Short Description: A Peer-Reviewed, Hybrid Open-Access, Google Scholar-indexed, Cabells WHITE-LISTED journal, publishing scholarly articles in finance, marketing, human resources, and Information Technology, along with manuscripts documenting Economics research data and analysis.
E-ISSN: 2469-4339
P-ISSN:
Publisher: Synergy Global
Institute:
Address: Plot No. 15, Ground Floor, 3rd Cross, Balaji Nagar, Oulgaret
City: Puducherry
State: Puducherry
Country: India
ZIP: 605010
Phone:
Email: [email protected]
10.18639/MERJ.2026.9900122
Open Access
May 04, 2026
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of organizational innovation strategies on the performance of manufacturing firms in Malawi. A descriptive-explanatory research design was used. The study used a stratified random sampling to draw a sample of 197 manufacturing firms from a population of 388 licensed and registered manufacturing firms. Structured questionnaires were used to collect primary data from the owners and managers of manufacturing firms. Data analysis was conducted using the SPSS software program version 28.0. The study used both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. In the descriptive statistical analysis, frequencies, percentages, mean scores and standard deviation were used. In the inferential statistical analysis, the study used linear regression to examine the effect of organizational innovation strategies on the performance of manufacturing firms in Malawi. The study found that organizational innovation strategies had a positive and significant effect on the performance of manufacturing firms in Malawi. Manufacturing firms that implemented organizational innovation strategies registered a greater performance in terms of sales growth than the manufacturing firms that did not implement organizational innovation strategies. The study recommends that manufacturing firms should implement organizational innovation strategies to increase their performance. They should invest in new organizational methods or significantly improve the existing organizational methods. Manufacturing firms need to invest in new organizational innovations as such innovations help the firms not only to reduce costs but also to increase efficiency, flexibility, firm productivity and customer satisfaction.
10.18639/MERJ.2026.9900121
Open Access
Apr 04, 2026
This paper examines moonlighting, its causes and effects in the workplace among tertiary institutions in Bulawayo and Matebeleland North provinces in Zimbabwe. The study analyses academic institutions to identify the challenges that they encounter in managing employees engaged in moonlighting and seeks to determine the strategies put in place to manage the phenomenon in the workplace. The study is guided by the self-efficacy theory. It utilizes qualitative methods of research in gathering and analyzing the data. The sample size of this study was determined by the level of saturation obtained from the target population and from the workforce from selected tertiary institutions. The study used semi-structured in-depth interviews and key informant interviews; the number of participants was determined by saturation. Thirty employees from the selected institutions were interviewed, and three key informant interviews were conducted. Upon reaching the 30th participant and the 3rd key informant, there was no new information obtained from the field data. Hence, the sample size of the study was 30 participants and 3 key informants. The study finds that environmental factors like the topsy-turvy economic environment of the country, which is characterized by hyperinflation, stagflation, and deflated income, have cultivated job insecurities and the increased cost of living, to be the major cause of the explosion of the moonlighting phenomenon in both the academic institutions studied. Furthermore, personal and behavioral factors like the need to acquire and utilize skills, the need to prove capabilities, lack of growth and promotion opportunities, family responsibility, retirement factors, lack of recognition and motivation in the primary job, sour employer-employee relations, entrepreneurial opportunities and the pressure exerted by diaspora, social factors, the NGO world, intensify moonlighting in the workplace. The effects thereof can be detrimental to both the organization and the individual moonlighters.
10.18639/MERJ.2026.9900120
Open Access
Mar 27, 2026
Agricultural production in many developing countries remains predominantly rain-fed and increasingly vulnerable to climate variability, undermining food security and rural livelihoods. Irrigation development is widely recognized as a critical climate adaptation strategy; however, financing constraints continue to limit its expansion, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study examines global experiences in irrigation financing and draws policy-relevant lessons for Kenya. Using a qualitative, review-based methodology guided by PRISMA principles, the study synthesizes empirical evidence on five irrigation financing models: public sector–led financing, public–private partnerships (PPPs), blended finance, farmer-led and user-financed irrigation, and climate and green financing instruments. The findings show that sustained and predictable public investment remains foundational for irrigation development, while complementary financing models can enhance efficiency, scale, and sustainability when aligned with institutional capacity and farmer affordability. No single financing model is universally optimal; successful irrigation outcomes depend on coherent integration of financing instruments within broader agricultural and food system policies. In Kenya, the study finds that irrigation constraints are primarily institutional and financial rather than technical, reflecting fragmented financing, weak cost recovery, and limited private participation. The study recommends that Kenya should adopt a diversified and integrated irrigation financing framework anchored in strong public leadership, strategic use of PPPs, catalytic blended finance, support for farmer-led irrigation, and expanded access to climate finance. Such an approach is essential for accelerating irrigation development, strengthening food security, and enhancing climate resilience.
