STRATEGIC PLANNING PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NAIROBI y mmmrrrvr- w ^ ibde . *a*mKM2ETE libraib By Emily Moraa Kimemia A Management Research Project Report Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of Master in Business Administration, School of Business University of Nairobi AUGUST 2006
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STRATEGIC PLANNING PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NAIROBI y
mmmrrrvr- w ibde.*a*mKM2ETE libraib
By
Emily Moraa Kimemia
A Management Research Project Report Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of Master in
Business Administration, School of Business University of Nairobi
AUGUST 2006
D EC LA R A TIO N
This management project is my original work and has been presented for a
degree in any other university
This management research project report has been submitted for
examination with my approval as the University supervisor
Signed .— •_____________ Date j l &
Dr. MARTIN OGUTU
Department o f Business Administration, University of Nairobi
ii
DEDICATION
To my loving husband and children, for their perseverance and patience
throughout the duration of the M.B.A. course.
V
111
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I wish to acknowledge the Almighty God who guided me during the period
of my M.B.A.
1 would also wish to recognize a number of persons for my success
First my supervisor. Dr Martin Ogutu, whom I would like to thank for his
support, effort and contribution in reviewing my work.
Secondly I would like to thank my husband Mr.G.K.Ngugi who always gave
support and his participation in the whole process through discussion and
encouragement and my children Owen and Natasha.
Last but not least my dear friend and classmate Jane, who was by my side
even when the tides were rough for the moral support and comfort.
IV
ABBREVIATIONS
1. MOES&T: Ministry Of Education, Science and Technology
2. KCSE: Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education
3. PDE: Provincial Director of Education
4. TIQET: Totally Integrated Quality Education and Training
5. SMT: Senior Management Team
6. BOG: Board of Governors
7. PTA: Parents Teachers Association
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TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE
Declaration----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ii
Dedication----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- iii
From above table 11 the Board of Governors and the teachers have a great
influence in setting the objectives with a mean of 4.14 while the non
teaching staff with a mean of 2.74 has little influence in setting the
objectives.
4.3.6 Strategic Plans
The table 12 below indicates that eighty eight percent (88%) of public
secondary schools in Nairobi have strategic plans while twelve percent
(12%) do not have.
Table 12: Strategic Plans
Strateg ic P lan s F req u en cy Percentage
Yes 22 88.0
No 3 12.0
T otal 25 100
Source: Questionnaire
29
The researcher also sort to find out who develops the strategic plans and the
results from the respondents from the table 14 below show that strategic
plans were mainly developed by the senior management team with others
who are the consultants with 31% . There is minimal participation in the
development by the P.TA. B.O.G. and M.O.E.S.T.
Table 13: Participants in Development of Strategic Plans
Participants F req u en cy P ercentage
S.M.T. 8 31.0
H.O.D 6 28.0
B.O.G, P.T.A, M .O.E.ST 3 10.0
Others (consultants) 8 31.0
Totals 25 100
Source Questionnaire
Using a scale of 1 to 5 where 1= not at all, 2= very little extent, 3= little
extent, 4=great extent, 5= very great extent, the respondent gave the extent
to which the following are involved in strategic planning process, Political
and Legal development (mean= 2.68), Competitors (mean=4.47),
Technological Changes (mean=3.37), Social Cultural Trends (mean= 3.76),
Pressure groups (mean= 3.48).From the respondents competitors have a
great extent in strategic planning process, while political and legal have very
little extent as shown on table 14 below.
30
Table 14: Factors in Strategic Planning Process
Extent o f F actors n M ean StandardD eviation
Political and Legal Development
19 2.68 1.38
Competitors 19 4.47 0.51
Technological Changes 19 3.37 0.96
Social and Cultural changes 17 3.76 0.67
Pressure Groups (e.g.P.T.A)
19 3.48 0.70
Source Questionnaire
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CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, DICUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
This chapter entails the summary and conclusion made from the study
including limitations of the study, recommendations for further research, and
recommendation for policy and practice in public secondary schools in
Nairobi.
