Strategies adopted by postel yellow pages to gain competitiveness in the publishing and advertising industry in Kenya

Abstract

While appreciating that researchers have carried out abundant research on competitive strategies, little effort has been made to investigate competitive strategies adopted by the publishing and advertising industries in Kenya. It is with this notion that the researcher in this study seeks to make these factor be understood fully. The purpose of this study is to make competitive strategies in the context of publishing and advertising be understood better. The researcher conducted a case study of Postel Yellow Pages, a publishing and advertising industry in Kenya. The study sought to determine strategies adopted by Postel Yellow Pages to gain competitiveness in the publishing and advertising industry in Kenya. Two managers were interviewed and primary data was collected qualitatively through face to face interviews. The study notes that Kenya Postel Directories managers are charged with a great responsibility of coming up with competitive strategies to counter challenges brought about by ever changing external environment. While this is true, the study recommends that this responsibility can be discharged more appropriately by way of allowing and facilitating the staff to employ their expertise, knowledge and experience in formulating strategies that are well aligned with overall goals of the organization since they are the implementers. It also notes that suitable systems of strategy evaluation need to be put in place to gage the value of strategies employed. In the comparative discussion, the study supports Porter‟s model which presents a comprehensive structural framework and analytical techniques to help understand a firm‟s competitors, its own position and helps evaluate a firm‟s competitive behavior. The study presents this model along with research-based perspective which explores the role of key resources, assets and capabilities in creating competitive advantage and superior performance.