Nairobi Central Business District Research Articles

Influence of Layout Design Strategy on the Performance of Retail Chains in Nairobi Central Business District.

Operations strategy offers the organization a limitless framework for creating priorities for how to make the greatest use of the assets at hand through effective operational activities in an effort to gain a competitive edge and accomplish managerial goals. The main objective of this study was to establish the influence of layout design strategy on the performance of retail chains in the Nairobi Central Business District. The study was anchored on the resource dependency theory. The study adopted a descriptive research design and the target population was 34 retail chains within the Nairobi CBD area. The sample population involved 80 managers who were in charge of the retail chains in Nairobi CBD. Self-administered structured questionnaires were used to collect primary data. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found that layout design strategy has a positive significant influence on the performance of retail chains in the Nairobi Central Business District. This is because an increase in a unit of layout design strategy leads to an improvement of the performance of the retail chains. The study recommended that retail chains should pay meticulous attention to store layout and product positioning. The study also recommended that regular assessments should be conducted to ensure that products are strategically placed for easy customer identification. Implement a data-driven approach to store layout optimization, considering customer traffic patterns and preferences. This can enhance the overall shopping experience and drive higher sales.

Influence of Inventory Management Strategy on the Performance of Retail Chains in Nairobi Central Business District.

Operations strategy is the value-adding process used by the company to guarantee that customers receive value through the conversion of resources into finished goods and services. Operations management procedures include quality control, supply chain management, inventory management, risk management, and information technology. The main objective of this study was to establish the influence of inventory management strategy on the performance of retail chains in the Nairobi Central Business District. The study was anchored on the systems theory. The study adopted a descriptive research design and the target population was 34 retail chains within the Nairobi CBD area. The sample population involved 80 managers who were in charge of the retail chains in Nairobi CBD. Self-administered structured questionnaires were used to collect primary data. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found that inventory management strategy has a positive significant influence on the performance of retail chains in the Nairobi Central Business District. This is because an increase in a unit of inventory management strategy leads to an improvement of the performance of the retail chains. The study recommended that retail chains should implement inventory management practices that aim to reduce deadstock and minimize inventory holding costs. The study also recommended that organizations should utilize inventory forecasting techniques to accurately predict demand and adjust inventory levels accordingly. The study further recommended that retail chains should explore vendor-managed inventory (VMI) arrangements with key suppliers to maintain optimal stock levels. The study recommended that retail chains should regularly assess and update inventory turnover strategies to meet customer demand effectively.

Adoption of Fiber Optic Broadband Internet Services among Law Firms in Nairobi Central Business District in Enhancing Their Performance

Purpose: The aim of this study was to establish the factors influencing enhancement in adoption of fiber optic broadband internet services among Law Firms in Nairobi central business district.
 Methodology: The current study incorporated descriptive research design where the target population was the 52 law firms that provide legal services in Nairobi central business district. The study conducted a census survey by covering all the units in the population. The study used primary data which was collected by administering semi-structured questionnaires. Quantitative statistics involved descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data collected from the open-ended part of the questionnaire was analyzed using content analysis and the results were presented in prose form. Results were then be presented in tables, diagrams and charts.
 Findings: The findings showed that there is a direct and strong relationship between government policy, market access, information technology and competition strategy and the adoption of fibre optic broadband internet services among law firms in Nairobi central business district. The regression findings revealed those government policy, market access, information technology and competition and the adoption of fibre optic broadband internet services among law firms in Nairobi central business district in enhancing their performance.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Based on the provided information, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Modern Portfolio Theory, and Diffusion of Innovation Theory were validated in the study. The study recommends that the government should reduce the regulations on penetration of fiber optics by telecommunication companies. This will increase the rate at which the fibre optic broadband internet services are adopted by firms in Kenya. It also recommends that firms should embrace and incorporate fibre optic broadband internet services in market access strategies such as payer perspectives, and pragmatic, viable solutions early, also conducting market research and analysis in order to thrive in today’s advancing world of technology.

