British Airways- Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

British Airways- Case Study - Essay Example ifically, it seems that the poor communication among the employees of the firm has been a constraint towards the development of the firm’s profitability. This problem has led to the design and application of inappropriate rules that govern the firm’s structure and its communication with the customers. It is also because of this fact that employees do not perform in accordance with the goals set by the firm’s management and as a result the financial development of the company faces severe delays. The poor communication among the employees in British Airways can be assumed through a series of facts related with the firm’s daily operational activities as well as the performance of its leaders since the firm’s entrance in the British market (in 1974). More specifically, immediately after the firm’s formation in 1974 from the merge of British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and the British European Airways (BEA) the employees of the two companies (who now should cooperate) were differentiated regarding their cultural aspects. In this context, the former employees of BOAC believed to belong in a ‘traditional’ and ‘high class’ firm different from the ‘low class’ BEA. On the other hand, the employees in BEA also considered employees of BOAC to be snob while they saw themselves as ‘true competitors’ in the British market. For this reason, it can be assumed that for employees in BEA the merger with BOAC was a wrong decision which could lead the new formed company, the British Airways, in severe financial losses. In accordance with the above the cultural differences among employees in British Airways were intensive since the firm’s formation and this fact has been the main reason for the lack of effective communication among employees in the firm’s particular departments – at least at the firm’s initial ‘steps’ in the British market. The above problem has been limited partially after the reduction of staff in 1981 by Lord King (the

Recommendations and Conclusions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Recommendations and Conclusions - Essay Example The high rates of consumption in the world give the product higher chances of survival and even beating other products in the market and therefore should be taken into consideration in the future planning On the factors that that influence the consumption, there is need to do thorough research on the psychological and cultural factors as they influence the attitude which directly affect the sale. The perception and attitude towards the product begin in the mind and transfer on the belief systems, values and culture. It is these factors that affect most the consumptions and therefore the company should spend most of their effort and energy to investigate and find out the actual fact underlying them in order to reduce negative impact. In conclusion the Dasani water as a product has a future prosperity in the market if the challenges associated with marketing and advertisement is overcome. The consumers will continue to develop positive attitude if their complaints are identified and appropriate measures are taken in place

Similarities and differences of a leader and a manager

Similarities and differences of a leader and a manager The terms leadership and management are seen very differently by diverse people. Some individuals see these terms as synonyms and frequently use them interchangeably throughout phrases and sentences. Others approach them as extreme opposites; so extreme, in fact, they would argue that you cannot be a good manager and a good leader at the same time. Still other people reside somewhere in the middle and realize that while there is a difference between leadership and management, with the right knowledge an individual can successfully navigate both from the same position. The field of leadership has been a fast-growing part of management knowledge since the beginning of the 20th century. in most conceptions of management and organization, leadership has given a central place in enforcing principles, motivating employees and communicating future goals and visions to strive for. . Management and leadership have been partners in the successes and failures of countries and companies before the start of recorded history. The basic concept of both are well understood but despite a large amount of information available, there is still confusion and disagreement on the implementation of management skills vs. leadership principles. Successful creation of professional development program is dependent on the recognition that technical/management skills are learned abilities .they are the backbone of the companies core capabilities. These capabilities must b augmented with leadership attributes that allow the team to move forward in implementation of the core business (Ukko, J. Tenhunen, J . Rantanen, H., 2007). (Ballinger,G Schoorman, F Lehman, D, 2006) The terms management and leadership are often interchanged. In fact, many people view them as basically the same thing. Yet management is as distinct from leadership as day is from night. Both are necessary, however, for a high-performance organization. By contrasting them and understanding their differences, we can better balance and improve these essential roles. Therefore, both are two distinctive and complementary systems of action and necessary for success in an increasingly complex and volatile business environment. Each has its own function and characteristic activitiesstrong leadership with weak management are no better, and are sometimes actually worse, than the reverse. the real challenge is to combine strong leadership and strong management and use each to balance the other. One key distinction between management and leadership is that we manage things and lead people. Things include physical assets, processes, and systems. People include customers, external partners, and people throughout our team or organization (or internal partners).when dealing with things, we talk about a way of doing. In the people realm, we are talking about a way of being. (Jovanovic, Z Sajfert ,D, 2009) There are differences between leadership and management. Leadership is influence and challenging future actions enterprises and it deals with effectiveness and manager efficiency. Managerial skills are prerequisite for leadership. it is possible to be an excellent manager, and to never become a leader. Good managerial skills not only provide the basis for good leadership, but also enough time to conduct, because it is not possible to become a good leader and the management of the operations do not happen successfully. Often indicates the following differences between