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TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN THE LIFT INDUSTRY IN KE NYA
By
Benson Githinji Wamweya
D61/60554/2010
A Research Project Presented In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree, School of Business University of
Nairobi
August 2013
ii
DECLARATION
I declare that this is my original work and has never been submitted to any other
University or institution of higher learning for examination. This is a result of my own
individual effort and where other people’s idea and work have been cited, they are duly
acknowledged.
Signature:___________________________ Date ______________________
WAMWEYA BENSON GITHINJI
D61/60554/2010
This research project has been submitted for examination with my approval as the
University Supervisor
Supervisor
Signature: ____________________________ Date_________________________
Z.N KIRUTHU
Moderator
Signature: ___________________________ Date _________________________
O. NYAMWANGE
Chairman:
Signature:_____________________________ Date __________________________
DR. MURANGA NJIHIA
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DEDICATION
I wish to dedicate this work to my wife Alice and my three children Angela, Abigail and
Annette. They all inspired me to work hard.
They will always be the source of my strength. God bless them all.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I wish to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to all those who in one way or
another contributed to the success of preparation of this research proposal.
Special thanks go to my supervisor Z. N Kiruthu who guided me in the research project.
My workmates at the Elevonic lifts services, the entire lift industry players, personnel at
the National Construction Authority for their support and encouragement during the
entire project duration, thanks to them all.
I would also like to thank the whole team of lecturers involved in the presentations and
moderation of the Academic Research Projects at the University of Nairobi School of
Business, Department of Management Sciences. The knowledge learnt from the
interactions will always be valuable in all research that I undertake now and in future.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ................................................................................................................II
DEDICATION .................................................................................................................. III
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ................................................................................................ IV
ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... vii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 1
1.1 Background ............................................................................................................... 1
1.1.1 Total Quality Management.................................................................................... 1
1.1.2 Lift Industry in Kenya ........................................................................................... 2
1.2 Problem Statement .................................................................................................... 3
1.3 Research Questions: .................................................................................................. 5
1.4 Objectives of the Study ............................................................................................. 5
1.5 Value of the Study..................................................................................................... 5
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................ 7
2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 7
2.2 Total Quality Management Theory........................................................................... 7
2.3 Quality Methodology And Tools .............................................................................. 9
2.3.1 Quality Framework................................................................................................ 9
2.3.2 Service Quality Measures.................................................................................... 10
2.4 Performance Measurement...................................................................................... 11
2.5 Factors To Effective Tqm Adoption ....................................................................... 13
2.6 Total Quality Management Practices ...................................................................... 14
2.7 Conceptual Framework ........................................................................................... 16
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................. 17
3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 17
3.2 Research Design...................................................................................................... 17
3.3 Population................................................................................................................ 17
3.4 Sample Design......................................................................................................... 18
3.5 Data Collection........................................................................................................ 18
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3.6 Data Analysis .......................................................................................................... 19
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS, PRESENTATION AND
INTERPRETITION ....................................................................................................... 20
4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 20
4.1.1 Response Rate ..................................................................................................... 20
4.2 Respondents Bio-Data............................................................................................. 21
4.2.1 Respondents Gender............................................................................................ 21
4.2.2 Age Bracket ......................................................................................................... 21
4.2.3 Years Accommodated in the Building Premises................................................. 22
4.2.4 Terms of Occupancy in the Building .................................................................. 23
4.3 Rank of Lift Service Provider at the Premises according to Expectations.............. 24
4.3.1 Efficiency of Lift Services offered by the Service Provider ............................... 24
4.4 Expectations ............................................................................................................ 24
4.4.1 Opinions of Good Lifts Service Provider............................................................ 24
4.5 Perceptions .............................................................................................................. 27
4.5.1 Feelings about the Particular Services Offered ................................................... 27
4.5.2 Lift Service Provider’s Service Level ................................................................. 30
4.6 Regression Analysis of the Findings....................................................................... 31
4.7 Non-Parametric Correlation .................................................................................... 34
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY OF FINDINGS CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................................................................ 36
5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 36
5.3 Conclusions ............................................................................................................. 37
5.4 Recommendations ................................................................................................... 37
5.5 Suggestions For Further Research........................................................................... 38
REFERENCES................................................................................................................ 39
APPENDICES................................................................................................................. 41
Appendix A: Questionnaire........................................................................................... 41
Appendix B: Work Plan ................................................................................................ 46
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ABSTRACT
The topic of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Total Quality Management in the
lift industry in Kenya. Today, customers are demanding quality in products, services and
in life. They have become increasingly discerning and have started looking for options
more in tune with their basic needs, requirements and self esteem. In fact, they are
prepared to pay a premium for a quality product or service. One of the approaches that
seem to provide the solution to the aforesaid challenges is the management philosophy of
total quality management. Quality is among the most important factors for sustaining the
competitive advantage. It is the measurement of how well a company can meet or exceed
its customers’ requirements and expectations.
Researches from established economies indicate that TQM is getting fast adopted in the
service industries and the impact can be measured as in the manufacturing sector.
Therefore there is a gap and there is need to determine TQM adoption and impact it has
in lift industry in Kenya as no study on the same could be traced to understand the
benefits accrued or make a comparative evaluation amongst players whom have already
adopted the practice.
The aim of this research was to explore the factors that affect the adoption of TQM
practices and their perceived performance in the lift companies in Kenya. Establish the
factors that affect the adoption of TQM practices, to establish the relationship between
Total Quality Management practices and performance, benefits of TQM and Tools used
to enhance effectiveness of the practice. A self-administered questionnaire was developed
from the SERVQUAL instrument and distributed using a convenience sampling
technique to respective clients to determine their perceptions of service quality in Lift
Companies in Kenya. The Servqual model is designed to measure those components of
service that generate satisfaction within five dimensions, (Empathy, Assurance,
Tangibility, Reliability, & Responsiveness. The target population of the study was all the
registered lift company’s in Kenya operating from Nairobi with other branches spread
across the country and beyond.
Data was analyzed through the use of quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative
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will analyze numerical data obtained using closed end questions, qualitative to analyze
open end questions. Relationships between variables will be determined through
regression analysis.
The study undertook analysis of data collected by use of frequencies and percentages as
comparison tools to determine factors considered and affecting adoption of TQM
practices. The study found that lift services offered by the service provider were rated
medium. On investigating respondent’s expectation on expectations on institutions
offering lift services was found to be to a great extent. On the perception of respondents
in terms of lift service provider tangibles, respondents indicated it was moderate, on lift
service provider reliability, respondents it to a great extent, on lift service provider
responsiveness, respondents indicated it to a moderate extent, on lift service provider
assurance, respondents indicated it to a great extent, on lift service provider empathy,
respondents indicated it to a great extent.
The study concludes that total quality management has a positive effect on customer’s re-
patronage intentions showing that both TQM and customer satisfaction have a crucial
role to play in the performance and survival of any Lift industry in the competitive
market. A close link between total quality management and user satisfaction.
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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
Over the years, lifts have been used as vehicles for movement both up and down within
buildings and other high structures both for people and goods. A lift can be better referred to
us a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between
floors (levels, decks) of a building, vessel or other structure. The industry is fast growing with
the demand for new installations growing by the day. In Kenya, high rise buildings are more
common today than they were a decade ago. The strain on the available space for human
habitation has led to the growth of economization of land and led to growth of high
rise/skyscrapers which are a common feature today. For this simple reasons, buildings that are
above five floors are required by law to provide mechanized form of transport to the top floors
by means of lifts or better also referred to as elevators. Lifts are installed and commissioned to
ferry clients after duly being inspected by government approved inspectors whom are
authorized to carry out the trade of statutory bi-annual inspections and make a report to the
relevant Ministry for certification.
