| dc.description.abstract | In order to keep up with the competition and changing consumer needs and wants in the competitive business environment, banking institutions need to use competitive strategies in order to gain competitive edge. Emerging of new technologies, globalization, changing consumer needs have resulted to changes in organizational business practices. For companies to be more efficient and effective, ICT integration in the system has become a driving force of competitive financial institutions in the market. The drive of this study was to investigate how Equity bank is striving to achieving competitive advantage through technology in Kenya. The major objectives of this study were to; determine the competitive strategies adopted by Equity bank and determine the effectiveness of the ICT as a competitive strategy by Equity bank in Kenya. This study employed a case study research design and contextual analysis. The design was necessary because it brought out clearly an in-depth understanding of complex issues or objects and extended experience and new knowledge to what had already been known in previous research. The study used descriptive research design to determine achieving competitive advantage through technology among commercial banks taking a case study of Equity bank. The descriptive study method was appropriate because it explored and described the relationship between variables in their natural setting without manipulating them. The study relied mostly on primary data source that was collected using interview guide with open-ended questions. Equity bank limited top level managers, middle level and lower level employees were the respondents of the study. Interviewing was considered an appropriate method of qualitative research because of its ability to generate honest opinion and genuine conversation between the interviewer and participants. The data collected was qualitative hence the main method was used to analyze data was content analysis. Content analysis examined the intensity with which certain themes were used and systematically describes the form or content of written or spoken material. Content analysis helped to capture the in-depth opinions of the respondents‟ thus accurate decision making of the problem under investigation. The analyzed data was presented qualitatively based on the respondent‟s in-depth analysis and measurement of their arguments, opinions, and ideas with regard to achieving competitiveness through technology by Equity bank in Kenya. The study established that Equity bank was striving to gain competitive edge by adopting modern technologies in service delivery despite the challenges from internal and external business environment. The study concluded that, to gain competitive edge in the dynamic business environment, large and small firms should adopt ICT strategies to minimize costs and maximize profits. The study recommended that innovation should be a culture of the top level management that should be supported through employee empowerment and continuous research.
Key Words: Competitive advantage, Information communication technology, Strategy,
Performance | en_US |
