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The repository contains scholarly work, both unpublished and published, by current or former AAU faculty, staff, and students, including Works by AAU students as part of their masters, doctoral, or post-doctoral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
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Recent Submissions
Digital Transformatuon and it’s Impact on Management Efficiency in Ethiopian Commercial Banks: A Case Study of Commercial Bank of Ethiopia.
(Addis Ababa University, 2026-06-01) Betelhem Hunegnaw; Abera Legesse
Digital transformation has become an essential priority for modern banking institutions, as it reshapes how organizations operate and how managerial activities are carried out. Despite significant investments in digital technologies within Ethiopian commercial banks, there remains limited understanding of how these technologies influence internal management efficiency. This study examines the effect of digital transformation on management efficiency at the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, with particular attention to how different digital tools support managerial performance.This study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques to provide a comprehensive understanding of the research problem. Data were collected from managerial employees through structured questionnaires and supported by interviews to capture deeper insights. The research focuses on key dimensions of digital transformation, including core banking systems, digital payment platforms, communication tools, data analytics, and automation of managerial processes, and evaluates their relationship with management efficiency.The findings indicate that digital transformation positively contributes to management efficiency, particularly in areas such as decision-making, coordination, and overall managerial productivity. Automation of managerial processes and communication tools emerged as especially influential in improving efficiency, while data analytics showed more limited practical impact in the current organizational context. In addition, the results suggest that environmental conditions do not significantly alter the relationship between digital transformation and management efficiency, indicating that the benefits of digital tools are relatively consistent across different operational settings.The study concludes that digital transformation plays a critical role in enhancing managerial efficiency within the banking sector, particularly when supported by effective implementation of automation and communication systems. It further highlights the importance of strengthening organizational capabilities to fully utilize advanced digital tools such as data analytics. The findings provide practical insights for bank management and policymakers seeking to improve organizational performance through digital transformation.
Assessment of the Hygienic Status of Municipal Abattoirs in Central Ethiopia toward Designing Strategies for Improved Meat Safety Management Systems
(Addis Abeba University, 2026) Endalu Mulatu; Bekele Megersa; Ahmad Hamedy; Hika Waktole
Ensuring the safety of meat products is a significant public health concern in many developing countries, where inadequate slaughterhouse infrastructure and poor hygienic practices result in microbial contamination of meat. A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate infrastructure, operational facilities, and hygienic practices across 30 municipal abattoirs in central Ethiopia, together with the identification of pathogenic Escherichia coli. A structured questionnaire, checklist, and direct observation were used to collect information related to infrastructural conditions, operational facilities, and hygienic practices among 30
municipal abattoirs in central Ethiopia. Microbiological sampling was conducted in some selected abattoirs, including carcass swabs, workers’ hand swabs, knife swabs, water samples, fecal samples, and hide samples. Standard microbiological plating method were employed to determine the aerobic plate count and fecal coliform count, while whole-genome sequencing was performed to investigate the genetic relatedness of E. coli O157:H7 from carcasses with the other source E. coli O157:H7 as well as occurrence of antimicrobial resistance and virulence gene investigated. The results indicated significant deficiencies in abattoir infrastructure and operational facilities. More than 50 % of the municipal abattoirs faced deficiencies in terms of required facilities such as hot water sources, equipment sterilizers, chilling rooms, and proper personal hygiene facilities, designated and welldesigned hand-washing stations, showers, and restrooms, skin and bone storage rooms. In 70 % of municipal abattoirs, pest control facility, wildlife and stray dog control, and deep freezers were lacking, provision of personal protective equipment, separate room for skinning, evisceration, and viscera cleaning. Deficiencies in hygiene and food safety practices were also observed. In all municipal (100%) abattoirs, equipment sterilization between uses was not practiced, refrigerated transport for carcasses was unavailable and routine water quality testing was not conducted. Approximately, in three-fourths of the municipal abattoirs carcass processing took place on