An Examination of Existing Strategies to Address Street Robberies in the Nairobi Central Business District, Kenya, and their Effectiveness

Street robberies are a significant source of fear among the public because victims face an abrupt risk to life, loss of control, and an intrusion of individual space. Street robberies are a particularly dread initiating crime in view of the setting in which it is probably going to happen over the span of somebody's normal life. The 2005 National Crime Victimization Survey demonstrated that street robbers assaulted most victims on their approach to or from work, school, shopping, or running errands. The danger of damage and demise amid an assault further substantiates the open's dread of theft. This study sought to examination of existing strategies to address street robberies in the Nairobi Central Business District, and their Effectiveness. The study was underpinned by the Strain theory by Robert Merton, Social Disorganization and Routine Activity Theory by Cohen & Felson. The study adopted a descriptive research design and targeted persons who had been victims of street robbery within Nairobi CBD in the course of the one year preceding the study. Simple random sampling was used to sample (30%) 107 respondents out of a target population of 356 victims as per the police records within Nairobi CBD. Questionnaires were employed to collect quantitative data from the primary sample while key informant interview guides were employed to collect qualitative data from Key informants. Data collection instruments were piloted before the actual data collection process. Validity and reliability of the study questionnaire were ascertained before commencement of the study. Research findings revealed that majority of the respondents (90.1%) highlighted the national police service as one of the key organizations that deal with the crime of street robbery, 40.2% identified the courts and the rest (19.5%) identified officials from Nairobi city county security department. Majority of respondents (92.6%) indicated that there were street lights while 59.6% agreed that there were CCTV cameras on major streets and terminals, police patrols was confirmed by 54.2% of the respondents, presence of city county askaris (22.3%), and a few ((9.6%) of them pointed that they could see private security guards as strategies for addressing street robberies in Nairobi CBD. When asked on the effectiveness of the existing strategies to address street robberies, most (80.9%) of the respondents asserted that the strategies were not effective. In view of the study findings, the study recommended the development of policies to address street robberies with an insight into the factors encouraging the robberies, the location and crime patterns where the crime happens, and the profiles of both the offenders and victims. Keywords: Strategies, Street Robberies, Nairobi Central Business District, Effectiveness. DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/81-05 Publication date: November 30 th 2022

Perceived Causes of Street Robberies in the Nairobi Central Business District, Kenya

Empirical studies have studied different factors contributing to street robbery using the crime analysis triangle. The triangle organizes elements that influence robbery issues among other forms of crime. Though no particular feature entirely accounts for the street robbery issue, the interconnected dynamic forces among victims , locations , offenders, and habits all impact street robbery patterns. This has baffled law enforcement agencies, civil society and the public at large. This study sought to identify perceived causes of street robberies in the Nairobi Central Business District. The study was underpinned by the Strain theory by Robert Merton, Social Disorganization and Routine Activity Theory by Cohen & Felson. The study adopted a descriptive research design and targeted persons who had been victims of street robbery within Nairobi CBD in the course of the one year preceding the study. Simple random sampling was used to sample (30%) 107 respondents out of a target population of 356 victims as per the police records within Nairobi CBD. Questionnaires were employed to collect quantitative data from the primary sample while key informant interview guides were employed to collect qualitative data from Key informants. Data collection instruments were piloted before the actual data collection process. Validity and reliability of the study questionnaire were ascertained before commencement of the study. Findings revealed that unemployment was the main (91.5%) factor perceived to encourage street robberies within the CBD. Other factors that were established to encourage street robberies included; street congestion (88.3%), inadequate CCTV & street lights (70.2%), inadequate police visibility (58.5%), poor urban planning (44.7%), proliferation of illegal small arms and light weapons (40.4%), street children (24.5%). Corruption among police officers (19.1%) was reported the least factor contributing to street robbery. In light of the study findings, the study recommended that the government puts in place mechanisms and resources to ensure availability of employment opportunities to vulnerable groups especially the youths and offer rehabilitation services and training to street families to make them useful and productive. Sensitization of members of the public and police officers on the need to embrace community policing also needs to be given priority whereby the police and the community work together in order to ensure a safe, secure and crime free environment. Keywords: Perceived Causes, Street Robberies, Nairobi Central Business District DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/12-8-02 Publication date: November 30 th 2022

