Quality Management Practices and Performance of Selected Dairy Firms in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya
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Date
2025-06
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
Organizational performance in the dairy sector remains critical measure of firm success, incorporating both financial and non-financial dimensions such as profitability, market share, productivity, and customer satisfaction. Despite the presence of management teams, the performance of selected dairy firms in Uasin Gishu County has shown declining trend. This study sought to examine the influence of Quality Management practices on the performance of selected dairy firms. Specifically, the study focused on three key quality management practices: continuous improvement, customer focus, and top management commitment. The study was anchored on Resource-Based View Theory, Quality Improvement Theory, and Dynamic Capabilities Theory. A descriptive research design was adopted, targeting 134 employees from five selected dairy firms in Uasin Gishu County. Proportionate stratified and simple random sampling was used to select a sample of 103 respondents. Primary data was collected through structured questionnaires, and analyzed using SPSS to generate descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression outputs. The results revealed that continuous improvement, customer focus and top management commitment had statistically significant positive effect on the performance of dairy firms in Uasin Gishu County. The study observed ethical considerations such as informed consent, confidentiality, and voluntary participation. The findings underscore critical role of quality management practices in enhancing firm performance, with top management commitment emerging as the most influential factor. The study recommends that dairy firms should institutionalize quality management practices by embedding continuous training, customer feedback systems, and strategic leadership initiatives into their operational frameworks. Further research is suggested to explore other moderating variables and apply the model across other agricultural-based industries in Kenya.
Description
A Research Project Submitted to the School of Business, Economics and Tourism in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Business Administration in Strategic Management of Kenyatta University, June 2025.
Supervisor
Stephen Muathe