Browsing by Author "Gikonyo, Lucy"

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    Critical success factors for a restaurant franchise system entering the kenyan market
    (Strathmore University, 2016) Gikonyo, Lucy
    In today’s globalized world, businesses look to expand in order to have a global presence. Restaurant businesses have expanded internationally using franchising. This study sought to determine the critical success factors for a franchised restaurant system entering the Kenyan market. It sought to ‘establish how franchisors and franchisees define, identify and evaluate success’. It also sought ‘to determine what makes a franchise successful from the customers’ perspective. This study has provided a theoretical framework that helps to understand the background of why organizations seek to expand using franchising method and consequently the critical success factors for franchised restaurants entering the Kenyan market. The study used qualitative methodology in establishing the views of franchisors and franchisees with the use of in-depth interviews. In keeping with research trends this study also used triangulation of methodology. We did an exploratory study using focus group discussions to explore the views of customers on franchised restaurants. Thereafter we carried out a survey to verify the hypotheses developed for the study in this way using triangulation of methodology and arriving at a better understanding of the issues under study. This was followed by analysis of the qualitative data and the quantitative data separately.The results yielded critical success factors from the franchisors perspective, franchisees perspective and the customers’ perspective. The critical success factors from the franchisors point of view included a clear concept, distance management, cultural appeal, excellent selection of franchisees, good site/location selection, and good relationship with the franchisees and reasonable franchise contractual terms. The critical success factors from the franchisees point of view were good relationship with the franchisor, good financial management, relationship marketing, good staff management, competent staff, and unique value proposition for the customer, attractive atmosphere, convenient location and speed of service. The customers’ perspective included good and consistent products and product range (menu mix), competent staff who were clean, warm, courteous and welcoming, a pleasant and clean atmosphere, reasonable and stable prices and a convenient location with efficient service. Finally the study proposed a prioritization of critical success factors from the customers’ perspective. These findings can be used by restaurant franchises that seek to establish successful businesses in the Kenyan market and other similar regional markets. The Africa franchise partners may also find useful information in setting up the Franchise Association of Kenya. Other franchise businesses may also benefit from some aspects of the study.
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    Critical success factors for franchised restaurants entering the Kenyan market: customers’ perspective
    (Pak Publishing Group, 2014) Gikonyo, Lucy; Berndt, Adele; Wadawi, Joseph
    This article seeks to determine the critical success factors for franchised restaurants entering the Kenyan market from the customers’ perspective. We used a quantitative methodology by taking a survey. The respondents were identified using convenience sampling. A sample of 389 franchised restaurant customers was drawn and a response rate of 98.7% was obtained. It is suggested that the critical success factors for franchised restaurants from customers’ perspective include good and consistent products and product range (menu mix), competent staff who were clean, warm, courteous and welcoming, a pleasant and clean atmosphere, reasonable and stable prices of products and a convenient location with efficient service. This paper has added value in theory by identifying the critical success factors for franchised restaurants entering the Kenyan market from customers’ perspective. The findings can be used by restaurant franchises that seek to establish successful businesses in the Kenyan market and other similar regional markets.
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    Critical Success factors for restaurant franchisees in Kenya
    (Strathmore University, 2014) Gikonyo, Lucy
    In today‟s globalized world, businesses look to expand in order to have a global presence. Restaurant businesses have expanded internationally using franchising. This study seeks to determine the critical success factors of a franchised restaurant system entering the Kenyan market from the franchisees perspective. It seeks to „to establish how franchisees define, identify and evaluate success. This study provides a theoretical framework that helps to understand the background of why organizations seek to expand using franchising method and consequently the critical success factors of franchised restaurants entering the Kenyan market. The study used qualitative methodology in establishing the views of franchisees with the use of in-depth interviews for collecting data. The results yielded critical success factors from the franchisees perspective. These critical success factors from the franchisees point of view include a strong brand identity, good financial management, employee competence, good staff management, overall competent management and relationship marketing. These findings can be used by restaurant franchisees that seek to establish successful businesses in the Kenyan market and other similar regional markets. The Africa franchise partners may also find useful information in setting up the Franchise Association of Kenya. Other franchise businesses may also benefit from some aspects of the study.
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    Critical success factors of a fast food franchise system entering the Kenyan market
    Gikonyo, Lucy; Berndt, Adele
    The fast food industry has become an important part of globalization as people spend many hours working or doing business. The need for quick food services has grown with apparent shortage of free time. With reduced disposable income, a consequence of the global economic downturn, customers seem to shift from the fine dining and full service restaurants to quick service or fast food outlets since the latter are more cost effective. However, a widespread exposure to goods and services has produced a highly informed clientele, the fast food customer expectations seem to grow and follow global patterns. In Kenya international fast food franchises have not done well, fast food franchise systems enter the market but after a number of years they exit or close down operations. On the other hand there is an apparent increase of the ‘eating out trend’ among the Kenyan urban population in keeping with the global trends. It is therefore necessary to establish why the franchises enter the Kenyan market and then close down. This study will determine the critical success factors (CSFs) of franchise systems entering the Kenyan (and East African) market.
