scholarly journals Analysis of Information Systems Capabilities and Performance of Firms in Telecommunications Industry, Kenya

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (04) ◽  
pp. 319-327
Author(s):  
Bett, Alfred Kipyegon ◽  
Dr. Johnmark Obura ◽  
Dr. Moses Oginda

In the 21st century where economies are driven majorly by knowledge and information-based service businesses, telecommunication industries are playing a critical economic role both regionally and globally. In Kenya, with a combined subscription rate of 37.8 million based on a 2016/17 Communication Authority of Kenya report of 2017, Safaricom Kenya Limited controls about 71.2% of the subscribers, Airtel Kenya Limited is second with 17.6% with Telkom Kenya coming third with 7.4%. Finserve East Africa (Equitel) a new entrant in the market controls 3.8% of subscribers. These figures points to the fact that only Safaricom seems to be the only firm performing well. This reality forms the basis of establishing whether their difference in performance is attributable to their information systems capabilities. The purpose of this study was to analyse the relationship IS capabilities and performance of firms in the telecommunications industry in Kenya. It was anchored on Resource-Based Theory and guided by a conceptual framework with the dependent variable being firm performance while independent variable was IS capabilities. Correlational and survey research designs were used. The population of the study was 408 staff comprising all executive, management and operational level managers from the business and IT sections in each firm. A sample of 202 staff was drawn through proportionate stratified random sampling method. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaire and an interview schedule. Reliability of the research instrument was tested against Cronbach’s alpha coefficient where a reliability score of 0.814 was achieved while validity was gauged through research experts’ opinions. Data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings established that IS capabilities and firm performance have a weak relationship (r = 0.409, p<0.05) which means that whenever firms in industry invested on market based IS capabilities there was a small improvement on their performance and therefore firms should invest in the development of market based IS capabilities since they have significant influence on their performance. This study may be useful to industry players by gaining better understanding on various information system resources that they can utilize to improve and sustain their performance besides policy formulation. By advancing a model that depicts the relationship between information systems resources and firm performance, this study may make a significant contribution to theory building in the field of information systems.

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Alexander Irungu Wanjiru ◽  
Stephen Makau Muathe ◽  
Jane W. Kinyua-Njuguna

Theoretical literature in strategic management describes performance as outcome of firm’s strategic objectives, which are developed and executed at the corporate level of management. Conceptual propositions also suggest that the external operating environment of a firm influences the relationship between its corporate strategies and performance. This paper examines the direct effect of corporate growth strategies on performance of large manufacturing firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The strategies under study are market development, product development and diversification. The paper also examines the moderating effect of external operating environment on the relationship between corporate growth strategies and performance of the large manufacturing firms. The authors adopted indicators of competitive position, consumer behaviour and credit accessibility to measure external operating environment.Multistage probability sampling technique was used to select study sample of 189 firms. One hundred forty eight firms responded where primary data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study findings indicate that corporate growth strategies have a positive and significant impact on a firm’s performance. It also found out that external operating environment has a moderating effect on the relationship between corporate growth strategies and firm performance. The study has important implications for managers and policy makers of the manufacturing firms.


Author(s):  
Mwamisha D Mkala ◽  
Kenneth L Wanjau ◽  
Teresia N Kyalo

Manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the breeding ground for human capital competencies, creativity and innovation, which are important inputs for manufacturing competitiveness. In Kenya, manufacturing SMEs contribute 14% of gross domestic product (GDP), and train and employ 30% of the workforce. However, their growth and competitiveness are undermined by challenges in the firms’ operations management. Consequently, the firms struggle to survive as competitive enterprises, both domestically and globally. The purpose of this study was to establish how entrepreneurial orientation (EO) enhances the relationship between operations management and firm performance. Quantitative primary data were collected from managers of 83 firms registered by the Kenya Association of Manufacturers in the food and beverage sub-sector using a self-administered questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data for relationships between the study variables. The study found a positive relationship between operations management and EO, and between EO and firm performance. The study also found that EO is a mediator of the relationship between operations management and performance of manufacturing SMEs in Kenya. The study recommends that for manufacturing SMEs to effectively deploy operations management competencies and gain global competitiveness, they must engage EO as a strategy to foment organisational experimentation and exploration and commercialize the resultant innovations. At the macroeconomic level, the government should support manufacturing SMEs through enactment and promotion of policies that enable operations managers to exploit their firm’s EO stock.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-151
Author(s):  
Noora Ahmed Lari ◽  