1.1.1 Total Quality Management
Today, customers are demanding quality in products, services and in life. They have become
increasingly discerning and have started looking for options more in tune with their basic
needs, requirements and self esteem. In fact, they are prepared to pay a premium for a quality
product or service. One of the approaches that seem to provide the solution to the aforesaid
challenges is the management philosophy of total quality management (TQM).
TQM is an approach for continuously improving the quality of every aspect of business life,
ie. It is a never-ending process of improvement for individuals, groups of people and the
whole organization (Kanji & Asher 1993, 1996). It is an integrated approach and set of
practices that emphasizes, inter alia, management commitment, continuous improvement,
customer focus, long-range thinking increased employee involvement and team work,
employee empowerment, process management, competitive benchmarking, etc (Ross, 1993).
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The subject of quality management in manufacturing industry has been a matter of great
interest and concern for business and academia alike. Several works have thoroughly
investigated the various dimensions, techniques and organizational requirements for effective
implementation of TQM. These dimensions include top management commitment and
leadership, quality policy, training, product/ service design, supplier quality management,
process management, quality data and reporting, employee relations, workforce management,
customer focus, customer involvement, benchmarking, SPC, employee empowerment,
corporate quality culture and strategic quality management. These dimensions are; in essence,
tools of intellect that were forged in the administrative theory, tempered in manufacturing
quality management. Per contra, though most of these dimensions and other techniques and
strategies proposed by various theorists and practitioners, starting from the birth of the quality
revolution, seem to provide a near universal remedy to the problems of the manufacturing
business, they are not a complete yardstick for service quality improvements. The reasoning
here is that although from a logical point of view most of the dimensions of manufacturing
quality management should naturally apply to services, the transferability of manufacturing
quality management dimensions to services for some serious soul –searching as services differ
from manufacture of goods in a number of different ways: service intangibility, simultaneity
of production, delivery and consumption, perish ability, variability of expectations of the
customers and the participatory role of the customers in service delivery.
1.1.2 Lift Industry in Kenya
The industry is deemed to have a good reputation and record in terms of compliance gauged
amongst many other forms of human transportation moods as very few incidences and
accidents are reported or witnessed. These can be either be the good regulatory mechanisms
enforced or shear coincidence that the equipment and vehicles used in the industry are of high
repute from the manufacturers. Never the less, a few fatal accidents have been witnessed in
recent years which have raised eyebrows into the regulation, performance and safety issues in
the industry. The National Construction Authority, which is a fairly new government
appointed authority to regulate the construction industry has some housekeeping to make as
some of the operators whom have found their way into the industry are short of the necessary
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technical and managerial capacity to operate in the industry. Vetting of already approved
players is underway with evaluations on performance measures being the subject of
workshops to map up validated and agreed measures. The number of Lift companies already
registered and approved to operate in Kenya is about 40 at the moment. Those that are active
in installations of new equipments in up-coming buildings as we as replacement of old
buildings are between eight and twelve as there are some foreign building contractors who are
taking the installations as part of their project scope.
Safety has now become a number one concern for both building owners and the lift
company’s as this has led to loss of lives and negative publicity for both the building owners
and Lift Companies involved and not mention the hefty fines for negligence resulting to
fatalities by the government. This has led to lift companies to re-engineer their safety polices
to align to industry demands for safer transportation and assurance as well as wade off
competition which has gone a notch higher due to more players in the market place. In
today’s highly competitive business environment, a company’s capability to sustain its
competitive advantage is crucial for the continuity of the business (Calingo, 1996).
Quality is among the most important factors for sustaining the competitive advantage. It is the
measurement of how well a company can meet or exceed its customers’ requirements and
expectations (Oakland, 2003). Competition is extremely high in a free market. Mitchell (2011)
supports that customer satisfaction is essential in a free market. The Lift Service industry has
strong market competition, therefore, customer satisfaction and retaining loyalty will be
crucial for a company’s success. The study seeks to explore the industry gaps in meeting the
clients’ expectations and identify key competences that any industry player needs to address
to stay ahead and offer best practice for bench marking by others.
1.2 Problem Statement
Competition is extremely high in a free market. Mitchell (2011) supports that customer
satisfaction is essential in a free market. The Lift Service industry has strong market
competition, therefore, customer satisfaction and retaining loyalty will be crucial for a
company’s success. For successful TQM practice, organizations have to integrate the quality
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management into the business strategy and to align the goals both horizontally and vertically
throughout the various levels within the organization. Nowadays, most lift company’s focus
on quality management to improve their business. Oakland (2003) emphasizes that TQM is
about teamwork; every functional department must work cohesively together and support each
other in order to achieve business excellence.
A study done on a hotel adoption of TQM and how a single department can contribute to the
overall performance of the hotel in USA and Hongkong revealed the following facts, there are
three vertical levels - the senior management level, the business level (middle management)
and the functional level (shop floor). Horizontally, there are departments – front office, food
and beverage (F&B), housekeeping, sales and marketing, human resources, accounting,
culinary and engineering. The focus of the most recent research on TQM in the hospitality
industry is only on the service from front-line departments such as front office and F&B
(Saunders et al, 1992; Harrington & Keating,2006); they ignore the efforts from back-of-
house departments.
Although technicians and engineers in a hotel seldom contact hotel guests directly, it does not
mean they are excluded from providing quality service. The engineering department, a back-
of-house department, ensures the efficient operation of all physical plants and all fire and
safety systems; its role appears to be crucial in providing a comfortable and safe environment
for guests such as temperature control, lighting and air quality, and monitoring fire
prevention. Chan, Lee & Burnett (2001) have conducted a study of maintenance performance
for hotels in Hong Kong.
Also, engineering department supports the front-line staff by ensuring the proper operations
of hotel production equipment; so that front line department can provide its services to hotel
guests on time. Oakland (2003) points out that teamwork is one of the important success
factors; a smooth work process will require multiple departments working together and
supporting each other. In view of above, the engineering department plays a key role in
maintaining a comfortable, healthy and safe environment for hotel external guests through
effective facility management; this includes sufficient lighting, good air quality, and a quiet
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and warm environment with a well-prepared safety policy. These factors contribute directly to
the customer satisfaction.
Researches from established economies indicate that TQM is getting fast adopted in the
service industries and the impact can be measured as in the manufacturing sector. Therefore
there is a gap and there is need to determine TQM adoption and impact it has in lift industry in
Kenya as no study on the same could be traced to understand the benefits accrued or make a
comparative evaluation amongst players whom have already adopted the practice.
The aim of this research was to access/ explore the factors that affect the adoption of TQM
practices and their perceived performance in the lift companies in Kenya.
1.3 Research Questions:
What are the relationships between quality management practices and organizational/ business
performance within the Kenyan lift industry? What kind of quality tools and techniques can
be used to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Lift Companies in Kenya? And how do
Lift Companies measure their performance?
1.4 Objectives of the study
i. Establish the factors that affect the adoption of TQM practices
ii. To establish the relationship between Total Quality Management practices and
performance
iii. Benefits of TQM and Tools used to enhance effectiveness of the practice.
1.5 Value of the study
This study aims to present an overview of TQM in the Lift/ escalator sector together with the
role of service quality by adoption of relevant quality management practices in it so as to
achieve organizational excellence.
Help lift companies’ management to understand the critical factors that support the effective
implementation of TQM practices and the measures of performance.
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Research study will inform the necessary regulatory agencies on what the key measures to
help set an industry best practice guide so as to avert future accidents from incompetent
companies.
Assist future scholars and researchers in the area of lift industry best practices and TQM
adoption as they will be able to find materials besides areas where they can advance their
research on the related subjects.