the management and leadership. The leadership based on the relative impact and management in relation authority. The secondly, leadership and leaders engage followers, and the management of managers and perpetrators They are both complete action systems neither is simply one aspect of the other. Each has its own distinctive purpose and characteristic activities. People who think of management as being only the implementation part of leadership ignore the fact that leadership has its own implementation processes. Literature Review: 2.1 Concept of management (Haslam, 2004) Management is basically the process of getting activities completed efficiently and effectively with and through other people and it tends to involve direction of day-to-day operational tasks, management and maintenance of budgets and deadline oriented, directing teams to achieve goals by establishing objectives. (Ukko, J. Tenhunen, J . Rantanen, H., 2007) management the term which can be defined functionally as the action in measuring a quantity on a regular basis and adjusting an initial plan and the actions taken to reach ones intended goal . 2.2 Concept of leadership (Haslam, 2004) Leadership is quite possibly the most-researched aspect of social and organizational psychology. As a result, a lot has been written on the topic. have a look at the business section of your local bookshop and see just how many books are devoted to an attempt to explain leadership. It is fascinating to both academics and practitioners. (Ukko, J. Tenhunen, J . Rantanen, H., 2007) The term leadership as a process or action that affects the actions of an organized group when it is heading for goal setting and goals. The main qualities of leadership are abilities for long-term strategic thinking, communication skills, integrity and ambition. in popular language, leadership usually refers to motivating and committing people- in short, leading people. leadership comes from personality. Companies spend a lot of time, money, and effort on the selection of their high-level leaders. Yet consistent leadership traits have been very difficult to identify. Two things that are clear are: (1) Leadership is a relationship between people. (2) An effective leader is different in different situations. Based on (Jovanovic, Z Sajfert ,D, 2009) leadership can be defined as the process by which members of a group activity directed toward the achievement of objectives. Here it can have several meanings:  · Leadership involves other people-the employees or followers that means not equal distribution of power between leaders and group members .  · Leadership is the ability to be in different ways using various forms of power to impact on the behavior of followers. 2.3 What is a manager? (Haslam, 2004)in many organizations, Manager is a formally conferred title. you can even go to college and learn to be a manager. Managers are possibly part of but often separate to the group they manage. Offices rarely have more than one office Manager. Being a good manager is about using the authority attached to your role well and appropriately. Managers focus on day to day tasks to make sure work is completed. They use rules and processes, tactical direction and control, to manage others activities. 2.4 What is a leader? (Kent, 2005) Leaders achieve change. They use ideas and dialogue to influence, inspire, help, and encourage change in peoples attitudes leading to changes in behavior. it is often said: management is doing things right, leadership is doing the right things. leadership involves the risk of following new ideas to create opportunities, while management diligence produces tangible results. Being a good leader is very much about developing relationships. Sometimes they are personal, other times they are idealogical. Either way followers connect with the leader on a personal level. 2.5 Leading and managing (Haslam, 2004) Perhaps it is true that we must be able to see things separately before we can understand how they can  ¬Ã‚ t together. while it is recognized that the two processes, managing and leading, must work together and reside within the same individual, it is useful in order to understand each process more completely to comprehend them separately. It is argued then that the two processes, while distinct, cannot effectively work without each other working in tandem. From the standpoint of the purposes of the two processes, how effective is it for a leader to develop a vision for the organization and to muster support and motivation to pursue it if the manager in him/her does not procure and efficiently allocate the resources to accomplish the vision? Or, the manager can effectively select and allocate resources, but if he/she has no vision or sense of direction what is that allocation based on, and where is it taking the organization. Leading Managing purpose: To create direction will to pursue it through the development of peoples thinking and valuing. Products: The establishment of thrust toward a purpose or end the creation of social orderliness to carry out that thrust higher states of behavior and thinking in terms of principles, values, morality, and ethics. Processes : Creating vision, aligning people within a team, managing their Self, recognizing and rewarding, communicating meaning and importance of the vision. Purpose: To determine and compare alternative uses and allocations of resources and to select that alternative which is most energy effective toward accomplishing or producing a product, end or goal. Products : Resources, organized effort, and awareness of performance and progress toward goals the creation of a desired mode of working among people and other resources The creation of the most energy effective way of dealing with the causes of events and situations in accomplishing a purpose tied to a particular situation Processes : Planning, organizing, controlling, and coordinating. There must be a constant hand off, or changing of hats, within a single leader/manager to be effective. The leader part of the leader/manager develops the vision and sense of direction and the manager  ¬Ã‚ gures out how to get there in terms of the right alternative path, acquiring and allocating the resources that are needed. Wearing his/her leader hat he/she works the people issues and engenders commitment, and motivation while advancing the organizations ethics and values. Handing off to the manager in him/herself she insures that goals are set and helps determines the most effective way of accomplishing those goals. The mission is carried out through this constant handing off (within the same person) from leader to manager and back to leader. 