Application of Business Intelligence in Kenyan SMEs

Business Intelligence is still in its infancy stages in developing countries, particularly Kenya. Research has shown that different models are available to assess the usage and adoption of Business Intelligence (BI). In this case, the technological, organizational, and environmental (TOE) model was proposed as a suitable model for developing economies like Kenya. The study investigates how the TOE constructs affect BI adoption, the BI systems in Kenya, and whether managers influence BI adoption. The equivocal nature of the TOE framework allowed the creation of a structured interview questionnaire that was divided into two parts; the demographic profile and questions based on the TOE framework. The results demonstrated that the TOE factors led to more intensive BI adoption, but there might be a lack of awareness or technical skills to adopt advanced BI technologies. On this basis, it is recommended that managers within small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) learn about better BI solutions and how they can leverage the advantage to enable them to stay profitable, competitive, and data driven. Further research is needed to better understand BI usage within SMEs preferably with larger and representative sample sizes and across different counties within Kenya.