STRATEGIC PLANNING, ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND PERFORMANCE OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN NIGERIA; A MEDIATING PERSPECTIVE

This study examines the influence of organizational structure on the relationship between strategic planning and performance of non-governmental organizations in Nigeria. Nigeria is featured amongst the 10 countries with the highest number of INGOs (Murdie & Kakietek, 2012). The primary motivation for this study therefore is predicated by the face validity and the notable absence of similar research in Nigeria, regarding the relationships between strategic planning, organizational structure and performance of the numerous NGOs in an otherwise dynamic or volatile environment. This study is premised upon the resource-based view (RBV) theory, the dynamic capabilities theory, the design school and Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture. The specific research objectives were to determine the relationship between strategic planning and performance of the NGOs in Nigeria and the effect of the organizational structure on this relationship. The research philosophy in this study was based upon the fundamental positivism approach. A proportionate stratified random sampling technique based on the Zikmund formula was used and yielded a final sample size of 70 (to cater for the anticipated non-response level) from a population frame of 667 NGOs (Dillman, 2000). A web-based survey questionnaire approach (qualtrics) was administered and duly completed by the respondents with a 68.57% response rate. Descriptive statistics, correlation and parametric statistical (simple linear and multiple regression) techniques were used to systematically analyze the data. The influence of strategic planning on organization performance was statistically significant (R2=0.264, F=16.504, β= 0.504, t= 4.126, p<0.05). The findings of this study have a number of implications for theory, practice and policy. Further data analysis statistically identifies organizational structure as a mediating variable. This study addresses a previously existing gap by examining the NGO sector in Nigeria and contributes immensely to the NGO realm regarding strategic planning and performance. Research has in the area of strategic planning largely concentrated in developed countries, and this is an epic examination with no previous study traced, that makes a distinct focus on the NGOs in Nigeria. Despite the study limitations encountered, the quality of the study was not compromised. This study considered only NGOs and it is recommended that future researchers should consider carrying out similar studies using different performance measures under different economic sectors to assess any response variations or engage an expanded sample size or study a specific core-sector of the NGOs in Nigeria.  Ke

CAN COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES SHAPE PERFORMANCE OF PUBLIC ENTITY?

ABSTRACT Firms operate within an environment that influences their operations either positivelyor negatively depending on the nature of their business. This study was guided by positivistphilosophy. The positivist school of thought is based on the assumption that only one reality exists,though it can only be known imperfectly due to human limitations and researchers can onlydiscover this reality within the realm of probability. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectionalcensus survey on a population of 187 Kenyan State Corporations across the public sector. Thestudy used primary data collected by questionnaires administered to the Chief Executive Officers ofthe State Corporations. The study also used secondary data on performance collected from annualperformance contract reports for State Corporations for the five performance contracting cyclesbetween 2009 and 2014 from the Department of Performance Contracting in the Ministry ofPlanning and Devolution. The results indicated that competitive strategies had statisticallysignificant effects on the performance of Kenyan state corporations. At policy level, the Governmentwill benefit from the study by developing guidelines and policies to define the required competitivestrategies. Management will benefit from this study because they could use it to formulate internalorganizational processes that would guide the positioning of the organization. Performance wastested as a composite score as reported by the Performance Contracting Department. It would beinteresting if the individual competitive strategies dimensions were tested against the raw score ofeach of the six performance areas in the performance contracts.Since the context of the study wasKenyan State Corporations future research could be undertaken to replicate this to compareperformance of Kenyan State Corporations with that of public quoted companies at the SecuritiesExchange or other sectors of the economy to check whether the findings would be the same.Further, a similar study could be replicated but in a different context, such as a private companiesin Kenya using the same variables

Strategic planning in turbulent environment: A Conceptual View

The literature view forms a starting point for further research on the strategic planning in turbulent context. Strategic planning, for organisations to match the pace of changes in the business environment, remains a challenge and an area of discussion by researchers andpractitioners. This paper defines strategic planning and explores its importance over the years. There are differences on the content and the number of steps found in strategic planning, leaving readers with questions like: What are the primary steps in the strategic planning and how does the process flow? What literature is available on this field? Is strategic planning still relevant to organisations in a turbulent environment? In an attempt to address these questions,the authors analyse and discuss theories and empirical findings advanced by various researchers and the conceptual framework of strategic planning; outlining gaps likely to elicit further research interest.Keywords: strategic planning process, turbulent environment, organisations, strategy formulation and implementation, organisational performance

