Publications

Researchers and aid organizations have reported that orphans in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are particularly vulnerable to abuse and neglect. This article is a review of qualitative studies that address experiences of maltreatment among orphaned children and youth living in extended families in SSA. It aims to inform policy and programming by providing a better understanding of the types of maltreatment encountered and the perceived risk factors. A literature search was carried out using Google, PubMed, Scholars Portal Search and Scopus. Searches of relevant bibliographies and publications of authors were also undertaken. Studies from peer-reviewed journals and the grey literature were reviewed for relevance and quality. Eligible studies had to include orphans living with extended family in SSA as participants, explore their maltreatment experiences and employ a sound qualitative methodology. Findings were coded, extracted, compared and synthesized. Twenty articles, representing 15 studies, were selected. These studies, from diverse SSAn countries, reported similar forms of maltreatment among orphaned children and youth: experiences of intra-household discrimination; material and educational neglect; excessive child labour; exploitation by family members and psychological, sexual and physical abuse. The perceived risk factors were poverty, living with a non-biological caregiver, stigma and alcohol abuse. The findings of the included studies suggest that awareness, prevention and intervention initiatives aimed to curb child abuse and neglect within communities in SSA are needed and should be coupled with efforts to promote education and reduce poverty and stigma.

Purpose – Although previous studies have attempted to explain why some customers remain loyal to a product or service provider and/or why others switch, few studies have interrogated the role of social pressure as well as the moderating role of corporate image. Methodology – The paper uses a composite measure of customer loyalty which provides both behavioral aspects and attitudinal loyalty. Survey data derived from a sample of 140 users of mobile services in Kenya was used and the hypotheses was tested using moderated regression analysis. Findings – The results indicate that perceived service value, service quality and social pressure were significant predictors of customer loyalty, while customer satisfaction was not significant. Corporate image was found to moderate the relationship between service value, service quality, social pressure and customer loyalty. Research limitations – Even though the study utilized a sample similar to other existing studies, future research should use larger samples, different measures of variables and different contexts. Implications – To improve on customer loyalty, mobile telecommunication firms in Kenya should place more emphasis on the value offered to customers as well as the needs of the social units like family, friends and colleagues. Moreover, telecommunication firms should invest in good corporate image in order to realize the benefits of customer loyalty. Originality/value – The study adds value to the understanding of the determinants of customer loyalty. More importantly, social pressure is an important determinant of customer loyalty. Second, corporate image plays a moderating role in customer behavior. Thus firms eager to engender customer loyalty should invest in corporate image.