BRAND LOYALTY AND BRAND NAME AWARENESS ON CONSUMER DECISION MAKING PROCESS ON AIRTEL KENYA MOBILE MONEY TRANSFER

Mobile money transfer, was introduced in Kenya in 2007 is one of the epitomes of inventions in the telecommunication industry. The number of subscribers in the mobile money transfer has increased over time due to rising brand popularization by the different players. This study was carried out with the overall objective of finding the influence of brand equity on consumer decision making process on Airtel Kenya mobile money transfer. The specific objectives were to determine how brand loyalty and brand name awareness can influence consumer decision making process on Airtel Kenya mobile money transfer. The research was anchored on Consistency Theory supported by Unified Theory. This research utilized the descriptive research design. The study population was 36,800 Airtel Money customers in Nairobi. Primary data was collected using a questionnaire from a total sample of 123 Airtel Money customers within Nairobi central business district. Random sampling technique was used to randomly select the 123 respondents. Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyse data using descriptive and inferential statistics which included correlation and multiple regression. The study found out that there was strong and positive correlation (R=0.759) between brand name awareness and consumer decision making process. Also the study results showed a strong positive relationship (R=0.714) between brand loyalty and consumer decision making process. The study recommends Airtel Kenya mobile money service provider should strive to create brand loyalty and brand name awareness by sponsoring more public welfare activities, increase their social responsibility rate and constantly increase awareness of their product through commercial advertising as well as social media. The study also recommends mobile service providers to come up with superior quality products as expected by majority of the consumers by make quality a part of your company culture.

Analysis of Food Management Practices and Safe Provision in Unclassified Restaurants in Nairobi City County, Kenya

The aim of the research was to establish how food safety practices influence safe food provision by unclassified restaurants in Nairobi City County. The Particular goals of the study were to: assess the influence of food handling practices on safe food provision, observe the role of food hygiene training on safe food provision, determine the effect of food legislation compliance on safe food provision and establish the role of management in ensuring that safety standards are achieved on safe food provision by unclassified restaurants in Nairobi City County. Descriptive survey design was employed as the blue print to guide the study. The study population was 124 unclassified restaurants in Nairobi Central Business District. Questionnaires were used in data collection, an in-depth interview guide and observation checklist. Quantitative data were analyzed through means, standard deviation, inferential models and presented in form of tables and figures. The study established that food handling practices on safe food provision by unclassified restaurants was statistically significant (χ=8.988; p value of .003<0.05), food hygiene training and safe food provision by unclassified restaurants have a significant association (χ= 5.094, p value of .019<0.05, food legislation compliance and safe food provision by unclassified restaurants have a significant association as supported (χ=4.544; p value of .025<0.05) while the role of management and safe food provision by unclassified restaurants have a significant association (χ=11.107, p value of .001<0.05). This paper concludes that food handling practices, food hygiene training, food legislation compliance and role of management impacts the safe food provision by unclassified restaurants. The study recommends for the need to periodically train restaurant workers on proper food handling practices. There is need for restaurant management to provide workers with sufficient clean dress code. The restaurant management needs to organize periodic training programs in form of short workshops, seminars and conferences with key stakeholders in the hospitality sector and food safety authorities. Keywords: Food management practices, food handling practices, food hygiene training, food legislation compliance, safe provision, unclassified restaurants.

