Abstract
Despite the important contribution of non-alcoholic beverage manufacturers to employment creation, value addition, industrial diversification and urban economic growth, firms operating in Nairobi City County continue to experience performance challenges arising from rising input costs, intense market competition, regulatory pressure, changing consumer preferences and operational inefficiencies. The general objective of this study was to examine the influence of strategic management practices on the performance of non-alcoholic beverage manufacturers in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Specifically, the study assessed the influence of strategic planning practices and monitoring and evaluation practices on organizational performance. The study was anchored on Resource-Based View Theory and Contingency Theory. A descriptive research design was adopted. The target population comprised 1,360 management employees drawn from 272 registered non-alcoholic beverage manufacturers in Nairobi City County. Using Yamane's formula, a sample size of 309 respondents was selected. Primary data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS version 28 through descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis. The study achieved a response rate of 77.3%, which was considered adequate for analysis and reporting. The findings revealed that strategic planning practices and monitoring and evaluation practices were positively and significantly associated with organizational performance. Correlation results showed strong positive relationships between performance and strategic planning practices (r=0.862, p=0.000) and monitoring and evaluation practices (r=0.843, p=0.001). Regression analysis further established that strategic planning practices (beta=0.357, p=0.000) and monitoring and evaluation practices (beta=0.338, p=0.001) had positive and statistically significant effects on performance. The regression model explained 64.9% of the variation in organizational performance. The study concluded that strategic management practices are critical drivers of market share, operational efficiency, profitability, customer satisfaction and overall competitiveness among non-alcoholic beverage manufacturers in Nairobi City County. The study recommends that non-alcoholic beverage manufacturers in Kenya should institutionalize comprehensive strategic planning practices that align operational activities with long-term business objectives, market trends and consumer preferences.
Key Words: Strategic Management Practices, Strategic Planning Practices, Monitoring and Evaluation Practices Non-Alcoholic Beverage Manufacturers