floor, and demonstrated inadequate enforcement of personal protective equipment use and lacked separate green offal, viscera and red meat transportation. Significant gaps in workers’ hygiene and safety practices were identified. The use of aprons (44.37%) and head covers (45.77%) was reported by less than half of the workers, although 63.38% reported consistently wearing the clean personal protective equipment available to them. Task alternation and equipment sharing were common, with 50% of workers engaging in these practices. Sterilization of knives between each use was not practiced in all abattoirs workers, and only 44.37% of workers performed regular medical checkups. About 35.21% workers practiced hand washing with soap while only 9.15% of respondents use gloves during the slaughtering process. Among the respondents, 52.11% of the workers had received on job food safety training. The study showed that the overall mean aerobic plate count of 6.12 log₁₀ CFU/cm2 and fecal coliform count of 4.58 log₁₀ CFU/cm2 on beef carcasses. Carcass swabs had a significantly higher mean aerobic plate count (6.12 log₁₀ CFU/cm²) compared to knife (5.54 log₁₀ CFU/cm²; p=0.006) and hand swabs (5.19 log₁₀ CFU/cm², p=0.000) while knife swabs showed a higher
mean fecal coliform count (5.05 log₁₀ CFU/cm²) than carcass swabs (p = 0.005). Water samples from municipal abattoir from Holeta, Batu and Gelan were contaminated with E.coli.In addition, prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 was 1.4% and 1.1% in feces and on carcasses, respectively Most importantly, E. coli O157:H7 was found to be negative in water, hide, hand and knife samples. Genomic analysis indicated clonal relationships among isolates from the same abattoirs and genetic diversity among isolates from different abattoirs. All isolates had multiple virulence factors such as adherence factors (eae, iha, and tir), type III translocated proteins (espA, espB, espJ, espP, etpD, nleA, nleB, and nleC), outer membrane proteins (chuA, ompT, and traT), toxins (astA, ehxA, and toxB), and other pathogenicity-related factors (gad, iss, katP, and terC). All strains carried the stx2 subtype stx2c and were completely susceptible to tested antimicrobial agents no antimicrobial resistance genes were detected. In conclusion, this study revealed substantial deficiencies in abattoir infrastructure and hygiene practices. The microbiological analysis indicated that the microbial load on beef carcasses exceeded acceptable limits both in aerobic plate count and fecal coliform count. The microbial quality of workers hand and knife were also beyond acceptable limit. The findings also indicated that contact with fecal material during evisceration is a potential source of carcass contamination with E. coli O157:H7. Therefore, hygienic practices, abattoir infrastructure, and food safety regulations must be the future focus areas in the action plan to combat carcass contamination.
Assessment of Camel Milk Handling Practices and Bacterial Loads Along the Value Chain in Borana and East Shewa, Ethiopia
(Addis Abeba University, 2026) Geletu Gudeta; Bekele Megersa
Camel milk plays a vital role in the livelihood and food security of pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Ethiopia, especially in Borana and East Shewa zones. However, poor milk handling practice compromises the quality and safety of milk along the value chain. A prospective longitudinal study was conducted from March 2025 to March 2026 to investigate hygienic milking, milk handling practices and microbial quality along the value chain in Borana and East Shewa. Milk handling practices were assessed through semi-structured interviews involving 48 camel milk producers, 20 collectors, 10 retailers, 10 cafeterias, 4
cooperatives, 20 consumers and 12 experts. A total of 752 samples with milk samples (n=472), hand swab (n=96) and container swab (n=184) samples were collected from both zones during the wet and dry seasons, and subjected to aerobic plate and coliform count. Results showed that while most producers never washed their hands (73%) or did not clean the udder (95.8%) before milking, post-milking hand washing was common (91%). In contrast, vessel hygiene practices were considerably better as nearly all producers washed (97.9%) and smoked (95.8%) their milk containers daily. All of the retailers and 60% of the collectors washed their hands with water and soap while handling milk. Nearly all of the value chain actors keep milk at room temperature until consumption. Regarding the awareness of food safety risks, experts demonstrated the highest awareness of foodborne diseases (83.3%), whereas boiling of milk especially for vulnerable groups, including children, elderly and pregnant women, is not a common practice. In both zones and seasons, the mean aerobic plate (7.47 log CFU/ml) and coliform (7.13 log CFU/ml) counts surpassed the Kenyan standard for raw camel milk. Bacterial contamination peaks at the retailer level, whereas relatively lower values recorded at the cafeterias and cooperative level. The overall mean aerobic plate counts and coliform counts increased in the wet season as compared to the dry season. Given the prevailing poor hygiene and limited food safety awareness, milk is exposed to contamination risks that require intervention measures in training and handling practices to enhance food safety.
