Effects of Strategic Planning and Innovation on Performance of Mobile Telecommunication Firms in Ghana

Introduction

The telecommunication industry contributes significantly to economic growth and development across the globe. The performance of the telecommunication industry in national development has contributed to the economic growth of many nations (Boateng & Owusu, 2013; Ni, 2018; Omayio, 2017). For example, the industry has introduced several services such as international roaming, mobile money, internet facilities, IoT, and teleconferencing facilities in addition to making and receiving calls (Mahmoud & Hinson, 2012). Notwithstanding this, mobile telecommunication networks in developing countries face interconnectivity and other problems that result in poor performance by some firms in the industry (Ampomah, 2012).

The telecommunication industry has a lot of firms that compete with each other for survival (Alosani et al., 2019). Globally, the firms in the industry strategically seek opportunities and constantly innovate for performance improvements (Ombasa & Nzulwa, 2018). Considering the competitive nature of the firms in the telecommunication industry that moves the firms to devise various strategies to survive, this study assesses the effect of strategic planning and innovation on firms’ performance in mobile telecommunication. To overcome the problems and challenges faced by the MTNs the industry players must realign their business strategies, train and empower staff, and monitor and implement actions to overcome cybersecurity, infrastructure, and network challenges (Aivo Conversation AI (2020).

Thus, the purpose of this study is to assess the extent to which strategic planning and innovation influence the performance of the mobile telecommunication network (MTN) aspect of the telecommunication industry. The study also assesses the effect of innovation on the performance of the firms in the mobile telecommunication industry. The study is therefore guided by the question: What are the effects of strategic planning and innovation on firms’ performance in the mobile telecommunication industry? There is a lot of literature on the effect of strategic planning and innovation on the performance of the telecommunication industry from the advanced world, but there is a lack of literature about West Africa. The research makes a contribution to the literature in filling the research gap that exists between the advanced economies and the developing world, especially from Ghana in West Africa. This study is to serve as a reference to guide other researchers who will undertake similar studies in the mobile telecommunication industry in the developing world.