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    Environmental buying decisions: A Kenyan perspective
    Gikonyo, Lucy; Berndt, Adele
    This study is for the purpose of determining the environmental buying decisions among tertiary students in Kenya. Global awareness on environmental concerns has led scientists to study human behaviour as it relates to environmental issues. In Kenya there have been sporadic activities that are aimed at taking care of the environment or raising the awareness of the extent of environmental degradation in certain areas. However there is a lack of a clear coordinated plan or policy to address environmental issues. This could be due to lack of sufficient exposure of people to the growing environmental problems consequently the population has not developed habits of taking care of the environment. The specific objectives of the study were to: determine the environmental buying decisions made by tertiary students and to establish how some socio-demographic factors influence the buying decisions that tertiary students make. The study employed both quantitative and inferential methodology to achieve the objectives and also test the hypothesis. The target population of the study was all the students at Strathmore University Madaraka campus, in Nairobi, Kenya and a sample of 203 respondents was drawn. The study concluded that age is a key factor when making buying decisions regarding the issue of the environment. The results indicated that the more the older the person the more the individual will consider the environmental issues when making a decision to purchase an item The study also noted that the decision to be environmentally conscious lies on an individual but not whether one is a man or a female. The study also concluded that the level of income does not seem to influence the buying decisions that people make. Having used a convenient sample may hinder the possibility of generalising the findings to the broader population.
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    Environmental concern behaviours in Africa: an exploratory study
    (Canadian Center of Science and Education, ) Gikonyo, Lucy; Berndt, Adele
    Environmental concern, including environmental behaviour continues to receive attention in both the public media and academic research. The purpose of the paper is to investigate environmental behaviour (both purchasing and non-purchasing behaviour) in an African context. Use was made of a quantitative study among a convenience sample of selected Africans. Statements reflecting non-purchasing behaviour indicated lower mean scores when compared to purchasing behaviour statements. Statistically significant differences were found to exist between different age groups with respect to both purchasing and non-purchasing behaviour as well as between different nationalities with regard to their purchasing behaviour. The findings have the potential of impacting the strategies of organisations operating on the continent. The major contribution of this paper is that is provides insight in the behavioural aspects as seen in an African context, and consequently provides detail on both purchasing and non-purchasing behaviour and the role of marketing aspects (such as price) in influencing purchase behaviour of Africans.
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    Nataka chakula” (i'd like food): critical success factors in attracting and retaining customers in Kenyan restaurants
    Gikonyo, Lucy; Berndt, Adele
    The restaurant industry has developed and expanded to gain a global presence in the last fifty years largely fuelled by the change of lifestyles. Urban populations have grown throughout the world, mobility of people has increased and people spend a lot of time commuting to and from work (Schlosser , 2001). This has been compounded by the increased presence of women in the workplace which has resulted in less time available for them to prepare meals at home(Jekanowski, Binkley & Eales, 2001). These busier consumer lifestyles and dual-working families have led to solutions being sought in using ready made meals (Atkins and Bowler , 2001).For a long time, growth and expansion in the restaurant industry has been associated particularly with the fast food concept (Lashley & Morrison, 2004; Sen 1998). Viewed from the customers' perspective, Anderson and Fornell (2000) assume that businesses exist and compete to satisfy the customers. They suggest that it is not possible to grow a business without at the same time increasing customer satisfaction. A satisfied customer will become a repeat customer and this could in turn grow a business. Following this general business imperative therefore it means that a satisfied customer will have a critical effect on the long-term success of restaurant business. A satisfied restaurant customer will remain loyal to an outlet or restaurant business and continued patronage can follow a global pattern. On the other hand a dissatisfied customer of restaurant will not only avoid the entire franchise or chain outlets but may also make bad publicity and persuade many people to go elsewhere (Gilbert et al, 2004). This presents an eating establishment (such as a restaurant) with a challenge. They need to satisfy customers to gain repeat business, but what do they need to do? Where should a restaurant focus their energies and attention if they are to not only attract new customers but also to keep existing customers satisfied? The focus of attention is on what are regarded as the Critical Success Factors (CSFs), but there is little published research on CSFs in the restaurant industry in Africa, a gap this study aims to fill. The paper will investigate the nature of CSFs specifically in the restaurant (food) sector and then discuss the study that has been carried out. The paper will conclude with the discussion and implications of the research for the Kenyan restaurant market.