Validation of an organisational structure design to ensure an effective quality management system within the food industry in South Africa

2021FEBEREC-STD-015 

Dateset Questionnaire: Impact of Organisational Structure on Company performance and Quality within the food industry - Organisational Structures adopted within the FSMS. 

The above title however was amended to the original title: Validation of an organisational structure design to ensure effective Quality Management System within the Food Industry in South Africa. 

A standard questionnaire with structured questions was used to collect primary data. The questionnaire was created in accordance with the study's objectives. The survey questionnaire was created to assess the impact of

organisational structure on company performance and quality in the food industry.

The questionnaire included questions about the organisation's structural design, top management involvement, continuous quality improvement,

communication, how deviations and non-conformities are communicated, profit margin, cost-to-quality, waste and staff involvement, as well as changes that have occurred in the last 5-10 years.

Data is coded accordingly to ensure that all research questions and objectives has been evaluated. Questions start with Section A and end with Section J.

Section A an overview of the company's Quality Management System (QMS) and Food Management System (FSMS)

Section B: Organisational Structure - Reporting Structure

Section C: QMS / FMS

Section D: Good Manufacturing Practices / Process (GMP's) Compliance to FSMS - Aspects to ensure company is compliant

Section E: Responsibility and Authority

Section F: Staff Training and Competency

Section G: Top Management / Management Commitment and Communication

Section H: Customer Services / Customer Complaints

Section I: Competency: Staff Behaviour / Cultural Behaviour

Section J: Performance Measurement and Cost of Quality

The questionnaire contained information gleaned from the academic review as well as real-world experience in the food production business. The questionnaire was designed in a cross-functional manner, with multiple

choice questions included. The major goal was to elicit feedback from participants using both qualitative and quantitative methods.

Questionnaire Outcome: 

Research question: The research question to be investigated is: How does the organisational structure adopted within an FSMS affect compliance to

QMS and organisational performance within the South African food industry?

The findings demonstrate that effective GMP/PRP programme implementation leads to successful QMS compliance and organisational performance in the food business. A good GMP programme provides

structure to a company's quality system, enabling it to manufacture safe and high-quality products. Participants generally agreed that a well-established QMS will minimise waste, improve process control and product quality, increase market share, save costs and make training easier. A thorough and rigorous precursor programme is essential for the successful

implementation of the food safety system (Fuller, 2007:1). Many food processing organisations have used the GMP certification scheme as the foundation for creating and implementing other quality and food safety management systems, such as HACCP, ISO 22000, SQF and ISO 9001

Ngwa (2017).