Abstract:
This study assessed the performance of the Malawi Posts Corporation (MPC) from four perspectives of the Balanced Score Card (BSC) model, that is learning and growth, internal business processes, customer and financial perspectives. It also investigated whether the absence of Universal Service Fund (USF) compromises MPC’s performance and affects the postal industry in Malawi in general. Data were collected and analysed using both quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques and analysis procedures which falls within pragmatism research paradigm.
The study has found a number of issues. Firstly, the overall performance of MPC is poor with a mean score of 2.98 from all four perspectives of the BSC. Secondly, the study has found that the absence of (USF) is contributing negatively to the overall performance of MPC. Thirdly, the study has shown that the performance of support functions of MPC is poorer than performance of the core function (operations Department) of the organisation. Finally, the study has found that the opinion of management in MPC (2010) and MPC (2013) is well justified by MPC’s financial statements from 2011 to 2014. This means that MPC cannot sustain the quality of its service delivery without reorganising itself internally and without external financial support. Therefore it is recommended that for MPC to improve service delivery it must improve on all its shortfalls in particular on financial, learning and growth perspective. It must also examine the inter-departmental relationship between operations (core function of MPC) and support functions of MPC and try to improve on coordination between or among these departments. Further, it must lobby for government funding through Quality of Service Fund (QSF).
In conclusion this study has helped to bring to the attention of MPC’s management other critical performance assessment areas which are performing poorly but were going unchecked because of MPC’s lack of a robust performance assessment tool. It is expected in view of these findings that MPC management will be compelled to adopt the use of BSC as performance assessment tool. Further, the study has helped to bring to light that lack of financial support is not the main cause of MPC’s poor performance as the study has revealed that even in certain areas where no direct financial injections are needed for their smooth operations, MPC has scored poorly. In view of this it is proposed that a different study be carried out to investigate whether the quality of MPC
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leadership is contributing to this poor performance or not. However, the study has limitations in the sense that the results cannot be generalized to the population outside the selected strata. This is because the sample was drawn only from the selected strata.
