Influence of Core Competencies on Health Organization’s Competitive Advantage: A Case of Kericho District Hospital
Pages : 1258-1264Download PDF
The purpose of this research was to evaluate the core competencies and how it influences competitiveness in healthcare sector. The specific objectives were to examine the influence of cost, human resource, and physical resources (equipment) and product differentiation (how the service is packaged and delivered) on the competitiveness of the healthcare organization. The research was based on a quantitative research approach and targeted the Health Management Team and the organization’s clients. A sample of 623 patients and 30 Health Management Team was used. Data was gathered by use of self-administered questionnaires then analyzed by use of descriptive statistics. The findings indicated that core competencies aid Kericho District Hospital to gain a competitive edge against its competitors. The study also noted that for the hospital to be successful it has to use a combination of various competencies, no competency can be applied in isolation however important it might be. The study concluded that the hospital can stay ahead of the pack, if it maximizes its outputs through use of unique resources that it possesses, the highly competent set of human skills and through ensuring that the services are offered at the lowest price possible.
Keywords: Health Management, Core Competencies, Competitive Advantage