Challenges of strategic alliances in Kenya Commercial Bank group limited
Abstract
Strategic alliance relationships continue to be one of the leading business strategies as a
result of increasing competition in the global market and are increasingly becoming
popular in the business world. To achieve competitive advantage, firms need to combine
their assets and capabilities in a co-operative policy. Financial institutions are
increasingly seeking partnerships such as strategic alliances to enter new markets, obtain
new skills, and share risks and resources. This study sought to investigate challenges
facing strategic alliance in KCB group limited. The study use case study as it involves a
careful and complete observation of social units. The design is deem fit to portray clear
pictures of challenges of strategic alliances in KCB group. Primary data was collected
using interview guides which consist of open-ended questions. The interviewees of this
study were the 15 senior staff working at KCB group, who were managers across all
departments in the bank. The data which was qualitative in nature was analyzed using
conceptual content analysis which is best suited method of analysis. The study concluded
companies faced impediments when formulating a strategic alliance such as lack of trust
, different priority interest of the companies, failure by top management to be committed
towards strategic alliance and failure by management to allocate sufficient resource
towards strategic alliance formulation, legal and regulations for commercial
undertakings, different priorities of companies that were seen as competitors, poor
relationship between companies and failing to properly understand the values and
assumptions of formation of strategic alliance also hindered formulation and hence
growth strategic alliance between banks and mobile telecommunication companies. The
study concluded that customers plays a role in the growth of strategic alliance in mobile
banking service as they provided offering feedback of their experience of the mobile
banking services offered by the companies so that companies could then utilize the
feedback to enhance strategic alliance, customer acceptance of strategic alliance mobile
banking services and willingness to uptake mobile banking services from the firms that
partnered hence motivating the companies to be committed to success strategic alliance.
The study concluded that companies could improve growth of the strategic partnership
between companies and other players through effective utilization of existing market
conditions to promote strategic alliance formation such as removing of stringent legal
rules, designing of good model s of partnership formulation of that facilitated integration
of the mobile phone services and money transfer and execution strategies that enabled the
company to get a critical mass market. The study recommends that management of firms
should focus on promoting positive corporate culture through improving on work
discipline focus, result oriented staff, professional focus of interest, job orientation and
employee orientation management commitment which would foster favorable corporate
culture that would influence growth of strategic alliances between companies. The study
recommend that management of firms should focus on minimizing impediments facing
strategic alliance and promote trust among the firms, eliminate differences in priority
interest of the companies, improve top management support and committment toward
strategic alliance and allocate sufficient resource toward strategic alliance formulation
Citation
Master of business administration degree, School of business, University of NairobiPublisher
University of Nairobi