Abstract

Micro Enterprises providing services for example haircutting, key making, M-pesa, hair dressing, child care,cleaning, video selling, hawkers and shoe shining to mention but a few find it difficult to envision and understandwhat aspect connote high quality to consumers, and the levels of the aspects that are required to deliver highquality service. Only when these enterprises have a fairly definite knowledge on how the service they offer wouldbe perceived by customers, then they will be able to direct these assessments in the preferred direction. Howeverloyalty as an outcome of social responsibility practices as a key in explaining service quality is little known. Thisstudy examined the influence of the shoe shine entrepreneurer’s social responsibility practices on customer loyaltyin Eldoret town, Kenya. The study was based on a survey of 230 customers of shoe shine enterprises selectedrandomly. Questionnaires were the main instruments for collecting data. Data was analysed using descriptive andinferential statistics. Frequencies, percentages, spearman’s rho correlation, phi and ordinal regression were thespecific methods of analysis in this study. The findings indicated that customers consider shoe shine entrepreneurssocial responsibility practices as a critical indicator of their perception of service quality. This study concludesthat shoe shine entrepreneurers social responsibility practices significantly influenced customer loyalty. Equally,the findings show that shoe shine entrepreneurs need to improve on their social responsibility practices. Basing onthe conclusion of this study, firstly, it is recommended that shoe shine entrepreneurs embrace social responsibilitygiven that it could substantially enhance customer acceptance and by extension loyalty. Lastly, the studyrecommends the integration of social responsibility practices into relevant training for shoe shine enterprises toencourage customer loyalty.

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