The Role Of Competitive Strategies On Performance Of Kenya State Corporations

Competitive strategies are important determinant of performance of State Corporations in Kenya. The main objective of the study was to determine the role of organizational autonomy and strategic positioning in the relationship between competitive strategies and performance of Kenyan State Corporations. This study was guided by positivist philosophy. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional census survey on a population of 187 Kenyan state corporations across the public sector. The study used both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected by questionnaires which were administered to the Chief Executive Officers of the State Corporations. Data analysis entailed both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results indicated moderate mean score for cost leadership an indication that cost leadership was rated by the respondents as being inadequate for the Kenyan State Corporations. The corporations that emphasized efficiency had the highest mean score followed by the organizations emphasizing on time management. The study concluded that competitive strategies had a great influence on performance

The Effect of Business Development Services on Performance of Small and Medium Manufacturing Enterprises in Kenya

Small and Medium Enterprises have been regarded to play significant roles of job creation, poverty alleviation and economic development of many countries worldwide. These enterprises are however affected by many different factors. How these factors manifest singly or jointly is therefore a key concern for these organizations. Vital among these factors are business development services that affect how organizations produce and sell their goods and services. There is however a dearth of studies focusing on effects of aspects of business development services on organizational performance in Kenya. This study aimed at establishing how market access, procurement services and infrastructure facilities affect performance of small and medium manufacturing enterprises in Kenya. The study adopted a cross sectional survey design and examined primary data collected from 150 enterprises in Nairobi. Inferential statistics were used to interrogate relationships between independent variables and performance while descriptive statistics were used to determine distribution, central tendency and dispersion and hence establish conformity to linear regression requirements. Contrary to expectation, the results for market access did not show any relationship but procurement services and infrastructure facilities each had a positive and significant influence on performance of the enterprises. Furthermore, it was established that the joint effect of the three variables on performance of studied firms is greater than their individual effect. This study therefore concludes that, since procurement services and infrastructure facilities showed a positive influence on performance of small and medium manufacturing enterprises in Kenya, these enterprises should adopt strategies that enhance procurement and improve infrastructure facilities to experience better performance

The Mediating Influence of Employee Behaviour on the Relationship Between Strategic Planning and Competitive Advantage of Large Manufacturing Firms in Kenya

Several studies have been carried out in the past to find out how strategic planning and competitive advantage are connected and the causes of differences in competitive advantage among firms. Scholars have argued that competitive advantage can emanate from either internal or external sources and is usually in several forms which include; valuable resources, the position held within the industry, position within the marketplace, operating at lower costs than rival firms, differentiation, capabilities and dynamic capabilities. The debate on what causes differences in competitive advantage is still on. This study sought to establish the mediating influence of employee behaviour on the relationship between strategic planning and competitive advantage of large manufacturing firms in Kenya. The study was underpinned by the competitive advantage typology of Michael Porter, the resource-based theory, dynamic capabilities theory, and goal-setting theory. The study used a positivist research paradigm and a cross-sectional survey design. This was a census study from 124 large manufacturing firms in Kenya. Out of the 124 firms, data on strategic planning, employee behaviour and competitive advantage was collected from 122 of the firms representing a response rate of 98.4%. The data was interpreted using a 5-point Likert type questionnaire. The data received was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Reliability tests returned an average Cronbach Alpha Value for the three variables that is strategic planning, employee behaviour and competitive advantage, of 0.86. Hypotheses were tested using both simple and multivariate regression analysis as well as hierarchical analysis for mediation. The findings indicate that overall strategic planning has a statistically significant influence on competitive advantage and that employee behaviour mediates completely the relationship between strategic planning and competitive advantage (R2=0.751, p-value<0.05). The study concluded that the relationship between strategic planning and competitive advantage is completely mediated by employee behaviour. The study further recommended that employees’ behaviour should be strategically aligned to the goals and objectives set in the strategic plan and that they should be committed fully to the ideals of the firm in order for the firm to attain and sustain its competitive advantage position. Keywords: strategic planning, competitive advantage employee behaviour, lower costs, differentiation, capabilities, dynamic capabilities DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/11-8-01 Publication date:March 31st 201

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP, EMPLOYEE OUTCOMES, AND PERFORMANCE OF UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA

