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The repository contains scholarly work, both unpublished and published, by current or former AAU faculty, staff, and students, including Works by AAU students as part of their masters, doctoral, or post-doctoral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
The Moderating Effect of Top Management Support in the Relationship Between Project Managers’ Leadership Styles and Project Success: the Case of Building Megaprojects in Addis Ababa
(A.A.U, 2025-06-04) Lelisa Markos; Asres Abitie (PhD)
The concept of project success in today’s project management is the core concern due to
increased project failures. So many studies have been done in this area because several
factors contributed to the projects’ success. The leadership skills of project managers are
one of the critical factors contributing to the success of projects. The purpose of this study
is to examine the moderating role of top management support in the relationship between
project managers' leadership styles and project success on mega projects undertaken by the
Addis Ababa City Government Mega Projects Construction Office. The study adopted a
cross-sectional survey of descriptive and explanatory design with a quantitative approach
to test the study hypothesis. Data were collected from the total population of the study area
because it was small and accessible. Eleven (11) projects were selected for the study sample,
all the projects currently run under the authority of the Addis Ababa City Government Mega
Projects Construction Office. One (1) project manager and 3 (three) key respondents from
each project were selected for the questionnaire. Among the total forty-four (44) distributed
questionnaires only 36 were responded to and used for analysis. The result of the study
shows that transformational and democratic leadership have a statistically significant
positive relationship with project success. However, no statistically significant relationship
between transactional, laissez-faire, and authoritarian leadership and project success. This
implies that contractors and project owners should emphasize the leadership style of the
project managers before assigning them to lead projects. In addition, top management
support strengthens the relationship between project success and transformational,
transactional, and democratic leadership. Nonetheless, top management support did not
have a significant role in the relationship between project success and laissez-faire and
authoritarian leadership. It shows that to enable the success of a project the
multidimensional contribution of the top management on the project has a crucial impact
by strengthening the relationship between project success and project managers' leadership
styles.
The Effects of Corporate Governance on Financial Performance of Commercial Banks of Ethiopia
(A.A.U, 2025-06-05) Zenebech Koroto; Temesgen W. (PhD)
This study investigates the effects of corporate governance mechanisms on the financial
performance of commercial banks in Ethiopia. In light of the increasingly complex and
regulated financial environment, sound corporate governance has emerged as a critical
determinant of organizational performance, especially in banking institutions that face
heightened agency problems due to information asymmetries. Drawing on agency theory,
stakeholder theory, and resource dependency theory, this study employed a mixed-methods
research design, combining quantitative analysis of panel data from 2019 to 2023 with
qualitative insights gathered through interviews with board members from five major
commercial banks in Ethiopia. The study examined six key governance variables—board
size, board meeting frequency, board gender diversity, directors’ educational qualifications,
directors’ industry experience, and chief executive officer (CEO) compensation—and
assessed their influence on bank performance, as measured by return on assets (ROA). The
regression analysis revealed that board size, frequency of board meetings, educational
qualifications of directors, and industry-specific experience were positively and significantly
associated with financial performance. However, gender diversity and CEO compensation
showed no statistically significant effect. The findings underscore the importance of
strengthening governance frameworks tailored to the unique structural and regulatory
environment of the Ethiopian banking sector. This research provides empirical evidence to
inform policymaking by the National Bank of Ethiopia and bank shareholders, and
contributes to the literature on corporate governance in emerging economies, highlighting
the context-specific nature of effective governance structures. It also offers practical
implications for aligning governance reforms with performance enhancement in the
Ethiopian banking industry.
