Exploring the Impact of Life Skills Training on Performance in Supply Chain Management: A Case of Manufacturing Firms in Kenya
[1]
Lawrence Kabuthi Kabinga, School of Management, Kenya Institute of Management, Nairobi, Kenya.
This research sought to explore the impact of life skills training on performance in supply chain management in manufacturing firm’s supply chains using three indicators; intrapersonal relationships, interpersonal relationships and critical and creative decision making. The above three factors will determine how supply chain management workers relate with each other and their decision making capability during work thus affecting the quality of their output which in turn affects supply chain performance which was measured using the SCPM index model. The study utilized a descriptive study method applying a survey research methodology targeting the Kenyan population. To ensure reliability and validity, questionnaires and interview schedules were pre tested on nine respondents in manufacturing firms in Thika town which is not in the study area. To establish the reliability of the study; Coefficient of variation (Cv) which gives a reliability indicator derived from the standard deviation using the formulae below; Cv = S/M, which produced a ratio of 0.9321 which was very close to 1 making the instruments better tools for carrying out the research. A sample of 32 employees was administered with questionnaires and interview schedules that had both open and closed questions with 28 employees (86.67%) responding and 4 employees (13.33%) not responding. The study results revealed that there was a positive relationship between life skills training supply chain performance in manufacturing firms in Kenya. The study recommends that all manufacturing firms should train their employees in life skills training to reduce work related stress and conflicts and promote critical and creative decision making. Additionally the study recommends that general awareness on the importance of life skills training should be made in all manufacturing firms through the media because majority of the employees interviewed had no idea about the existence of life skills.
Life Skills Training, Supply Chain Performance, Employee Stress Management, Critical and Creative Thinking, Manufacturing Firms, Kenya Youth Empowerment, Performance
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