The State of Qatar has implemented several family policies in order to improve the wellbeing of Qatari families and ensure fair distribution of development benefits for both men and women. However, there is a linkage between female employment outside the home and instability in the marriages of Qatari families. This paper investigates the impact of female employment on marital stability, based on the results of primary data collected in Qatar, a questionnaire that consisted of several sections such as challenges in the workplace, supervisor, family and spouse relations, work motivation and performance. Of the 824 questionnaires that were returned, 807 were completed and valid for analysis. Regression analysis and an ANOVA test have been used to test the relationship between the variables. The results of the research have produced mixed findings about how wives’ employment increases marital instability and have yielded few significant differences on mean scores of discuss on work demands, insufficient time together, housework, financial matters, communication, relatives and rearing children. The results indicates that in general Qatar working women face several challenges in relation to their marital life as part of cultural and social constraints.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1069031X2110306
Author(s):  
Nilay Bicakcioglu-Peynirci ◽  
Robert E. Morgan

We investigate how strategic resource decisions—concerning slack resources and strategic marketing ambidexterity—influence the relationship between internationalization and firm performance of emerging market firms. Based upon the resource-based view, we synthesize two dominant, yet divergent, perspectives that explain the respective resource slack advantages and liabilities in the internationalization literature: the flexible capacity and the efficient capacity perspectives. We also explore the moderating role of strategic marketing ambidexterity which comprises a bundle of marketing activities covering both exploitation-dominant actions and exploration-dominant actions. We empirically examine our hypothesized relationships with data from a sample of 1,683 firm-year observations for the period between 2005 and 2018 and find that distinct forms of resource slacks have contrasting effects on the relationship between internationalization and performance. Our results provide strong evidence for positive moderation effect of unabsorbed slack resources and a negative moderation effect of absorbed slack resources on the internationalization-performance relationship. We also indicate nonsignificant moderating effect of strategic marketing ambidexterity, demonstrating that internationalization attains higher firm performance regardless of its exploration-dominant or exploitation-dominant strategic emphasis in emerging economies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3866
Author(s):  
Joana Costa ◽  
Ana Rita Neves ◽  
João Reis

Open innovation is proved to be determinant in the rationalization of sustainable innovation ecosystems. Firms, universities, governments, user communities and the overall environment are called to contribute to this dynamic process. This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the impact of open innovation on firms’ performance and to empirically assess whether university-industry collaborations are complementary or substitutes for this activity. Primary data were collected from a survey encompassing 908 firms, and then combined with performance indicators from SABI (Spanish and Portuguese business information). Econometric estimations were run to evaluate the role of open innovation and university-industry collaboration in the firm innovative propensity and performance. Results highlight the importance of diversity in collaborations with the academia and inbound open innovation strategy as enhancers of firm performance. The two activities reinforce each other. By testing the impact of open innovation practices on company performance, the need for heterogeneity in terms of contact type and university is also demonstrated. Findings cast light on the need to reformulate existing policy packages, reinforcing the ties with academia as well as the promotion of open innovation strategies. The connection to the innovation ecosystem needs to be further encouraged as well as the promotion of persistent connections with the knowledge sources in an open and multilateral framework.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary B. Awino ◽  
Dominic C. Muteshi ◽  
Reginah K. Kitiabi ◽  
Ganesh P. Pokhariyal

