Hezron Osano - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Hezron Osano

Research paper thumbnail of Global scaling by SMEs: Role of innovation and technology

Journal of the International Council for Small Business, 2023

SMEs need to possess the capability to innovate and interact effectively with other firms in con... more SMEs need to possess the capability to innovate and interact effectively with other firms in connected networks of shared production and innovation in order to effectively scale globally. The study used descriptive and inferential design. Correlations and multiple/multivariate regression analysis was used to determine the functional relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The independent variables relating to innovation and technology are: new technologies, breakthrough/new-to-the market products, new and improved processes, incremental innovation, product replacement, acquisition of new technology, and extensive use of existing technology platforms. The dependent variable was global scaling by SMEs. The senior management of selected 205 firms were surveyed and 175 firms responded. The key findings from the research is that: there is a positive relationship between product replacement, acquisition of new technology, and use of existing technology platforms for and global scaling by SMEs. SMEs require to pursue incremental and radical innovations to stay competitive and scale globally but they have limited resources to undertake R&D and knowledge to protect their intellectual property. The implication for practice is a necessity for building robust entrepreneurial ecosystem to facilitate collaboration/ networking and SMEs support to undertake R&D and to pursue incremental and radical innovations to stay competitive and scale globally. The implication for policy is a need for collaboration between industry, universities and government in pursuing policies for provision of resources for R&D and exposure of SMEs to critical technologies, particularly in areas of rapid technological changes, including industry 4.0 technologies, to facilitate global scaling.

Research paper thumbnail of Factors Influencing Global Expansion/Scalability of Small and Medium Enterprises: A Kenyan Case

World Technopolis Review, 2019

The purpose of this research was to investigate the factors influencing global expansion/scalabil... more The purpose of this research was to investigate the factors influencing global expansion/scalability of Kenyan Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Factor analysis and multiple/multivariate regression analysis to determine the functional relationship between independent variables (factors) and the dependent variable was used. The independent variables were: innovation & technology, fitness/appropriateness of management, global marketing strategy; and support environment and the dependent variable, global expansion/scalability. Data was collected from a survey of randomly selected firms of 205, drawn from a population of 440 firms from Kenya Manufacturers Directory, with 175 firms responding. The key findings from the research in relation to Kenyan SMEs were that: there is a functional relationship between global market strategy and global expansion; there is a functional relationship between innovation and technology orientation and global expansion, there is no significant functional relationship between supportive environment of firms and their global expansion; and there is no significant functional relationship between fitness/appropriateness of management and global expansion/scalability. The implications for practice is that the ranking of the factors in order of priority supports focusing concern on the orientation of business strategy toward global market strategy, market research geared at obtaining foreign market intelligence, innovation and technology, product adaptation, service orientation, collaborative ventures, and long-range vision as key factors in making Kenyan firms successful in the international market. The implication for policy and practice is that there is need for collaboration between industry and government in pursuing policies for global expansion/scalability and among SMEs and large enterprises particularly in areas of rapid technological change.

Research paper thumbnail of Factors Influencing Strategy Implementation in Institutions of Higher Learning in Kenya: A Case Study of Africa

Research paper thumbnail of Factors Influencing Performance of Business Process Reengineering Projects in Banks in Kenya: Case of Kenya Commercial Bank

Journal of US-China Public Administration, 2015

The Kenyan banking sector has found it is important to take up business process reengineering (BP... more The Kenyan banking sector has found it is important to take up business process reengineering (BPR) in an attempt to greatly improve performance. The aim of the study was to investigate factors that influence performance of BPR projects in the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB). The study adopted a descriptive and inferential research design. The target population was 4,066 employees of KCB Ltd from which a sample size of 351 was derived to participate in the study. The study found that management commitment, communication of change, processes and systems management and, monitoring and evaluation influence the performance of BPR projects at KCB Ltd. The study concluded that employees at KCB Ltd were communicated early enough on the business processes; the needs for change were clearly communicated to them. The study concludes that monitoring and evaluation affect BPR through the kind of support offered and participation in strategy formulation. The study recommends that effective change management is a success factor for BPR; organizations should therefore ensure that communication of change is made to enhance the meeting of project objectives and effectively prepare their organizations for change.

