Quality, Supply Chain Management and Service Delivery in the Electricity Supply Firms in Kenya

Abstract

Quality management is becoming increasingly important to the leadership and management of all organizations. Provision of high quality services has attracted senior management in many organizations globally. Proper quality management can enable companies to report high productivity and increased satisfaction of all stakeholders such as employees, suppliers and customers. Managers addressing the issue of high quality in electricity tariffs can be essential in enabling power supply firms in Kenya to compete both in local and global market. However, problems related to quality of power have turned quality aspect in electricity supply to be an important competitive factor among other activities in the industry. This study intended to examine how quality and supply chain management affected service delivery in the electricity supply firms of Kenya. It relied on stakeholder theory and TQM theory and employed the descriptive research design. This study was a census of all the seven entities under energy sector that deal with electricity supply. Primary data was collected by use of survey questionnaires and study employed quantitative techniques in data analysis. The findings show that quality management was found to be statistically significant to service delivery of electricity supply firms in Kenya. Supply chain was not found to be significant in influencing service delivery, although the study pointed to a lack of strategic thinking in the supply chain departments of these power supply firms and an emphasis on legislative rules and regulations at the expense of strategy. This was interpreted to be a lack of consciousness in these departments of possible ant potential ways in which supply chain can influence service delivery. The study has thus suggested further research should investigate how legislative rules and regulations hinder development and pursuit of strategy as related to service delivery. It is also suggested that further studies should be done to investigate if existence of quality standards certifications have an effect of service delivery. As is also suggested that studies should be done to investigate whether industry standards influence service delivery.