The role of performance contracting on performance of public universities in Kenya

Public universities have undergone major reforms in the past few years. These reforms have broughtabout challenges to both management and employees of these universities. One of changes that cameas a result of these reforms is performance contracting. This study sought to establish the role ofperformance contracting on the performance of public universities in Kenya. The study objectives were: to establish how stakeholder involvement affects performance in public Universities; to determine how staff training affects performance in public Universities; to assess the impact of monitoring and evaluation on performance in public Universities; to examine how organizational structure affects performance in public Universities. The study was anchored on two main theories; first the New Public Management theory and goal theory. The study was done in four public universities with campuses within Nairobi Central Business District. The research adopted a descriptive research design of survey in nature. The Study found out that collaboration with internal stakeholders, like lecturers, students and other staff members, as well as external ones parents, local government and other parties is important in enhancing performance. It was further established that training influenced performance in public universities to a great extent. The study recommended that, various measures need to be put in place to entrench performance contracting in private and public universities and if possible, to the smallest units of operation. Measured factors leading to effectiveness of performance such as organizational productivity, employees’ motivation, organizational effectiveness and organizational culture.

Effect of Credit Financing on Financial Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nairobi Central Business District, Kenya

The purpose of the study was to establish the effect of credit financing on financial performance of SMEs in Nairobi Central Business District, Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were to: establish the effect of access to credit on financial performance of SMEs, to determine the effect of vested interest on SMEs, assess the effect of credit history on SMEs and distinguish the effect of credit worthiness on SMEs in Nairobi Central Business District Kenya. The study was anchored on Credit Rationing Theory, Information Asymmetry Theory and Financial Intermediation Theory. The study used stratified random design. The target population of this study comprised of 1,842 registered Small and Medium Enterprises licensed in Nairobi Central Business District. The study used a sample size of 184 SMEs. The study adopted primary data collection by interviewing the top owners or top managers, from the Small and Medium Enterprises by making use of structured questionnaire. Collected data was analysed through descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of SPSS software. The analysis findings were presented on tables, charts and bars. The study findings revealed that access to credit had a positive and significant effect on the financial performance (? =.123, p=.031<.05), vested interest had a positive but insignificant effect on the financial performance of SMEs (? =.056, p=.391>.05), credit history had a positive and significant effect on the financial performance of SMEs (? =.416, p=.000<.05) and finally the findings revealed that credit worthiness had a positive and significant effect on the financial performance of SMEs (? =.405, p=.000<.05). The study concluded that access to credit is the lifeblood of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as they evolve into profitable and sustainable businesses over the years. It was thus recommended that managers of SMEs operating in Nairobi City County CBD should strive to improve their ability to access credit, improve their vested interest, credit history and improve their credit worthiness. Keywords: Access to Credit, Financial Performance, Vested Interest, Credit History, Credit Worthiness, SMEs, Nairobi Central Business District

6 - Restructured Citizen–Government Relationship in Kenya's 2010 Constitution and the Right of Hawkers to the City in Nairobi


 
 
 This article interrogates how various actors in the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) space have made sense of the 2010 Constitution’s expansive provisions on socio-political and economic rights to advance hawkers’ claims to the right to the city. Using Lefebvre’s and human rights notions of the ‘right to the city’, the study finds that the Constitution has immense potential to secure the hawkers’ right to the city. However, various challenges impede efforts towards its realisation. Firstly, the 2007 no-hawking-in-the-CBD bylaw exerts inordinate influence, in practice suppressing the Constitution’s aspirations. Secondly, the City authorities’ efforts to facilitate the hawkers’ right to the city remain ambivalent or dependent on the whims of the serving governor. Thirdly, initiatives by other actors remain elitist, top- down and opaque with only the superficial involvement of hawkers. On their part, hawkers’ initiatives to claim their right to the city have suffered from fragmented leadership and individualistic self-help micro-strategies. Furthermore, hawkers have underutilised judicial activism as an avenue for challenging the constitutionality of the city bylaws banning hawking in the CBD. This strategy would potentially have provided a discursive platform to make their claim to the city the moral-legal claim envisaged by the Constitution.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Esther Wangui Kimani, Nairobi City County Government. Email: kimaniesther.w@gmail.com
 Sammy Gakero Gachigua, Egerton University. Email: gachiguas@gmail.com
 George Mbugua Kariuki, Kenyatta University. Email: george.mbugua2@gmail.com
 