Research paper thumbnail of Factors Influencing Health Information Seeking Behaviour on Internet: Case of MBA Students of Africa Nazarene University, Kenya

Purpose: The internet has become a valuable source of information of all kind to everyone but mor... more Purpose: The internet has become a valuable source of information of all kind to everyone but more specifically to the young adults. There is a growing literature on health information seeking behaviours in the developed countries but in Kenya this is a grey area and this study attempted to shed light on this new phenomenon. This study examined health information search from the internet by MBA students, African Nazarene University. Methodology: The study evaluated the characteristics of online health information searchers, prevailing health situation of these individuals, type of information sought and applications. Study participants were the entire population of continuing MBA students of Africa Nazarene University. Data collection instrument was a web based self-administered structured questionnaire emailed to participants. Descriptive statistics was used to describe data. Multiple logistics regressions were used to show relationship of variables. SPSS software was used for the ...

Research paper thumbnail of Factors Influencing Global Expansion/Scalability of Small and Medium Enterprises: A Kenyan Case

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution No... more This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract The purpose of this research was to investigate the factors influencing global expansion/scalability of Kenyan Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Factor analysis and multiple/multivariate regression analysis to determine the functional relationship between independent variables (factors) and the dependent variable was used. The independent variables were: innovation & technology, fitness/appropriateness of management, global marketing strategy; and support environment and the dependent variable, global expansion/scalability. Data was collected from a survey of randomly selected firms of 205, drawn from a population of 440 firms from Kenya Manufacturers Directory, with 175 ...

Research paper thumbnail of Universities in entrepreneurial ecosystems and MSME revitalization

Journal of the International Council for Small Business

An entrepreneurial ecosystem is often referred to by scholars and policy makers as the environmen... more An entrepreneurial ecosystem is often referred to by scholars and policy makers as the environment surrounding entrepreneurial activity. Universities are key contributors to their communities in terms of economic development. Entrepreneurship education is important for empowering students and alumni in playing their role in their communities as a source of start-ups. There is a need to reimagine entrepreneurial education to focus on entrepreneurial mindset and entrepreneurial ecosystem building. Entrepreneurial education should contribute to building and boosting entrepreneurial ecosystems to facilitate startups and revitalization of micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises. This article is based on the qualitative case study method of data gathering and analysis with an inductive approach in the context of Kenya. The study finds that universities can be catalysts in building robust entrepreneurial ecosystems through their entrepreneurial activities, linkage to industry, and collaboration with government, the public, alumni and students, and other stakeholders in entrepreneurial ecosystems, thus contributing to the economic well-being of their communities. The implication for policy makers is that they should understand universities and their contribution to community entrepreneurial ecosystems so as to develop a comprehensive framework of support. The implication for researchers is the need for consolidation and development of modeling of linkages between universities and entrepreneurial activities and other players within the entrepreneurial ecosystems and adaptation of a more comprehensive framework for measuring the process and outcomes so as to effectively assess the health of different entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Research paper thumbnail of Global expansion of SMEs: role of global market strategy for Kenyan SMEs

Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

There is need for Kenyan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular to focus concern on th... more There is need for Kenyan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular to focus concern on the orientation of business strategy toward global market strategy, market research geared at obtaining foreign market intelligence, innovation and technology, product adaptation, service orientation, collaborative ventures, and longrange vision as critical factors in making them successful in the international market. They also need to interact effectively with other firms in more or less tightly connected networks of shared production and innovation if they are to succeed in the current wave of globalization. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of global market strategy on the global expansion of Kenyan firms. The research study used descriptive and inferential design as a chosen design. The researcher used multiple/multivariate regression analysis to determine the functional relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The global market strategy variables considered include the following: market strategy incorporating: global advertising and promotion, external advisory services, foreign market specialization, competitive pricing strategies, and focus on quality products/ services; foreign market intelligence on locating markets, trade restrictions, competition overseas, and market and investment opportunities; and logistics and distribution incorporating: handling of documentation, distribution coordination, warehousing, arranging transportation, and collaboration with large firms. A random sample of 205 firms was drawn out of 440 members of Kenya Association of Manufacturers, based in Nairobi, from the Kenya Association of Manufacturers and Exporters Directory of 2012. The senior management of selected firms was surveyed and 175 firms responded making a response rate of 85 percent. The key finding from the research is that there is a functional relationship between global market strategy and global expansion of SMEs. The implication for practice and policy is that there is a need for collaboration between industry and government in pursuing policies for global expansion and among SMEs and large enterprises particularly in developing capacity and collaboration in global marketing strategy, market intelligence gathering, export promotion and strengthening of foreign trade missions. An earlywarning system to alert firms of changes that may lead to potential failure in their global business activities can be developed.

