Response Strategies and Sustainability of Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in Kenya to Changes of the Macro-environmental Factors

Abstract

As changes in the macro-environment accelerate, organizations’ survival increasingly depends on it devising responses to unforeseen circumstances, guarantying sustainability of the organization long period. Response strategies are the methods which enable organizations to fit to the external environment in the instances of change. For effective strategic responses, the organization has to match its resources of the organization to the environment which it operates. Sustainability is the continued effort to fulfill the organization mission by meeting the needs of its beneficiaries and supporters. The study sought to establish the response strategies and sustainability of Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in Kenya to changes of the macro-environmental factors. The research objectives of this study were; to determine changes in macro-environmental factors affecting Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in Kenya; to establish the response strategies adopted by the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in Kenya to deal with the macro-environmental changes; and to determine how response strategies to macro-environmental change affects sustainability of HIAS in Kenya. The research design used was case study involving careful and complete observation of the organization. An interview guide was used to collect primary data while secondary data was gathered from internal publications of HIAS in Kenya. The data collected was analyzed using content analysis. The findings show HIAS in Kenya has challenges including unfavorable political and legislative environment; resource constraints brought about by funding shocks, variations in the inflation rates and changes in donor priorities and the rising numbers of urban refugees. HIAS in Kenya, has actively sought out response strategies like collaborations and strategic alliances, outsourcing, diversification and, research and development. From the research finding, the following recommendations are made; refugee laws and policy should be reworked; mangers’ to conduct exhaustive situational and contextual analysis, need based assessment; having a shared approach in providing of services in the humanitarian sector and self-funding of NGOs should be the way to go. The study limitation is that the findings of this study were limited only to the views of management.