2.6 Leading or managing (Kent, 2005) The leader/manager must act in the manner appropriate to the given context. If the vision is clear and well communicated, it is probably time to get working on its execution. That would include establishing goals, making assignments, following up and other managing functions. It is probably safe to say that most would agree that there are (at least) two signi ¬Ã‚ cant functions that are important to the success of any organization leading and managing. The two functions are, practically speaking, inseparable. Theoretically and conceptually, they can be differentiated. They can be studied, to some extent, separately. But in reality, they reside within, and are practiced by single individuals. Organizations need both functions in order to thrive. It is probably an acceptable proposition that most positions in modern day organizations that require some degree of leadership also require some degree of managing (using those words as de ¬Ã‚ ned above). but one might ask what is the degree of leadership and of managing that is required by a given position? Would it not be possible, given the argument to this point, that we could calibrate the leadership requirements of any position and the managing requirements of that position as well? We can imagine jobs that require a high degree of managing and a low degree of leading perhaps a manufacturing engineer who is responsible for installing a new section in a manufacturing line. this does not suggest that the job does not require any leadership. We might see that the engineer must gain the commitment of the line workers, enlist their cooperation, recognize their assistance and contributions, etc. but for the most part, the job requires managing many details and resources. yet a different job, say a team leader for a self-directed work team might be described as demanding a great deal of leadership and only some managing. again, the team leader must manage some things it is not that they have nothing to manage; but the greatest demand of the team leader is on her leadership. a third job, such as a project manager for a new product introduction, may require a great deal of both managing and leading. a fourth job, perhaps a receptionist in a law  ¬Ã‚ rm, requires little managing or leading.  ¬Ã‚ nally, some supervisory positions require the incumbent to perform the hands-on work itself, coordinate and problem solve the work, and to lead a number of others who are also performing the work. 2.7 How management and leadership can work together (Haslam, 2004) the difference between a manager and a leader is that a manager says, Go, while a leader says, Lets go. Management researchers concede that leadership is an integral part of a managers job, but how much depends on the circumstances. although some companies use job titles like team leader, a leader fulfils a role rather than a position. anyone in an organization could be a leader, given the right situation. This principle is sometimes used politically, where each person takes on the role as leader at different times. one well-known example is the rotating Presidency of the European Union, where each EU country gets a six-month turn at being the leader. The Presidential country is not the manager of the European Union. management tasks are dealt with in Brussels. during its term, the EU President takes care of diplomacy, both within and outside of the EU: a relationship issue. 2.8 Can a Manager be a Leader and a Leader be a Manager? (Ukko, J. Tenhunen, J . Rantanen, H., 2007) the answer to the question is yes. The skills to be a leader or a manager are not exclusive in nature. A leader who only displays leadership skills will be ineffective when it comes to checking time cards, completing employee reviews, and scheduling employee vacation time; things that employers require their managers to do on timely bases. Similarly, a manager who spends all his/her time completing paperwork and reading reports; only creates more problems for him or her because they lack a developing relationship with their employees. If you are a manager who has spent too much time managing and not leading his/her employees, start spending 10% of your time each week leading until you can establish 25% of your time in leadership practices. If you are a leader who only likes to lead, either become a politician, hire an assistant to be the manager, or start spending 50% of your time getting the paperwork done. 2.9 Differences between leadership and management (Lightfoot, W Kehal ,M, 2005) management and leadership are often considered interchangeable. Yet relatively recent evidence argues in favor of the two becoming separate disciplines related, but clearly different. Regarding leadership, there are set of fundamental truths about all leaders as follow : 1. Leaders always create (and need) change 2. Leaders always create (and need) followers 3. Leaders have a rock-solid value system, which is congruent with their followers. (Gill, 2005) the differences between management and leadership simply.Managers plan, allocate resources, administer and control, whereas leaders innovate, communicate and motivate. vision is one of the key differences between a manager and a leader. Other differences can be illustrated as follow: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Management is about path following; leadership is path finding. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Management is about doing things right; leadership is about doing the right things. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Management is about planning and budgeting; leadership is about establishing direction. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Management is about controlling and problem solving; leadership is about motivating and inspiring In addition , leadership represents one of the oldest, most natural and most effective of all human relationships. Management is a later product, with neither so romantic nor so inspiring a history. leadership is of the spirit, compounded of personality and vision; its practice is an art. Management is of the mind, more a matter of accurate calculation of statistics, of methods, timetables, and routine; its practice is a science. managers are necessary; leaders are essential. (Crevani,L. Lindgren, M. Packendorff, J., 2010) the biggest difference between managers and leaders is the way they motivate the people who work or follow them, and this sets the tone for most other aspects of what they do. Many people, by the way, are both. They have management jobs, but they realize that you Cannot buy hearts, especially to follow them down a difficult path, and so act as leaders too. leaders manage and managers lead but the two activities are not synonymous. management functions can potentially provide leadership; leadership activities can contribute to managing. Nevertheless, some