Research paper thumbnail of Global expansion of SMEs: role of global market strategy for Kenyan SMEs

Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

There is need for Kenyan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular to focus concern on th... more There is need for Kenyan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular to focus concern on the orientation of business strategy toward global market strategy, market research geared at obtaining foreign market intelligence, innovation and technology, product adaptation, service orientation, collaborative ventures, and longrange vision as critical factors in making them successful in the international market. They also need to interact effectively with other firms in more or less tightly connected networks of shared production and innovation if they are to succeed in the current wave of globalization. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of global market strategy on the global expansion of Kenyan firms. The research study used descriptive and inferential design as a chosen design. The researcher used multiple/multivariate regression analysis to determine the functional relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The global market strategy variables considered include the following: market strategy incorporating: global advertising and promotion, external advisory services, foreign market specialization, competitive pricing strategies, and focus on quality products/ services; foreign market intelligence on locating markets, trade restrictions, competition overseas, and market and investment opportunities; and logistics and distribution incorporating: handling of documentation, distribution coordination, warehousing, arranging transportation, and collaboration with large firms. A random sample of 205 firms was drawn out of 440 members of Kenya Association of Manufacturers, based in Nairobi, from the Kenya Association of Manufacturers and Exporters Directory of 2012. The senior management of selected firms was surveyed and 175 firms responded making a response rate of 85 percent. The key finding from the research is that there is a functional relationship between global market strategy and global expansion of SMEs. The implication for practice and policy is that there is a need for collaboration between industry and government in pursuing policies for global expansion and among SMEs and large enterprises particularly in developing capacity and collaboration in global marketing strategy, market intelligence gathering, export promotion and strengthening of foreign trade missions. An earlywarning system to alert firms of changes that may lead to potential failure in their global business activities can be developed.

Research paper thumbnail of Role of foreign direct investment on technology transfer and economic growth in Kenya: a case of the energy sector

Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 2016

Article Role of foreign direct investment on technology transfer and economic growth in Kenya: A ... more Article Role of foreign direct investment on technology transfer and economic growth in Kenya: A case of the energy sector Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Provided in Cooperation with: SpringerOpen Suggested Citation: Osano, Hezron M.; Koine, Pauline W. (2016) : Role of foreign direct investment on technology transfer and economic growth in Kenya: A case of the energy sector,

Research paper thumbnail of Factors influencing access to finance by SMEs in Mozambique: case of SMEs in Maputo central business district

Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of Global expansion of SMEs: role of global market strategy for Kenyan SMEs

Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

There is need for Kenyan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular to focus concern on th... more There is need for Kenyan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular to focus concern on the orientation of business strategy toward global market strategy, market research geared at obtaining foreign market intelligence, innovation and technology, product adaptation, service orientation, collaborative ventures, and longrange vision as critical factors in making them successful in the international market. They also need to interact effectively with other firms in more or less tightly connected networks of shared production and innovation if they are to succeed in the current wave of globalization. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of global market strategy on the global expansion of Kenyan firms. The research study used descriptive and inferential design as a chosen design. The researcher used multiple/multivariate regression analysis to determine the functional relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The global market strategy variables considered include the following: market strategy incorporating: global advertising and promotion, external advisory services, foreign market specialization, competitive pricing strategies, and focus on quality products/ services; foreign market intelligence on locating markets, trade restrictions, competition overseas, and market and investment opportunities; and logistics and distribution incorporating: handling of documentation, distribution coordination, warehousing, arranging transportation, and collaboration with large firms. A random sample of 205 firms was drawn out of 440 members of Kenya Association of Manufacturers, based in Nairobi, from the Kenya Association of Manufacturers and Exporters Directory of 2012. The senior management of selected firms was surveyed and 175 firms responded making a response rate of 85 percent. The key finding from the research is that there is a functional relationship between global market strategy and global expansion of SMEs. The implication for practice and policy is that there is a need for collaboration between industry and government in pursuing policies for global expansion and among SMEs and large enterprises particularly in developing capacity and collaboration in global marketing strategy, market intelligence gathering, export promotion and strengthening of foreign trade missions. An earlywarning system to alert firms of changes that may lead to potential failure in their global business activities can be developed.

