Abstract:
Abstract - The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that make universities gain Competitive Advantage in Kenya.
Design/methodology/approach – This is an exploratory qualitative research. A total of 378 respondents from 17 universities participated in the research. A questionnaire
comprising of two open ended research questions was distributed to both students and faculty. Thereafter data was analyzed through thematic analysis.
Findings – Regarding how universities enhanced quality, five themes emerged namely: research, staff focus, student focus and governance and planning. As to the sources of
competitive advantage four themes emerged; strong brand name, research, methodology of teaching and learning environment.
Research limitations/implications – The study has been carried out only among universities operating in Kenya.
Furthermore, the study has been only in service industry. This limits applicability to universities operating outside Kenya and other non-service industry.
Practical implications – The study supports developing and focusing on distinctive competences in order to gain competitive advantage. Management then need to work on
crafting strategies that best combines resources in order to generate sustainable competitive advantage.
Originality/value – This is one of the first studies that focuses on competitive advantage of universities in Kenya and uses the resource based view to anchor the research.