The Impact of National Culture on Manager's Attitudes: implications for organizational change - Evidence from Ethiopia
(A.A.U, 2025-05-09) Abel Haileselassie; Yohannes Workaferahu (PhD)
This thesis analyze how Ethiopian culture can impact the manager’s attitude in Ethiopia. It
examines how Ethiopian cultural standards influence managerial practices, decision-making, and
leadership styles using Hofstede’s cultural dimensions as a theoretical framework. The study
highlights key dimensions such as Power distance, Individualism and Collectivism, Uncertainty
avoidance, Masculinity and femininity, and Indulgence and Restraint, with their implications for
Ethiopian managers. By analyzing Ethiopia’s cultural traits and their influence on management,
the paper aims to give valuable results for both local and international businesses working in
Ethiopia. The study is exploratory and it examines the impact of national culture on managers
attitudes in Ethiopia using Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. A survey-based approach is used to
collect data, analyzed data through both descriptive (including mean, standard deviation,
frequency analysis) and inferential (including correlation and regression analysis) statistical
methods. these methods are used together to create a more comprehensive understanding of the
data and the nexus between variables. The findings are Power Distance was significantly high,
indicating a preference for hierarchical leadership and respect for authority among Ethiopian
managers. High Uncertainty avoidance conducted, which is an indicative of managers' risk
avoidance behavior, desire for stability and predictability in workplace, and strong preference for
regulated work environments.Collectivism is seen as the managerial preference with in companies
in Ethiopia which prioritize on group objectives, interdependence, and loyalty, cooperation, and
harmony within the group affiliation judgment. These results contribute to a deeper understanding
of cultural influences on management and offer practical implications for organizations operating
in Ethiopia and can help to improve managerial effectiveness and cross-cultural communication
within the country.
The Effect of Internal Control on Financial Performance of Bgi Ethiopia: the Mediating Role of Balanced Scorecard
(A.A.U, 2025-06-11) Tsionawit Aweke; Degefe Duressa (PhD)
This study investigates the effect of internal control on the financial performance of BGI
Ethiopia and explores the mediating role of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC). Rooted in agency
theory, resource-based view, and contingency theory, the study analyzes the interrelationship
between control environment, risk assessment, control activities, information and
communication, and monitoring activities as components of internal control. Financial
performance is assessed using quantitative indicators such as profitability, efficiency, and
strategic alignment. The research employs a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional design
and utilizes structured questionnaires distributed to 297 employees of BGI Ethiopia. Then
Regression and mediation analyses using SPSS were conducted to test the hypothesized
relationships. The results indicate that internal control significantly influences financial
performance and that BSC partially mediates this relationship. The BSC’s four perspectives
including financial, customer, internal process, and learning and growth and translate strategic
objectives into measurable outcomes. The descriptive and explanatory type of research is
purposely to provide an accurate representation of observation and mapping a piece of ground
of particular observable facts. Findings suggest that integrating internal control systems with
strategic management tools like BSC enhances performance and accountability. The variance
accounted for (VAF) is 58.93%, indicating partial mediation BSC mediates significantly between
IC and FP is accepted. Empirical research supports that robust internal controls help align
managerial behavior with shareholder value maximization, thereby improving financial
performance This study provides practical implications for business managers, scholars, and
policymakers by highlighting the strategic value of effective internal controls and performance
measurement frameworks in improving organizational outcomes. In addition to that, it provides a
Recommendation based on conclusion.
Modelling Municipal Solid Waste GHG Emissions in Addis Ababa: a System Dynamics Approach
(A.A.U, 2025-06-17) Robera Bayissa; Zerayehu Sime (PhD)
This study employed a system dynamics model to evaluate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of municipal solid waste (MSW) management in Addis Ababa from 2022 to 2034 through the simulation of five treatment scenarios: Business as Usual (BAU), Organic Waste Diversion and Improved Sorting, Energy Recovery Maximization, Recycling-Driven Circular Economy, and a Combined Low Emission strategy. According to the BAU scenario led to faster saturation of the landfill and higher methane emissions, while Organic Diversion and Circular Economy scenarios achieved considerable emission reduction and jobs from recycling and composting. Energy Recovery Optimization scenario optimized incineration, reducing landfill usage but the CO₂ hasn't declined as in the other policy scenarios despite the net cost increasing significantly. The Integrated Low Emission scenario with over 70% efficiency in separation, 25% recycling, 30% composting, and 40% use of waste-to-energy created the lowest overall GHG emissions, less than half of BAU by 2035, and produced the most sustainable outcome in all three aspects: environmental, economic, and social. These findings underlie the importance of integrated, low-emission waste strategies to facilitate a contribution from Addis Ababa to achieving Ethiopia's Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) goals.