Veronicah Kaluyu

Influence of Conceptual Skills and Sustained Competitive Advantage among IT Networking SMEs in Kenya

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of managerial skills on sustained competitive advantage among IT Networking SMEs in Kenya. The study was anchored on Katz’s Managerial Skills Theory. A positivist research philosophy and descriptive correlational research design were adopted. The unit of analysis comprised 365 licensed IT networking SMEs in Kenya, while the unit of observation comprised 1,078 senior employees drawn from these firms. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 292 respondents. Of the 292 questionnaires distributed, 242 were completed and returned, yielding a response rate of 82.9%. Primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 30 using descriptive and inferential statistics.   Correlation (r=0.585, p<0.01) and regression (β=0.585, B=0.312, p<0.001; R²=0.342) indicate significant positive influence. Strategic thinking (M=3.93), innovative thinking (M=3.90), and systems thinking (M=3.87) were highly developed. The study concludes that conceptual skills explain 34.2% of the variation in competitive advantage; hence, H0₁ is rejected. Further, it concludes that managers' strategic thinking, ICT systems thinking, and innovative thinking capabilities enhance organizational competitiveness. The study recommends that SMEs strengthen market intelligence, institutionalize strategic planning and innovation management practices, and promote cross-functional collaboration to improve adaptability, decision- making, and long-term competitiveness. The findings provide practical insights for SME managers, policymakers, and ICT industry stakeholders by highlighting the importance of strengthening managers' conceptual skills to enhance sustained competitive advantage in Kenya’s digital economy.

Correlation between Technical Skills and Sustained Competitive Advantage among Information Technology Networking Small and Medium Enterprises in Kenya

This study aimed to quantify the strength and direction of the relationship between managers’ technical skills and firms’ sustained competitive advantage among IT networking SMEs in Kenya. The study adopted a positivist philosophy and a descriptive correlational design. A stratified random sample of 292 senior managerial employees was targeted from 365 licensed IT networking SMEs across Kenya's eight ICT Authority licensing tiers; 242 valid responses were achieved (response rate = 82.9%), using a structured, closed-ended questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale. Data were analysed using SPSS version 28, employing descriptive statistics and simple linear regression to test the hypothesised relationship. Technical skills were highly developed among managers, with ICT functional skills recording the highest mean (M = 3.99), followed by ICT problem-solving skills (M = 3.97) and ICT analytical skills (M = 3.87). At the composite level, regression analysis showed a positive and statistically significant association between technical skills (M = 3.87, SD = 0.63) and sustained competitive advantage (M = 3.87, SD = 0.36) (β = 0.607, R² = 0.369, p < .001), with technical skills accounting for 36.9% of the variance in sustained competitive advantage. The cross-sectional, single-source, self-reported design limits causal inference and may be subject to common method bias; the sample was nested within firms without adjustment for clustering, and the sampling precision estimate does not account for the study's stratified, clustered design. Findings are specific to licensed IT networking SMEs in Kenya. Therefore, firms should invest in structured technical skills training for managers to strengthen their capacity to sustain competitive advantage in a dynamic ICT market.

Role of Green Organisational Culture in the relationship between Adaptive Capabilities and Competitive Advantage: A study of Commercial Banks in Kenya

Adaptive capabilities are theorised to be associated with competitive advantage contingent on organisational culture. Within Kenya’s commercial banking sector, marked by an evolving green regulatory landscape, Green Organisational Culture (GOC) may strengthen or weaken the association of Adaptive Capabilities (AC) on Competitive Advantage (CA), an area which is underexplored. This study examined GOC’s moderating and mediating role in this relationship, guided by Dynamic Capabilities Theory and Organisational Culture Framework. A positivist, explanatory, cross-sectional quantitative research design covering commercial banks in Kenya. 205 primary data points using structured questionnaires from senior management were used in analysis. PLS-SEM results confirmed significant direct association of AC and CA and on GOC, as well as significant direct association of GOC and CA. The interaction of GOC with AC was insignificant, while the indirect role of AC on CA via GOC was statistically significant, confirming the mediating role of GOC.  So, GOC relates with the competitive advantage indirectly, through adaptive capabilities rather than through direct moderation. The study recommends integrating GOCs into strategic frameworks, technology uptakes, and practices. The study contributes to the empirical extension of theory in an understudied geographical and sectoral context. The results signal in favour of policy development on GOCs.

Advantage: A study of Commercial Banks in Kenya