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CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
TQM evolved out of applications in manufacturing companies such as Toyota, IBM, and
Motorola. In the 1990s service companies began to realize that they could benefit from quality
management. This is important since the service sector is the largest segment of the U.S.
economy employing almost three times as many people as manufacturing industries.
2.2 Total Quality Management Theory
The history of TQM may be viewed as a continuing refinement and extension of concepts and
practices aimed at developing quality. Its roots can be traced back to simple inspection
procedures, then to developing to quality control and quality assurance. From this
development TQM has developed as more advanced as quality management principles are
applied in all levels of an organization. Oakland, (2003)
TQM theory holds that “quality can only be defined by those who receive the product or
service, including stakeholders.” Accordingly, public managers should engage their staff in
identifying the organization’s internal and external stakeholders and by determining the
criteria that each uses to judge the organization to be successful. This process suggests that the
effective organization is one that satisfies the expectations of the customers at large.
Service organizations and manufacturing companies both convert inputs into outputs--
products or services--through a productive process. Both manufacturing and services use the
same kinds of inputs--resources such as physical facilities, capital, materials, equipment, and
people. In some instances the processes and products are similar. For example, both Ford and
McDonald's produce a tangible, physical product (cars and hamburgers) assembled from
component parts. However, in pure service industries such as law, hotels, entertainment,
communication, engineering, education, clubs, real estate, banks, retail, health care, and
airlines, the processes are less similar and the products are not as tangible. The "products"
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provided by these organizations are not typically a physical item that can be held or stored.
The customer of a manufacturer tends to interact only at the output end of the production
process. The customer of a service often interacts directly with the production process,
consuming services like legal advice, a classroom lecture, or an airline flight as they are being
produced. Services tend to be customized and provided at the convenience of the customer;
for example, doctors prescribe individually to patients. In addition, services are labor intensive
while manufacturing is more capital intensive. Thus, human contact and its ramifications are
an important part of the process of producing services Yang, (2006).
Manufactured products are physical items; they can be observed, held, felt, stored, and used
again. If a manufactured item is defective, the defect can be felt or seen, and counted or
measured. The improvement (or deterioration) in a product's quality can be measured. To
implement a TQM program for a product, goals are established, and success or failure is
measured against these goals. It's not the same for service. A service cannot be held, felt,
stored, and used again. A service output is not usually tangible; thus, it is not as easy to
measure service defects. The dimensions of quality for manufactured items include such
things as performance, features, reliability, conformance, and durability that can be
quantitatively measured. The dimensions of service quality include timeliness, courtesy,
consistency, accuracy, convenience, responsiveness, and completeness--all hard to measure
beyond a subjective assessment by the customer. This does not mean that the potential for
poor quality is any less in services. Each day thousands of travelers check into and out of Ritz
Carlton Hotels, UPS handles and delivers millions of packages, and VISA processes millions
of credit transactions worldwide. However, it is more difficult to assess defects in service and
thus more difficult to measure customer satisfaction SME Toolkit (2011).
Service organizations must often rely on talking directly with customers in the form of
surveys or interviews--both subjective responses--to measure the attributes of quality.
Timeliness, or how quickly a service is provided, is an important dimension of service quality,
and it is not difficult to measure. The difficulty is determining what “quick” service is and
what “slow” service is. How long must a caller wait to place a phone catalog order before it is
considered poor service?
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Despite these differences, the definition of quality that we developed earlier in this chapter
and the basic principles of TQM can apply equally well to services as to manufacturing.
Quality service can be defined as "how well the service does what the customer thinks it is
supposed to do." This is essentially the same fitness for use definition we developed earlier in
this chapter. However, the differences between providing services and manufacturing products
make the management of service quality a challenging process.
2.3 Quality Methodology and Tools
To drive quality improvement, use of proper methodologies such as quality frameworks and
tools is necessary as they can assist the organization to effectively manage quality.
2.3.1 Quality framework
A quality framework can provide a high-level guideline to assist a company to manage
quality. It works as a road-map to guide the employees (Oakland 2003). Oakland (2003, p21)
suggested a TQM framework with four Ps (planning, people, process and performance) and
3Cs (culture, communication and commitment). He suggests that planning, people and
process are the key factors in the quality framework to deliver performance (4 Ps); while
culture, communication and commitment (3Cs) support and link the 4Ps to produce the result.
Therefore, competent people, clear processes, comprehensive plans, and effective tools are
essential for managing quality.
EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) is a popular quality framework for
business excellence in Europe; it guides organizations to self assess nine key areas of the
business. The first five aspects are called enablers; they are: leadership, people, policy and
strategy, partnership and resources, and result. Another four areas are referred as result; they
are: people results, customer results, society results and key performance results. The main
advantage of the framework is that it drives for the continuous improvement (EFQM, 2003).
Home and Personal Care-Europe (HPCE) has adopted EFQM quality framework for quality
improvement. The successful deployment of the framework changed the culture of the
company, improved the efficiency of the workforce and increased the business revenue and
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profit by 20% (Oakland, 2003).
2.3.2 Service Quality Measures
Service quality, which always involves the customer as part of a transaction, will therefore
always be a balance: the balance between the expectations that the customer had and their
perceptions of the service received. A 'high quality' service is one where the customer's
perceptions meet or exceed their expectations.
The components of perceived service quality have been identified (Parasuraman et al., 1988)
as
1. Reliability: the ability to provide a service as expected by the customer.
2. Assurance: the degree to which the customer can feel confident that the service will be
correctly provided.
3. Tangibles: the quality of the physical environment and materials used in providing the
service.
4. Responsiveness: the ability of the service provider to respond to the individual needs
of a particular customer.
5. Empathy: the courtesy, understanding and friendliness shown by the service provider.
Note that these are external measures: they can be obtained only after the service is delivered.
They thus suffer from the problems noted above for service quality measures: a failure can be
detected only when it is too late to respond.
Such measures have great value, but not in the ongoing business of monitoring and improving
quality. Rather they can indicate the targets that must be aimed for. They define what the
customer is expecting and so what we must aim to deliver. In order to deliver these
expectations, we need internal measures: measures that will tell us how we can deliver what
the customer expects. More importantly, how we can know before delivery that the service
will exceed the customer's expectations?
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Zimmerman & Enell (1988) advise that careful consultation with the customer and an
appraisal of the performance of competitors is needed in order to create any scales or
measurements of quality which they place in a narrowed down framework of four quality
standards. The four service quality categories are: Timeliness. integrity; predictability and
customer satisfaction.
Timeliness of service has been referred to by a number of authors as an important component
in the quality of a service. It is a reasonable feature of service to be given high priority
because the service has to be produced on demand and the interval in provision is an element
of the actual product. Timeliness may be separated into three types: access time (the time
taken to gain attention from the company); queuing time (this can be influenced by the length
of the queue, or its integrity); and action time (the time taken to provide the required service).
Integrity deals with the completeness of service and must set out what elements are to be
included in the service in order for the customer to regard it as a satisfactory product. This
standard will set out precisely what features are essential to the service.
Predictability refers to the consistency of the service and also the persistence, or the frequency
of the demand. Standards for predictability identify the proper processes and procedures that
need to be followed and may include standards for availability of people, materials and
equipment, and schedules of operation (Zimmerman & Enell, 1988). Finally customer
satisfaction is designed to provide the targets of success, which may be based on relative
market position for the provision of a specific service. These are the external measures noted
above. Once these service standards have been determined the next step is to develop
measurement techniques to monitor how well the standards are being achieved.
2.4 Performance Measurement
Performance measurement is important to be able to indicate the effectiveness of the quality
strategy implemented. This is a reiterate process; continuous monitoring allows organization
to check if the standards of quality are being met and identify problems for rectification.
