Impact Of Total Quality Management Techniques On Customer Satisfaction In Kaduna Water Corporation, Kaduna
Abstract
This study was carried out to examine the impact of total quality management techniques on customer satisfaction using Kaduna water corporation, kaduna as a case study. Specifically, the study examined the impact of TQM in Kaduna water corporation, kaduna, the level of managements involvement in TQM implementation in Kaduna water corporation, kaduna, the challenges militating against TQM implementation in in Kaduna water corporation, kaduna, and examined if the application of TQM principles in in Kaduna water corporation, kaduna has led to the significant success of their project. The study employed the survey descriptive research design. Questionnaire was used for data collection which was raised against a four Likert scale of Strongly Agree(SA), Agree(A), Strongly Disagree(SD) and Disagree(D). A total of 80 respondents were purposively selected as sample size comprising of staff and management of Kaduna water corporation, kaduna. Out of the 80 respondents, 72 responses were validated from the survey. The study adopted the EFQM Excellence Model. From the responses obtained and analysed, the findings revealed that there is a significant relationship between Total Quality Management (TQM) and increased organizational performance. This is as a result of the Pearson Correlation Analysis (.892**) showed a positive correlation between TQM and increased productivity. This implies that Organizations that who adopts TQM in their business tends to increase productivity and service delivery quality as well as customer satisfaction. The findings of this study indicated that TQM has a strong positive impact on organisational performance. These findings support the argument of TQM proponents that companies can achieve the higher levels of both financial and non-financial results by implementing TQM philosophy. On the basis of these findings, it was recommended that Top management in organizations and First Bank Plc should continue their effort in considering total quality management as a priority for their company in the future and involving the company to TQM implementation at all levels. More so, the company should continue its look into ways to increase its employee’s empowerment and participation. Continuous improvement is an important factor in TQM. The company should give this more attention in regards to the value of its implementation. Further more, all the TQM principles must be implemented in order to achieve organizational goal targets.
Chapter One
Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
Traditional cost and management accounting practices have been under substantial criticism for lack of efficiency and capability in coping with the requirements of a changing environment of the modern world. The criticism is as a result of inability of traditional cost and management accounting practices to provide detailed information on the activities that are important for organizational sustainable development. Sustainable development takes into consideration the fact that economic efficiency depends on many variables such as legislature, technology and socio-cultural factors. In order to promote sustainable development and achieve organizational goals, it is necessary for management to act taking into account not only profit making but also the environment and society (Todorut, 2012). Askarany (2006) also echoed this observation, stating that traditional cost and management accounting systems have failed to keep up with the increasing demands imposed on them by technological change in business environments. Cooper, Roben, Maskell and Brian (2008) stated that the long-term viability of any organization whether in the competitive or non- competitive sector depends largely upon how well it understands and how effectively it meets customers’ requirements. Most organizations still have a long way to go, but some have begun embracing modern management accounting practises. Many forms of modern Management Accounting practices are now in use; examples are Just-in-Time (JIT) systems, Material Requirement Planning (MRP), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Total Quality Management (TQM) (Askarany, 2006). One of the best forms of Management practices is TQM which has received great attention in the last two decades (Juang & Wang, 2006).
In recent decades, the market environment has been dramatically altered by globalization, intense global competition, and ever-changing customer needs. Different quality management standards, such as ISO9000 and Total Quality Management (TQM), have been introduced as a result of the above changes. TQM, on the other hand, has gotten a lot of press in recent years as a new way of managing businesses to increase productivity. Several studies have shown that overall high-quality adoption improves organizational success.
Total Quality Management (TQM) has become a global subject in the twenty-first century. It was primarily introduced by many Japanese companies in the decades following World War II, with Japanese companies gaining greater prominence in the 1980s. Its history can be traced back to both the United States and Japan.
Companies all over the world discovered that they needed strong quality management practices to stay competitive (Lagrosen, 2002), as cited in Al-Damen & Rula (2010). Total Quality Management (TQM) is a transformation of the current business model. It’s a tried-and-true strategy for surviving in a world of competition. An entire organization’s culture and practices can only be changed by changing management’s attitudes. Total quality management (TQM) is a management approach that emphasizes quality and involves all members of the organization. Its goal is long-term viability.
