Supply chain management practices of small and medium-sized office supplies firms in Nairobi, kenya

Abstract

The aim of this research was three-fold. Firstly, the research sought to establish the supply chain management practices adopted by the office supplies firms in Nairobi, secondly to determine the benefits of adopting supply chain management practices by the office supplies SMEs in Nairobi and thirdly to establish the supply chain management challenges facing office supplies SMEs in Nairobi. Based on the review of the literature the main supply chain management practices, the benefits and the major challenges were identified. The research adopted a complete census design, where a self-administered questionnaire was designed and distributed to 125 Nairobi-based SMEs of which 87 complete and valid questionnaires were returned. Through a descriptive and inferential statistical analysis of the data collected, it was established that managing customersupplier relationships was rated the highest ranked SCM practice. The major benefits of SCM were identified as increased response to customer needs while the major challenge was identified as the high cost of raw materials. The study concluded that SMEs implement SCM practices, benefit from implementing most of the practices, but also face challenges of embracing these new trends. The researcher has recommended that a further empirical study should be conducted to link each of the practices to the supply chain performance of the SMEs in Kenya.