Strategic Response to Turbulent Business Environments in UNDP Supported Projects: A Case Study of the Market Access Project

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the strategies that UN supported agencies can adopt in today‘s turbulent business environment. The research design was descriptive in nature focusing on The Market Access Programme (MAP). Stratified sampling technique was used to select the sample in which twenty five (25) respondents from a population of eighty six (86) staff working at in conjunction with (MAP) was chosen. The staff includes both management and non-management staff categorized into four levels; senior level management, middle level management, supervisory staff and general staff. Information was collected using a questionnaire developed by the researcher and administered with the help of a trained research assistant. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and result presented in frequency tables to show how the responses for the various questions posed to the respondents. Descriptive statistics was used to illustrate the responses. The findings indicated that the causes of turbulence in NGOs environment include advancement in information technology, High dynamism, competitive rivalry, threat of new entrants, bargaining power of supplier and bargaining power of clientele contributes to NGOs environmental turbulence. Results also indicated that strategic planning plays a positive role to the performance of NGOs, specifically UN supported projects such as MAP. Further, results indicate that NGOs use the following strategic responses in response to turbulent environment. These strategies include acquiescence, compromise, avoidance, defiance and manipulation. The study recommends that it is vital to understand the forces behind the increasing sophistication and efficiency of risk management systems, before adopting them more widely for regulatory purposes.