Supply Chain Flexibility and Performance of Food & Beverage Manufacturing Firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya
Abstract
The performance of food and beverage manufacturing firms in Nairobi City County has been declining over the last three years. This is despite the government’s ongoing efforts to promote industrial growth through tax incentives, policy reforms and infrastructural investments aimed at enhancing the ease of doing business1Kimeu Reuben Mutisya. The general objective of this study was established the relationship between supply chain flexibility and performance of food and beverage manufacturing firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The specific objectives were to determine the relationship between supplier flexibility and inventory flexibility and performance of food and beverage manufacturing firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study employed descriptive research design. The target population was 476 management staff in the food and beverage manufacturing firms in Nairobi City County. A sample of 217 management staff were selected using stratified random sampling. The study used primary data gathered using structured questionnaires. The collected data was coded and entered into SPSS for analysis. Data analysis entailed descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics entailed frequencies, means, and standard deviation while inferential statistics entailed Pearson’s correlation analysis and linear regression analysis. The findings showed that there exists a positive and significant relationship between supplier flexibility and performance of food and beverage manufacturing firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The findings also showed a positive and significant relationship between inventory flexibility and performance. Manufacturing firms should go beyond basic supply chain flexibility practices and adopt advanced digital systems that enhance real-time visibility and coordination across procurement, inventory management.
Keywords; Supplier Flexibility, Inventory Flexibility, Performance, Food and Beverage Manufacturing Firms
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