INFLUENCE OF EDUCATION PROGRAM AS A CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY STRATEGY ON COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF SOFT DRINK MANUFACTURERS IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA
Derek Kilwaye Kivayilu - Post Graduate Student, Masters of Business Administration (Strategic Management), Kenyatta University, Kenya
Dr. Jane Wanjira - Department of Business Administration, School of Business, Kenyatta University, Kenya
ABSTRACT
The business environment that firms operate in is not constant but keeps on changing and this poses a challenge to the way organizations carry out their activities as they seek to survival and outperform their industries. This study sought to determine the effect of education programs as a corporate social responsibility strategy on competitive advantage of soft drinks manufacturing firms in Nairobi County in Kenya. The resource dependency theory and classical liberal theory provided anchorage to the study. This study adopted a descriptive research design while targeting 68 public relation managers from soft drink and water-manufacturing firms in Nairobi. A census was used where all the 68 public relation managers from soft drink manufacturing firms were included in the study. Data for the study was primary and it was gathered using questionnaires. The findings were analyzed using descriptive statistics like means and standard deviations and inferential statistics in the form of regression analysis. The results were presented using tables and figures. The study established that education programs had a positive and significant effect on competitive advantage of the firm. The study recommends that soft drink manufacturing firms in Kenya should understand and realize the need and value of investing in education CSR strategies as this is directly linked to competitive advantage including increased market share. The findings are relevant to scholars in the field of strategic management for review of literature, manufacturers of soft drinks on how to leverage on corporate social responsibility strategies in remaining competitive. The study concludes that education programs are key drivers of competitive advantage of the firm.