AN EVALUATION OF STRATEGIC RESPONSES TO GAIN COMPETITIVENESS IN CEMENT INDUSTRY: A CASE OF SELECTED CEMENT MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN KENYA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47672/jsm.153Keywords:
Outsourcing, performance, logistics, warehousingAbstract
Purpose: The overall purpose of this study was to evaluate the strategic responses to gain competitiveness in cement manufacturing industry.
Methodology: The study employed a descriptive research design. The population for this study was all the employees in all the six firms currently operating in the industry. The target population of the study was all the management staff of the three selected cement manufacturing firms. Questionnaires were used as data collection instruments. Qualitative and quantitative research analysis was used to analysis the data.
Results: The study findings indicated that there was high level of competition between the cement manufacturing companies and hence the companies needed to put in place strategies to counter the competition in order to gain competitive advantage amongst the firms. The study results indicated that there were various strategic responses that were adopted by the cement manufacturing companies in order to gain competitiveness. These strategies included innovation, integration, outsourcing and diversification.
Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study also recommends that the management of the manufacturing firms should carry out a benchmarking activity against the best players in the market as a way of improving their logistics outsourcing practices. This would enable them to achieve undisputed performance of their supply chains
Downloads
References
Bailey K, & Farrell, P.F (2004), Chamberlain's Theory of Strategy, 5th Edition, Heinman Publishers: London.
Bowman, Douglas, & Hubert, G. (1995). Determinants of Competitive Response Time to a New Product Introduction,. 3rd Edition, MacGraw-Hill Publishers: London.
Chatterjee, S. (1986). Types of synergy and economic value: The impact of acquisitions on merging and rival firms, Strategic management Journal, 7(2), 119-139. (1991).
Gottfredson, M., Puyear, R., & Philips, S. (2005). Strategic Sourcing:From periphery to the core, 1st Edition, Pitman Publishers: London.
Juma .M.J.O. (2010), Lead from where you are, Quarterly PPOA Bulletin Volume No. 04, Nairobi: A Publication of Non governmental organizations procurement Oversight Authority.
Palich, L. E., Cardinal, L. B., & Miller, C. C. (2000). Curvilinearity in the diversification on performance linkage. An Examination over three decades research , 21 (2). 155.
Prahalad, C. K., & Hamel, G. (1990). The core Competence of the Corporation. Havard Business Review , Vol. 68, No.3, pp. 79-91.
Teece, D. J. (1980), Economies of scope and the scope of the enterprise. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization , 1,223-247.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