managers do not lead, and some leaders do not manage. There is a profound difference between management and leadership, and both are important. to manage means to bring about, to accomplish, to have charge of or responsibility for, to conduct. leading is influencing, guiding in a direction, course, action, opinion. (Kent, 2005) one way to understand something is to identify how it is different from something else. Since the 1980s most scholars trying to understand transformational leadership have attempted to differentiate between leading and managing and to understand leading as something distinct and separate from managing. Some characterizations of these differences include the ideas of: managers do things right; leaders do the right things; managing is an authority relationship; leading is an in ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uence relationship; and managing creates stability; leading creates change. While these ideas are provocative and stimulating, they do not provide a basis for study and deep understanding of the dynamics behind the two processes of leading and managing. We can de ¬Ã‚ ne both the leading function and the managing function in three terms. Each term or perspective is distinctly different from the other two. the  ¬Ã‚ rst term provides the perspective of the purpose of each function. this answers the question why does each function exist? the second term describes the products or outcomes or results of each function. this answer the question what does each function result in or create? the third term has to do with the processes involved in each respective function and it answers the question how does each function come about, or how is each manifested? 3- Discussion Leaders have followers. Managers have subordinates. The biggest difference between managers and leaders is the way they inspire the people who work with. There are some key differences. Managers usually have people whose output they are responsible for. They have a positional authority over their follower and their output. Alternately, following a leader is always a voluntary activity. Leadership is often situational rather than positional the right person in the right place at the right time to lead the troops forward. It is clear that manager and leader both may know the business well. But the leader must know it better and in a different way. He must grasp the essential facts and the underlying forces that determine the past and present trends in the business, so that he can generate a vision and a strategy to bring about its future. One telling sign of a good leader is an honest attitude towards the facts, towards objective truth. Subjective leader obscures the facts for the sake of narrow self-interest, partisan interest or prejudice. Effective leaders continually ask questions, probing all levels of the organization for information, testing their own perceptions, and rechecking the facts. They talk to their constituents. They want to know what is working and what is not. They keep an open mind for serendipity to bring them the knowledge they need to know what is true. An important source of information for this sort of leader is knowledge of the failures and mistakes that are being made in their organization. Leaders investigate reality, taking in the pertinent factors and analyzing them carefully. On this basis they produce visions, concepts, plans, and programs. Managers adopt the truth from others and implement it without probing for the facts that reveal reality. . Leaders base their vision, their appeal to others, and their integrity on reality, on the facts, on a careful estimate of the forces at play, and on the trends and contradictions. They develop the means for changing the original balance of forces so that their vision can be realized.. The most dramatic differences between leaders and managers are found at the extremes: poor leaders are despots, while poor managers are bureaucrats in the worst sense of the word. Whilst leadership is a human process and management is a process of resource allocation, both have their place and managers must also perform as leaders. All first-class managers turn out to have quite a lot of leadership ability. We can sum up the key differences between manager and leader as follow: The manager administers; the leader innovates. The manager is a copy; the leader is an original. The manager maintains; the leader develops. The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people. The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust. The manager accepts reality; the leader investigates it. The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective. The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why. The manager imitates; the leader originates. The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it. The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his or her own person. To summarize, leadership and management are certainly different but are essentially complementary to each other. Manager uses a formal, rational method whilst the leader uses passion and stirs emotions If you want to lead employees to very high performance, treat them with great respect and not like robots, thus leading them to treat their work, their customers, each other and their bosses with great respect. Its vital for senior individuals in positions of great responsibility to be able to play both roles: the boss who cannot manage will kill an organization just as fast as one who cannot lead. But the person who can do both, they are on the path to success. 4- Conclusion Although there are clear differences between management and leadership or manager and leader, there is also a considerable amount of overlap . when managers are involved in planning, organizing , staffing and controlling , they are involved in management . Both processes involve influencing a group of individuals toward goal attainment.

Household Waste! :: essays research papers

