Operations Management Practices and Firm Performance of Motor Vehicle Assembly Companies in Nairobi, Kenya
Abstract
The advent of globalization has brought about immerse pressure for organization to
adopt digital strategies so at to survive in the dynamic business environment and
remain relevant. Individuals use digital platforms for various reasons from social
interaction, obtaining information and purchasing good and services. The study
sought to establish the effect of digital adoption by tour and travel in Kenya, to
enhance its competitive advantage. The study also analyzed the different digital
platforms used by firms and the challenges faced by organization during
implementations of digital strategies. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional
design. The population targeted in this study consisted all the 117 tour companies
operating in Nairobi. A sample size of 65 Tours and Travel firms was taken using
Yamane’s formula. A questionnaire was used to collect the primary data which
contained elements of open ended and closed ended questions. Respondents of the
study were the marketing managers of the firms or their equivalents. Descriptive
statistics were used to synthesize information collected from the respondents. The
data was analyzed and presented in the forms of table and graphs using frequency,
percentages, means score and standard deviation. Study found that 30% of the Firms
in Nairobi use the Facebook platform to engage their customer followed by 22% on
twitter while only 9% use LinkedIn. The study also found that 90% of the Tours and
Travels firms in Nairobi using digital technology have improved their performance
and enhanced their competitive advantage. Moreover, the study established that
adoption of digital technology has improved the profitability of the firm and service
delivery. The results revealed that the adoption of technology was associated with
increased learning as well as growth in the organization. The study revealed that most
of the firm’s staff lacked technical skills to operate some of the digital technology and
management support. The study concluded that adoption of digital technology
improves and promotes the competitive advantage of a firm. It results into the
delivery of high quality service at low cost, provision of unique services leading to
high customer satisfaction, improved market share, sales volume as well as
profitability of a firm. The study recommends the need for providing effective
systems and policies that would promote the adoption of digital technology within the
Tours and Travel Firms in Kenya. The adoption of digital technology should be part
and short term and well as long term strategy of a firm. Furthermore, the management
of the Tours and Travels should continuously train their staff to equip them with skills
that may help them execute their duties.
Publisher
university of nairobi
Subject
Tours and Travel FirmsRights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesUsage Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/Collections
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