Strategies Adopted by Bridge Schools in Kenya to Gain Sustainable Competitive Advantage

Abstract

The business environment is challenging and firms require strategies to manage their operations. Strategies allow firms to achieve success, plan for their activities and develop power over others. It is the use and application of plans that allow firms to experience long value in their operating environment. Using the models of Porter’s competition and sustainability as well as the models of instructional theoretical framework, this inquiry determine the various plans and strategies used by Bridge Schools in Kenya to gain Sustainable Competitive Advantage. As such, the model was case study and information was developed and created using interview. School managers within Bridge Schools in Kenya were interviewed using face to face ways. Content analysis method was used in developing various themes underlying the topic. Responses with common themes or patterns were grouped together into coherent categories to get themes that relate to the topic of the study. This study found out that Bridge International Academies had in place six key strategies that include high quality service provision, cost leadership, market segmentation, focus strategies, branding and capacity building, and outsourcing. It was noted that the schools were cost leaders in that their services were cheaper than their competitors, they were also offering quality services through enhanced technological innovations, and they had curved out a sizable market segment among families in informal settlements. This study suggests future studies should incorporate more than one cluster of schools to enhance variability of the responses thus increasing reliability. Importantly, the scholars should consider using both primary and secondary data such as real academic performance and co-curricular performance of the company, look into actual costs and delve into other performance indicators related to the strategies studied