ABSTRACT University education in Kenya has undergone major reforms in the last ten years thatpose challenges to both employees and universities. To address these challenges, universities needproactive leadership and a motivated workforce which transformational leadership can provide asit has the ability to motivate and empower employees to better organizational performance. Thisstudy sought to determine the factors that influence the relationship between transformationalleadership and performance and if this relationship is direct or it is mediated by other factors. Thestudy employed a positivist approach to research and used a descriptive survey research design.Data was collected from the top leadership of the 52 fully-fledged universities in Kenya using aquestionnaire. A response rate of 73% was realized. Descriptive statistics were used to obtain ageneral understanding of the universities while different statistical techniques such as regressionanalysis and correlation analysis were used to analyse data and test the hypotheses. The resultssupported all the hypotheses and showed positive and statistically significant relationships betweentransformational leadership and performance and between transformational leadership andemployee outcomes. Employee outcomes fully mediate the relationship between transformationalleadership and performance. It emerged that transformational leadership behaviour of the topleadership of universities in Kenya led to high employee performance and organizationaleffectiveness. Specifically the findings suggest that in terms of policy, universities need visionaryleadership and sound policies that will strengthen their position as a fundamental sector ingenerating human capital for the county’s developmental and economic needs. In terms of practice,the findings of this study are useful to the leadership of Kenyan universities in the formulation ofstrategies for improving performance and in developing leadership training policies for universitiesin Kenya. The results of this study have significant implications for theory in that they add to thebody of knowledge on the mediating effect of employee outcomes on the relationship betweentransformational leadership and performance as well as the universality of the transformationaltransactionaltheory across nations and societie

Transformational Leadership and Performance of Deposit-Taking Saccos in Nairobi City County: Kenyan Perspective

Organizational leaders are crucial in motivating and helping their employees to be competitive and committed to the achievement of organizational goals and objectives by use of effective leadership styles. Transformational leadership influences the fundamental attitudes and assumptions of an organization’s members, creating a common mentality to attain the organization’s goals and this leadership style usually generates higher performance. The major objective of this study was to establish the relationship between transformational leadership and performance of Deposit taking SACCOs in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The theories chosen to anchor the variables in this study was transformational leadership theory. This study adopted descriptive cross-sectional research design. The population of the study was the (40) deposit taking savings and cooperative societies in Nairobi City County as at December 2016. The researcher collected data from the forty chief executive officers of the SACCOs and randomly selected ten employees from each SACCO. This gave four hundred and forty (440) respondents who are far much more than the recommended three hundred and eighty four (384) respondents. The data for the study was both primary and secondary quantitative data. Multiple regression models were used to test the significance of the influence of the independent variable on the dependent variable. T-test was used to test the direction of the relationship between the dependent and the independent variable. The results of the study findings were established and compared to various theories anchoring the study and conceptual, contextual and empirical evidence. The study found a relatively strong relationship between transformational leadership and financial performance as well as non-financial measures. It was also established that transformational leadership have a positive and statistically moderate relationship with employee commitment. Keywords: Transformational leadership, SACCOs, Performance, Nairobi City County DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/14-2-05 Publication date: January 31st 202

Effects of Selected Corporate Governance Characteristics on Firm Performance: Empirical Evidence from Kenya

This paper examines the interrelations among ownership, board and manager characteristics and firm performance in a sample of 54 firms listed at the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE). These governance characteristics, designed to minimize agency problems between principals and agents are operationalized in terms of ownership concentration, ownership identity, board effectiveness and managerial discretion. The typical ownership identities at the NSE are government, foreign, institutional, manager and diverse ownership forms. Firm performance is measured using Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE) and Dividend Yield (DY). Using PPMC, Logistic Regression and Stepwise Regression, the paper presents evidence of significant positive relationship between foreign, insider, institutional and diverse ownership forms, and firm performance. However, the relationship between ownership concentration and government, and firm performance was significantly negative. The role of boards was found to be of very little value, mainly due to lack of adherence to board member selection criteria. The results also show significant positive relationship between managerial discretion and performance. Collectively, these results are consistent with pertinent literature with regard to the implications of government, foreign, manager (insider) and institutional ownership forms, but significantly differ concerning the effects of ownership concentration and diverse ownership on firm performance.Ownership Structure, Agency Theory, Ownership Concentration, Ownership Identity,Managerial Discretion, Firm Performance.