Business Continuity Planning and Resilience of Dodhia Packaging Kenya Ltd in the Covid 19 Era

Abstract

This study was undertaken to assess the effect of business continuity planning (BCP) on the resilience of Dodhia packaging Kenya Ltd (DPK). Resilience theory, stakeholder theory of crisis management, open systems theory and contingency theory were used in the study. Case study research design was used in the study. The study targeted five heads of departments at DPK: Finance, Operation, Information Communication and Technology (ICT), Procurement, and Human Resource Managers. The primary data was collected using an interview guide. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. On the business status before and during the Covid-19 pandemic, the study found that even though Dodhia packaging Kenya Ltd faced competition from other industry players, the business was fairly progressive before the pandemic. The operations which were most affected by Covid-19 at DPK included functions such as procurement, sales, finance, production and human resource. Regarding the availability of the BCP on Critical Operations at DPK before Covid-19, the findings showed that a business continuity plan had been in place that covered so much on preparedness such as fire and flood. The findings further revealed that production had reduced to 80%. As such, having the BCP in place helped DPK to survive the impacts of Covid-19 even though its operations were interrupted thus affecting their performance. On the role of stakeholders in restoring business operations post Covid-19 pandemic, the study found that DPK could respond to the pandemic requirements by developing new products such as sanitizers and hand wash materials. Proactivity by DPK in terms of responding to the Covid-19 pandemic helped the organization to re-strategize to survive the impacts. The study concluded that the DPK’s BCP played a role in its resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was further concluded that the availability of business continuity plans for the critical operations helped during these unforeseen events as it enabled the organization to come up with strategies which helped the business to remain afloat. It was recommended that DPK should ensure that their core production activities can exploit their key raw materials locally and not depend on importation and that the company should adopt the comprehensive use of modern technology to ensure lean management in production.