RE-ENGINEERING STRATEGY AND PERFORMANCE OF LARGE MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN KENYA

Abstract

Purpose: Most of the large manufacturing firms in Kenya have been experiencing declining performance in terms of revenue, sales and the profit margins for more than a decade. This has seen some of the large manufacturing firms in the country consider strategies such as relocating or restructuring their operations, opting to serve the local market through importing from low cost manufacturing areas instead of adopting turnaround strategies. This therefore prompted a question on whether turnaround strategies such as reengineering strategy are effective for the manufacturing firms; hence the motivation of this study. Methodology: This study was informed by theory of constraints. A descriptive research design was adopted while 708 large manufacturing firms in Kenya registered under the Kenya Association of Manufacturers were targeted. The sample size for the study was 249 firms selected randomly from all the 14 sectors of the manufacturing industry in Kenya. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire, while mean, frequencies and percentages were used to describe the data. Correlation and regression analysis were done to show direction, magnitude and significance of the association between the variables. Findings: The findings revealed that re-engineering strategy had significant and positive influence on the performance of large manufacturing firms in Kenya. The findings further revealed that organizational culture had significant moderating effect on the relationship between reengineering strategy and performance of large manufacturing companies. The study concluded that reengineering strategy as one of the turnaround strategies positively influenced the performance of large manufacturing companies. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: It is therefore recommended that the management of large manufacturing firms uphold reengineering strategy in order to enhance performance. Keywords: Turnaround Strategy, Reengineering Strategy, Organizational Culture, Firm Performance, Manufacturing Firms