People have been arguing that performance is difficult to measure in the service industry. This
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is due to the fact that people are not aware that service is also a product (Deming in Saunders
et al, 1992). Also, service is delivered at the time it is produced; any performance
measurement taken will be too late to avoid an error when in contact with the customer.
Furthermore, personal preference is different from person to person; lift company’s’ have to
tailor the service for different individuals. This makes the measurement criteria difficult to
define.
However, a study from Saunders et al (1992) pointed out that service quality is the balance
between the expectations that the customer had and their perception of the service received. It
is possible, by focusing on the processes and identifying appropriate quality measures, to
obtain data to measure the performance in the hospitality industry.
Zimmerman & Enell (in Saunders et al, 1992) suggested four categories to measure service
performance: timeliness, integrity, predictability, customer satisfaction. Timeliness refers to
the response time for the client request. Integrity refers to the completeness of the service.
Predictability refers to the consistency of the service, and customer satisfaction refers to the
appreciation of the service from the customer.
Van Schalkwyk (1998) suggests that organizations should develop their own unique set of key
indicators for measuring their products. The performance measurement should strongly focus
on the customer satisfaction. The measurement result should be available freely at all levels
for the process owners who need to maintain and improve the quality; this is to encourage
employee employment. This information is a good learning opportunity for employees to
perform continuous improvement with the application of benchmarking. Oakland, (2003) also
proposed a performance measurement framework. He believes that performance
measurement, to be effective, should focus on 4 levels as shown in table 2.2.
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Table 2.1 – Performance measurement framework
Level Description Measurement
Level 1 Strategy development and goal
deployment;
Key performance outcomes and targets
Level 2 Process management Process performance measures
Level 3 Individual performance
measurement
Performance appraisal
Level 4 Review performance Self Assessment, surveys,
benchmarking etc.
Source: (Oakland, 2003)
2.5 Factors to Effective TQM Adoption
Oakland (2003), in his TQM model, emphasizes the importance of competent people, clear
processes, comprehensive plans, and effective tools. He believes that these factors are the
components forming the TQM framework. Yang (2006) studied and compared the practices
for quality management for different service industries in Taiwan, namely hospitals, hotels,
insurance companies, banks, department stores and airlines. The study revealed that service
industry company’s devoted stronger attention on the following practices: top management
support, market segment and positioning, customer focus, design service process, training,
standardize policy and procedures, leadership, customer satisfaction and measure, internal
customer measure, performance audit and continuous improvement. The study also pointed
out that employee motivation, input control, and empowerment were insufficient in the
hospitality industry.
Sila and Ebrahipour (2003) identified 76 validated TQM success factors and their impacts; the
top twenty factors are: top management commitment, leadership, customer focus, information
and analysis, training, supplier management, strategic planning, employee involvement,
human resource management, process, management, teamwork, product and service design,
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process control, benchmarking, continuous improvement, employee empowerment, quality
assurance, social responsibility, and employee satisfaction. These factors could be considered
as the most universally applied factors.
Oakland (2003) suggests that the top-down approach is more effective for new policy
deployment as instructions are always from the top. However, bottom-up approach is more
effective as ideas for how to implement the policy should be encouraged in the departmental
and shop-floor level. Top-down control and command should be balanced with bottom-up
spirit for promoting continuous improvement.
Tantawy & Tanner (2001) recommends factors for implementing business excellence model,
i.e. EFQM. The factors are proper leadership style in the different stage of the
implementation; clear objective of change leading to ‘comfortable’ change; favorable
company culture; use of system thinking for diagnosis; proper method of prioritization; and
the approach for managing the change. Calingo (1996) point out that continuous improvement
is a ‘must’ in TQM. Instead of following common quality norms, organizations should
consider matching or exceeding competitors’ quality. Oakland (2003) recommends that the
E-P-D-C-A (evaluate, plan, do, check and amend) is an effective model for continuous
improvement. Chan (2007) also suggests another two factors for increasing the efficiency of
the engineering department. Traditionally, technicians are of mono-skill; e.g. electrician with
electrical trade qualifications carpenters with woodwork knowledge…etc. Promotion of
having technicians with multiple skills in the lift company engineering department could
improve the overall quality and reduce labor costs.
2.6 Total Quality Management Practices
Anthony et al, (1989) described 11 TQM practices; management commitment, role of the
quality department, Training and education, employee involvement, continuous improvement,
supplier partnership, product/ service design, quality policies, quality data and reporting,
communication to improve quality, and customer satisfaction orientation. Sureshchandar et al,
(2002) expanded the practices even further and came out with 12 major practices comprising
of top management commitment and visionary leadership, human resource management,
technical system, information and analysis system, benchmarking, continuous improvement,
15
customer focus, employee satisfaction, union intervention, social responsibility, service scapes
and service culture.
Brah et al, (200) in their study on TQM and business performance in Singapore service sector
has come out with 11 constructs of TQM implementation, which are top management support,
customer focus, employee involvement, employee training, employee empowerment, supplier
quality management, process improvement, service design, quality improvement rewards,
benchmarking and cleanliness and organization. Based on the above literature, the research
will select on the following six main practices of TQM implementation for this study. All
practices are selected due to their usefulness and relevance to the service organizations.
Customer focus and continuous improvement are among the principles of quality that has
been most written about. Brah et al, (2000) have identified that top management commitment,
customer focus, employee empowerment and employee involvement are among the critical
aspects of TQM that can determine the success of TQM programs in the service environment.
They are: management support and commitment, employee involvement, employee
empowerment, information and communication, customer focus and continuous improvement
The SERVQUAL questionnaire used derived an un-weighted gap score or a weighted gap
score. Weighting depended upon how allocation of 100 points among the five SERVQUAL
categories. A modified use of the questionnaire limited it to just the total or average
Perception score.
16
2.7 Conceptual Framework
.
Independent variables Dependent variable
Figure 2.1: Customer perceived dimensions of service quality
An independent variable is assumed to affect or determine a dependent variable outcome. A
dependent variable is what was measured in the study to result in changes in the customers
perceived outcome of service level which then was interpreted as the customers satisfaction
index.
Reliability
Assurance
Responsiveness
Empathy Total quality Management
Tangibles
17
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
This chapter presented the methodology that was used to carry out the research study. It
considers in detail the methods that are used to collect any primary and secondary data
required for such a study. The chapter discusses the research design, population size and
sample that were used. Data analyzed giving details of any models or programs that were used
in the analysis with reasons as to why those particular models or programs were useful to the
research study.
3.2 Research Design
The study surveyed the adoption of TQM by lift companies in Kenya registered by the
National Construction Authority body which is mandated to regulate the industry in the
country. An analysis of the quality management principles/ policies employed by the
respective companies that fall under this study in-order to enhance on their customer
satisfaction realm and how they measure the effectiveness of services. Doyle J (2004)
Surveys allowed the collection of large amounts of data from a sizeable population in an
economical way for comparison purposes. The survey thus, allowed one to collect quantitative
data, which was then analyzed quantitatively using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Therefore, the descriptive survey was deemed the best strategy to fulfill the objectives for the
study.
3.3 Population
The target population of the study was all the registered lift company’s in Kenya operating
from Nairobi with other branches spread across the country and beyond. The study narrowed
down according to the size of the company in terms of the number of employees employed or
customer base. Those lift companies with more than 20 employees employed or more than 50
clients enlisted in their portfolio formed the population of the study.
18
3.4 Sample Design
Due to the distribution of service providers and large number of customers considered, the
research adopted a non-Probability (Convenient sampling) technique to create a sampling
frame. This allowed the study to initially identify suitable respondents that possess the desired
information and also to discern those that could adequately answer the research questions.”
