Effect of work ethics on quality of service delivery in universities in Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

Quality of service delivery (QSD) is an important factor in the success of any institution that wants to remain in business. Theoretical literature suggests that employees’ work ethics is critical in determining quality of service delivery. However, empirical studies have not focused on how work ethics affects QSD. The main objective of the study was to determine the effect of work ethics on quality of service delivery. The specific objectives are to determine the effect of integrity, accountability, commitment, competency on quality of service delivery and to establish the combined effect of all the variables on QSD. The study was guided by the service quality theory described by Oliver (1980), where customers judge quality as low if the performance does not meet their expectations, as high when performance exceeds their expectations. Customer satisfaction is a more crucial element and determines the continuity of the organization and future income. The target population for the study was 276 academic staff and 25,395 students in public and private universities in Nakuru County, Kenya. Stratified random sampling and simple random sampling techniques were used to select a sample of staff and students for the study. A questionnaire was used to collect the described data. The study employed both descriptive statistics such as percentages, means and standard deviations and inferential statistics such as Pearson’s correlation and Multiple Regression to present and analyze the data. The statistical package for social science (SPSS) a computer programme for windows aided the data analysis. The study established that work ethics has a strong positive effect on quality of service delivery and accounted for 76.5% (R square = 0.765) of the variation in quality of service delivery. The study adds knowledge and enhances understanding of the relationship between work ethics and quality service delivery. This study, therefore, suggests that there is need for managers in public and private universities to ensure that these work ethics are formulated, enforced and adhered to, to regulate their conduct. It is also important that institutions adopt university code of conduct/ethics to improve on quality of service delivery. It is recommended that a more comprehensive survey covering all universities in the country be done to shed more light on this subject.