The Effect of Internal Environment on Printing Quality Performance in Nairobi Central Business District

Abstract

The study examined the background of the printing business by analysing the quality issues that lead to quality print production by analysis of factors affecting quality performance in the printing industry in Nairobi Central Business District. Specific objectives are skills, human resource (HR), insufficient capital and use of out-dated equipment. Also included are research questions: establishing skills possessed by printing managers and technical staff to quality, quality of materials to quality, lack of capital to quality and use of poorly maintained equipment to quality. Theories in quality are fishbone theory developed on how companies should handle quality improvement, PDCA theory of ratio-quality equal to result of work effort over total cost, and Quality Trilogy theory on quality planning, quality control and quality improvement. The researcher used descriptive method because it helped in collection of data. The study also used survey method of descriptive research. Data was collected from a population of 101 printing companies in Nairobi Central Business District (NCBD). The study sampled from 30 individual printing firms and the sample method used was random process. Data collection tool was questionnaires. The researcher and his assistant physically distributed the research questionnaires hard copies face to face to respondents. To analyse data the researcher reviewed raw data from the field, and sorted them out to determine their accuracy. Descriptive analysis and inferential research was employed. Findings were, equipment had the highest reliability at 0.964, followed by materials at 0.912, skills at 0.856, and capital at 0.785. This indicates that all the four independent variables were reliable measures of performance as their reliability values exceeded the prescribed threshold of 0.7. From variables, the results were, one (1) unit of quality which is 0.107 units of skills leads to 0.769 of quality, while 0.252 units of material leads to 0.769 of quality, 0.294 units of capital leads to 0.769 of quality and 0.535 units of equipment leads to 0.769 of quality. From the outcome of the analysis, the study recommended based on outcome that all printing firms must adhere and improve on variables as the ones which were investigated by the researcher so as, to achieve quality production.