The cases are therefore hand-picked because they are informative or possess the required
characteristics,” (Mugenda & Mugenda, 2003).
3.5 Data Collection
A self-administered questionnaire was developed from the SERVQUAL instrument and
distributed using a convenience sampling technique to respective clients to determine their
perceptions of service quality in Lift Companies in Kenya. The Servqual model is designed to
measure those components of service that generate satisfaction within five dimensions. The
study identifies the existence of gaps between clients' and management perceptions of
attributes of the lift industry, and between client expectation and perception of the services
offered
The presenting and motivating choice of method for collecting and analyzing data, from both
a theoretical and practical point of view, compared to the relative advantages and
disadvantages of other alternative methods that may be more or less appropriate to the context
of the study. This model seeks to know the difference between consumers’ expectations of
how Lift Companies should be like and their perceptions in terms of performance in the
industry using standardized dimensions ie; (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance
and empathy).
We chose to focus our study on service quality because it plays an important role in most
service firms and it is antecedent to other constructs customer satisfaction, profitability,
customer loyalty and repurchase.
19
3.6 Data Analysis
Data was analyzed through the use of quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative data
was the numerical data obtained using closed end questions, qualitative to analyze open end
questions. Relationships between variables were determined through regression analysis.
The survey in the study was set out to determine the level of adoption of TQM practices and
the effect on Lift Company’s performance in Kenya. After data collection, examination for
completeness, reliability and consistency was done before any analysis was carried out. All
TQM adoption and performance measures were ranked using mean values from higher to
some degree to relatively significant ranges. The study was to undertake analysis of data
collected by use of frequencies and percentages as comparison tools to determine factors
considered and affecting adoption of TQM practices and their evaluation on lifts company
performance in Kenya.
20
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS, PRESENTATION AND INTER PRETITION
4.1 Introduction
This chapter presents analysis and findings of the study as set out in the research
methodology. The results are presented on total quality management in the lift industry in
Kenya. The data was gathered exclusively from questionnaire as the research instrument. The
questionnaire was designed in line with the objectives of the study. To enhance quality of data
obtained, Likert type questions were included whereby respondents indicated the extent to
which the variables were practiced in a five point Likerts scale.
4.1.1 Response Rate
The study targeted to sample 50 respondents in collecting data with regard to total quality
management in the lift industry in Kenya. From the study, 36 out of 50 sampled respondents
filled in and returned the questionnaire contributing to 72%. This commendable response rate
was made a reality after the researcher made personal visits to remind the respondent to fill-in
and return the questionnaires.
Table 4.1: Response rate
Response Frequency Percentage
Responded 36 72
Not responded 14 28
Total 50 100
Source: Survey Data, (2013)
21
4.2 Respondents Bio-Data
4.2.1 Respondents Gender
Figure 4.2: Respondents gender
Source: Survey Data, (2013)
The study aimed at investigating the respondents’ gender, 53% who were the majority were
male while 47% were female. The findings show that gender parity was observed to a great
extent.
4.2.2 Age Bracket
On respondents’ age 31% who were the majority were between the age of 26 to 31 years, 25%
were between 18 to 25 years, 22% were between the age of 32 to 39 years, 14% were above
45 years while 8% were between the age of 40 to 45 years. The findings show that the lift
users targeted by the respondents were on their youthful age and were adults.
22
Table 4.2: Respondents age
Age Frequency Percentage
18 to 25 years 9 25
26 to 31 years 11 31
32 to 39 years 8 22
40 to 45 years 3 8
above 45 years 5 14
Total 36 100
Source: Survey Data, (2013)
4.2.3 Years Accommodated In the Building Premises
Figure 4.2: Years accommodated in the building premises
Source: Survey Data, (2013)
On investigating the time respondents had been accommodated in the building premises 42%
who were the majority had stayed for a period between 4 to 10 years, 28% had stayed for 1 to
23
3 years, 22% had stayed for less than 1 year while 8% had stayed for a period above 10 years.
This shows that respondents had been accommodated for a considerable time and were
conversant with the lifts operations.
4.2.4 Terms of Occupancy in the Building
Figure 4.3: Terms of occupancy in the building
Source: Survey Data, (2013)
Respondents were asked to classify their firm in terms of occupancy in the building, 36% who
were the majority were classified under small establishment, 31% were classified under
medium, 22% were classified under large while 11% were classified under Multi National.
The finding shows that the building was occupied with variety entrepreneurs.
24
4.3 Rank of Lift Service Provider at the Premises According To Expectations
4.3.1 Efficiency of Lift Services Offered By the Service Provider
Figure 4.4: Efficiency of lift services offered by the service provider
Source: Survey Data, (2013)
Respondents were asked to rate efficiency of lift services offered by the service provider, 47%
who were the majority cited that lift services offered by the service provider were medium,
28% indicated that lift services offered by the service provider were low, 22% rated lift
services offered by the service provider as high while 3% rated lift services offered by the
service provider as very high.
4.4 Expectations
4.4.1 Opinions of Good Lifts Service Provider
On investigating respondent’s expectation on expectations on institutions offering lift services
was found to be to a great extent as shown by a mean score of 4.2513, in that it was to a great
extent that employees of good lift service provider will never be too busy to respond to
customers requests as shown by a mean score of 4.5600, it was to a great extent that the
employees of a good lift company will understand the specific needs of their customers as
shown by a mean score of 4.4901, it was to a great extent that employees of good lift service
25
provider will be consistently courteous with customers as shown by a mean score of 4.4267, it
was to a great extent that good lift service provider will have their customers best interest at
heart as shown by a mean score of 4.4133, it was to a great extent that when a customer has a
problem, a good lift service provider will show a sincere interest in solving it as shown by a
mean score of 4.4111, it was to a great extent that the technicians working for a good lift
service provider should have all necessary tools and equipments when attending to a job as
shown by a mean score of 4.3733, it was to a great extent that employees at of a good lift
service provider will be neat in their appearance as shown by a mean score of 4.3600, it was
to a great extent that the behaviour of employees in good lift service provider will instill
confidence in customers as shown by a mean score of 4.3200, it was to a great extent that
excellent lift companies will have modern looking equipment as shown by a mean score of
4.3067, it was to a great extent that good lift service provider will insist on error free records
as shown by a mean score of 4.2899, it was to a great extent that good lift service provider
will perform the service right the first time as shown by a mean score of 4.2504, it was to a
great extent that employees of good lift service provider will always be willing to help
customers as shown by a mean score of 4.2461, it was to a great extent that materials
associated with the service (pamphlets or statements) will be visually appealing from a good
lift service provider as shown by a mean score of 4.2400, it was to a great extent that good lift
service provider will provide the service at the time they promise to do so as shown by a mean
score of 4.1672, it was to a great extent that customers of good lift service provider will feel
safe in transaction as shown by a mean score of 4.1067, it was to a great extent that good lift
service provider will give customers individual attention as shown by a mean score of 4.1067,
it was to a great extent that good lift service provider will have employees who give
customers personal service as shown by a mean score of 4.0933, it was to a great extent that
employees of good lift company will have the knowledge to answer customers questions as
shown by a mean score of 3.9733 and IT was to a great extent that good lift service provider
will have operating hours convenient to all their customers as shown by a mean score of
3.6400.
26
Table 4.3: Opinions of good lifts service provider Statement
Mean Std.
Deviation
Excellent lift companies will have modern looking equipment. 4.3067 1.09017
The technicians working for a good lift service provider should
have all necessary tools and equipments when attending to a
job.
