http://localhost/xmlui/handle/123456789/1282 SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, SCHOOL OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP, PROCUREMENT AND MANAGEMENT,SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES, 2026-05-22T00:53:14Z http://localhost/xmlui/handle/123456789/7008 Television Messages on COVID-19 Pandemic and Vaccine Adoption Behaviour among Youths in Kiambu County, Kenya Ngure, Faith Njeri COVID-19 was a major cause of deaths worldwide, with nearly 517 million infections and 6.3 million deaths by May 2022. With the rise of global COVID-19 confirmed cases, death toll and implications of the pandemic, the media, moreover the television was swift in sharing messages of response plan and public health guidelines put in place. These messages swayed public opinion resulting into different patterns of behaviour and for this case adoption or rejection of COVID-19 vaccines. As such, the study aimed at investigating television messages on COVID-19 and adoption behaviour of vaccine among youths in Kiambu County, Kenya. The general objective of the study was to assess the effects of COVID-19 television messages on the vaccine adoption among youths in Kiambu County. The specific objectives were; to investigate the effects of COVID-19 television messages perceived susceptibility on the vaccine adoption behaviour among youths in Kiambu County, Kenya: to analyze the effects of COVID-19 television messages perceived severity on the vaccine adoption behaviour among youths in Kiambu County, Kenya: to examine the effects of COVID-19 television messages perceived response efficacy on the vaccine adoption behaviour among youths in Kiambu County: to find out the effects of COVID-19 television messages perceived self-efficacy on the vaccine adoption behaviour among youths in Kiambu County, Kenya and lastly to determine the moderating effects of demographic factors on the relationship between COVID-19 television messages and the vaccine adoption behaviour among youths in Kiambu County, Kenya. The study was founded on three theories EPPM, HBM which shed light on various message elements in the TV and diffusion of innovation which explained how Covid -19 vaccines gain momentum among youths with time by the help of communication from the television. Further, the study adopted a mixed method methodology, as such, the data was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively for validity of the study. The qualitative and quantitative data employed cross-sectional research design. Content analysis of YouTube Covid news video from Citizen TV, NTV and KTN was done. Further, out 384 targeted youths, 346 youths participated in the questionaries resulting into 90.1% response rate. Chi square test, ANOVA, odds ratio’s, Hierarchical multiple regression statistical tools were used in data analysis. The study found that there was low vaccine uptake among youths, only 42% youths received vaccines. The severity and susceptibility messages had no influence on vaccine uptake while the efficacy belief messages had influence on vaccine uptake behaviour. This elucidates that the threat messages may not always translate to positive or intended behaviour. The main aim of the pandemic messages was to create awareness for positive response thus balancing threat messages with response messages is key. The publics’ knowledge of pandemic is shaped by the messages broadcasted by the television and thus intended or unintended behaviour. Keywords: Television COVID-19 messages, COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine adoption, youths, Kiambu County PhD in Mass Communication 2026-05-21T00:00:00Z http://localhost/xmlui/handle/123456789/7005 Entrepreneurial Innovation and Competitiveness of Food and Beverage Manufacturing Firms in Nairobi City County, In Kenya Chege, Rosaline Wanjiku Kenya’s food and beverage manufacturing subsector, largely composed of SMEs that employ millions and contribute significantly to GDP, continues to show slow growth, high early-stage failure rates, and uneven competitive performance. The main issue driving this study is a context-specific evidence gap: despite widespread focus on “innovation,” managers and policymakers lack clear guidance on which types of innovation most improve competitiveness in this subsector and whether firm size influences these effects. Guided by a positivist research philosophy and grounded in the Schumpeterian Theory of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Theory of the Innovative Firm, the Resource-Based View, and Dynamic Capabilities Theory, the study aimed to achieve one broad goal, to determine how entrepreneurial innovation affects the competitiveness of food and beverage manufacturing firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya, and four specific objectives: to evaluate the impacts of product development, process, marketing, and organizational innovations, and to see if firm size moderates the relationship between entrepreneurial innovation and competitiveness. Using a convergent mixed-methods approach, the study covered all 201 licensed food and beverage manufacturers in Nairobi City County (2022), with owner/managers as respondents selected through stratified random sampling. Data collection involved structured questionnaires. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS, including descriptive statistics, regression models, and comprehensive diagnostic tests (normality, multicollinearity, and homoscedasticity). Qualitative responses were thematically coded and integrated to strengthen inferences. Results indicate that innovation has a significant impact on competitiveness. Entrepreneurial innovation has the strongest effect (β = 0.925, p < 0.001), followed by process (β = 0.793, p < 0.001), marketing (β = 0.732, p < 0.001), product development (β = 0.666, p < 0.001), and organizational innovation (β = 0.591, p < 0.001). Larger firms have a small but significant advantage in adoption (p = 0.011), and firm size substantially influences the entrepreneurial innovation–competitiveness link (p < 0.001). The study contributes to theory by empirically linking firm-level innovation streams to competitiveness in an emerging-market manufacturing context and by demonstrating a size-dependent return to entrepreneurial innovation. Practically, it recommends focusing on entrepreneurial, process, and marketing innovations, while improving product development and organizational practices, and using scale to embed and normalize innovative routines—ultimately developing dynamic capabilities for sustained competitive advantage. Doctor of Philosophy in Project Management 2026-05-21T00:00:00Z http://localhost/xmlui/handle/123456789/7002 Post- Award Contract Management and Performance of National Government Road Projects in Kenya Lagat, Robert Kipngetich Road construction projects in Kenya have been getting sustainability warning owing to poor quality standards. With a dearth of studies on the effects of contract management practices, especially post contract, this study sought to fill the gap by, establishing the impact of post award contract management on supplier performance in the road construction industry in Kenya. The study was guided by the following specific objectives; to assess the