Research paper thumbnail of Global scaling by SMEs: Role of innovation and technology

Journal of the International Council for Small Business, 2023

SMEs need to possess the capability to innovate and interact effectively with other firms in con... more SMEs need to possess the capability to innovate and interact effectively with other firms in connected networks of shared production and innovation in order to effectively scale globally. The study used descriptive and inferential design. Correlations and multiple/multivariate regression analysis was used to determine the functional relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The independent variables relating to innovation and technology are: new technologies, breakthrough/new-to-the market products, new and improved processes, incremental innovation, product replacement, acquisition of new technology, and extensive use of existing technology platforms. The dependent variable was global scaling by SMEs. The senior management of selected 205 firms were surveyed and 175 firms responded. The key findings from the research is that: there is a positive relationship between product replacement, acquisition of new technology, and use of existing technology platforms for and global scaling by SMEs. SMEs require to pursue incremental and radical innovations to stay competitive and scale globally but they have limited resources to undertake R&D and knowledge to protect their intellectual property. The implication for practice is a necessity for building robust entrepreneurial ecosystem to facilitate collaboration/ networking and SMEs support to undertake R&D and to pursue incremental and radical innovations to stay competitive and scale globally. The implication for policy is a need for collaboration between industry, universities and government in pursuing policies for provision of resources for R&D and exposure of SMEs to critical technologies, particularly in areas of rapid technological changes, including industry 4.0 technologies, to facilitate global scaling.

Research paper thumbnail of Factors Influencing Global Expansion/Scalability of Small and Medium Enterprises: A Kenyan Case

World Technopolis Review, 2019

The purpose of this research was to investigate the factors influencing global expansion/scalabil... more The purpose of this research was to investigate the factors influencing global expansion/scalability of Kenyan Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Factor analysis and multiple/multivariate regression analysis to determine the functional relationship between independent variables (factors) and the dependent variable was used. The independent variables were: innovation & technology, fitness/appropriateness of management, global marketing strategy; and support environment and the dependent variable, global expansion/scalability. Data was collected from a survey of randomly selected firms of 205, drawn from a population of 440 firms from Kenya Manufacturers Directory, with 175 firms responding. The key findings from the research in relation to Kenyan SMEs were that: there is a functional relationship between global market strategy and global expansion; there is a functional relationship between innovation and technology orientation and global expansion, there is no significant functional relationship between supportive environment of firms and their global expansion; and there is no significant functional relationship between fitness/appropriateness of management and global expansion/scalability. The implications for practice is that the ranking of the factors in order of priority supports focusing concern on the orientation of business strategy toward global market strategy, market research geared at obtaining foreign market intelligence, innovation and technology, product adaptation, service orientation, collaborative ventures, and long-range vision as key factors in making Kenyan firms successful in the international market. The implication for policy and practice is that there is need for collaboration between industry and government in pursuing policies for global expansion/scalability and among SMEs and large enterprises particularly in areas of rapid technological change.

Research paper thumbnail of Factors Influencing Strategy Implementation in Institutions of Higher Learning in Kenya: A Case Study of Africa

Research paper thumbnail of Factors Influencing Performance of Business Process Reengineering Projects in Banks in Kenya: Case of Kenya Commercial Bank

Journal of US-China Public Administration, 2015

The Kenyan banking sector has found it is important to take up business process reengineering (BP... more The Kenyan banking sector has found it is important to take up business process reengineering (BPR) in an attempt to greatly improve performance. The aim of the study was to investigate factors that influence performance of BPR projects in the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB). The study adopted a descriptive and inferential research design. The target population was 4,066 employees of KCB Ltd from which a sample size of 351 was derived to participate in the study. The study found that management commitment, communication of change, processes and systems management and, monitoring and evaluation influence the performance of BPR projects at KCB Ltd. The study concluded that employees at KCB Ltd were communicated early enough on the business processes; the needs for change were clearly communicated to them. The study concludes that monitoring and evaluation affect BPR through the kind of support offered and participation in strategy formulation. The study recommends that effective change management is a success factor for BPR; organizations should therefore ensure that communication of change is made to enhance the meeting of project objectives and effectively prepare their organizations for change.

