| dc.description.abstract | The objective of this study was to consider the influences of experiential
background on the choice of competitive strategies made by the top
executives of the companies listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange. The
study had a number of hypotheses relating choice of innovation,
marketing, quality, service differentiation strategies; and low-cost
leadership strategies to the duration chief executives have served in
various functional areas. A structured questionnaire was used to collect
primary data, through a drop-and-pick arrangement. No secondary data
was used in this study. The SPSS was used to develop a database to
facilitate analysis of the collected data.
Frequency tables, descriptive statistics and correlations analysis
conducted on the survey responses of 31 top executives, representing
62% of the companies in the study census reveal that, to some extent,
experience in particular functional areas are related to the choices of the
competitive strategies adopted by the chief executives. The study further
revealed that top executives in Kenyan companies are emphasizing a
mixture of the dimensions of the above strategies; with no clear-cut single
strategic orientation.
The most significant finding is that there is very low emphasis placed on
research and development and hence very low inclination to innovation,
which might explain the low level of competitiveness of Kenyan products
in the global market. Limitations of the study, implications of the findings of
the study for the top executives are discussed and recommendations are
made for further research in this vital area of management | en |
