Competitive strategies employed by National Oil Corporation of Kenya

Abstract

A company without proper strategy is like a person without sight. A strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over a long term; which gives advantage for the organization through its configuration of resources within a challenging environment, to meet the needs of markets to fulfill owners' expectation. The business strategy perspective argues that achieving competitive advantage hinges on pursing a coherent competitive strategy. Strategists aver that firms should have the inside to outside approach, whereby strategies are realigned towards making of goods and services that cultivate their own niche in the market and format structures that sustain those markets. Markets are points of exit for the firm’s products, and through measures like advertising and adoption of appropriate strategy, new markets are opened. The research design was a case study of the National Oil Corporation of Kenya on competitive strategies adopted. The data collection tool was an interview guide. Content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative primary data which had been collected by conducting interviews and secondary information from the organization. The findings from the study were that the company uses low cost strategy, differentiation, focus and resource based strategy in order to compete with other oil marketers. The strategies enabled the company to minimize costs, outsource services, adopt strategies to increase market share, brand its service stations, quality offerings, marketing capabilities, technological leadership, efficient delivery system, focus on local market, ensuring market penetration and development and ensuring the company sources for resources in order to compete effectively with other companies.