| dc.description.abstract | This study was conducted with the objective of finding out the
state of strategy practices in the retailing sector in Kenya. The
focus of the study was supermarkets situated in Nairobi.
Developments in strategic management theory and practice have
tended to reflect business circumstances in developed country
contexts. Some studies have been done to document such practices
in Africa. Even then, none of these studies is hased in the
retailing sector. This study investigated strategic management
practices in the retailing sector.
The study had two main objectives.
(1) To investigate (establish) the state of strategic
management in the retailing sector in Kenya with special
reference to supermarkets.
(2) To investigate (establish) the use of strategy by these
reta\lers, for attaining a competitive edge.
t, .• .;
To achieve these objectives, primary data was collected. Data was
collected through personal interviews with directors or senior
managers in the supermarkets. The interviews had both structured
and unstructured components.
The data were aria Lysed using sijnpLe descriptive statistics. A
Mann-Whitney U test was also conducted to test for any
statistically significant differences between the various
subsamples. During the analysis supermarkets were divided into two
ix
subsamples, one based on ownership and the other on
size. All the supermarkets were analysed together and then each
individual group was analysed. Inter-group comparisons were done.
The findings did not reveal any significant differences between
the various groups.
Comparisons were also made with results of a few studies done in
Kenya and other countries. Similarities and differences existed
between these three sets of studies .. The variations may be
explained by sectorial as well as environmental differences.
The theoretical advances in strategy development are way ahead of
the practice in the retailing sector in Kenya. The findings from
this study revealed that supermarkets practised minimal and
budgetary forms of strategic management. Most of the supermarkets
were run on intuition and they relied on an individual's ability
to pursue long-term goals and visions. Most of the activities
were informal~,Budgets were used to support operations. '. ,; i
One of the main purposes of strategic management is to assist
businesses to gain a competitive edge. The supermarkets studied did
not appear to be using strategy to gain an edge over their
competitors. Almost all the supermarkets appeared to be doing the
same thing in the same way.
It may not be possible to draw general conclusions due to the
limitations of this study. Nevertheless the study provides some
insights into strategy practices in the retailing sector in Kenya. | en |