Household Waste! One morning my mom said "Andy, get up and clean the bathroom!" It was always an essential and important labor to the family. I got up and gathered all the normal cleaning agents we used; Ajax, ammonia, and this liquid bleach that my mom said worked wonders. The toilet I cleaned using the Ajax the sink I cleaned using the Ajax there seemed to be no need for the other two. Then I saw it- the bath tub, AH! There was a ring around the bath tub that I knew would be difficult to clean off. I decided to add the ammonia I scrubbed at the ring but it was not coming off. I then looked around thinking what to do†¦ "The Bleach!" I shouted aloud. And then -- it hit me, my mom's hand. "Never, Never, Never, use Bleach with ammonia. Infact don't mix any chemicals with one another." This is an excellent example of common mistakes people make when dealing with household chemicals/cleaners. In this assignment I will examine different cleaners commonly used in my house. I Ajax I go to the cupboard and find a can of the powder, Ajax. The can use to have a piece of tape to cover the top but now it has been lost; a potential problem. The can has an expiration date on it, 9/98. This expiration date may be incorrect because that piece of tape to cover it has been lost for some time now. II Windex In the cupboard in the upstairs bathroom is where we keep the Windex. The Windex is blue and clearly labeled, with no chance of any person mistaking it for something else. The top part is tightly screwed on with Windex filled to  ¾ of the original volume. I cannot find any expiration date, nor can I find any hint there ever was one. I should contact the product vender to see if the Windex is immortal or what. III Vinegar I go to the kitchen cupboard and find vinegar. Vinegar is what we use to mop our tile floor with. The vinegar has an "Easy flip-off cap!" and is about half of what it originally was. This too, has no evidence of an expiration date. I don't think I need to contact the item vendor because it's only vinegar. IV Formula 409 Next to the Ajax in our "Cleaner-Cupboard" we carry Formula 409, the ideal for kitchen clean-up. It is clearly labeled with no chance for

First Day of Elementary School Essay

The first day of school is always difficult. New faces on anew place. I came from a small private school in South Carolina and now I transferred to a public school in Utah. I am amazed by the big difference studying in the 2 vicinity. My mind is full of confusions and questions. Whenever I recall my first day, I can’t help but smile. Good thing I was able to survive it. First thing in the morning, I was really excited and looking forward to attending classes. Though I miss my classmates before, I know I need to move on and focus on what lies ahead of e. I get out of bed and look for something to wear. I believe wearing new clothes is not necessary but I am also afraid of being embarrassed by wearing something old. So I wore a simple jeans and shirt and rush my way to school then. One notable distinction for students on the first day of school is the look of ignorance. Everyone seems lost and looking at them on first glance, they look like very unfriendly and will not bother to know my name. It was really different fro South Carolina because there almost everyone knew one another and even your family. First day of school on a new environment is boring for me. The environment is stark and empty. I miss the feeling of people who are around us and greet us with smile and motivation. It was a major rule for students to wait outside the school premises. I find it awkward because the first day of school is supposed to be the moment where a student should experience the feeling of being at home to a new surrounding. The school is the second home of students. But it seems that my first day of school is like waiting for the plane to arrive while all of us are outside the university campuses. I wanted to blame my mom for taking me to school early which made my first day embarrassing. She is not the stereotypical mom who wears a jogging suit and drops off her kids in school. She is not fond of keeping schedules on track. I recall my kindergarten days when she brought me to school after Labor Day when in fact the school season starts in August. The same thing happened on my first day in public school. I was an hour and a half early and this leads me to rushing to the classroom without waiting for the bell. Since I am unaware of the rule I rushed towards the classroom thinking that I was already late for my class, I am dismayed by the coldness of my teacher who just barely look at me and told me to go outside and wait for the bell. To compose myself and regain my composure, I decided to sing jingle bells while walking towards outside. Having different students around me made me feel like an alien. I am also expecting for the usual sound of a ringing bell but it sounds like a text message. It was just a beep rather than a bell. Going back to the classroom scenario and my new teacher, she was not even excited to see me. I even put the best cologne for her to notice me but then my teacher is like a stick in the mud. In the end I learned that the only difference from my first day in public elementary school from my first day in kindergarten school is the number and the kind of people. Elementary school marks the preparation stage of young boys and girls towards high school. I believe that having many classmates allows me to gain more friends and more food during snack breaks. When luck strikes it is also the chance for me to gain more answers during exams. Students are not also fond of matching bow heads with Lily Pulitzer outfits. The girls at my new schools opt for matching Patagonia clothes. I cannot blame them for doing such because of the social status that they belong. After all it is not the clothes that you wear but your quality as a student that counts.

Free Education Essay

Performance of students is a product of socio-economic, psychological and environmental factors. Education plays a significant role in political, economic and social realms of development. Secondary school placement, and to some extent admission, depend on the achievement in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination in standard eight. This study aimed at finding out factors that contribute to poor performance in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination in public day primary schools in Mwimbi Division, Maara District, Kenya. Descriptive survey design was used and a sample of 6 head teachers, 51 teachers and 146 standard eight pupils participated in the study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data obtained. The study realized the following as factors contributing to poor performance in primary national examination; inadequate learning resources, inadequate monitoring by head teachers, understaffing, high teacher turnover rate, inadequate prior preparation, lack of motivation for teachers, large workload, absenteeism by both teachers and pupils, pupils lateness, lack of support from parents. The following recommendations were made; more teachers to be employed to reduce workload, Ministry of Education to organize induction courses for head teachers to equip them with managerial skills, parents to be educated on the importance of basic education for their children, mode of rewarding teachers to be established. The study is expected to give insight reference to policy makers, scholars and researchers in order to improve the weak areas. Key terms: Examination, Factors, Performance, Primary Schools 1. Introduction The development of the education sector has been a long standing objective of the Government of Kenya since independence in 1963. Education is considered by various stakeholders and players as a basic need and a basic right. Performance ranks high on the national agenda, with educators and policymakers focusing on testing, accountability, curriculum reform, and teacher quality, school choice and related concerns. Conspicuously absent has been an examination of how school conditions affect teaching and  learning, even though extensive literature exists that links school facilities to the quality of education and to teacher morale and teacher productivity (Mark, 2003). This study documents factors in school and in the community that affects teaching and learning negatively to an extent of poor performance in KCPE in Mwimbi Division of Maara District.  © Centre for Promoting Ideas, USA www. ijhssnet. com. The introduction of Free Primary Education (FPE) in January 2003, following the passing of the Children’s Act in 2001, has led to vital educational achievements. Enrolments in public schools increased significantly from 5.9 million in 2002 to 6. 9 million in 2003- a 17% increase; representing a Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) of 99% (102% girls and 97% boys). The Government provides funds, through both the School Instructional Management Book Account (SIMBA) and the General Purpose Account (GPA) to procure need based materials and improve on some infrastructure, thereby raising the quality of education. The Kenya’s education system is dominated by examination-oriented teaching, where passing examinations is the only benchmark for performance because there is no internal system of monitoring learning achievements at other levels within an education cycle. It is generally agreed that the most important manifestations of quality education have to do with literacy, cognitive abilities, performance and progression to higher levels of learning. There is reliance on scores and transition rates as core measures of achievement. In Kenya, examinations are generally acceptable as valid measures of achievement (Maiyo, 2009). Secondary school placement, and to some extent admission, depend on performance of Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination in standard eight (Michael, Miguel & Rebecca, 2004). Although the government has channeled funds into basic education, performance at KCPE shows that most of the students making transition to top schools are from private schools; this creates inequality to access of opportunities to national and top performing provincial schools (Ngugi, 2007). In 2009 KCPE results out of 1374 candidates who sat for the examination in public day primary schools, none gained admission to the well endowed national schools in the country. The KCPE examination is marked out of a maximum mark of 500. Information on Table 1 shows the mean score for some schools from 2005 to 2009 in Mwimbi Division. Table 1: KCPE Mean Grades from 2005 to 2009Public Primary School 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Mutindwa 213. 24 210. 44 214. 11 200. 67 178. 75Wiru 222. 08 203. 79 219. 47 212. 04 198. 08 Ndunguri 195. 54 223. 94 213. 69 208. 41 199. 57Kirumi 228. 04 217. 17 187. 30 193. 74 200. 91 Source: DEO Maara District (2011)Results on Table1 indicate that KCPE performance in the public day primary schools is poor. Pupils may not be admitted to national schools or provincial schools with this kind of performance as it is too low. Therefore, these trends needs reversing and improve performance in national examinations by day public primary schools. 2. Statement of the Problem Performance in national examinations by day primary schools has been poor. Therefore, this study sought to establish factors that contribute to thier poor performance in KCPE in Mwimbi Division, Maara District, Kenya. 3. Objectives of the Study The objectives of the study on factors that contribute to poor performance in KCPE in Mwimbi Division were to:- i. Investigate the school based factors ii. Find out teacher based factors iii. Determine the community based factors iv. Establish the pupil based factors 4. Methodology. Descriptive survey design was used in conducting the study. The participants were six head teachers, 51 teachers and 146 standard eight pupils. Questionnaires for the head teachers, teachers and pupils were used to provide the needed data. Data obtained was analyzed using descriptive statistics. 5. Results The following results were obtained from the study; 5. 1 School-Based Factors that Contribute to Poor Performance in KCPE Various school based factors were identified as contributing to poor performance in KCPE examinations. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 5; March 2012 129 a) Commencement of Learning The time allocated for teaching and learning is a factor influencing pupils’ academic performance. There are three school terms every year with holidays in between in the months of April, August and December. The study therefore sought to find out when learning begins after a holiday. Results obtained indicate that majority of pupils (55. 5%) start learning in the second week after school opens and 43. 8% indicated that they start learning after the first week of the school term. This indicates that there is a lot of time wastage before learning begins. Eshiwani (1983) noted that most schools loose many teaching/ learning hours at the beginning of the term, this wastage leads to less work being covered and syllabi not being completed on time hence, contributing to poor performance in KCPE examinations. b) Adequacy of Learning Resources The adequacy and use of teaching and learning materials affects the effectiveness of a teacher’s lesson. Teaching and learning resources enhances understanding of abstract ideas and improves performance. The study sought adequacy of learning resources like text books, library books, wall maps and the exercise books. Data on Table 2 shows that text books provided in class and exercise books are adequate to but library books and wall maps are not adequate. Table 2: Adequacy of Learning Resources Learning Resource Adequate F % Inadequate F % Text Books Provided in the Class 80 54. 8 66 45. 2 Library Books 14 9. 6 132 90. 4 Wall Maps 11 7. 5 135 92. 5 Exercise Books 121 82. 9 25 17. 