TITLE:
Driver Management and Service Delivery: Insights within State-Owned Enterprises in Zimbabwe
AUTHORS:
John Promise Chiparo, Marian Tukuta, Michael Musanzikwa
KEYWORDS:
Abuse, Driver Behaviour, Down-Time, Responsive, Reliability, Service Delivery
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Transportation Technologies,
Vol.12 No.3,
July
7,
2022
ABSTRACT: Driver management may be considered an organization’s most valuable
asset, and State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) must invest in it to secure their
survival and growth. The study sought
to establish the effect of driver management on service delivery in SOEs.
Various empirical studies reveal that there is a lack of understanding of the
impact of driver management on service delivery in public organizations, notably SOEs, resulting in sectorial and contextual
research gaps that must be filled.
The study used a mixed-method research strategy and a pragmatic research
philosophy. In addition, 344 respondents from 86 SOEs were given standardized
questionnaires to complete. The researchers employed
stratified and purposive sampling. Statistical package for social scientists
(SPSS) version 20 was used to generate descriptive statistics. All study
items were subjected to exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and research
hypotheses were assessed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) in AMOS
version 21. The study findings revealed that despite having clear driver
recruiting procedures, there is bad driver conduct and a lack of driver recognition programs to reward good driving. The study
concluded that driver management has a positive effect on service
delivery. In light of these conclusions, the study suggests that SOEs
should ensure that drivers understand their responsibilities when using company
vehicles. Furthermore, drivers should be periodically
trained in line with the tenets of the New Public Management Theory
which advocates for quality service delivery, customer centrism and reduction
in rigidity.