TQM, in other words, is a management philosophy that enables an organization to efficiently and effectively meet the needs and expectations of stakeholders while adhering to ethical standards (ISO, 8404, 1994), as cited in Rula (2010). TQM is generally used in the world. Many companies have realized that successfully implementing TQM would improve their competitiveness and provide strategic market advantages. Several studies have shown that adopting TQM practices will aid international business success (Anderson, Fornell, & Lehmann, 1994 cited in Yong, J. and Wilkinson, A. (2001). According to many analysts, TQM implementation has resulted in increases in productivity, growth, and competitiveness in only 20 to 30 percent of companies that have implemented it (Saraph, J.V., Benson, G.P. and Schroeder, R.G., 1993).
According to a study of manufacturing companies in Georgia, TQM benefits include improved performance, workforce engagement, teamwork, working relationships, customer loyalty, employee satisfaction, productivity, communication, sustainability, and market share (Dale, Zairi, Vanfder Wiele & Williams, 2000).
According to a report by Vecchi, A., and Brennan, L. (2009), implementing TQM improves employee relations, working procedures, customer satisfaction, and financial performance by 90 percent. However, Burrows (1992), cited by Vecchi et al, found that initiated TQM implementation programs fail 95% of the time, and that TQM implementation has uncertain or even negative effects on outcomes (Deming Prize. (2011), & Das, A., (2006). Getting good product quality and successfully implementing TQM, according to Boje, D.M. and Winsor, R.D. (1993), is highly dependent on top management support.
A systematic approach to project management is total quality management. It involves things like continuous growth, employee planning and retraining, customer loyalty, top management support, defect-free products on the first try, avoiding rework, and cost efficiency, among others.
According to Boaden, R.J. (2002), total quality management covers all practices that administrators use to improve their quality and policies, such as quality preparation, evaluation, assurance, and enhancement. It is a method of getting assurance and quality rid of low quality production rather than getting rid of low quality products. Total quality management (TQM) is a business strategy that allows everyone in the organization to collaborate in order to improve quality and satisfy customers.
Continuous progress is a strategy that aims to enhance the method of transforming inputs into outputs indefinitely. According to Dahlgaard, J.J., Kristensen, K. and Kanji, G.K. (2004), the three main ideologies of TQM are continuous growth, which is a never-ending drive to better, everyone’s involvement in the organization’s objective of consumer loyalty, and constant training of staff on quality practices and principles.
According to Anwar, A.S., and Jabnoun, N. (2006), quality can be measured using explicit parameters. Newlove (1987) and Pateman (2004) used the concept of compliance with specifications to describe continuity in productive organizations, as cited in Anwar, A.S., and Jabnoun, N. (2006). On the first attempt, all members of the quality team should aim to produce high-quality products. This would ensure consumer satisfaction while lowering rework costs. Quality has a huge financial effect on every aspect of an organization. The most visible effect occurs when low output results in dissatisfied customers, which leads to business failure. Despite the fact that ISO,9000 applications have drawbacks, the benefits cannot be overlooked.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Over the years, emphasis has always been on production quantity rather over quality but this has always resulted in high level of stock with excessive expenditure on inspection, rework, and warranty repairs which at the end of the day may not be acceptable to the customers. Nowadays companies have come to realize that it is cheaper to produce items correctly than to waste resources by producing substandard items that refuse to meet customers’ satisfaction. This long-term viability of organization, whether in profit or non-profit sectors, makes organisation to depend largely upon how well it understands and how effectively it meets customers’ requirements through the adoption of TQM as the goal of TQM is customer satisfaction (Drury, 2004).
The effectiveness and implementation of quality management programs are the day by day in today’s competitive world, where consumers are more aware of product quality. Advanced Manufacturing Technology (ATM), Total Quality Management (TQM), Total Preventive Management (TPM), Just in Time (JIT), Six-Sigma, and Lean Manufacturing are just a few of the initiatives listed in the literature.
Long-held management doctrines have been broken, and conventional product production and delivery structures have become obsolete as a result of these new competitive strategies. Companies would only be able to survive if they make a difference in the face of such fierce competition on all fronts. “In order to compete in a competitive market, our products, processes, and services must be at a higher quality than our competition,” said John Young, the president of Hewlett-Packard. Consumer preferences and demands have risen to the fore in every area of corporate life.