5.1. Summary, Discussions and Conclusions
The research objective of his study was to establish strategic planning
practices that public secondary schools in Nairobi have adopted. The main
areas assessed were vision and mission, environmental analysis, objectives
and strategic choice.
There are forty two (42) registered public secondary schools in Nairobi and
the research were able to get response from twenty five (25) representing a
percentage of 59.52%.There was also stability of the staff since majority had
stayed in their respective schools for at least five years or more. The result
from the data analysis and findings is evident that most of the public
secondary schools in Nairobi use Strategic plans to be able to achieve their
mission, achieve their set objectives be able to use their strengths and
counter their weakness so as to adapt to the ever changing environment.
Majority of the respondents indicated that the vision and mission is
communicated to them by posters/ word of mouth and circulars.
It was also found out that the plans from majority of the public schools in
Nairobi were developed one year ago and had been communicated to the
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schools at a moderate extent. The senior management team and the teachers
play a great role in the formulation of the vision and mission statement
which is a new phenomenon to many in the schools in Nairobi.
All the public secondary schools in Nairobi gather information from both the
external and internal environment the knowledge of which would be used in
planning in schools for future course of action In the external environment
that deals with their competitors the information collected is basically on
their good performance on their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education,
discipline and their strong standing tradition. The information is usually
gathered by senior management team and the teachers.
There was a clear indication from the respondents that 88% have written
objectives, which the respondents indicated that they were aware of and
were reviewed annually. The respondents also indicated that they have
attained the objectives which are greatly influenced by the Board of
Governors and the teachers in setting.
There was also a clear indication that most of the public secondary schools
in Nairobi have strategic plans which are developed by the senior
management team and consultants who are hired. The strategic plans are
reviewed annually. Regular review of the strategic plans ensures they are
relevant to the objectives of the school and also to ensure control of the
plans. The competitors are considered to have a great extent in strategic
planning process
33
The studies carried above indicate that most of the public secondary schools
in Nairobi have a vision and mission statement. The statements are
communicated to them by the word of mouth or by circulars and majority of
the respondents can identify themselves with the statements. It was also
clear from the findings that Strategic planning is a new phenomenon in the
secondary schools in Nairobi.
A vision gives the organization an aspiration or desired future state while a
mission defines the business the school is in. Johnson and Scholes (2003)
view strategy as the direction and scope of an organization over the long
term which achieves advantage for the organization through the
configuration of resources within a changing environment and to fulfill
stakeholders expectations. With a mission and vision statement which are
the starting point in development of strategic plans the schools are able to
define their business and be able to provide an insight as to where they want
to be in the future.
The study also revealed the secondary schools in Nairobi do environmental
analysis in order to avoid surprises, identify threats and opportunities, gain
competitive advantage and improve long term and short term planning
(Sutton 1988).This can be deduced from the study that the schools gathered
both internal and external information. Internal evaluation was done on
students and teachers. Competitor analysis was also carried out which helped
the schools identify their position in the K.S.C.E. performance in relative to
the other schools.
34
Most of the schools which participated in this study have objectives where
the Board of Governors and the teachers have great influence in setting them.
This is because the two are the ones charged with the responsibility of
managing the schools and this is where strategic objectives are set
(Mintzberg 1994)
All schools also have strategic plans which are developed by the senior
management team with the assistance from the consultants who are hired
From the findings above it is evident that most public secondary schools in
Nairobi use strategic planning to establish and clarify their mission, be able
to achieve their set objectives, identify their strengths and weaknesses that
are relevant to the school. Strategic plans are also used as a tool in
improving the student’s performance. The development of strategic plans is
an appropriate first step towards institutional change (Sutton 1988)
From the findings above it is evident that most public secondary schools in
Nairobi use strategic planning to establish and clarify their mission and
vision, be able to achieve their set objectives, identify their strengths and
weakness that are relevant to the school. Strategic plans are also used as a
tool in improving the student’s performance. Strategic planning is also the
responsibility of the senior management team and the teachers.