Research paper thumbnail of Factors Influencing Health Information Seeking Behaviour on Internet: Case of MBA Students of Africa Nazarene University, Kenya

Purpose: The internet has become a valuable source of information of all kind to everyone but mor... more Purpose: The internet has become a valuable source of information of all kind to everyone but more specifically to the young adults. There is a growing literature on health information seeking behaviours in the developed countries but in Kenya this is a grey area and this study attempted to shed light on this new phenomenon. This study examined health information search from the internet by MBA students, African Nazarene University. Methodology: The study evaluated the characteristics of online health information searchers, prevailing health situation of these individuals, type of information sought and applications. Study participants were the entire population of continuing MBA students of Africa Nazarene University. Data collection instrument was a web based self-administered structured questionnaire emailed to participants. Descriptive statistics was used to describe data. Multiple logistics regressions were used to show relationship of variables. SPSS software was used for the ...

Research paper thumbnail of Factors Influencing Global Expansion/Scalability of Small and Medium Enterprises: A Kenyan Case

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution No... more This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract The purpose of this research was to investigate the factors influencing global expansion/scalability of Kenyan Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Factor analysis and multiple/multivariate regression analysis to determine the functional relationship between independent variables (factors) and the dependent variable was used. The independent variables were: innovation & technology, fitness/appropriateness of management, global marketing strategy; and support environment and the dependent variable, global expansion/scalability. Data was collected from a survey of randomly selected firms of 205, drawn from a population of 440 firms from Kenya Manufacturers Directory, with 175 ...

Research paper thumbnail of Universities in entrepreneurial ecosystems and MSME revitalization

Journal of the International Council for Small Business

An entrepreneurial ecosystem is often referred to by scholars and policy makers as the environmen... more An entrepreneurial ecosystem is often referred to by scholars and policy makers as the environment surrounding entrepreneurial activity. Universities are key contributors to their communities in terms of economic development. Entrepreneurship education is important for empowering students and alumni in playing their role in their communities as a source of start-ups. There is a need to reimagine entrepreneurial education to focus on entrepreneurial mindset and entrepreneurial ecosystem building. Entrepreneurial education should contribute to building and boosting entrepreneurial ecosystems to facilitate startups and revitalization of micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises. This article is based on the qualitative case study method of data gathering and analysis with an inductive approach in the context of Kenya. The study finds that universities can be catalysts in building robust entrepreneurial ecosystems through their entrepreneurial activities, linkage to industry, and collaboration with government, the public, alumni and students, and other stakeholders in entrepreneurial ecosystems, thus contributing to the economic well-being of their communities. The implication for policy makers is that they should understand universities and their contribution to community entrepreneurial ecosystems so as to develop a comprehensive framework of support. The implication for researchers is the need for consolidation and development of modeling of linkages between universities and entrepreneurial activities and other players within the entrepreneurial ecosystems and adaptation of a more comprehensive framework for measuring the process and outcomes so as to effectively assess the health of different entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Research paper thumbnail of Global expansion of SMEs: role of global market strategy for Kenyan SMEs

Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

There is need for Kenyan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular to focus concern on th... more There is need for Kenyan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular to focus concern on the orientation of business strategy toward global market strategy, market research geared at obtaining foreign market intelligence, innovation and technology, product adaptation, service orientation, collaborative ventures, and longrange vision as critical factors in making them successful in the international market. They also need to interact effectively with other firms in more or less tightly connected networks of shared production and innovation if they are to succeed in the current wave of globalization. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of global market strategy on the global expansion of Kenyan firms. The research study used descriptive and inferential design as a chosen design. The researcher used multiple/multivariate regression analysis to determine the functional relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The global market strategy variables considered include the following: market strategy incorporating: global advertising and promotion, external advisory services, foreign market specialization, competitive pricing strategies, and focus on quality products/ services; foreign market intelligence on locating markets, trade restrictions, competition overseas, and market and investment opportunities; and logistics and distribution incorporating: handling of documentation, distribution coordination, warehousing, arranging transportation, and collaboration with large firms. A random sample of 205 firms was drawn out of 440 members of Kenya Association of Manufacturers, based in Nairobi, from the Kenya Association of Manufacturers and Exporters Directory of 2012. The senior management of selected firms was surveyed and 175 firms responded making a response rate of 85 percent. The key finding from the research is that there is a functional relationship between global market strategy and global expansion of SMEs. The implication for practice and policy is that there is a need for collaboration between industry and government in pursuing policies for global expansion and among SMEs and large enterprises particularly in developing capacity and collaboration in global marketing strategy, market intelligence gathering, export promotion and strengthening of foreign trade missions. An earlywarning system to alert firms of changes that may lead to potential failure in their global business activities can be developed.

