Influence of the Green Distribution Management on Competitive Advantage of Alcoholic Beverages Manufacturing Companies in Kenya

Abstract

This article examines the influence of the green distribution management on competitive advantage of alcoholic beverages manufacturing companies in Kenya. This study employed a positivism research philosophy and both descriptive and explanatory research designs were adopted. The target population was 394 consisting of Chief Executive Officers and heads of supply chain, corporate relations, human resource, finance, production, sales and marketing, quality control, logistics and warehousing in 41 alcoholic beverages manufacturing companies in Kenya. Yamane's Formula was applied to determine a sample size of 198 respondents. Stratified random sampling technique was utilized for selecting the sample. The data collection process incorporated both primary and secondary data. Secondary data was gathered from the annual reports of Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) and individual alcoholic beverages manufacturing companies in Kenya with the help of a data collection checklist. Primary data was obtained using questionnaires. Thematic analysis was applied to analyze the qualitative data, while quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS statistical software to generate both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics contained mean, standard deviation, frequencies and percentages. Inferential statistics included Pearson correlation analysis, simple linear regression analysis and step-wise regression analysis. From the findings, the R-squared (R²) results demonstrated that green distribution management explained 77.5% of the variance in competitive advantage (R² =

0.775). The regression coefficients revealed that green distribution management significantly predicted competitive advantage (β = 0.870, p < 0.05). The study suggests that the management of alcoholic beverages manufacturing companies in Kenya should integrate green distribution management practices into core operations to enhance competitive advantage. In addition, the study recommends improving resource efficiency through real-time monitoring and internal accountability.