Strategic Management Best Practices and Sustainable Competitive Advantage at the East Africa Breweries Limited in the Era of Covid-19 in Kenya

Abstract

Organizations face significant concerns about remaining competitive in highly turbulent markets, which pose new opportunities and threats. Covid-19 brought about economic disruptions, which saw substantial shifts in business operations. This created a dilemma on how companies will work to maximize profits in the new normal. This calls for organizations to implement strategic management practices to achieve their goals and sustain competitive advantage in ever-changing business environments. The main objective of the study was to establish the association of strategic management practices and sustainable competitive advantage at EABL in the era of Covid-19. Case study research design was used and limited to EABL. An interview guide was used to collect data from 9 top managers at EABL. The data to be collected was primary data collected using an interview guide. The interview was collected from 9 senior managers at EABL and analyzed through content analysis. The study established that EABL adopted strategic management practices through environmental scanning, strategy formulation, implementation, and evaluation and control to achieve its core objectives. To a great extent, EABL employed a combination of strategies to remain competitive in the industry. These strategies include product and technological innovation, product differentiation, diversification, CSR and human resource management because they influence organizational performance and play a key role in decision-making. The study concluded that strategic management practices had enabled organizations to sustain a competitive edge in the industry. It also concluded that the business arena is very dynamic, and organizations must adopt more than one strategy to remain competitive. They also need to invest in human capital, as these resources are unique to a firm and play a key role in organizational success.