DECLARATION

This proposal is my original work and has not been presented for a degree or diploma award in

any university.

Risiki Peter Ndoto

…………………….        ………………………

Signature          Date

 

 

 

 

 

This proposal has been submitted for the examination with my approval of university supervisor

Fridah Simba Theuri

…………………………..      …………………………...

Signature        Date

 

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Firstly, I would wish to express my gratitude to the Almighty God who has enabled me to come

to this far, by giving me the strength.

Secondly, sincere gratitude to my university supervisor, Mrs. Fridah Theuri Simba for her

support and guidance.

Third, I am grateful to Jomo Kenyatta university of Agriculture and technology for having

granted me the opportunity to pursue my degree.

I am very grateful to my beloved mother for the support.

ii

DEDICATION

This research is dedicated to my beloved mother, Ms. Anna Risiki, my brothers, sisters and

friends for their encouragement, support and prayers to carry on with my studies.

 

iii

ABSTRACT

The governments have engaged themselves in business in production and service delivery as

well. Like the private sectors, they have faced myriad number of industrial unrests like industrial

conflicts within the workforce hence affecting performance negatively. The purpose of this study

will be mainly to find out the effects of industrial conflict resolution methods on the performance

of the Kenya Ferry Services Limited. Primary data for this survey will be collected through the

questionnaire answered by staff from various departments and levels.

The entire study is guided by the following specific objective: to determine how conflict

resolution methods affect employee morale, to determine how industrial conflict resolution

affects working relations and to determine how industrial conflict resolution affects staff

turnover in Kenya Ferry Services.

The study will adopt the descriptive research design since the researcher will be moving to the

ground to get the information from the workers themselves and have it reflected in the final

report to make it better understood.

The study targets two hundred and twenty employees in the parastatal with Stratified random

Sampling method used. This will be used to ensure that different categories of employees are

reached. The groups here will be the management and the operational staff who are unionsable.

A sample of five employees will be selected from different functional departments and thirty

unionisable employees selected to represent the entire population of two hundred. After using the

descriptive research method of data collection, the data collected will be analyzed using tables,

graphs and charts.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENT

DECLARATION……………………………………………………………………..i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT……………………………………………………………ii

DEDICATION……………………………………………………………………….iii

ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………….iv

TABLE OF CONTENT……………………………………………………………...v

LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………...vii

LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………………viii

ACRONYMS………………………………………………………………………..ix

DEFINITION OF TERMS…………………………………………………………..x

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study…………………………………………………………1

1.2 Statement of the problem………………………………………………………..4

1.3 Objectives ……………………………………………………………………......6

1.3.1 General objectives …………………………………………………………...6

1.3.2 Specific objectives……………………………………………………………6

1.4 Research questions…………………………………………………………...6

1.5 Justification of the study…………………………………………………......7

1.5.1 Scope of the study……………………………………………………………7

1.5.2 Limitation of the study…………………………………………………….....8

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………………9

2.2 Theoretical framework……………………………………………………............9

2.2.1 Constructive conflict……………………………………………………..…….9

2.2.2 Mayo’s theory on motivation………………………………………………..10

2.3 Organizational performance ………………………….……………………….10

v

2.4 Conceptual framework…………..…………………………………………….11

2.4.1 Employee morale…………………………………………………………….12

2.4.2 Employee relations………………………………………………………..…12

2.4.3 Staff turnover………………………………………………………………..13

2.5 Critique of the Relevant Literature on conflict resolution…………………….14

2.6 Summary of Literature Review………...……………………………………...14

2.7 Research Gap………………………………………………………………….15

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………16

3.2 Research Design……………………………………………………………….16

3.3 Target Population……………………………………………………………...16

3.4 Sampling Design……………………………………………………………....17

3.5 Data Collection Instruments………………………………………………......17

3.6 Data Collection Procedure……………………………………………………18

3.7 Data Processing and Analysis………………………………………………...18

REFERENCES………………………………………………………………..…19

APPENDICES

I. Letter of Introduction……………………………………………………20II. Questionnaire …………………………………………………………....21III. Work plan…………………………………………………………..……22IV. Budget………………………………………………………………...…23

vi

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.1 Sample size…………………………………………………………..17

vii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.1 Conceptual framework………………………………………………..11

viii

ACRONYMS

KFS- Kenya Ferry Services.

DWU- Dock Workers Union.

KHRC- Kenya Human Rights Commission.

BMW- Bavarian Motor Works

ix

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Conflict- struggle or contest between people with opposing needs, ideas, values, or goals (Algert

and Watson, 2006).

Industrial Conflict-any dispute or difference between the employees and employers or between

employers and workmen or between workmen and workmen, which is concerned with the

employment or terms of employment or with the conditions of Labour of any person. (Boomers

1975)

Organizational performance- actual output or results of an organization as measured against its

intended outputs, (Richardo and Wade, 2010)

Human resource- people who drive the performance of the organization (Beardwell and

Claydon 2007)

Collective bargaining- a process of negotiations between employers and a group of employees

aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions. (Herman 1987).

Morale - the total satisfaction derived by an individual from his job, his work-group, his

superior, the organization he works for and the environment. (Giang 2012)

Employee relations -those policies and practices which are concerned with the management and

regulation of relationships between the organization, the individual staff member, and groups of

staff within the working environment. (Hollishead et al 2003)

x