 

7 - Locked-in Metaphorically: The War on Hawking in Nairobi’s CBD and the Cat-and-Mouse Game

This article investigates how hawking in the streets of the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) produces political spaces where processes related to belonging, inclusion and exclusion are played out and contested at both discursive and material levels. The article adopts the Conceptual Metaphor Framework to critically evaluate the conceptualisation of hawkers and hawking in Nairobi’s CBD by varied actors. The study finds that two dominant metaphors – the ‘war’ metaphor and the ‘cat-and-mouse’ metaphor – have persistently and resiliently defined the life-world of hawkers in the CBD and the hawkers’ relations with the City authorities. Further, that this conceptualisation has had adverse consequences, including providing a false clarity to this social phenomenon, which dehumanises the hawkers as well as naturalising and justifying the antagonistic relations between them and the authorities, thereby limiting the effective management of hawking within the CBD. The article concludes that there is a need for a revisionary framing of both the hawking phenomenon and the hawker-city-authorities relationship to facilitate broadened and progressive strategies and policies that would impact more positively on the material world of the hawker in the city.
 Esther Wangui Kimani, Nairobi City County Government. Email: kimaniesther.w@gmail.com
 Sammy Gakero Gachigua, Egerton University. Email: gachiguas@gmail.com; sammy.gachigua@egerton.ac.ke
 &
 George Mbugua Kariuki, Kenyatta University. Email: george.mbugua2@gmail.com; kariuki.george1@ku.ac.ke

The Effects of Lending Interest Rates on Performance of SMES in Kenya

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in the country’s economic growth through the creation of employment. They also contribute largely to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) since 98% of businesses in the country are SMEs. Thus, following Kenya’s Vision 2030 there has been a need to protect these enterprises. However, SMEs in Kenya have been faced with numerous challenges which are not limited to affordability of financing options. These enterprises mostly rely on financial institutions for funding, which at times offer unfavorable conditions for bank loans making it hard to access the loans. These challenges hitherto, have caused the failure of these SMEs, because, without capital, operations are minimal. Empirical research has shown that interest rates attached to loans are a major factor SMEs consider when getting loans. High lending rates discourage borrowing since repayment of such loans may take up all of the business proceeds which limits the performance of these enterprises. The study sought to analyze the effect of lending interest rates on the performance of SMEs in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive research design with a simple linear regression model. The population of the study comprised of small business owners and financial institutions managers in Nairobi Central Business District (CBD). Nairobi CBD is Kenya’s epicenter for business. The study revealed a direct relationship between interest rates and the performance of SMEs. The study recommended the need to restructure bank interest rates to be more ‘consumer-friendly.’ This would encourage SMEs to take up loans that will enable them finance investments and thus improve their performance. Moreover, this would pave the way for job creation which would eliminate the problem of massive unemployment in the country and bring the country closer to realizing Kenya Vision 2030. Keywords: Interest Rate, Financial Institutions, Performance, Small and Medium Enterprises, Lending Rate DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/13-8-15 Publication date: April 30 th 2021

Diversity and Antibiotics Susceptibility of Bacterial Species on Hand Surfaces in Public Buses Plying Kenyatta National Hospital Route 7c in Nairobi

