EVALUATING THE EFFECT OF STRATEGIC QUALITY PLANNING ON ORGANISATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS: EVIDENCE FROM NIGER MILLS COMPANY LIMITED, CALABAR

ABSTRACT:

This study evaluated the effect of strategic quality planning on organisational competitiveness at Niger Mills Company Limited, Calabar. The study was motivated by the need for manufacturing firms to adopt effective quality management strategies in order to remain competitive in a dynamic business environment. A survey research design was adopted, and data were collected from a sample of 72 employees selected from a population of 88 staff using simple random sampling. Primary data were obtained through structured questionnaires, while descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysis. Findings revealed a moderately high level of agreement among respondents that strategic quality planning contributes to improved organisational performance, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency. However, the results of the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) indicated that strategic quality planning does not have a statistically significant effect on organisational competitiveness at the 0.05 level of significance. This suggests that while quality planning practices are recognised as important, their impact may not yet be fully realized within the organisation. The study recommends increased management commitment, employee training, and adoption of modern quality management systems to improve outcomes.

Keywords: Strategic Quality Planning, Total Quality Management (TQM), Customer Satisfaction, Quality Improvement, Nigeria.