SERVICE QUALITY IN CONTRACT CATERING SERVICES AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN UNIVERSITIES NAIROBI CITY COUNTY KENYA.

Abstract

The rapid growth and increase in contract catering services in universities in Kenya seek to lower costs and respond to the high level of competition. The main purpose of this study was to examine the influence of service quality in contract catering services on customer satisfaction in universities in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study specifically sought to assess the influence of service quality in contract catering services on customer satisfaction in universities in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. The target population was selected universities in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Purposive and stratified random sampling techniques were adopted in selecting the target population of universities. The target population was segmented into two groups based on the category of the university, either public or private university. The sampling technique for management staff respondents was purposive sampling, while the students' respondents were calculated using the Cooper and Schindler formula. The study adopted an interview guide and questionnaire data collection instrument. Data were collected from 276 respondents, with multi-level random sampling of 270 students, of which 224 (63.82%) returned, and 45 contract catering managers, university directors of catering, and procurement managers, of which 33 (73.33%) responded. Expert review was used to pretest the questionnaire before the actual study.The study adopted Cronbach's alpha formula to test the reliability of the instrument, and coefficients ranging from 0.65 to 1 were considered adequate for data analysis. The study collected primary data, which was analyzed through descriptive statistics and inferential analysis about the management and students' views and perceptions. Data were then reported in tables, bar graphs, and percentages, along with verbatim quotes. For inferential statistics, Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between the independent variable service quality and the dependent variable customer satisfaction of the study to test the hypotheses. Simple regression results revealed that at a 5% level of significance and 95% level of confidence, the tested variables had p-value confidence levels of 0.000 for service quality, which had a positive statistically significant relationship with customer satisfaction. The study concluded that the management of contract catering services influences customer satisfaction, where the positive independent variable, service quality, enhances customer satisfaction. The study recommends that university management requires further similar studies to be done in other universities and colleges in Kenya with the aim of evaluating the influence of service quality in contract catering services on customer satisfaction in universities. This should aim at establishing if similar challenges in the management of contract catering services are a replica in other institutions worldwide.