4.3733 .92668
Employees at of a good lift service provider will be neat in their
appearance 4.3600 .93923
Materials associated with the service (pamphlets or statements)
will be visually appealing from a good lift service provider 4.2400 .89805
When a customer has a problem, a good lift service provider
will show a sincere interest in solving it. 4.4111 .91653
Good lift service provider will perform the service right the first
time 4.2504 .97309
Good lift service provider will provide the service at the time
they promise to do so 4.1672 1.1241
Good lift service provider will insist on error free records 4.2899 .92373
Employees of good lift service provider will always be willing
to help customers 4.2461 .94250
Employees of good lift service provider will never be too busy
to respond to customers requests. 4.5600 .79253
The behaviour of employees in good lift service provider will
instill confidence in customers 4.3200 .90285
Customers of good lift service provider will feel safe in
transaction 4.1067 1.10983
Employees of good lift service provider will be consistently
courteous with customers 4.4267 .85698
27
Employees of good lift company will have the knowledge to
answer customers questions 3.9733 1.11468
Good lift service provider will give customers individual
attention 4.1067 1.09758
Good lift service provider will have operating hours convenient
to all their customers 3.6400 1.19277
Good lift service provider will have employees who give
customers personal service 4.0933 .93250
Good lift service provider will have their customers best interest
at heart 4.4133 .91671
The employees of a good lift company will understand the
specific needs of their customers 4.4901 .72333
Total 80.7748 18.37384
Average 4.251305 0.967044
Source: Survey Data, (2013)
4.5 Perceptions
4.5.1 Feelings about the Particular Services Offered
The study aimed at investigating respondent’s perception in terms of lift service provider
features; in terms of lift service provider tangibles, respondents indicated it was moderate as
shown by a mean score of 2.56985 in that, it was to a moderate extent that the lift service
provider physical features are visually appealing as shown by a mean score of 3.3647, it was
to a moderate extent that materials associated with the service (such a pamphlets or
statements) are visually appealing as shown by a mean score of 2.7067, it was to a low extent
that the lift service provider has modern looking equipment as shown by a mean score of
2.4431 while it was to a low extent that the Lift service provider reception desk employees are
neat appearing as shown by a mean score of 1.7649.
On lift service provider reliability, respondents indicated it to a great extent as shown by a
mean score of 3.564 in that, it was to a great extent that the lift service provider insists on
28
error free records as shown by a mean score of 3.9733, it was to a great extent that the when
respondents had problem, the Lift service provider shows a sincere interest in solving it as
shown by a mean score of 3.7000, it was to a great extent that the Lift service provider
performs the service right the first time as shown by a mean score of 3.5467, it was to a
moderate extent that when the Lift service provider promises to do something by a certain
time, it does so as shown by a mean score of 3.3867 while it was to a moderate extent that the
Lift service provider provides its service at the time it promises to do so as shown by a mean
score of 3.2133.
On lift service provider responsiveness, respondents indicated it to a moderate extent as
shown by a mean score of 3.5167 in that, it was to a great extent that employees in the Lift
service provider tell respondents exactly when the services will be performed as shown by a
mean score of 4.1200, it was to a great extent that employees in the Lift service provider are
never too busy to respond to your request as shown by a mean score of 3.6400, it was to a
moderate extent that employees in the Lift service provider give you prompt service as shown
by a mean score of 3.2000 while it was to a moderate extent that employees in the Lift service
provider are always willing to help you as shown by a mean score of 3.1067.
On lift service provider assurance, respondents indicated it to a great extent as shown by a
mean score of 3.6118 in that, it was to a great extent that employees in the Lift service
provider are consistently courteous with respondents as shown by a mean score of 4.4941, it
was to a great extent that employees in the Lift service provider have the knowledge to answer
respondents questions as shown by a mean score of 4.4466, it was to a low extent that
respondents feel safe in respondents transactions with the Lift service provider as shown by a
mean score of 3.4133 while it was to a low extent that the behaviour of employees in the Lift
service provider instills confidence in the respondents as shown by a mean score of 2.0933.
On lift service provider empathy, respondents indicated it to a great extent as shown by a
mean score of 4.5650 in that, it was to a great extent that the Lift service provider has
operating hours convenient to all its customers as shown by a mean score of 4.7690 while it
was to a great extent that the Lift service provider gives you individual attention as shown by
a mean score of 4.3611.
29
Table 4.4: Feelings about the particular services offered
Statement Mean Std. Deviation
The Lift service provider has modern looking
equipment 2.4431 .75774
The Lift service provider physical features are
visually appealing 3.3647 .79931
The Lift service provider reception desk
employees are neat appearing 1.7649 1.0702
Tangibles
Materials associated with the service (such a
pamphlets or statements) are visually appealing 2.7067 .63189
Average 2.56985 0.814785
When the Lift service provider promises to do
something by a certain time, it does so. 3.3867 .65951
When you have a problem, the Lift service
provider shows a sincere interest in solving it. 3.7000 1.12706
The Lift service provider performs the service
right the first time 3.5467 .84619
The Lift service provider provides its service at
the time it promises to do so 3.2133 .82680
Reliability
The Lift service provider insists on error free
records 3.9733 .92959
Average 3.564 0.87783
Employees in the Lift service provider tell you
exactly when the services will be performed 4.1200 1.02614
Employees in the Lift service provider give you
prompt service 3.2000 .97260
Responsiveness
Employees in the Lift service provider are
always willing to help you 3.1067 1.09758
30
Employees in the Lift service provider are
never too busy to respond to your request 3.6400 1.19277
Average 3.516675 1.072273
The behaviour of employees in the Lift service
provider instills confidence in you 2.0933 .93250
You feel safe in your transactions with the Lift
service provider 3.4133 .91671
Employees in the Lift service provider are
consistently courteous with you. 4.4941 .72337
Assurance
Employees in the Lift service provider have the
knowledge to answer your questions 4.4466 .75760
Average 3.611825 0.832545
The Lift service provider gives you individual
attention 4.3611 .79992 Empathy
The Lift service provider has operating hours
convenient to all its customers 4.7690 1.0745
Average 4.56505 0.93721
Total 65.7435 16.06748
Average 3.460184 0.902209
Source: Survey Data, (2013)
4.5.2 Lift Service Provider’s Service Level
The study aimed at investigating Lift service provider’s service level in terms of points; 19%
indicated that the caring individual attention the Lift service provider provides its customers
as shown by the 31 points which were the most scored, 31% cited that the Lift service
provider willingness to help customers and provide prompt service as shown by 27 points,
14% cited that the Lift service provider 's ability to perform the promised service dependably
and accurately as shown by 21 points, 25% indicated that the appearance of the Lift service
31
provider physical facilities, equipment, personnel and communication materials as shown by
15 points while 11% indicated that the the knowledge and courtesy of the Lift service
provider’s employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence as shown by 6 points.
The findings are as tabulated beow.
Table 4.5: Lift service provider’s Service level
Features Points Frequency Percentage
The appearance of the Lift service provider physical
facilities, equipment, personnel and communication
materials.
15 9
25
The Lift service provider 's ability to perform the
promised service dependably and accurately
21 5
14
The Lift service provider willingness to help customers
and provide prompt service.
27 11
31
The knowledge and courtesy of the Lift service
provider’s employees and their ability to convey trust and
confidence.
6 4
11
The caring individual attention the Lift service provider
provides its customers.
31 7
19
Total 100 36 100
Source: Survey Data, (2013)
4.6 Regression Analysis of the Findings
The researcher conducted a multiple linear regression analysis so as to determine the
relationship between total quality management and the five independent factors of practice of
service quality are: reliability, assurance, empathy, tangibility and responsiveness.
