Employee perception of the moderating effect of Information Technology on supply chain integration and performance of public universities in western region, Kenya.

Abstract

Public universities in Kenya experienced poor supply chain performance due to failures in on-time product delivery by suppliers who failed to respond quickly to deliver agent shipments of item components. Organizational performance in higher education was not necessarily related to academic standards. Universities had to establish procedures to monitor the quality of graduates. The main purpose of the study was to investigate the moderating effect of information technology on the relationship between supply chain integration and organizational performance of Public Universities in Western Region Kenya. The study was guided by the following specific objectives: to investigate the effect of integration communication, customer focus integration, stakeholder collaboration, and supply chain cooperation on the organizational performance of public universities. To investigate the moderating effect of information technology on the relationship between integration communication, customer focus integration, stakeholder’s collaboration, supply chain cooperation and organizational performance in Public Universities. The study adopted an explanatory survey research design. The target population of the study was 186 employees from the selected departements from three universities in the Western Region of Kenya This study adopted census method where all the respondents was included in the study since the target population was small and manageable while carrying out the study. This implies all the 186 respondents were used in this study. Data were collected using questionnaires. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 25. Descriptive statistics included frequency, percentages, means, and standard deviations, while inferential statistics included correlation and hierarchical regressions. Frequency tables were used to present the collected data for ease of understanding and analysis. The study findings showed that integration communication had a positive and significant effect on organizational performance (β1=0.222, p=.002). Customer focus integration practice had a positive and significant effect on organizational performance (β2=0.303, p=.000). Stakeholder’s collaboration practice had a positive and significant effect on organizational performance (β3=0.286, p=.003). Supply chain cooperation had a positive and significant effect on organizational performance (β4=0.224, p=.000). Information technology had a negative moderating effect on the relationship between integration communication practice and organizational performance (β=-0.051, p=.015). The information technology had a moderating effect on the relationship between customer focus integration practice and organizational performance (β=0.048, p=.029). Information technology had a moderating effect on the relationship between stakeholder’s collaboration practice and organizational performance (β=0.092, p=.000). Information technology had a positive moderating effect on the relationship between supply chain cooperation and organizational performance (β=-0.086, p=.000). The study concluded that supply chain integration plays a role in the growth and competitiveness of the university. Customer wants and expectations guide the performance of public universities and acknowledged the importance of good customer relations and the appreciation of services offered by university staff. The university's involvement in enhancing responsiveness to customer demands through communications and recognized the importance of internal synergy for effective solution delivery and performance. The study recommends that public universities should invest in IT infrastructure and prioritize IT tools and systems to enhance communication and decision-making processes. It also highlights the need for IT skills training and development for staff members involved in supply chain management.