AAU Institutional Repository (AAU-ETD)
Addis Ababa University Institutional repository is an open access repository that collects,preserves, and disseminates scholarly outputs of the university. AAU-ETD archives' collection of master's theses, doctoral dissertations and preprints showcase the wide range of academic research undertaken by AAU students over the course of the University's long history.
How to Submit Your Work
The repository contains scholarly work, both unpublished and published, by current or former AAU faculty, staff, and students, including Works by AAU students as part of their masters, doctoral, or post-doctoral research
- All AAU faculty, staff, and students are invited to submit their work to the repository. Please contact the library at your college.
You may contact digirep@aau.edu.et.with any questions about the repository
Colleges,Institutes in AAU-ETD
Select a college,institute to browse its collections.
Recent Submissions
A Comparative Study of the influence of School Climate on Students’ Academic Achievement in Government and Private Secondary Schools in Lideta Sub-City, Addis Ababa
(Addis Ababa University, 2026-06-01) Lijalem Getahun; Yekunoamlak Alemu
School climate serves as a critical psychosocial determinant of student success, yet in the Ethiopian context, institutional focus remains largely limited to physical resource allocation. Understanding the human and organizational factors that cultivate high achievement is vital for addressing the performance divide in urban educational centers. This research investigated how multi-dimensional school climate dimensions directly determine Grade 12 academic achievement levels in the Lideta Sub-City of Addis Ababa. The study used a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design to examine the persistent performance gap between government and private institutions. Data collection involved 175 students and 125 teachers from four specific schools: Kefitegna-23, Ewuket Lefere, New English Private School (NEPS), and Omega. To quantify the relationship between the research variables, school climate was measured using the School Climate Index (SCI) and an adapted student survey. At the same time, academic achievement was analyzed using official Grade 12 National Examination results. Quantitative results demonstrated a significant climate gap across sectors (p < .001). The independent samples t-test revealed that higher outcomes in private schools were strongly associated with principal visibility and teacher respect. In contrast, the lower performance in government schools was linked to facility challenges and minimal parent involvement. The study found that a robust culture of high academic expectations in private institutions directly supported their 39.51% pass rate, whereas bureaucratic burdens and library misuse hindered the government sector. In response to identified safety fears among female students and a pervasive "surrender mentality" regarding exam failure, the researcher recommended that the Sub-city hire professional female psychologists to provide targeted psychosocial support. Policy implications include the allocation of budgets for teacher tutorial incentives to mirror private-sector success. Finally, school leaders must protect academic spaces like libraries for study only and implement digital tools to improve home-school communication.
Challenges and Opportunities in Talent Management for Gig workers in Ethiopia: An Exploratory Multiple Case Study of Selected Organizations in Addis Ababa
(Addis Ababa University, 2026-05-02) Noah Hailemelekot; Dejene Tulu
The gig economy has changed the way labor markets work and the challenges in Human Resources Management (HRM) in Sub-Saharan Africa are still not fully understood. With the focus on five critical HRM domains: recruitment and selection, worker engagement, skill development, performance management and retention, this study examined the opportunities and challenges in management of gig workers in Ethiopia. Semi-structured interviews with 22 participants, comprised of 16 gig workers and 6 HR/manager surveyors in three organisations in Addis Ababa were conducted in an exploratory multiple case study approach (Yin, 2018). Braun and Clarke (2006) manual thematic coding methodology was used to analyze the data. The flexibility to stability paradox, skill investment gap of institutions, opacity in evaluation and the status of performance systems, structural barriers to talent acquisition and the difficulty in reducing employee turnover due to income instability were found as the main five themes of the study The fact that gig Economy in Ethiopia is an economic response to limited formal employment opportunities rather than a lifestyle choice is the cross-cutting result discovered by this study. This contextual qualifier has important implications for HRM theory and practice. This paper contributes to performance management research by putting out the notion of opacity of assessment and provides organizations and policymakers with evidence-based recommendations. The results are contextually relevant and can provide a platform for further quantitative and long-term research of gig talent management in developing countries