Aims: To determine the pathogenic and the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of bacterial isolates on hand surfaces in public buses in Nairobi.
 Study Design: A random sampling technique was utilized and targeted public buses plying Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) and Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) 7C route.
 Place and Duration of Study: Bacterial isolates were obtained from hand surfaces in public buses in Nairobi during a three-month period, May-July 2015.
 Methodology: A total of 30 swab samples were collected using sterile moist cotton swabs then cultured on three media including MacConkey agar, Mannitol salt agar and Eosin Methyl Blue agar (EMB). Characterization of isolates was by morphological and biochemical features. Antimicrobial susceptibility profile tests using eight antibiotics including tetracycline, sulphamethoxazole, chloramphenicol, kanamycin, gentamycin, ampicillin, co-trimoxazole and streptomycin was also undertaken.
 Results: A total of 45 isolates indicated the following prevalence: Staphylococcus aureus 33%, Escherichia coli 24%, Staphylococcus epidermidis 18%, Klebsiella species 11% and Pseudomonas species 13%. The antimicrobial resistance profiles indicated E. coli isolates had the highest resistance to five antibiotics, Klebsiella spp. to four, Staphylococcus aureus to three, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas spp. each to only one antibiotic. Isolates were predominantly resistant to ampicillin (100%) followed by co-trimoxazole and streptomycin but were instead sensitive to gentamycin followed by tetracycline, sulphamethoxazole and chloramphenicol.
 Conclusion: These findings demonstrate serious health risks posed to the community by potentially pathogenic and antibiotic resistant bacterial species on hand-touch sites in public buses. Therefore, this study creates awareness of the need for stringent sanitary measures in public buses and hygienic practices among commuters to forestall transmission of community acquired infections.

Moderating Role of Social Factors on the Effect of Integrated Marketing Communication on Performance of Fast Food Restaurants in Nairobi Central Business District, Kenya.

Universally Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) plays a pivotal role in providing adequate intrinsic information which impacts on overall performance of fast food restaurants. In this regard the study was designed to assess the moderating role of social factors on the effect of integrated marketing communications on the performance of fast food restaurants in Nairobi central business district. The study was guided by the following specific objectives; to examine the role of public relations, social media networks, sales promotion and advertising on the performance of fast food restaurants in Nairobi CBD. To determine the moderating role of social factors on the effect of intergraded marketing and communication on the performance of fast food restaurants in Nairobi CBD. The study adopted an explanatory research design. The target population was 144 key informants which included 48 managers and 96 heads of departments sampled from all the 48 fast food restaurants in Nairobi CBD. In this study census sampling technique was adopted to arrive at the sample size which is 144 key informants. Data was collected by use of structured and unstructured questionnaires from the key informants. Collected data analyzed by use of both inferential and descriptive statistics using SPSS version 20. Result of multiple regressions revealed that social factors moderates the relationship between integrated marketing communication and the performance of fast food restaurants with F=60.279 at P=.000. Jointly the four constructs namely public relations, social media networks, sales promotion and advertisement with a moderator jointly explained 73.6 % (R2 = 0.736) variation in performance of fast food restaurants. The β value for public relations (.233), social media networks (.232), sales promotion (.340), advertising (.295), were positive. Correlations between public relations, social media networks, sales promotion, and advertising r=.677** r= . 579** , r =.693**andr =.411**respectively. They were also positively and significantly related to performance of fast food restaurants where P lesstahn 0.01. All these together led to the rejection of the null hypothesis. This implies that the management of fast food restaurants should pay high premiums in strategically formulating and implementing IMCs which can effectively galvanize high performance of fast food restaurants.

Application of AMP Collectors in Nairobi CBD for Transport Planning

Abstract This report gives a summary of the Anonymous MAC-address Packet (AMP) collector and its system installed in Nairobi in 2017, for the purpose of collecting unique Media Access Control (MAC) addresses emitted from Wi-Fi emitting devices to detect the movement of individuals on a micro scale. This report outlines the objectives of the transport surveys in Nairobi, and how the AMP collection system fulfilled the requirements with accurate data collection. The report mainly presents i) how the passengers concentrate and disperse in the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) in evening hours by showing time-wise distribution of passenger movements observed by 42 AMP collectors, and; ii) which traverse and circulate movement paths were highest in the CBD and surrounding area by analyzing OD movements among the AMP collectors, which can be used for the planning of Metro and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) concepts within the CBD.