Effect of Bank Digital Transformation on Operational Efficiency and Governance Performance: Moderating Role of Executive Innovation Awareness and Technical Background. A Case of Awash Bank.
(Addis Ababa University, 2026-05-23) Chala Tadesse; Zelalem G/Tsadik
This research empirically examines the relation between bank digital transformation, executives’ innovation awareness and executives’ technical background, corporate governance performance, and operational efficiency. The study employed a quantitative method. Data were gathered through surveys n=345 from banking professionals (branch managers, directors, executives and board of directors) across Awash Bank's Addis Ababa regional offices. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data. Drawing on Dynamic Capabilities Theory, Resource-Based View, and Agency Theory, the study proposes and tests six hypotheses. Hypothesis testing confirmed two significant direct effects and four significant moderation effects, all at p < 0.001. Digital transformation positively and significantly influenced both operational efficiency (β = 0.227, p < 0.001) and corporate governance performance (β = 0.203, p < 0.001)' before moderation results. Furthermore, executives’ technical background positively moderates the relationship between digital transformation and operational efficiency (β = 0.225). Simple slope analysis demonstrated the moderation effect at low, moderate and high level. When executives’ technical background was low, slope of bank digital transformation on operational efficiency was near zero (β = 0.002), rising to 0.452 at high levels. For executive innovation awareness on corporate governance performance, slope ranged from −0.074 (low) to 0.480 (high). However, when technical background is high the slope strengthens and reaches 0.554 from low to high levels. The model demonstrated strong explanatory power with R² values of 0.698 for corporate governance performance and 0.688 for operational efficiency. The model demonstrated high predictive relevance (Q² > 0.60) and meaningful effect sizes for all constructs. The result demonstrates 69.8% of variance in corporate governance performance and 68.8% in operational efficiency, as a result both them shows significant explanatory power. The findings suggest that executive capability development programs should accompany digital investment strategies to maximize governance and efficiency returns.
The Effect of Strategic Planning on Organizational Performance, in Case of Abay Bank S.C Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
(Addis Ababa University, 2026-01-02) Birhanu Alene; Yohannes Workaferahu
This study examined the effect of strategic planning on organizational performance in Abay Bank S.C., Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Although strategic planning is widely recognized as a key management practice, there remains limited empirical evidence in the Ethiopian banking sector on how its major dimensions jointly affect performance, particularly in private commercial banks. Previous studies have often focused on individual planning elements or narrow performance measures, creating a gap in understanding the broader relationship between environmental scanning, strategic formulation, strategic implementation, strategic evaluation, and organizational performance. Accordingly, the study aimed to assess the effect of these strategic planning dimensions on organizational performance. The study adopted a quantitative research approach and descriptive survey design was used. Primary data were collected from 268 employees through structured questionnaires, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis with SPSS version 27. Organizational performance was measured using employee commitment, operational efficiency, service quality, customer satisfaction, market share, and profitability. The findings showed that strategic planning practices positively affect organizational performance in Abay Bank S.C. Among the dimensions, strategic implementation had the strongest influence, while environmental scanning and strategic formulation also showed significant positive effects. Strategic evaluation had a relatively weaker contribution. The study concludes that effective strategic planning is essential for improving bank performance and recommends stronger implementation, better environmental scanning, wider stakeholder participation in strategy formulation, and improved evaluation and corrective mechanisms to support sustainable organizational success