Research paper thumbnail of Global expansion of SMEs: role of global market strategy for Kenyan SMEs

Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

There is need for Kenyan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular to focus concern on th... more There is need for Kenyan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular to focus concern on the orientation of business strategy toward global market strategy, market research geared at obtaining foreign market intelligence, innovation and technology, product adaptation, service orientation, collaborative ventures, and longrange vision as critical factors in making them successful in the international market. They also need to interact effectively with other firms in more or less tightly connected networks of shared production and innovation if they are to succeed in the current wave of globalization. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of global market strategy on the global expansion of Kenyan firms. The research study used descriptive and inferential design as a chosen design. The researcher used multiple/multivariate regression analysis to determine the functional relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The global market strategy variables considered include the following: market strategy incorporating: global advertising and promotion, external advisory services, foreign market specialization, competitive pricing strategies, and focus on quality products/ services; foreign market intelligence on locating markets, trade restrictions, competition overseas, and market and investment opportunities; and logistics and distribution incorporating: handling of documentation, distribution coordination, warehousing, arranging transportation, and collaboration with large firms. A random sample of 205 firms was drawn out of 440 members of Kenya Association of Manufacturers, based in Nairobi, from the Kenya Association of Manufacturers and Exporters Directory of 2012. The senior management of selected firms was surveyed and 175 firms responded making a response rate of 85 percent. The key finding from the research is that there is a functional relationship between global market strategy and global expansion of SMEs. The implication for practice and policy is that there is a need for collaboration between industry and government in pursuing policies for global expansion and among SMEs and large enterprises particularly in developing capacity and collaboration in global marketing strategy, market intelligence gathering, export promotion and strengthening of foreign trade missions. An earlywarning system to alert firms of changes that may lead to potential failure in their global business activities can be developed.

Research paper thumbnail of Role of foreign direct investment on technology transfer and economic growth in Kenya: a case of the energy sector

Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 2016

Article Role of foreign direct investment on technology transfer and economic growth in Kenya: A ... more Article Role of foreign direct investment on technology transfer and economic growth in Kenya: A case of the energy sector Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Provided in Cooperation with: SpringerOpen Suggested Citation: Osano, Hezron M.; Koine, Pauline W. (2016) : Role of foreign direct investment on technology transfer and economic growth in Kenya: A case of the energy sector,

Research paper thumbnail of Factors influencing access to finance by SMEs in Mozambique: case of SMEs in Maputo central business district

Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of Global expansion of SMEs: role of global market strategy for Kenyan SMEs

Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

There is need for Kenyan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular to focus concern on th... more There is need for Kenyan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular to focus concern on the orientation of business strategy toward global market strategy, market research geared at obtaining foreign market intelligence, innovation and technology, product adaptation, service orientation, collaborative ventures, and longrange vision as critical factors in making them successful in the international market. They also need to interact effectively with other firms in more or less tightly connected networks of shared production and innovation if they are to succeed in the current wave of globalization. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of global market strategy on the global expansion of Kenyan firms. The research study used descriptive and inferential design as a chosen design. The researcher used multiple/multivariate regression analysis to determine the functional relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The global market strategy variables considered include the following: market strategy incorporating: global advertising and promotion, external advisory services, foreign market specialization, competitive pricing strategies, and focus on quality products/ services; foreign market intelligence on locating markets, trade restrictions, competition overseas, and market and investment opportunities; and logistics and distribution incorporating: handling of documentation, distribution coordination, warehousing, arranging transportation, and collaboration with large firms. A random sample of 205 firms was drawn out of 440 members of Kenya Association of Manufacturers, based in Nairobi, from the Kenya Association of Manufacturers and Exporters Directory of 2012. The senior management of selected firms was surveyed and 175 firms responded making a response rate of 85 percent. The key finding from the research is that there is a functional relationship between global market strategy and global expansion of SMEs. The implication for practice and policy is that there is a need for collaboration between industry and government in pursuing policies for global expansion and among SMEs and large enterprises particularly in developing capacity and collaboration in global marketing strategy, market intelligence gathering, export promotion and strengthening of foreign trade missions. An earlywarning system to alert firms of changes that may lead to potential failure in their global business activities can be developed.