Leather sector competitiveness encompasses fundamental aspects that provide the thrust to\nthe sector. The prerequisites that are required include entrepreneurial-ship, harnessing of\ntechnology acquisition and transfer, research and development, appropriate policies and\ninvestment. In addition, these aspects through appropriate opportunity management and value\ncreation initiative creates ambience in becoming competitive. The study also found out that\nproductivity driven on efficient and effective resource management strategies are key for\nenterprises to be competitive in Africa. It is with this background that the study analyzed the\nresponses from the leather strata in Kenya and related this to competitiveness. Moreover, the\nresearch evaluated the significance of the interrelationship between various stratums that\ninterphase in the value creation process of the leather sector and also determined the impact\nof activities identified towards competitiveness. The study used a quantitative approach\n(n=244), descriptive analysis including an aggregate score to ascertain the top activities\nimpacting on competitiveness in Kenya. The results indicated that producers and butchers\nwere impacted with enterprise competitiveness and as a preference that followed, required the\ngovernment to encourage investment. Traders were mostly concerned with price\ncompetitiveness and this was closely, associated with stiff competition in sourcing for raw\nmaterials in the country. However, tanners, leather goods and footwear required investments\nto improve on the leather and leather products with a concern raised for the flooding of\nleather products. This was deemed to stifle leather goods and footwear stratums�\ncompetitiveness. In general, responses of the study were significant with the study depicting\nthat with appropriate value-addition initiatives it is feasible to transform the leather strata to\nbecome competitive. Thusly, the overall results indicated that activities were significant\n(p<0.05) to the value chain stratum towards competitiveness. Therefore, this observation\nstrengthened the aspect of considering competitiveness as key to spur tangible results in the\ndevelopment and growth of the leather sector in Kenya.
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