Role of Porter’s Generic Strategies on Determining Competitive Advantage of Postal Corporation of Kenya Courier Services

Abstract

In order to thrive amidst globalization, corporations and enterprises have to compete with each other on the global scale. Competition for market share has become turbulent and most likely, only the most efficient and effective companies will thrive and win out. The Postal Corporation of Kenya is one such corporation that has been caught out by global and regional competition threatening its survival. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of porter's generic strategies in determining competitive advantage of postal corporation of Kenya courier services. The study was anchored in the Porter's generic strategies. The study was undertaken using a descriptive cross-sectional survey research design. The target population comprised of forty five senior staff of Postal Corporation of Kenya which included one general manager, eleven departmental heads and thirty three branch managers. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data. A Cronbach coefficient of 0.88 was achieved for the study variables. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, which comprised of frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation. Chi-Square test and analysis was used to assess the possible association and relationship between strategies adopted by postal corporation of Kenya and competitiveness in the courier services. The study found Porter's generic strategies had association with Competitive advantage of Postal Corporation of Kenya. The study concluded that Porter's generic strategies are important strategic determinants of competitive advantage in the postal corporation of Kenya courier services. The study recommended that Postal Corporation of Kenya should focus on cost leadership and differentiation in order to enhance competitiveness in the market as the long term strategies for survival.