Imperial Bank, CMC Holdings, Uchumi Supermarkets, Chase Bank are just some of the high-profile firms that had been exposed in scandals that point to common audit oversight and financial governance shortcomings. The current work conducted studies the individual audit committee attributes and their effect on the financial reporting scandals with emphasis on the Kenyan context, as other pieces of work focus on the audit committee attributes individually. The study thus looked at the influence of the audit committee attributes on financial reporting scandals in NSE listed companies in Kenya. In particular, the study examined the impact of the composition of the audit committee (independence, financial expertise, committee size, and frequency of committee meetings) on financial reporting scandals. Agency Theory and Fraud Diamond Theory were used as the theoretical underpinning for the study. The research design used is the explanatory research design and the data used for the research work is the primary data which was collected from the Finance officers, internal auditors and company secretaries of the 62 listed companies on NSE as at February 2025. The hypotheses were tested by using bivariate regression analysis. The results indicated that audit committee independence (β = −2.38, p < 0.01), financial expertise (β = −1.74, p < 0.05), and frequency (β = −0.62, p < 0.05) of audit committee meetings significantly decreased the odds of financial reporting scandal, and audit committee size did not have a statistically significant impact. The regression model accounted for 37.2% of the variation in the occurrence of financial reporting scandals (R² = 0.372), suggesting that the audit committee attributes are important predictors of financial reporting integrity in NSE-listed companies. The study finds that substantive audit committee quality specifically independence and financial expertise is important in enhancing financial reporting integrity in emerging markets. The findings have implications for the literature on corporate governance as the authors attempt to add Agency Theory and Fraud Diamond Theory in weak institutional setting, while the policy implications cover the audit committee composition and corporate governance reforms for the CMA, NSE, ICPAK, and corporate boards in Kenya.

Effect of Innovative Practices on Business Performance among Bakery and Confectionery MSMEs in Kisumu County, Kenya

Ruth Adhoch Odhiambo , Rita Nthiga , Beatrice Imbaya — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Bakery and confectionery micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Kisumu County, Kenya, operate within an environment of intense price competition, volatile input costs, and annual failure rates as high as 60 percent, yet they remain critical to local employment and food security. Despite the documented importance of innovation for firm competitiveness, the effect of innovative practices on the performance of this under-researched sector in western Kenya remains empirically unexplored. This study examines the effect of innovative practices on business performance among bakery and confectionery MSMEs in Kisumu County, Kenya. Anchored in the European Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (EntreComp) and the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) Model, the study adopted a positivist paradigm and cross-sectional survey design. A census of 268 bakery and confectionery MSME owners and managers was conducted using structured five-point Likert-scale questionnaires. Innovative practices were operationalised through four EntreComp-aligned items, while business performance was measured across four BSC perspectives. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression. Descriptive results indicated strong adoption of innovation practices overall, with customer feedback utilisation (M = 4.64) and active knowledge-seeking (M = 4.62) recording the highest means, while new product introduction showed greater variability (M = 3.98, SD = 1.22). Innovative practices were strongly and positively correlated with business performance (r = 0.653, p < 0.05). Further, hierarchical regression confirmed that innovative practices exerted a strong, positive, and statistically significant effect on business performance (β = 0.335, p < 0.001), explaining 53.2 percent of the variance in the composite performance measure. The relationship remained robust after controlling for firm size and business location. The findings indicate that innovation is not an elite strategic option but an operational imperative even for home-based, capital-constrained micro-enterprises. Policymakers and business development service providers should prioritise low-cost, high-impact innovation support such as customer-oriented product development training, quality improvement routines, and modest technology adoption over capital-intensive equipment subsidies.

Effect of Employment Act Compliance on Employee Accountability in Star-Rated Hotels in Uasin Gishu County

Carolyne Kiprop — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Accountability is crucial for promoting effective performance across organizations. Holding employees accountable for their actions is an effective tool for managing the workforce. The hospitality sector in Kenya is characterized by a dynamic workforce and regulatory landscape with unique challenges in complying with the labour regulations while fostering a culture of accountability among employees. This paper aims to investigate the effect of employment act compliance on employee accountability in Star-Rated hotels in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. The study adopted a pragmatic approach using a concurrent explanatory research design. The target population consisted of 465 employees from eight star-rated hotels, of which 215 formed the sample size, including 8 managers and 2 labour officers. Stratified and simple random sampling were used to select the employees, while purposive sampling was used to select the managers and labour officers. Quantitative data from employees were collected using a structured questionnaire, while qualitative data (managers and labour officers) were gathered using interview schedules and dyadic interviews, respectively. The study findings revealed that employment act compliance (β=0.379, t=3.202, p<0.05) had a positive and statistically significant effect on employee accountability. Therefore, Star-rated hotels in Uasin Gishu County should fully comply with the Employment Act particularly welfare, dismissal and termination provisions to maximize employee accountability and performance, while policymakers and industry stakeholders should institute periodic compliance assessments and workplace fairness guidelines to ensure sustained labour law adherence. This study contributes to the literature by providing further insights that, within the African region, an understudied context, extend current understanding of the association between labour laws and employee accountability.