INVESTIGATION OF STRATEGIC QUALITY MANAGEMENT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF MAJOR COFFEE EXPORTERS IN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

International market competition forces companies to internationalize their operation in the exporting market. The study has been designed to investigate the strategic quality management system in major coffee exporters in Ethiopia. Both primary and secondary data collection instruments were used to collect data. Closed ended and open ended questionnaires were used for the purpose of data collection. The selections of the respondents were carried out by using random sampling research method. The collected data were analyzed and interpreted using SPSS analytical software. Even though the strategies quality management systems of coffee exporting companies are somewhat effectively practiced, there are some problems that the company faced with planning and implementing it. The quality documentation and communication has been identified poor because of lack of quality records and not able to implement the social network and printing communication means. The overall capacity of the exporting company to compete in the international market is becoming difficult due to the lack of potential assessment of the market and customer feedback management. The management needs to predict the future and assess the potential market, standards and procedures has to be documented and communicated effectively so that the employee can use it for their day to day work activities. The quality records need to show, what are the standards to be maintained for each product of the company, the quality of coffee is sensitive and there must be clear distinction among each type of coffee we produce and store.