Learning Organization and Performance of Large Manufacturing Firms

The concept of learning organization has generated a lot of debate among scholars inrecent years. Learning organizations have developed as a result of pressure facing modernorganizations to adapt and remain competitive in modern business environment. However,few empirical studies have examined the relationship between learning organization andfirm performance.A number of discussions presented in literature focus on why learningmatters, yet few empirical studies address the processes required to build learningorganizations and their potential impact on firm performance. This study sought tocontribute to this growing body of knowledge by determining the influence of learningorganization on performance of large manufacturing firms in Kenya. To assess thisrelationship, the authors obtained managerial responses to the Yang, Watkins andMarsick’s Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) as well asfinancial and non-financial measures of performance.Results of the study reveal thatlearning organization has a significant influence on firm performance measured in bothfinancial and non-financial terms. The findings are consistent with the basic proposition ofResource Based View (RBV) which suggests that firms perform well when they implementstrategies that exploit their internal resources and capabilities. The findings also providesupport to previous empirical studies

STRATEGIC PLANNING, MACRO-ENVIRONMENTAL FORCES AND PERFORMANCE OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN NIGERIA

This study examines the influence of macro-environmental forces on the relationship between strategic planning and performance of non-governmental organizations in Nigeria. Nigeria is featured amongst the 10 countries with the highest number of INGOs (Murdie & Kakietek, 2012). The primary motivation for this study therefore is predicated by the face validity and the notable absence of similar research in Nigeria, regarding the relationships between strategic planning, micro-environmental forces and performance of the numerous NGOs in an otherwise complex and dynamic environment. This study is premised upon the resource based view (RBV) theory, the dynamic capabilities theory and the design school. The specific research objectives were to determine the relationship between strategic planning and performance of the NGOs in Nigeria and the influence of the macro-environment on this relationship. The research philosophy in this study was based upon the fundamental positivism approach. A proportionate stratified random sampling technique based on the Zikmund formula was used and yielded a final sample size of 70 (to cater for the anticipated non-response level) from a population frame of 667 NGOs (Dillman, 2000). A web-based survey questionnaire approach (Qualtrics) was administered and duly completed by the respondents with a 68.57% response rate. Descriptive statistics, correlation and parametric statistical (simple linear and multiple regression) techniques were used to systematically analyze the data. The influence of strategic planning on organization performance was statistically significant (R2=0.264, F=16.504, β= 0.504, t= 4.126, p<0.05). The macro-environmental forces in this study exist as a moderating factor. The findings of this study have a number of implications for theory, practice and policy. This study addresses a previously existing gap by examining the NGO sector in Nigeria and contributes immensely to the NGO realm regarding strategic planning and performance. Research has in the area of strategic planning, largely concentrated in developed countries, and this is an epic examination with no previous study traced, that makes a distinct focus on the NGOs in Nigeria. Despite the study limitations encountered, the quality of the study was not compromised. This study considered only NGOs and it is recommended that future researchers should consider carrying out similar studies using different performance measures under different economic sectors to assess any response variations or engage an expanded sample size or study a specific core-sector of the NGOs in Nigeria

EMPIRICAL VALIDATION OF AN MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES TYPOLOGY: IMPACT OF PERFORMANCE ON MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES IN NAIROBI

The Micro and Small Enterprises (SMEs) typology suggests competitive business strategies that MSEs can use to overcome the challenges they face and improve their performance. The typology combines strategic alliance (collaboration) and competency (differentiation and low cost) theories. The general objective of this study was the empirical determination of the extent to which the application of business strategies based on the MSE typology is associated with better performance. The study was carried out among Nairobi informal sector MSEs in the manufacturing sector. From the results, the ideal types captured in the typology were supported. In addition, there was partial support of better performance among four of the nine classes of strategies within the typology. These accounted for 64.8 percent of the sampled enterprises. None of the enterprises that did not fit into any of the classes, however, performed better than those that did

GENERIC BUSINESS STRATEGIES IN THE MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISE TYPOLOGY: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION AMONG NAIROBI MANUFACTURING MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES

Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) play a significant role in Sub-Saharan Africa national economies, however, few transition to formal medium or large size enterprises due to a wide array of challenges faced. The MSE typology sought to provide an array of business strategies MSEs could use to overcome these challenges and improve their performance. A central foundation of the typology is the generic nature of the strategies, that is general applicability across industry, organization type or size. The general objective of this study, therefore, was to determine the extent to which the business strategies within the typology are indeed generic. The study evaluated the generalization across two sub-sectors (Furniture manufacturing and agro-food processing) as well as across gender (taken as male and female). From the study, and using binary logistic regression only two of the twenty-eight variables were statistically significant, albeit mild discriminant, therefore supporting generalizability across sub-sectors. In addition, none of the variables served as statistically significant discriminants between male or female owners. Though limited in scope the generic nature of the defined strategies was established, providing support for the MSE typology meeting the generic requirement from typology theory

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