Effect of Environmental Analysis on the Performance of Public Universities in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Abstract

The closing of 11 local campuses of two Kenyan public universities has substantially affected their performance and viability. Even though empirical literature has shown that environmental analysis affects performance in various circumstances, most research contains scope limitations, conceptual gaps, methodological gaps, and contextual gaps. As a result, there is a paucity of empirical evidence regarding the effect of environmental analysis on performance of Kenyan public universities, a research gap that the current study filled. The primary goal of the study was to assess effects of environmental analysis on performance in Kenyan public universities. The study was underpinned on theory of performance and strategic fit theory. The study, which used a descriptive study approach, had the 168 top administration managers of Kenyan public universities in Nairobi City County as its target group from which 119 respondents were obtained the Yamane formula. The study used stratified proportionate sampling to choose participants from each university who were then identified using systematic sampling. The data was gathered from primary sources through a questionnaire, which was pre-tested for validity using content analysis and reliability to yield a Cronbach’ Alpha value of 0.881 to indicate a reliable tool. Descriptive statistics were obtained from quantitative analysis and while inferential analysis was used to generate correlation and regression statistics The study found that at 5% significance level, environmental analysis has a significant and positive effect on performance of public universities in Nairobi City County (p< 0.047; r = 0.185; β = 0.155). The study recommends for public universities in Nairobi City County to ensure that their policies should always enhance their staff to effectively apply the basic environmental analysis tools; Balanced Scorecard framework Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Analysis, Political, Economic, Social, Technical, Legal and Environment model in their environmental analyses.