5.2 Limitations of the Study
Some difficulties were encountered in the process of carrying out the study.
The main problem was that some of the respondents were reluctant to
provide the information, out of the forty two (42) registered public
secondary schools only twenty five (25) agreed to give information.
35WAIRW*
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Some of the respondents left some of the questions unanswered and this did
not make the analysis easy. Others delegated the assignment to the other
teachers who were not familiar with strategic planning practices.
5.3 Suggestion for further Research
From the findings of this study it is recommended that further research be
carried out in the area of strategic planning that public secondary schools in
Kenya have adopted and their impact on the Kenya Certificate of Secondary
Education (K.C.S.E.).The research could also be extended to cover other
players who provide secondary education for example private schools who
are their major competitors.
5.4 Recommendation for Policy and Practice
It can be stated that strategic planning and management is anew
phenomenon in the public secondary schools in Nairobi. Although majority
have a mission and vision statement, they are not communicated widely to
the stakeholders. Most of the schools the concept of strategic planning is not
well adopted, most of them it is informal although they are aware that formal
strategic planning is important for their performance and in achieving their
set objectives.
36
REFERENCES
Andrew, K.R., (1987). The Concept of Corporate Strategy; Home wood Illinois, Irwin, 3rd edition.
Ansoff, H.I., and MacDonel, E., (1990). Implanting StrategicManagement, Englewood cliffs, N.J. Prentice Hall.
Ansoff, H.I., (1965).Corporate Strategy. New York .N.J.Me Graw Hill
Chandler, A., (1962) Strategy and Structure. Chapters in History of American Industrial Enterprise. Cambridge Massachusettes,Mit Press
David, F.R., (1999). Strategic Management. Concepts and cases; 7lh edition, Prentice Hall N.J.
Guralnik, D„ (Ed) (1986). Webster, New World Dictionary. 2nd edition. Cleveland, OH. Prentice Hall Press.
Harrison,J.S. and C.H.St. John., (1998), Strategic Management of Organizations and Stakeholders; South Western College Publishing, Ohio.
Hax, A. and Majluf., (1991).The Strategy Concept and Process.A pragmatic Approach. Prentice- Hall International.
Herold, D.M., (1972). “Long Range Planning and Organizational Performance across Valuation study “. Academy of Management Journal, March 1972, pp 99-102.
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Hofer, S.A., (1978, Strategic Management; A case book in Policy and planning .2nd edition, West publishing co., Minnesota
Kaufman, R., (1996). “Vision, Strategic Planning and Quality- More than hype”, Educational Technology.
Mintzberg, H., (1994). The rise and fall of strategic planning .Free Press, New York.
Mintzberg,H. and Quinn.J.B., (1991) ,The strategy process concepts, contexts and cases, 2nd edition, Prentice Hall Inc.
Mintzberg, H.and Waters,J.A., (1985) On Strategies., Deliberate and Emergent. Strategic management Journal, vol.6.pp 257-272.
Monyoncho,R.M.,(2004). Perception of Corporate Governance Practices of Public Universities in Kenya, The case of University of Nairobi, Unpublished MBA project, University of Nairobi
Mugenda, M. O. and Mugenda, A. Research Methods; Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches, African Centre for Technology Studies, Nairobi, Kenya.
Ogari,G.O.,(2005), Strategic Planning Practices by Universities in Kenya,Unpublished MBA project, University of Nairobi.
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Oketch, M.O., (2003). Market Model of Financing Higher Education in Sub Sahara Africa; Examples from Kenya, “Higher Education Policy, 16(3), pp 313-332
Pearce, J. A. and Robinson, R.B. (2003, 2002, 2000, 1997), Strategic Management Formulation and Implementation. 3rd edition, Irwin McGraw Hill.
Porter, M. E., (1980), “Competitive Strategy, Techniques for analyzing Industries and Competitors”, the free press.