1 This makes learning of subjects like Social Studies very abstract to the pupils and could be a factor contributing to poor performance in national examinations. Schneider (2003) found out that school facilities have a direct effect on teaching and learning. Text books enable the pupils to follow the teacher’s sequence of presentation and aids in understanding of lessons (Ubogu, 2004). c) School Administration The quality of school administration plays a vital role in academic performance as it is concerned with pupils, teachers, rules, regulations and policies that govern the school system. In analyzing the efficiency of school administration, the following aspects were looked into: Frequency of staff meetings, frequency of checking teachers’ schemes of work and lesson plans, adequacy of teachers’ prior preparation, frequency of class observation by the head teacher.i. Frequency of Staff Meetings in a Term Data obtained shows that majority of the respondents (64. 7%) indicated that staff meetings are held twice a term, 19. 6% indicated once only in a term and 15. 7% indicated that they hold staff meetings more than twice in a term. Few staff meetings may lead to less co-ordination of curriculum implementation. Findings by Kathuri (1986) asserted that the first aspect of administration is staff meetings as they facilitate co-ordination of various activities in the school. This implies that there was less monitoring and reporting of the progress of the schools activities to the teachers and this could be a factor contributing to poor performance in national examinations. ii. Frequency of Checking Teachers’ Schemes of work The responsibility of checking the professional documents like teachers’ schemes of work and lesson plans lies in the hands of the head teacher. This may be done in person or he may delegate to the deputy head teacher or the senior teacher. Preparation and use of schemes of work by the teachers enhances sequential teaching and results to improved achievement. The frequency of checking teachers’ schemes of work was therefore looked into and allhead teachers (100%) indicated that they randomly check the teachers’ schemes of work only once a term. This reflects that head teachers do not do any follow up on curriculum implementation during the course of the term. Checking of teachers schemes of work should be done frequently to allow the head teacher monitor curriculum implementation. Lack of this close monitoring could be a factor contributing to poor performance in national examinations.  © Centre for Promoting Ideas, USA www. ijhssnet. com iii. Frequency of Checking the Teachers’ Lessons Plans Teachers’ lesson plan is a professional document prepared by teachers for the purpose of presentation of a lesson. The teacher indicates whether the lesson has been taught and objectives achieved; if the lesson is not taught, then the teacher indicates the reason why and when he intends to cover it; if the lesson objectives are not achieved, the teacher plans for remedial lesson in order to make the concept understood by the pupils. Table 3: Frequency of Checking Teachers’ Lesson Plans Number of Times Percent Once a month 83. 3 Once a term 16. 7 Total 100. 0. Information on Table 3 shows that majority of the head teachers (83. 3%) check teachers lesson plans once a month and 16. 7% indicated that they are checked once a term. Head teachers should monitor lesson plan preparation frequently; otherwise it may lead to poor performance by in national examinations. iv. Adequacy of Teachers’ Prior Preparation Adequate prior preparation before a teacher goes to class leads to good performance by the pupils. This promotes sequential presentation of concepts by the teacher to the learners. Information on Table 4, head teachers indicate that teachers’ prior preparation is fair (66.7%). Table 4: The Adequacy of Teachers’ Prior Preparation This is an indication that head teachers are not satisfied with the teachers’ prior preparation. Always, prior preparation by the teachers leads to systematic delivery of concepts to pupils and enhances performance. Therefore, teachers prior preparation was not sufficient and could be a factor leading to poor performance by the pupils. v. Observation of Classes by Head teachers One of the roles of the head teacher is to carry out internal supervision of curriculum implementation in his/her school. This involves physical observation of teachers’ lessons in progress. Results on Table 5 shows the frequency at which the head teachers observed classes conducted by the teachers. Table 5: Observation of Classes by the Head-teachers Number of Times Percent More than twice 33. 3 Not at all 66. 7 Total 100. 0 Majority of the head teachers (66. 7%) do not at all observe classes conducted by the teachers in a given term. One of the head teachers’ roles is regular class supervision in order to promote curriculum goals. Failure to do so may lead to poor performance in national examinations. d) Teacher-Based Factors. These are the factors within the teachers that could hinder or promote academic performance of pupils in their schools. The study sought to analyze the following aspects of teacher based factors: teacher commitment, teachers’ frequency of absenteeism, teachers’ motivation and teachers’ work load. i. Teacher Commitment Level Good performance is as a result of high commitment levels by the teachers. All head teachers (100%) indicated teachers’ commitment as moderate. Rating Percent Good 33. 3 Fair 66. 7 Total 100. 0International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 5; March 2012 131. No teacher was rated as having high commitment to their work. Ubogu (2004) asserts that teachers who lack enthusiasm are unable to teach effectively, making pupils not to learn well. This could be a contributing factor to poor performance by the pupils in national examinations. ii. Frequency of Absenteeism among Teachers Teachers’ rate of absenteeism was looked into and majority of the head teachers (66. 7%) rated them as moderate, while 33. 3% indicated their rate of absenteeism as low. When teachers absent themselves from school frequently, pupils go unattended and do not do well in examinations. Absenteeism by teachers reduces the amount of instructional time and this result in the syllabi not being completed. This in return results to lower output of work by the pupils (Ubogu, 2004). iii. Teachers’ Motivation Majority of the head teachers (66. 7%) said that teachers were not motivated, while 33. 3% indicated they are. World Bank Report (1986) acknowledges that teacher satisfaction is generally related to achievement†¦ satisfied teachers would concentrate hence enhancing academic performance of their pupils. iv. Teacher Turn-over Rate The teacher turnover rate in the last one year was also looked into. Results obtained indicate that 50% of teachers were transferred once, 33. 3% twice and 16. 7% were transferred five times in a year. This is a factor that contributes to poor performance in examinations. According to Schneider (2003) high teacher turn over forces schools to devote attention, time and financial resources attracting replacement of teachers. v. Teachers’ Workload The number of lessons teachers take per week out of possible 40 lessons was looked into and majority of the teachers (80. 