Competitive strategies adopted by mobile phone companies in Kenya

Abstract

The topic of this study is; Competitive Strategies Adopted by Mobile Phone Companies in Kenya. Competition has become the most important aspect that all the stakeholders in any industry need to be alert on if they are to make it and succeed. Organizations therefore have to continually assess the competitive environment in which they operate and also assess their own strategy. This also helps them to adopt winning strategies that ensures they perform very well in the industry. Telecommunication industry in Kenya is quite lucrative but faces challenges just like any other industry. Some of the challenges that have greatly affected the growth of this sector include competition from new entrants, substitute products and services, political anxieties, technological advancement and globalization. The players in this industry have over time adopted dynamic strategies if only to survive. This study was to establish the competitive strategies adopted by mobile phone companies in Kenya. The study has determined the sources of competition in the mobile phone industry in Kenya and also established the competitive strategies adopted by these companies to succeed. This data was collected from the four mobile companies in Kenya namely Safaricom, Zain, Essar and Orange. The respondents were managers in the corporate strategy, marketing, retail, sales, risk, customer care, finance and technical departments who had been in the these companies for at least five years and were involved in the formulation and implementation of the strategies The data was collected using interview guides that were sent to the respondents via email. The data collected was qualitative and was analyzed using content analysis. From the analysis, the mobile phone companies have adopted several strategies which include cost leadership, differentiation, marketing strategies, diversification, expansion, technology strategies, customer service and corporate social responsibly and according to the respondents, all of them have been successful to their companies.