impact of contract monitoring and evaluation on performance in the road construction industry in Kenya; to establish the impact of post-contract relationship management on performance of national government road construction projects in Kenya; to find out the impact of post-contract administration on performance of national government road construction projects in Kenya; to determine the impact of contract closure on performance of national government road construction projects in Kenya; and to establish the moderating impact of Regulatory Framework on the relationship between post-award contract management and performance of national government road construction projects in Kenya. The study was guided by stakeholder theory, theory of constraints, the principle agent theory, contract theory and the Marxist theory on performance. Cross-sectional survey research design was adopted. The research paradigm for this study was positivist. The target population for the research was all 255 on-going road projects by road agencies in Kenya which are Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA), Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) and Kenya Urban Roads (KURA). Therefore, the target population was 255 road projects. The overall sample size for this study was determined using the Nassiuma (2000) formula. The sample size for the study was 127 projects. This study used stratified random sampling technique to select the sample. Primary data was obtained utilizing a semi-structured questionnaire. Twelve projects from the three road authorities were given questionnaire samples or pilot tested. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 software was used to analyse the data. Qualitative data was analysed using content analysis and presented in prose form. Qualitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential analysis. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentages, and means will be used. Pearson correlation coefficient was used for testing strength and direction between the independent and the dependent variables. A multiple regression model was used to test the significance of the influence of the independent variables on the dependent variable. The findings were presented in Tables and figures. The returned questionnaires for the pilot test were 12 (100%). From the pilot findings, the questionnaire was valid and reliable and was used to collect data for the actual study. The study found that a unit increase in contract monitoring and evaluation leads to a 0.924-unit (P < 0.05) improvement in project performance. A unit increase in post-contract relationship management resulted in a 0.782-unit (P < 0.05) improvement in project performance. Further, post-contract administration was found to have a positive effect on project performance, with a unit increase leading to a 0.651-unit improvement (P < 0.05). Further, contract closure positively influences project performance, with a unit improvement resulting in a 0.705-unit increase (P < 0.05). Finally, it was found that regulatory framework moderates the relationship between post-award contract management and performance, signifying that an improvement in regulatory frameworks positively influences the impact of contract management on performance. To improve project outcomes, it is recommended that national government road agencies prioritize contract management (contract monitoring and evaluation, post-contract relationship management, post-contract administration, and contract closure) and consider the regulatory environment's role. Doctor of Philosophy in Supply Chain Management 2026-05-21T00:00:00Z http://localhost/xmlui/handle/123456789/6999 Welfare Practices and Employee Performance in Non-Governmental Organizations in Nairobi County, Kenya Lumiti, Protus Atsali The study was to determine the relationship between employee welfare practices and employee performance in NGOs in Nairobi County, Kenya. The objectives of the research were to determine the relationship between financial support and employee performance, to establish the relationship between recreational support and employee performance, to assess the relationship between employee health support and employee performance, and to examine employee pension support and employee performance. to determine the moderating effect of top management commitment and employee performance in NGOs in Nairobi County, Kenya. Previous research shows a significant correlation between employee welfare practices and employee performance. This research supports the broader perspectives that employees are important for the competitive edge of organizations and their welfare is essential to enhance their performance. This research is backed by relevant theories such as human relations theory, Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the social reciprocity theory, the resource – based view theory and Herzberg’s two factor theory. The research design was a cross-sectional design that used both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The sampling technique was a purposeful, stratified, and simple random sampling technique. The target population was 14,323 employees in NGOs in Nairobi County, Kenya, a sample of 407 employees was selected, which included top management, middle management and lower-level management. Questionnaires were served to respondents as the primary data collection instruments. A pilot study was conducted to verify the reliability and validity of the tools used. The content validity was verified by the university experts who supervised the research, the reliability of the data was assessed using the constant alpha that required base of 0.7 in the social science studies. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 25. The analysis incorporated frequencies, means, correlations, and multiple linear regression, along with inferential and descriptive statistics as diagnostic tests for the instruments. The findings of the research were presented using pie charts, graphs, and tables. The results indicated that employee financial support, recreational practices, health practices, and pension practices positively and significantly influenced employee performance. Additionally, it was found that top management commitment significantly moderates the relationship between welfare practices and employee performance. Specifically, top management commitment enhances the explanatory power of employee welfare practices in predicting employee performance within NGOs in Nairobi County, Kenya. The research concluded that welfare practices are crucial in improving employee performance in non-governmental organizations in Nairobi County, Kenya. The research concluded that NGOs in Nairobi County, Kenya should implement financial support, recreational support, health support, pension support, and involve top management commitment in all the processes of planning and implementation. The research further recommended further research to explore the relationship between employee welfare practices and performance in other service-oriented institutions, including the civil service. The study, therefore, forms a reference for empirical literature for future researchers. Doctor of Philosophy in Human Resource Management 2026-05-21T00:00:00Z