http://ir.mksu.ac.ke/handle/123456780/12 Assorted scholarly writings by University Staff & Students outside of specific faculty affiliation Sat, 04 Apr 2026 14:01:08 GMT 2026-04-04T14:01:08Z http://ir.mksu.ac.ke/handle/123456780/14064 Students’ Perceptions of Information Literacy at two South African Universities Moyo, Mathew; Okemwa, Ezra Ondari Information literacy, the ability to find and use information ethically, has been on the agenda of academic librarians for a very long time now. The driving force behind the information literacy agenda is the over-abundance of information, particularly online, as a result of rapid changes and developments in technology (Tosuncuoglu & Küçükler, 2019). There is a general shift in the publications industry, with increasingly more information being published online and this has resulted in an influx of information available to users in general and to students in particular. The current COVID-19 pandemic has added more impetus to the critical value of information literacy as fake news infodemic has risen to levels demanding high critical thinking skills (Durodolu & Ibenne, 2020; Guo & Huang, 2021). Seemingly, academic integrity has once again become a major issue on campus as students became overwhelmed by the sudden transition from contact teaching and learning, to the online modality which has enabled the continuation of the University’s core business under the Coronavirus environment. From a practical experience, the authors have experienced a surge in instances of plagiarism resulting in punitive policies being invoked on offenders in order to help reduce the cases. Librarians, as custodians and facilitators of access to information of all kinds, have a huge role to play in ensuring that students acquire the necessary skills in order to properly handle information. The South African University System is usually classified into historically advantaged and historically disadvantaged. Students joining the historically advantaged institutions usually originate from the rich urban families while those attending the formerly disadvantaged institutions come from mostly rural based schools without access or with limited access to libraries and technology of all kinds. If our primary and secondary education system was adequately paying attention to learners’ information handling skills including the entire digital skills spectrum, information literacy would not be a major concern at the higher education level. This background information which include the renewed need for information literacy education during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, motivated the researchers to rework and share this outcome from a study conducted some few years back. Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT http://ir.mksu.ac.ke/handle/123456780/14064 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.mksu.ac.ke/handle/123456780/8023 The Effect of the Role of Social Partners on the Performance of State Corporations in Kenya Nzioki, Susan; Gachunga, H. G. The study sought to establish the effect of the role of social partners on the performance of state corporations in Kenya. Methodology: Data was obtained through a descriptive design involving 279 employees both unionized and non-unionized of state corporations in Nairobi County. A structured questionnaire with likert scale questions was used to collect data from the selected subjects of the study. Interviews were also conducted with human resource managers/ employee relations officers, shop floor union officials, officers of the Ministry of Labour, officers of Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), officers of Central Organizations of Trade Unions, Kenya (COTU). The study was supported by the Dunlop’s systems model. The output of the system’s approach are rules. The rules govern the duties and performance expected of employees and employers and the procedures set by the state to govern the performance of the roles. Finding: The study found that employers and trade unions performed their duties adequately, but they did not embrace the publicity and acquaintance of Industrial Relations Charter which prescribed the roles to be played by the partners. The Ministry as the third party initiated, elaborated and implemented labour policy and law. The Ministry however had human resource constraints, in terms of numbers and competence. It also suffered infrastructural incapacity and inadequate budgetary allocation. However the partners' roles positively influenced the performance of state corporations. Limitation: The study was conducted in a few state corporations and therefore cannot be generalized in the private sector in the country. Practical Implications: Provides evidence on the roles of the social partners and how they have affected the performance of state corporations. It provides recommendations on what the social actors can do to improve the performance of their roles and consequently enhance harmonious industrial relations to improve on performance. Originality: This is the first study of this nature conducted in Nairobi County in Kenya focusing on the effects of the social partners' roles on the performance of state corporations. Sat, 01 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://ir.mksu.ac.ke/handle/123456780/8023 2013-06-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.mksu.ac.ke/handle/123456780/8022 THE EFFECT OF ECONOMIC CHANGE AS A FACTOR OF TRIPARTITE CONSULTATION ON THE PERFORMANCE OF STATE CORPORATIONS IN KENYA Nzioki, Susan The study sought to establish the effect of economic changes such as globalization, privatization and inflation on the performance of state corporations in Kenya. The study was carried out in Nairobi County in Kenya. Data was obtained through a descriptive survey design. The study involved 279 unionized employees of state corporations in the County. A structured questionnaire with Likert scale questions and an interview guide were administered to collect data from study subjects. Data was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively by use of Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS). The study found that economic change had insignificant effect on the performance of state corporations. This effect was linked by the fact that though some state corporations had been privatized and high rates of inflation experienced, the government had cushioned the corporations from being negatively affected. The study recommends the following strategies to future economic challenges: collective negotiation and rational agreement on salary increase, concerted efforts by all parties to increase productivity, future negotiations should be informed by research that takes into account increase in production and agreement by partners on a national recovery programme like freeze in salary reviews until economic stability is realized. More importantly, the existing national income differentials should be addressed faithfully by all stakeholders. The study was concentrated in unionized corporations and therefore cannot be generalized in the private sector and non-unionized state corporations. The findings will help the social partners to collectively handle economic challenges which inevitably face them for their prosperity and industrial peace. Thu, 01 Oct 2015 00:00:00 GMT http://ir.mksu.ac.ke/handle/123456780/8022 2015-10-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.mksu.ac.ke/handle/123456780/8021 Industrial Relations System as a Factor of Tripartite Consultation Influencing the Performance of State Corporations in Kenya Nzioki, Susan; Mukulu, E. The study sought to establish the effect of Industrial relations system in Kenya on the performance of state corporations. Methodology: Data was obtained through a descriptive design involving 279 employees both unionized and non-unionized of state corporations in Nairobi County. A structured questionnaire with likert scale questions was used to collect data from the selected subjects of the study. Interviews were also conducted with human resource managers/ employee relations officers, shop floor union officials, officers of the Ministry of Labour, officers of Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), officers of Central Organizations of Trade Unions, Kenya. The study used the Dunlop’s systems model credited with the application of the systems approach to Industrial Relations (IR). The model explains the input acquisition, input transformation, output and feedback to explain the process of Kenyan Industrial Relations System. Finding: The study found that there existed a prescribed Industrial Relations System in Kenya, but its adherence had been faced with a lot of challenges namely, reluctance to recognize trade unions, delay in conclusion of collective agreement, and partial implementation of collective agreements resulting to high rate of industrial actions in the country and delayed settlement of cases submitted to the industrial court. Besides, tripartite consultation as the study's intervening variable had intervened positively enhancing the performance of state corporations. Moreover, partnership approaches such as training, harmonization of partners' interests and high commitment had been experienced, translating to enhanced performance of organizations. Limitation: The study was concentrated in unionised state corporations and therefore cannot be generalized in the private sector and non unionised state corporations. Practical implications: provide evidence on the effect of the industrial relations system on tyhe performance of state corporations in Kenya and offer recommendations on what the three social partners and specifically the Kenya government needed to do to improve effectiveness of the industrial relations system in the country. Originality: This is the first study of this nature to be conducted in Nairobi County focusing on industrial relations system and intervention of tripartite consultation in the performance of state corporations. Sat, 01 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://ir.mksu.ac.ke/handle/123456780/8021 2013-06-01T00:00:00Z