Implementation of Turnaround Strategies at Kenya Broadcasting Corporation

Abstract

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation is a state owned corporation established in 1995 as a semiautonomous government agency with the overall objective to inform, educate and entertain the public. In recent years, the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation has faced daunting challenges in terms bad corporate image, poor service delivery, poor perception, outdated internal systems of processes, a bloated workforce, inability to attract and maintain a professional workforce, political interference, low staff morale and poor use of information and communication technology as well as inability to meet stakeholders expectations. It was for these reasons that KBC undertook turnaround strategies to entrench changes in its strategic objectives and operations and in order to meet the increasing demands of its stakeholders. It is due to the pressure of change exerted by both the external and internal environment that led to the board of KBC and its top management to embark on a turnaround programme whose primary objective was to modernize and integrate the operations of KBC in line with international best practices and to achieve its vision of “being a world class broadcaster in the world respected for professionalism, integrity and fairness”. The research project set out to find out the implementation of the turnaround strategies by the management of KBC.The research project had two objectives. The first objective was to identify the turnaround strategies that were used by KBC. The second objective was to identify how the turnaround strategies were implemented in KBC. A comprehensive review of literature, both local and international was done. Strategy and in particular turnaround strategies as presented by various authors was analyzed. Various kinds of turnaround strategies were identified and in particular which strategies are applicable in what circumstances. A case study design was selected. Primary data was collected through an interview guide while the secondary data was obtained from KBC’s financial statement and corporate plans were also analyzed. The data collected was mainly qualitative in nature hence content analysis was the best method of analysis as it does not limit the respondents on answers and has the potential of generating more detailed information. The respondents gave similar views based on the strategies employed with some strategies having had a high positive impact on the respondents indicating high levels of efficiency whereas others did not have significant impact indicating low levels of effectiveness. The respondents also gave insights as to what areas need to be addressed to make KBC more effective in meeting their needs and expectations. From the study it was found that the turnaround strategies employed by KBC were highly ineffective in meeting organizational goals due to challenges that were encountered in their implementation and other areas also need to be further addressed in order to make the organization more efficient and effective in their delivery of service. The study also encountered limitations on the fewer respondents which created the likelihood of being biased as well as not enough primary data. The study also identified areas for further research which are “moderating effects of government assistance and turnaround strategies”, “The Adaptation and Implementation of Private Sector Management Paradigms to the Public Sector” “The challenges faced by public corporations during strategy implementation” and “The impact of changes in the external environment on media firms in Kenya.”