Session Paper No.l. (2005), and A Policy Framework for Education, Training Research.
Stacey, R.D., (2003), Strategic Management and Organization Dynamics .Prentice Hall 3rd edition London
Sutton, H., (1988), Competitive Intelligence. New York, NY.The Conference Board.
Thompson, A. and Strickland, A.J.,(1989, 1993) . Strategic Management Concepts and Cases; 7th edition .Richard, D. Irwin, New York.
Wilson, I., (1998), Strategic Planning for the millennium. Resolving the Dilemma long Range. 30: pp 507-51
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APPENDIX I : QUESTIONNAIRE
SECTION I : RESPONDENT PROFILE
1. Position h e ld ------------------------ ------------------------------2. Number of years of service at the School--------------------
SECTION II: VISION AND MISSION
1. Does the school have a vision statement? Tick Yes ( )
No ( )
If yes state
A) How is the vision statement communicated across the school?
a) Posters ( )b) Word of mouth ( )c) Circulars ( )d) Others specify------------------------------------------------
B) Does your school have a mission statement?Yes ( )
No ( )
If no, why not------------------------------------------------------------------
If yes what is it----------------------------------------------------------------
C) How is the mission statement communicated across the school?a) Posters ( )b) Word of mouth ( )c) Circulars ( )d) Others specify--------------- ---------------------------------
40
D) To what extent is the vision and mission communicated to each of the following
Very great Great Moderate A little No extentExtent Extent Extent Extent at all
iii) Stakeholders. ( )iv; wuicia y - ---------------
F) When was the mission statement formulated?
SECTION III: ENVIROMENTAL ANALYSIS
1. Does the institution gather information from the external environment?
Y es( ) No ( )
2. If yes who collects the information?a) S.M.T. ( )b) Head of department ( )c) Teachers ( )d) Others specify-------------------------------------------------------------------
41
3. Which schools do you consider to be your four major competitors? (Please list them starting with the most important)
No ( )2. If yes what types of plan have been developed?
a) Long term range ( 3 - 5 ) years ( )b) Short term range (1 - 2) years ( )c) Strategic plans (0 - 5) years ( )d) All ( )e) Others specify-----------------------------------
3 Who participates in the development of these plans?
a) SMT (principal, senior master, and Boarding master) ( )b) Heads of Departments ( )c) BOG, PTA, MOEST ( )D) Others specify----------------------------------------------------------
45
4 Are these plans written once they are developed?a) Yes ( )
b) No ( )
5. Indicate whether the following features characterize your planningprocess.
a) Informal planning meetings Yes ( )b) Timetables for the preparation of plans Yes ( )c) Clear out responsibilities for planning Yes ( )d) Existence of a planning departments Yes( )
6. How frequent is the process reviewed?
a) Annually ( )b) After two year ( )c) After three years ( )d) Others specify —
No ( ) No ( ) No ( ) No ( )
7. Indicate the extent to which the following factors are considered in the strategic planning process of your school ? (l=not at all, 2= very little extent, 3= little extent, 4= great extent, 5= Very great Extent)
Pressure groups (P.T.A; B.O.G ;) Others Specify----------------------------
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
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8. Which of the following does your school consider the most important factors in strategic planning (Tick the relevant ones)
a)Ideas ( )b) The Numbers or Figures ( )c) The Deadlines ( )d) Others (specify)----------------
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APPENDIX II: LETTER OF INTRODUCTION
August 2006
Dear Respondent,
This questionnaire is designed to gather information on Strategic Planning Practices adopted by Public Secondary Schools in Kenya: The study is being carried for a management project paper as a requirement in partial fulfillment of the degree of Master of Business Administration (MBA), Faculty of Commerce, of the University of Nairobi.
The information in this questionnaire will be treated with confidentiality and into no instance will your name be mentioned in this research. Also, the information will not be used for any other purpose other than for this research.
Your assistance in facilitating the same will highly be appreciated. A copy of this research paper will be made available to you upon request.