The Use and Perceived Value of Strategic Management Tools in a Food Manufacturing Company in South Africa.

Abstract

Academics and executives are increasingly in agreement that managers must pay more attention to the available strategic management tools, to acquire competitive advantages and surviving under pressure. Globally, there have been numerous studies conducted regarding strategic management tool usage. However, this is not the case in South Africa. There is limited research about the successful implementation of strategic management tools in manufacturing companies in South Africa, and whether the implementation thereof would assist companies to be financially competitive. The purpose of this study was to investigate the strategic management tool usage of a food manufacturing company in South Africa, with the aim of determining the use and perceived value of strategic management tools in a manufacturing company - which will be referred to as KP Foods. Based on an internal cross-sectional survey design, a quantitative data collection method was selected. By making use of a predesigned, standard, and validated online survey questionnaire, data was collected from 49 participants at KP Foods. To analyse the data, two different variables were used – nominal and ordinal; and contingency tables were used to present findings. The results indicated that strategic management tools are being implemented by the management of KP Foods. It also revealed that not all employees are aware of the specific strategic management tools that are being used and more importantly, it became clear that general employees are not aware of their role in the strategy implementation. The management of KP Foods is dedicated to implementing the strategy and they are continuing to monitor its progress. The managerial implications suggest that KP Foods implement strategy training and recommends that all employees are involved in the strategy formulation and implementation, in order to improve the knowledge of employees of their duties and contributions to the overall strategy. Future research should consider including numerous manufacturing companies in South Africa, to retrieve a bigger sample size in order to accurately make conclusions and suggestions about the specific strategic management tool usage in the industry.