The study tested the impact of organization culture on the on the relationship between firm-level strategy and performance of food and beverage manufacturing firms in Kenya. The opinion of the CEO/MDs from 125 firms in this sector was sought by application of a structured questionnaire; the collected data was analysed using hierarchical regression analysis. The paper stated hypothesis that organizational culture has a significant effect on the relationship between firm-level strategy and performance. The results supported the hypothesis. Therefore, firm development of strong organization culture to support firm-level strategy for higher performance is paramount. These findings will contribute to government policy formulation for sector’s expansion and competitiveness and management drives in building a positive organization culture to support firm-level strategy for improved performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 56
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ahmad ◽  
Rohani Mohd Rus

This study sheds light on the differences in intellectual capital (IC) efficiencies across non-financial sectors in Pakistan and determines the relationship between IC and firm performance. The study used sample of 155 non-financial firms from the manufacturing and service industries of Pakistan for the period 2009-2018. This study contributes to IC research by applying modified value-added intellectual capital (MVAIC) model with relationship to firm performance (return on assets and Tobin’s Q) of Pakistani non-financial firms which was overlooked by the previous researchers. In addition, to deal with endogeneity, the dynamic panel generalized methods of moments regression is applied to test the relationship between IC and performance. Findings provide evidence that different sectors in non-financial industries manage IC components differently. IC increases both market-based performance and accounting-based performance of Pakistani firms. Among all IC components, human capital efficiency is an important determinant of firm performance. The implication can provide help managers and investors to understand the IC to increase the firm performance.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-90
Author(s):  
Rebi Fara Handika

Abstract   This paper discussed the company's motive to join a strategic alliance from the institutional theory point of view. The theory views that strategic alliances are considered as the medium to acquire legitimation from the environment. Such legitimation then improves the company’s competitive positions and performance. Further, we propose the framework to discuss the relationship between strategic alliances and a company’s performance. The paper proceeds as follows: in the next section, we discuss the institutional theory, the strategic alliance, and firm performance. Afterward, we develop the propositions and discuss the implications for future empirical research.   Abstrak   Artikel ini membahas motif perusahaan untuk bergabung dengan aliansi strategis dari sudut pandang teori institusional. Teori ini memandang bahwa aliansi strategis dianggap sebagai media untuk memperoleh legitimasi dari lingkungan. Legitimasi tersebut kemudian dipercayai akan meningkatkan posisi kompetitif dan kinerja perusahaan. Selanjutnya, kami mengusulkan framework untuk membahas hubungan antara aliansi strategis dan kinerja perusahaan. Artikel ini akan dilanjutkan sebagai berikut: pada bagian berikutnya, kita membahas teori institusional, aliansi strategis, dan kinerja perusahaan. Setelah itu, kami mengembangkan proposisi dan membahas implikasi untuk penelitian empiris di masa depan.


Author(s):  
Yakup Akgül ◽  
Mustafa Zihni Tunca

The primary objective of this chapter is to critically examine the effect of strategic orientations on the innovation and the performance of İstanbul stock market businesses in Turkey. The three most comprehensive constructs, namely strategic orientation of business enterprises (STROBE), strategic orientation of information systems (STROIS), and strategic orientation of knowledge-based enterprises (STROKE) instruments, were adopted to present a holistic picture of the effect of strategic orientation on innovation and firm performance. A survey was administered and a sample of 203 middle managers was analyzed using SmartPLS version 3.2.7 for inferential analysis and SPSS version 24 for descriptive insights.


Author(s):  
Choi Sang Long

It is paramount that firms accurately assess the cost-effectiveness of WLB policies as initiatives to conduct such policies involve cost. WLB policies should be considered due to synergistic effects by employing a variety of policies. The benefits are usually under-estimated while the costs over-estimated, as the latter is easier to measure. Until longitudinal research is conducted, we cannot discount the possibility that successful organizations are more likely to offer WLB practices, and that the practices themselves are not exerting any favorable effect on organizational performance. Instead, it might simply be that organizations offering WLB practices are more predisposed to engaging in high-quality management practices and that this approach usually generates a positive effect on employees and performance outcomes. Thus, we can surmise that improved firm performance is a result of effective management usually associated with the implementation of WLB policies in the workplace, and not solely because of WLB per se.


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