The days of businesses standing on their laurels and pretending to have a franchise of the best products and services are long gone. As a result of the relentless surge of technological and environmental change, many businesses have become increasingly less attuned to the ever-changing realities of today’s consumers’ needs and expectations, leading their processes, activities, and skills to become increasingly less attuned to the ever-changing realities of today’s consumers’ needs and aspirations.
Despite the fact that continuous improvement in processes, technology, and skills is the rule of thumb in today’s industry, many businesses lack the sense of urgency needed to reconsider the demands of the modern business model.
Quality assurance and service delivery are already seen as optional extras rather than essentials in many organizations. As a result, a large number of businesses are looking to improve their productivity. As a result, the aim of this research is to look into the effect of Total Quality Management (TQM) on organizational success.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The primary purpose and objectives of this study is to examine the impact of total quality management techniques on customer satisfaction using kaduna water corporation, Kaduna as a case study.
Specifically, this study seeks to:
Examine the impact of TQM in Kaduna water corporation, kaduna.
Examine the level of managements involvement in TQM implementation in Kaduna water corporation, kaduna.
Examine the challenges militating against TQM implementation in in Kaduna water corporation, kaduna.
Examine if the application of TQM principles in in Kaduna water corporation, kaduna has led to the significant success of their project.
1.4 Research Questions
The following questions guide this study:
What are the impact of TQM in Kaduna water corporation, kaduna?
What is the level of managements involvement in TQM implementation in Kaduna water corporation, kaduna?
What are the challenges militating against TQM implementation in in Kaduna water corporation, kaduna?
Has the application of TQM principles in in Kaduna water corporation, kaduna has led to the significant success of their project.
1.5 Research hypotheses
Hypothesis refers to an experimental statement, tentative in nature, showing the relationship between two or more variables. It is open to test and can be accepted or rejected depending on whether it agrees or disagrees with the statistical test.
The study will test the validity of the following hypothesis:
H0: There is no relationship between Total Quality Management (TQM) and increased customers’ satisfaction.
HA: There is a relationship between Total Quality Management (TQM) and increased customers’ satisfaction.
1.6 Significance of the Study
This research on the effect of Total Quality Management on corporate success can assist employees and companies, grasp the principle of total quality management (TQM) and its significance in the business world, as well as assist them in the fields of sourcing, production, product service, and marketing.
This study will also help to encourage employees to work better for better quality and it will also bring about innovation in an organization and help them adapt to change in the contemporary business domain.
Furthermore, this study will add to existing literature on this topic and will serve as a reference material for further research on this topic or related domain.
1.7 Scope of the Study
This study focuses on examining the impact of TQM in Kaduna water corporation, kaduna. This study also will examine the level of managements involvement in TQM implementation in Kaduna water corporation, kaduna. Also, this study will examine the challenges militating against TQM implementation in in Kaduna water corporation, kaduna.
Further more, this study will look into if the application of TQM principles in Kaduna water corporation, kaduna has led to the significant success of their project. The staff of Kaduna water corporation, kaduna State serve as the enrolled participants for this study.
1.8 Limitation of the Study
The major limitations to the study are insufficient funding to involve many respondents to this research and carry out other logistics required in this study. Also, the time factor was another constraint where the researcher had to share available time with academic work and conducting of this research within the given time frame.
Inadequate materials needed for the success of this study was another factor that limited this study. The sources of literature and conducting of interviews in order to validate this research posed a barrier to the researcher.
Furthermore, due to the current state of the Coronavirus pandemic in the country that has limited most inter-state travel, this posed a major constraint to this research because the researcher had to observe all the necessary Covid-19 precautions.
1.9 Operational Definition of Terms
Total Quality Management:
A culture adopted by the organization and deployed to all employees in organization, in order to achieve the customer satisfaction.
Organization:
An organization is an entity such as a company, an institution, or an association – comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose.
Productivity:
Productivity is the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure.
1.10 Organization of the Study
This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows.
Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the study), historical background, statement of problem, objectives of the study, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study, definition of terms and historical background of the study.
Chapter two highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is based, thus the review of related literature.
Chapter three deals on the research design and methodology adopted in the study.
Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding.
Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study.
Chapter Two: Literature Review
2.0 INTRODUCTION:
This chapter provides the background and context of the research problems, reviews the existing literature on the Impact Of Total Quality Management Techniques On Customer Satisfaction In Kaduna Water Corporation, Kaduna, and acknowledges the contributions of scholars who have previously conducted similar research [REV87081] …