The Impact of International Standards Organization 9001: 2008 Standards Certification on the Performance of Public Universities in Kenya

Abstract

ISO standards make a positive contribution to the world and facilitate trade, spread knowledge, disseminate innovative advances in technology, and share good management and conformity assessment practices. However, despite the number of benefits in favor of ISO certification, whether the standard actually improves business performance and profitability remains debatable. Thus, this study investigated the impact of ISO 9001-2008 Standards Certification on the performance of public universities in Kenya. This study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population for this study comprised all the 22 public universities in Kenya. The research used secondary data, which was obtained from the audited financial statements, statutory returns to oversight bodies including the Commission for University Education and the Ministry of Education. The data covered a period of 5 years from the year 2009 to 2014. Multiple linear regression equation was used to establish the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The study findings established that surplus/deficit as a % of income, operating cost recovery and administrative efficiency as measures of performance have a positive and negative relationships respectively with the performance of ISO 9001-2008 certified public universities in Kenya. The study concluded that concludes that ISO 9001:2008 influences the performance of public universities in Kenya and it not a mere marketing tool that improves public image of the institutions. The study recommended that all public universities should adopt the ISO 9001:2008 certification standards to improve their performance and growth.