The regression equation was
Whereby Y =. Total quality management
32
X1 = Reliability
X2 = Assurance
X3 = Empathy
X4 = Tangibility
X5 = Responsiveness
Table 4.6: Model Summary
Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Standard Error of the Estimate
1 0.843 0. 742 0.724 0.4216
Source: Survey Data, (2013)
a) Predictors: (Constant), reliability, assurance, empathy, tangibility and responsiveness.
b) Dependent variable: Total quality management
The study used the R square. The R Square is called the coefficient of determination and tells
us how the total quality management varied with reliability, assurance, empathy, tangibility
and responsiveness. The five independent variables that were studied explain 74.2% of the
factors affecting total quality management as represented by R Squared (Coefficient of
determinant). This therefore means that other factors not studied in this research contribute
25.8% of the factors affecting total quality management of the lift industry in Kenya.
Table 4.7: ANOVA
Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Regression 11.72 9 1.302 44.231 .000(a)
Residual 3.432 30 0.066
1
Total
15.152 21
Source: Survey Data, (2013)
33
a) Predictors: (Constant), reliability, assurance, empathy, tangibility and responsiveness
b) Dependent Variable: total quality management
The study used ANOVA to establish the significance of the regression model from which an
f-significance value of p less than 0.05 was established. The model is statistically significant
in predicting how reliability, assurance, empathy, tangibility and responsiveness affect total
quality management of the lift industry in Kenya. This shows that the regression model has a
less than 0.05 likelihood (probability) of giving a wrong prediction. This therefore means that
the regression model has a confidence level of above 95% hence high reliability of the results.
Table 4.8: Coefficients results
Unstandardized
Coefficients
Standardized
Coefficients
t Sig.
B Std. Error Beta
(Constant) 0.116 .186 0.623 .535
Assurance 0.577 .068 .559 8.478 .000
Reliability 0.157 .043 .257 3.676 .036
Empathy 0.082 .042 . 301 2.252 .020
Tangibility 0.021 .002 .245 6.906 .001
Responsiveness 0.071 .027 .176 5.071 .011
Source: Survey Data, (2013)
a) Predictors: (Constant), reliability, assurance, empathy, tangibility and responsiveness
b) Dependent Variable: total quality management
The established regression equation was
Y = 0.116 + 0.577X1 + 0.157X2 + 0.082X3 + 0.021X4 0.071X4 + ε
34
The regression equation above has established that holding all factors (reliability, assurance,
empathy, tangibility and responsiveness) constant, factors affecting total quality management
will be 0.116. The findings presented also shows that taking all other independent variables at
zero, a unit increase in reliability will lead to a 0.577 increase in the scores of the total quality
management. A unit increase in assurance will lead to a 0.157 increase in total quality
management. On the other hand, a unit increase in empathy will lead to a 0.082 increase in the
scores of the total quality management; a unit increase in tangibility will lead to a 0.021
increase in the scores of the total quality management and a unit increase in responsiveness
will lead to a 0.071 increase in the scores of the total quality management. This infers that
reliability influences the total quality management followed by empathy, responsiveness,
assurance and then tangibility. The study also established a significant relationship between
total quality management and the independent variables; reliability (p=0.00<0.05), assurance
(p=0.036<0.05), empathy (p= 0.20<0.05), tangibility (p=0.001<0.05) and responsiveness
(p=.011<0.05) as shown by the p values. The researcher dropped the regression model
because p>0.5 and t<1.96. Therefore the restated model is as follows:
Y=0.577X1+0.157X2+0.082X3+0.021X4+0.071X4+ ε
4.7 Non-Parametric Correlation
A Spearman correlation is used when one or both of the variables are not assumed to be
normally distributed. The values of the variables were converted in ranks and then
correlated. The study correlated reliability, assurance, empathy, tangibility and responsiveness
under the assumption that both of these variables are normal and interval.
Table 4.9: Correlations
Reliabilit
y
Assuranc
e
Empath
y
Tangibilit
y
Spearman’s
rho
Reliability Correlation
Coefficient
Sig. (2-
tailed)
N
1.000
.
61
.617
.000
61
.547
.000
61
.667
.000
61
35
Assurance Correlation
Coefficient
Sig. (2-
tailed)
N
.617
.000
61
1.000
.
61
.437
.000
61
.235
.001
61
Empathy Correlation
Coefficient
Sig. (2-
tailed)
N
.547
.000
61
.437
.000
61
1.000
.
61
.441
.002
61
Tangibility Correlation
Coefficient
Sig. (2-
tailed)
N
.667
.000
61
.235
.000
61
.441
.000
61
1.000
.
61
Responsiven
ess
Correlation
Coefficient
Sig. (2-
tailed)
N
1.021
.
61
.527
.000
61
.397
.000
61
.509
.000
61
Source: Survey Data, (2013)
The results suggest that the relationship between reliability and assurance (rho = 0.617, p =
0.000) is statistically significant. Reliability and empathy had a rho of 0.547 and a p value of
0.000 therefore denoting statistical significance. Similarly, the reliability and tangibility
posted a rho of 0.667 with a p value of 0.000 therefore providing a statistical significance.
Assurance and empathy had a rho of 0.437, p=0.000 further pointing to a statistical
significance. On the same note, the assurance and the tangibility correlated at rho=0.235 and
p=0.001. Finally assurance and the responsiveness correlated at rho=0. 527 and p=0.000. This
therefore is statistically significant. Finally, the empathy and tangibility stood at a correlation
of rho=0.441 and p= 0.002 revealing statistical significance.
36
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY OF FINDINGS CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Introduction
This chapter provides the summary of the findings from chapter four, and also it gives the
conclusions and recommendations of the study based on the objectives of the study. The
objectives of this study were to establish the factors that affect the adoption of TQM practices,
to establish the relationship between total quality management practices and performance and
benefits of TQM and tools used to enhance effectiveness of the practice.
5.2 Summary of the Findings
The study found that lift services offered by the service provider were rated medium. On
investigating respondent’s expectation on expectations on institutions offering lift services
was found to be to a great extent. On the perception of respondents in terms of lift service
provider tangibles, respondents indicated it was moderate, on lift service provider reliability,
respondents indicated it to a great extent, on lift service provider responsiveness, respondents
indicated it to a moderate extent, on lift service provider assurance, respondents indicated it to
a great extent, on lift service provider empathy, respondents indicated it to a great extent. Lift
service provider’s service level in terms of points 31 points which were the most scored in
that the lift service provider shows caring individual attention to the users.
The regression equation established that holding all factors (reliability, assurance, empathy,
tangibility and responsiveness) constant, factors affecting total quality management will be
0.116. The findings presented also shows that taking all other independent variables at zero, a
unit increase in reliability will lead to an increase in the scores of the total quality
management. A unit increase in assurance will lead to an increase in total quality
management. On the other hand, a unit increase in empathy will lead to an increase in the
scores of the total quality management; a unit increase in tangibility will lead an increase in
the scores of the total quality management and a unit increase in responsiveness will lead to
an increase in the scores of the total quality management. This infers that reliability influences
the total quality management followed by empathy, responsiveness, assurance and then
37
tangibility. The study also established a significant relationship between total quality
management and the independent variables; reliability, assurance, empathy, tangibility and
responsiveness as shown by the p values
5.3 Conclusions
The study concludes that total quality management has a positive effect on customer’s re-
patronage intentions showing that both TQM and customer satisfaction have a crucial role to
play in the performance and survival of any Lift industry in the competitive market. This
study proved a close link between total quality management and user satisfaction.
The study also concludes that reliability and Lift service quality (an additional factor) are the
key factors in evaluating overall TQM in the Lift industry but also highlighted that tangibles,
empathy and assurance should not be neglected when evaluating in the lift industry in Kenya.
