Influence of Total Quality Management on Performance of Tea Processing Factories in Kericho Highlands, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of conducting the study was to establish the influence of total quality management on performance of tea factories in Kericho Highlands. The study was guided by Quality Improvement theory. Descriptive survey research design was used in conducting the study. The study targeted 180 respondents working in 12 KTDA owned tea factories in Kericho highlands. Sampling units were factory unit managers, Finance managers, ICT managers, field services staffs and Production staffs. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select respondents from the sampling units to come up with a sample size of 124. Questionnaire was used as the main data collection instrument. Pre-testing of the research instrument was done in Chebut Tea Factory, KTDA owned tea factory in Nandi County using a sample size of 12 respondents. The study found out that total quality management positively and significantly influences the performance of tea factories in Kericho highlands. The study concluded that total quality management influences performance of tea factories in Kericho highlands. The study recommended implementation of total quality management practices by tea factories in Kericho highlands in order to improve their performances.

Diversification and intensification of smallholder farming through intercropping with grain legumes in northern Tanzania

“…Similarly, the volumetric water content at wilting point is used to calculate the minimum amount of soil water at which plants are still able to retrieve water from the profile. The volumetric water content at field capacity and wilting point were set at 0.21 and 0.13 corresponding to the values for a sandy-loam soil, following Ngetich (2012). Based on profile pits dug in the field, rooting depth was set to 6 dm for maize and to 20 dm for the legumes.…”

“…and wilting point (corresponding to p = 1. ), and was set to 0.8 for maize (Ngetich, 2012) and 0.65 for the legume species (Webber et al, 2006). In the model, the reduction in crop growth rate is set equal to the reduction in transpiration rate (van Keulen, 1975).…”