Service Branding and Performance of Insurance Firms in Ekiti State, Nigeria (Published)
The apparent poor performance in the insurance sector occasioned by poor service branding is the major factor that triggers this study. The study examined the influence of brand meaning, brand awareness, brand image and external brand communication on performance of Insurance firms in Ekiti State. Survey research design was adopted in executing the study with a population of 257 Insurance employees in Ekiti State. Since the population was relatively small, the entire population was used as a census. Primary data were collected using self-administered questionnaire distributed to employees of insurance companies in Ekiti State. The data generated from the questionnaire were subjected to statistical analysis and the hypotheses were tested using Correlation Coefficient with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0. The findings revealed that all the independent variables (brand meaning, brand awareness, brand image and external brand communication) have significant influence on performance of insurance firms in Ekiti State. Hence, the study concluded that a statistically significant and positive association exists between service branding and performance of Insurance firms in Ekiti State. Hence the study recommended that management of insurance companies should put strong policies on service branding in place so as to improve profitability and market share of insurance firms operating in Ekiti State.
Keywords: Branding, Organizational Performance, Service, insurance firms, service branding
Relationship between Product Differentiation Strategies and Organizational Performance in Sameer Africa Kenya Limited (Published)
Differentiation is one of the strategies that firms employ in an attempt to gain a competitive advantage by increasing the perceived value of their products and services relative to the perceived value of other firm’s products and services. This paper examines the influence of product differentiation and organizational performance based on a study of Sameer Africa Ltd in Nairobi, Kenya. The study targeted 112 employees of Sameer Africa (K) Limited, comprising senior management, HODs and junior staff and 90 dealers based in Nairobi. A sample of 134 respondents was selected using stratified random sampling and simple random sampling techniques. The study was guided by Strategic Balance Theory. Primary data was collected through self-administered questionnaires. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics in the form of tables and inferential statistics in the form of Pearson correlation and regression analysis with significance level of 0.05 to test the hypothesis. The study was significant and provided an empirical evaluation of the relationship between differentiation strategy and organization performance. The study found that product differentiation had a positive relationship with organizational performance. The study concluded that integrating product differentiation strategies through specific product attributes relevant to competitors and variety of products to match the need of various customers would result to improved performance. The study therefore recommends that product differentiation should be adopted because they have the highest relationship with organisational performance.
Keywords: Organizational Performance, Product Differentiation Strategies, Sameer Africa Kenya Limited
Electronic Marketing Practices, Competitive Environment and Performance of Telecommunications Companies in Kenya (Published)
The objective of the study was to ascertain the effect of e-marketing practices on the performance of telecommunications companies in Kenya. The population of the study was drawn from all telecommunications companies Kenya. Primary and secondary data were used where a semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data while secondary data was extracted from industry performance reports. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis and regression analysis. The findings showed statistically significant relationship between e-marketing practices and organizational performance. Results of the moderating effect of competitive environment on the relationship were equally statistically significant. The results imply that organizations that have adopted e-marketing practices have also been able to record better performance. This relationship is however moderated by competitive environment meaning that while e-marketing practices contribute to organizational performance, the competitive environments within which they operate require that they develop mechanisms that enable scanning and adapting to competitive environment for competitiveness and better performance. Failure to adapt to the competitive environment can result into organizational demise despite adopting appropriate marketing strategies including, e-marketing practices.
Keywords: Competitive Environment, E-Marketing Practices, Kenya, Organizational Performance, Telecommunications Companies