32%) had a work load of between 36 and 40 lessons, 19. 68% had lessons between 31 and 35 lessons out of a possible 40 lessons. This implies that teachers are not overloaded hence; their output in terms of national examinations performance should be good. 5. 2 Pupil-Based Factors These are the factors within the pupils that could enhance or hinder their academic performance. In the pupil based factors; the following aspects were looked into: pupils’ language use, pupils’ rate of absenteeism and pupils’ lateness to school. a) Pupils’ Language Use Data on language used by pupils in class among themselves is indicated on Table 6. Table 6: Pupils’ Language Use. Language Used F % Mother Tongue 18 35. 3 English 5 9. 8 Kiswahili 26 51. 0 English and Kiswahili 2 3. 9 Total 51 100. 0 Majority of the pupils (51%) used Kiswahili to communicate among themselves, 35. 3% use their mother tongue, 9. 8% use English, and 3. 9% use both Kiswahili and English. Pupils who interact using English language tend to understand it better and do well in examinations as all examinations are written in English language; pupils who use mother tongue for interaction are disadvantaged as they end performing poorly in examinations which are written in English. Ubogu (2004) asserts that the prevalence of the use of local language means that pupils would lack a lot of vocabularies in English, which would be needed to understand teachers’ lessons and the textbooks they read. b) Pupils’ Frequency of Absenteeism The aspect of how frequent pupils absented themselves from school was looked into and 41% indicated they moderately miss school, 29. 4% indicated their rate of absenteeism is high and 29. 4% indicated low. When pupils absent themselves from school, they tend to lose many concepts and definitely may not do well in exams.  © Centre for Promoting Ideas, USA www.ijhssnet. com 132 The effect of absenteeism and irregular school attendance is that materials taught is difficult to understand when studied on one’s own. Continued loss of classes results to loss of content and knowledge. Assignments and exercises would not be properly and correctly done leading to poor performance (Ubogu, 2004). From the analysis above, quite a number of pupils absent themselves from school and therefore this could be a factor contributing to poor performance. c) Pupils’ Lateness Information on Table 7 shows majority of teachers indicated pupils’ rate of lateness as frequent. This would definitely lead to poor performance in examinations. Table 7: Frequency of Lateness among Pupils Frequency Percent Very Frequent 31 60. 8 Not Frequent 20 39. 2 Total 51 100. 0 5. 3 Community-Based Factors Community based factors are factors within the community that impede or enhance pupils’ academic performance. In analyzing the community based factors, the following aspects were looked into; a) Parents’ Consultation with Teachers Good performance is realized when parents work in consultation with the teachers in order to understand their children better. The study therefore sought to find out how often parents consult the teachers on matters pertaining their children’s education. Data obtained indicate that majority of parents (62%) rarely consult teachers on education matters of their children, 20% indicated they sometimes consult and 8% do often consult but 10% never consulted teachers. This is an indication that most parents were not so much concerned about education of the children. Ubogu (2004) indicated that parents’ interaction with teachers enables them to know what their children are encountering in school and what could be done to deal with the problems. It would also put pupils on alert and study in school as they would know that their parents would inquire about their performance. Parents may not be able to provide much guidance and help their children’s performance improve when they are ignorant of what happens in school. b) Parental Response to Provision of Learning Materials Results on Table 8 shows, parents’ poor response to provision of learning materials. Table 8: Parental Response to Provision of Learning Materials Rating F % Good 5 10. 0 Satisfactory 17 34. 0 Poor 28 56. 0 Total 50 100. 0 Ubogu (2004) asserts that lack of basic school needs like learning materials  could not provide a stable mind and conducive environment for the pupils to study. Lack of learning materials contribute to poor performance in national examinations. c) Parents’ Willingness to Participate in School Development Results on Table 9 indicate Parents are not willingness to participate in the general school development. Schools where parents are actively involved in school development do well in exams as pupils are encouraged by both the teachers and the parents. Table 9: Parents Willingness to Participate in School Development F % Willing 2 33. 3 Not willing 4 66. 7 Total 6 100. 0International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 5; March 2012 133 d) Assistance Pupils get at Home Majority of the pupils (69. 2%) did not get assistance to do homework at home, but 30. 8% does. Those students who do not receive assistance at home to do homework end up performing poorly in national examinations. References Eshiwani, G. S. (1983). Factors Influencing Performance among Primary and Secondary School Pupils in Western Kenya Province. A policy study. Bureau of Educational Research, Kenyatta University. Kathuri, M. J. (1986). Factors that Influence the Performance of Pupils in CPE. KERA Research Report. Nairobi: Kenyatta University, Bureau of Educational Research. Maiyo. J. A. & Ashioya, L. A. (2009). Poverty Alleviation: The Educational Planning Perspective. Department of Educational Planning and Management, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. Michael, K. Miguel, E. & Rebecca, T. (2004). Incentives to Learn, BREAD working paper Number 086, Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development, U. S. A. Ngugi, P. (4th January, 2007). â€Å"400,000 Assured of Places †¦Ã¢â‚¬ . In the Daily Nation. Nairobi: Nation Media Group Ltd. Schneider, M. (2003). Do School Facilities Affect Academic Outcomes? Washington, D. C. :National Clearing house for Educational Facilities Strategic Public Relations and Research LTD, (2005). Review of the Status of Provision of Education to all Children in Kenya. ANPPCAN. Ubogu, R. E, (2004). The Causes of Absenteeism and Dropout among Secondary School Students in Delta Central Senatorial Districtof Delta State. Unpublished Ph. D Thesis, Delta State University, Nigeria: Abraka. World Bank. (1986). A Report on School Quality and Achievement. Washington DC: World Bank.