ABSTRACT
Management of organizational conflicts has become essential in the implementation of projects in both National and County Governments in Kenya. It is therefore important for continuous research studies in this area given its’ importance to national development. The purpose of the study was to establish the influence of intra-group conflict on implementation of county government projects in Busia County. The study adopted descriptive design with a target population of 127 employees of Busia County. The sample size of 127 was selected using census technique. Questionnaires were the main data collection instruments. The raw data was analyzed using descriptive statistics of the frequencies and percentages while Correlation and regression analyses were used to determine the relationship between the study variables. The findings were presented in tabular form. The findings of the study were: Results show that intra-group conflicts had significant influence on project implementation in the County Government of Busia. The study recommendations were: the management of the County Government of Busia should invest more and train its staff on influence of organizational conflicts and how these affect implementations of the projects. Organizations should come up with strategies on handling intra-group conflicts and since it has adverse influence on the implementation of projects in the County Governments in Kenya. The County Government of Busia should make certain that policies and communication that are clear and consistent, and make the rationale for decisions transparent. It is hoped that the study findings would assist managers and stakeholders in the county government in ensuring that projects within their jurisdiction are properly implemented to enhance service delivery to its’ citizens.

ABSTRACT
Increasing demands for transparency and sustainability have prompted companies to shift from conventional financial reporting to integrated reporting, which can explain the value creation process more comprehensively. This study aims to analyze the influence of corporate governance and stakeholder power on firm value and to test the role of integrated reporting quality as a mediating mechanism. Stakeholder power is broken down into the power of shareholders, the government, creditors, and customers to capture the heterogeneity of external pressures on corporate reporting practices. The study employs an explanatory quantitative approach using panel data from companies consistently listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange’s LQ45 index during the 2020–2024 period. Based on purposive sampling, 23 companies with a total of 115 observations were selected. Firm value was proxied using Tobin’s Q, while the quality of integrated reporting was measured using the Integrated Reporting Disclosure Index (IRDI) based on the Integrated Reporting framework. The data were analyzed using panel data regression with EViews 13, with profitability as a control variable. [Insert 2–3 sentences summarizing the main results of the direct and mediation tests]. The research findings are expected to expand Agency Theory and Stakeholder Theory by demonstrating that corporate value creation is determined not only by governance mechanisms and direct stakeholder pressure but also through a company’s ability to translate these mechanisms into credible integrated information for the market.

ABSTRACT
This study examined the influence of hospital service quality on patient patronage among private hospitals in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Specifically, it investigated the relationships between empathy and responsiveness as dimensions of hospital service quality and patient patronage measured through patient retention and electronic word-of-mouth (e-WoM). A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted. The study covered 230 management and senior healthcare personnel, including hospital administrators, medical directors, nursing managers and departmental heads, drawn from registered private hospitals in Port Harcourt. A census approach was employed, and data were collected using a structured questionnaire adapted from validated measurement scales. Face and content validity were established through expert review, while reliability was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficients exceeding the recommended threshold. Data were analysed using the Spearman Rank Order Correlation Coefficient at the 5% level of significance. The findings revealed that empathy has a strong positive and statistically significant relationship with patient retention (ρ = 0.801, p < 0.05) and electronic word-of-mouth (ρ = 0.728, p < 0.05). Similarly, responsiveness exhibited significant positive relationships with patient retention (ρ = 0.657, p < 0.05) and electronic word-of-mouth (ρ = 0.778, p < 0.05). These results indicate that compassionate, individualized attention and prompt, responsive healthcare services significantly enhance patients' willingness to continue patronizing private hospitals and recommend them through digital communication channels. Hospital managers should institutionalize empathy-driven service culture, improve responsiveness through streamlined service delivery, and integrate service quality indicators into performance management systems to strengthen patient retention and stimulate positive electronic word-of-mouth.