Abstract:
A major pre
-
occupation of universities in Kenya today is how to achieve sustainable competitive
advantage in a comp
lex and challenging context of the higher education sector. Universities need
to strategically re
-
position themselves to attract and retain students, win research grants and
make optimal use of their resources by striving to be efficient and effective, and
engaging in
continuous improvement to ensure their survival and sustainability. The purpose of this study
was
to determine the factors that influence
d
strategic positioning of the newly chartered public
universities in Kenya, with specific reference to
La
ikipia University
in Laikipia County, to
survive the current competitive and operational issues t
hey face, and become profitable and
viable institutions in the university training services value chain in the long
-
term. A descriptive
survey design
entailing
stratified random sampling
was
used, with the sampling frame
comprising the University‟s employees whose opinions w
ere
sought.
T
he formula of Israel
(1992)
was adopted
to determine the sample size of
the
survey respondents.
The employees were
categorised
into three strata of senior management, teaching and non
-
teaching staff
,
and support
staff.
Q
uantitative and qualitative data was collected by use of both structured and unstructured
sets of pretested questionnaires, and analyzed with the aid of the SPSS (
Version 17.0) computer
software. Firstly, descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means
, modes, medians
and
standard deviations) was used to analyze quantitative data. Secondly, Pearson correlation
analyses were computed to determine the signific
ance of the findings and the strengths of
relationships between variables. The results are presented in the form of tabular summaries and
discussed. Further, content analysis of written materials drawn from personal expressions by the
survey respondents wa
s used to analyze qualitative data.
The results showed that senior
management support was crucial for execution of strategic objectives of the University,
especially in response to environmental factors like competition from other universities. Further,
em
ployee capacity was necessary in strategic positioning
of the University,
and needs to be
enhanced through acquisition of requisite knoweldge and skills
by employees
,
for instance,
through on
-
job training and external capacity building programs.
The Univer
sity‟s capacity for development was deemed to be unlimited in the dimensions of policy, infrastructure, student
numbers, more campuses and income generating units, but this requires to be realized.
Additionally, government
support was found to be insuffici
ent in the University and its role in
enhancing strategic positioning
of the University
was seen to be auxillary and
un
sustainable.
Consequently, the University should design strategies for resource mobilization to complement
capitation from the government
. In conclusion, t
his
study provide
s
information on positioning
strategies
Laikipia University
w
ould
need to employ to achieve sustainable competitive
advantage among universities in Kenya. This would assist current and future scholars in the field
of stra
tegic management, university managers and policy makers to understand the positioning
strategies that add value to the strategic intent of academic institutions in the face of intense
competition. The findings on
Laikipia University
can be generalized acro
ss the whole sector in
the country.