The study also concludes that as total quality management is an antecedent of customer
satisfaction. Lack of interest in serving the clients to their satisfaction may therefore imply
that consumers are not satisfied with services offered by the Lift service provider. This
customer satisfaction comes as a result of the interaction between the consumer and service
provider and also because the consumer is becoming more and more demanding and does not
tolerate any shortfalls in the quality of services offered by the Lift service provider.
The study further concludes that there exist a great dependency between both constructs and
that an increase in one is likely to lead to an increase in another. Also, the study concludes
that total quality management is more abstract than customer satisfaction because, customer
satisfaction reflects the customer’s feelings about many encounters and experiences with
service firm while service quality may be affected by perceptions of value (benefit relative to
cost) or by the experiences of others that may not be as good.
5.4 Recommendations
The study recommends that, Lift services providers have to improve performance on all the
dimensions of service quality in order to increase customer satisfaction since consumers
expect more than what is been offered by the Lift services providers. This will enable them
38
maintain high level of competitiveness.
The user perception should be maintained by making sure the Lift are always in order and the
management as well should ensure minimal inconveniences which will improve customers or
users perception. This therefore means Lift services providers must strive hard to improve all
the dimensions of TQM in order to bring higher perceived service quality and customer
satisfaction. General implication to management of Lift services providers is that they should
focus on all dimensions of TQM and make efforts to improve them in order to have better
performance that would lead to higher perceived service quality and customer satisfaction.
In conclusion the study recommends that, knowing how consumers perceive TQM and being
able to measure TQm can benefit management of service organisations. Measuring total
quality management can help management provide reliable data that can be used to monitor
and maintain improved service quality. Using the SERVQUAL model to assess service
quality enables management to better understand the various dimensions and how they affect
service quality and customer satisfaction. This will help them to identify those that have
strengths and weaknesses and thereby make necessary improvements.
5.5 Suggestions for Further Research
The study has explored service quality and performance of Lift services. The Lift services
providers in Kenya however comprises of various other service providers located in other
areas in Kenya which differ in their way of management and have different settings all
together. This warrants the need for another study which would ensure generalization of the
study findings for all the service providers in Kenya and hence pave way for new policies.
The study therefore recommends another study be done with an aim to investigate total
quality management in the service industries in Kenya.
Further a study should also be carried out to investigate the factors influencing total quality
management in the service industries in Kenya.
39
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APPENDICES
Appendix A: Questionnaire
This questionnaire aims at collecting data for a study titled “TOTAL QUALITY
MANAGEMENT IN THE LIFT INDUSTRY IN KENYA” . The questionnaire forms
an integral part of the study and respondents are requested to complete it. The data requested
is needed for academic purposes only and will be treated with strict confidentiality.
General Information
1. Select your gender (Please, tick).
Male [ ] Female [ ]
2. Which age bracket do you belong? (Please, tick)
18-25[ ] 26-31[ ] 32-39[ ] 40-45[ ] Above 45[ ]
3. How long have you been at current building premises?
Less than 1 year [ ] 1-3years [ ] 4-10 years [ ] Above 10 years [ ]
4. How do you classify your firm in terms of occupancy in the building?
Small establishment [ ] medium [ ] Large [ ] MultiNational [ ]
5. How do you rate efficiency of lift services offered by the service provider?
Very high [ ]
High [ ]
Medium [ ]
Low [ ]
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The Survey
The questionnaire below is in two sections. The first section asks you to rank the lift service provider
at your premises according to your expectations i.e. what you expect a good lift service company to
provide. The second section asks you to rank the lift company according to your experiences and
perceptions.
Expectations
6. This section of the survey deals with your opinions of good lifts service provider. Please show the
extent to which you think a lift company should posses the following features. What we are
interested in here is a number that best shows your expectations about institutions offering lift
services. Use a scale of 1-5 where; 1 no extent, low extent, moderate extent, 4 great extent and 5
very great extent.
Statement Score
1 Excellent lift companies will have modern looking equipment.
2 The technicians working for a good lift service provider should have all
necessary tools and equipments when attending to a job.
3 Employees at of a good lift service provider will be neat in their appearance
4 Materials associated with the service (pamphlets or statements) will be visually
appealing from a good lift service provider
5 When a customer has a problem, a good lift service provider will show a
sincere interest in solving it.
6 Good lift service provider will perform the service right the first time
7 Good lift service provider will provide the service at the time they promise to
do so
8 Good lift service provider will insist on error free records
9 Employees of good lift service provider will always be willing to help
customers
10 Employees of good lift service provider will never be too busy to respond to
customers requests.
11 The behaviour of employees in good lift service provider will instill confidence
in customers
12 Customers of good lift service provider will feel safe in transaction
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13 Employees of good lift service provider will be consistently courteous with
customers
14 Employees of good lift company will have the knowledge to answer customers
questions
15 Good lift service provider will give customers individual attention
16 Good lift service provider will have operating hours convenient to all their
customers
17 Good lift service provider will have employees who give customers personal
service
18 Good lift service provider will have their customers best interest at heart
19 The employees of a good lift company will understand the specific needs of
their customers
Perceptions
7. The following statements relate to your feelings about the particular Lift service provider you have
chosen. Please show the extent to which you believe this Lift service provider has the feature
described in the statement. Here, we are interested in a number from 1 to 5 that shows your
perceptions about the Lift service provider.
You should rank each statement as follows: use a scale of 1-5 where; 1 no extent, low extent, moderate
extent, 4 great extent and 5 very great extent.
Statement 1 2 3 4 5
The Lift service provider has modern looking
equipment
The Lift service provider physical features are
visually appealing
The Lift service provider reception desk
employees are neat appearing
Tangibles
Materials associated with the service (such a
pamphlets or statements) are visually appealing
Reliability When the Lift service provider promises to do
something by a certain time, it does so.
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When you have a problem, the Lift service
provider shows a sincere interest in solving it.
The Lift service provider performs the service
right the first time
The Lift service provider provides its service at
the time it promises to do so
The Lift service provider insists on error free
records
Employees in the Lift service provider tell you
exactly when the services will be performed
Employees in the Lift service provider give you
prompt service
Employees in the Lift service provider are always
willing to help you
Responsiveness
Employees in the Lift service provider are never
too busy to respond to your request
The behaviour of employees in the Lift service
provider instills confidence in you
You feel safe in your transactions with the Lift
service provider
Employees in the Lift service provider are
consistently courteous with you.
Assurance
Employees in the Lift service provider have the
knowledge to answer your questions
The Lift service provider gives you individual
attention
Empathy
The Lift service provider has operating hours
convenient to all its customers
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8. Kindly rate the Lift service provider’s service level in terms of points
* FOR RESEARCHER USE ONLY: (For measuring scores as per observations)
Features Points
1. The appearance of the Lift service provider physical facilities,
equipment, personnel and communication materials.
2. The Lift service provider 's ability to perform the promised service
dependably and accurately
3. The Lift service provider willingness to help customers and provide
prompt service.
4. The knowledge and courtesy of the Lift service provider 's employees
and their ability to convey trust and confidence.
5. The caring individual attention the Lift service provider provides its
customers.
Total: 100
SERVQUAL Dimension Score from Table
1
Weighting
from Table 2
Weighted Score
Tangibility
Reliability
Responsiveness
Assurance
Empathy
Average Weighted score:
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Appendix B: Work Plan
The table below shows the schedule of all the events, it indicates the month each particular
activity will take place.
Source: Author (2013)
ACTIVITY PERIOD
Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
Preliminary literature review
Consultations with supervisor
Thesis proposal writing
Developing instruments
Thesis proposal defense