Influence of Financial Reporting Requirement on Formalizing Small and Medium Enterprises in Kenya

This research article sought to establish the influence of financial reporting requirement in formalizing small and micro enterprises in Kenya. The study took the form of a descriptive survey design which is an efficient method of collecting original data and systematic information from a wide range of respondents. The target population was 1200 SME’s operating in Nairobi Central Business District and registered with the Nairobi County government. The sample size was 369 respondents, calculated using Yamane Sampling Formula. The study employed stratified and systematic random sampling to select SME’s from 4 different sectors and also incorporated commercial banks and microfinance institutions in the sampling distribution. Data was collected by use of open and close-ended questionnaires supplemented by an interview schedule and an observation checklist. The researcher used descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean, standard deviation, correlation and multiple regression analysis. The study findings showed that availability of financial records eliminate information asymmetry thus allowing for better monitoring. Further, availability of quality and credible financial information enhances business access to loan facilities and better credit terms. The study recommended that the SMEs need to formalize their operations to ease credit access from lenders hence realize growth and improved performance.

INFLUENCE OF TAX COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENT ON FORMALIZING SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN KENYA

Purpose: The researcher sought to determine the influence of tax compliance requirement in formalizing small and micro enterprises in Kenya.Methodology: The study took the form of a descriptive survey design. The target population was 1200 SME’s operating in Nairobi Central Business District and registered with the Nairobi County government. The sample size was 369 respondents, calculated using Yamane Sampling Formula. The study employed stratified and systematic random sampling to select SME’s from 4 main sectors and also incorporated commercial banks and microfinance institutions in the sampling distribution. Data was collected by use of open and close-ended questionnaires supplemented by an interview schedule and an observation checklist. The researcher used descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean, standard deviation, correlation and multiple regression analysis. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 was used to aid in coding, entry and analysis of quantitative data obtained from the closed-ended questions.Results: Study results revealed that the tax compliance requirement is an essential tool in fostering formalization of business operations.Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommended that the government should review business formalization structures such as the tax administration system and business registration to accelerate formalization

305 Sexual Malfunction Among Elderly Men: A Regional Survey Conducted in Nairobi Central Business District

305 Sexual Malfunction Among Elderly Men: A Regional Survey Conducted in Nairobi Central Business District

Evaluation of Simulated Noise Levels through the Analysis of Temperature and Rainfall: A Case Study of Nairobi Central Business District

Evaluation of Simulated Noise Levels through the Analysis of Temperature and Rainfall: A Case Study of Nairobi Central Business District

Influence of Personal Selling on Brand Performance of Retail Shoe Companies in Nairobi Central Business District

Many organizations all over the world are currently engaged in branding themselves or their products in order to position themselves competitively in the market. Organizations and businesses in general embrace the concept of branding as a dominant strategy because a strong brand provides added value to both the seller and buyer, which is attributable to the concept of brand equity. The branding is usually done along the theme of the day and is informed by the perceived demands of the market and the target clients. The branding can range from a simple facelift to a complete overhaul of both operations and products. However, though through observation it is evident that many businesses at some point engage in personal selling, most do not involve the promotion of their own brands save for few firms such as retail shoes companies in Nairobi central district. However, the power of personal selling on the brand performance of even well- known brands such as retail shoes companies is lacking. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to assess the influence of personal selling on brand performance focusing on retail shoes companies in Nairobi central district. It specifically wanted; to determine how promoting brand knowledge through personal selling influences brand performance; to establish how enhance communication through personal selling influences brand performance; to examine how increased interaction time through personal selling influences brand performance; to assess how relationship building through personal selling influences brand performance.