A survey on the relationship between TQM principles application and business growth in food processing organisation: a case study of Unilever Kenya

Abstract

Business enterprises, large, medium and small have become the main source of employment in our economy. They have become a source of livelihood to majority of Kenyans, employing over 65% of the working population. The government collects a lot of revenue from the many businesses that operate in Kenya. They also contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GOP) for the betterment of all in the economy.

Their growth and excellent performance is therefore very crucial. Previous research has shown that many organizations that have applied TQM Principles and have obtained ISO certification have managed to achieve excellent performance in sales, profitability, competitiveness and increased market share. This research project sought to assess the extent to which the application of these principles contributed to the growth of an organization.

A lot has been written in this area. Many quality Gurus like Deming, Crosby, Juran, Ishikawa and others have put forward the concepts of quality. They have given various principles that should be the road map to effectively implementing TQM principles. This got to be highlighted in the literature review. Owing to the importance of this area and to the fact that it has been ignored the research project adopted the Deming Model that emphasized on creating awareness of its benefits amongst our country's business organizations.

Unilever Kenya, which is a food processing and distribution firm was sampled out for this research. With the use of questionnaires, the researcher hoped to establish if indeed there is a positive and significant relationship between the TQM principles application and excellent business performance.