An Assessment of the Significance of Business Intelligence Strategies and Technologies for Strategic Growth in the Telecommunication Industry: A Study of Safaricom Kenya Ltd.

Abstract

“Business seek unique economic principles and strategies that support proactive strategic management and decision making by producing actionable information that enables the identification of emerging challenges and organizational growth thus the need for Business Intelligence.(BI)”The purpose of the study was to assess the significance of Business Intelligence strategies and technologies for strategic growth of Safaricom Kenya Ltd. The specific objectives of the study were: - to ascertain the Business Intelligence strategies employed by Safaricom for strategic growth, to examine how Business Intelligence relates to information-intensive managerial activities of Safaricom, and to assess Business Intelligence’s contribution to ensure strategic growth in Safaricom. This research was conducted to fill the research gap in studies relating to Business Intelligence specifically on Safaricom. The study employed a descriptive survey design which enabled the researcher to collect data from the respondents. The area of study was Safaricom head office (Nairobi). The study targeted 1510 employees and employed purposive sampling. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics that summarized the data collected by working out the weighted averages, percentages, frequencies, pie charts and bar graphs. The findings will help in the development of Business Intelligence policies directed at driving growth in the telecommunication industry. This study will contribute to the existing literature in the field of management of Business Intelligence, thereby improving organizational performance significantly. It will further act as a stimulus for further research to extend the present study especially in Kenya. The study established that competitor analysis, monitoring stock movement, customer performance analysis, and call-center support lead to strategic growth to a great extent. However, customer relationship management, technical data analysis, and score carding and dashboards need particular attention so that they are popularized and utilized fully to influence growth within the telecommunication industry.

Keywords - Business Intelligence, Strategies and Technologies, and Strategic Growth