Effect of Foreign Direct Investment on Operational Efficiency in Ethiopia’s Beer Industry: A Comparative Study of Heineken Ethiopia, Dashen Brewery, and Habesha Brewery
(Adiss Ababa University, 2026-01-01) Gelila Girma; Dejene T
This study investigates the impact of FDI on operational efficiency in Ethiopia's beer industry through three firms: a wholly-owned multinational subsidiary (Heineken Ethiopia), a foreign dominant joint venture (Dashen Brewery), and a locally-influenced firm with technical partnerships (Habesha Brewery). Using a quantitative research design, data were collected from 298 operational employees and analyzed through multiple regression. The results indicate that although FDI-driven infrastructure and technology transfer positively influenced efficiency, knowledge management practices proved to be the strongest predictor across all ownership models (β = 0.541–0.587, p < 0.001).More importantly, the major route to efficiency varied depending on the ownership arrangement, such that in the joint venture, the major force was institutionalized knowledge systems (β = 0.452, p < 0.001), while in the technical partnership, the role was distinctive although small (β = 0.136, p = 0.013). These findings make clear that the effect on efficiency that follows the entry of FDI is indirect and depends on institutional absorptive capacity that is in turn shaped by the respective ownership arrangement. This research concludes that institutionalized knowledge systems are important to institutionalize, and that policymakers should structure FDI incentives around train-and-link programs to maximize efficiency spillover effects.
The Moderating Role of Employees Characteristics on the Relationship Between Motivating Factors and Performance in the Case of Dashen Bank S.C
(Addis Ababa University, 2025-03-03) Bereket Abiche; Desalegn Amlaku
This study investigates the moderating role of employee characteristics—age, gender, education, and experience—on the relationship between motivating factors (salary and rewards, promotion, career development, and work environment) and employee performance in the context of Dashen Bank S.C. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining qualitative insights and quantitative analysis. Data were collected through structured questionnaires from a sample of 107 employees across 11 conveniently selected branches in the Bole area, using Slovin’s formula and simple random sampling. The research adopted both descriptive and explanatory designs, and data were analyzed using correlation, multiple regression, and moderated regression analysis via the PROCESS Macro. The findings revealed that all four motivating factors had a statistically significant and positive influence on employee performance, with the work environment being the strongest predictor. However, employee characteristics did not significantly moderate these relationships, indicating that the impact of motivational factors on performance is consistent across different demographic groups. Based on these results, the study recommends that Dashen Bank enhance working conditions, offer competitive rewards, improve training and development programs, and ensure fair promotion practices to boost employee performance across the board
Determinants of Digital Banking Adoption and the Moderating Role of Cultural Value in the Case of Addis Ababa Abay Bank Branches
(Addis Ababa University, 2026-06-02) Tsirha Tsegaye; Zelalem Gebretsadik
This study aimed to examine the factors influencing digital banking adoption and how cultural value moderates digital banking adoption among Abay Bank retail banking customers, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The study was based on an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with the three constructs of trust, social influence, and cultural value. The design of the research used was the explanatory quantitative research, in which the sampling technique used was stratified random sampling, with a sample size of 384 active participants in digital banking. The data obtained were primary data which were analyzed by using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 4. Findings showed that Perceived Usefulness (β = 0.329) and Cultural Value (β = 0.327) are the most significant direct factors influencing digital banking adoption. Trust (β = 0.170), Social Influence (β = 0.133), and Perceived Ease of Use (β = 0.117) were also found to have significant positive direct effects. The study also showed that the relationship between Perceived Ease of Use and digital banking adoption is significantly and positively moderated by Cultural Value, meaning that the ease of use of the interface is crucial for the users who tend to have high collectivist and uncertainty avoidance orientations. But neither perceived usefulness, social influence, nor trust had a significant interaction with cultural value. In the light of this study, the following recommendations are proposed for the digital adoption of the SMEs segment by Abay Bank: Digital micro-credit by backend automation using API, optimize backend API resilience, and implement vernacular interface localization. The study builds on the existing literature by providing cultural value as a key direct driver and a selective moderator in the development of financial markets in Sub-Saharan Africa.