Due to the growth of our economy and our rising standards of living, customers of today have a larger variety of products to choose from than in the past. This causes an increase in competition which has raised customer expectations on the quality of goods and services they receive (Palmer, 2001 p26). Along with this, the modern customer has become sophisticated, educated, confident and well informed. Hence, they have raised their expectations of the service they intend on receiving. This has placed enormous pressure on service organization's to improve the way they do business with these customers. This "customer transformation" has placed an increasing emphasis on customer service as a means of gaining a competitive advantage. As a consequence of competition becoming global and more intense, many organizations have come to the realization that they cannot compete on price alone. Hence, the level of customer service has a direct impact on an organization's market share, as it determines not only whether consumers will become customers but also whether existing customers will become loyal ones. If service quality is to become the cornerstone of an organisation's marketing strategy, marketers should have the means to measure it. Although research in this field exists, the researcher proposed the need for further research specifically in the area of customer perceptions toward the quality of service they receive. The issues addressed in this study will be of importance to both service managers and future researchers as a customer's evaluation of service quality and, the resulting level of satisfaction is thought to determine the likelihood of a repurchase and ultimately the success of the business. This dissertation is based on the perceptions of customers of Ola Milky Lane and the level of quality customer service they receive. Looking at the business from the customer's viewpoint will help the researcher investigate how current customers feel about the organization as well as their attitude toward the business. The expectations of these customers together with their levels of satisfaction, which shape their perceptions of the customer service, serve as the foundation on which service quality will be evaluated. Moreover, the research study hopes to assist the participating organisation establish whether gaps in service delivery exist, the reasons for their presence and identify possible solutions which can be implemented to close or prevent those gaps from further widening. This will benefit the organization as it can be used as a tool to understand customer perceptions, which can equip them to gauge the effectiveness and efficiency of their relationship programmes. With this motivation in mind, the research study takes a strategic look at the importance of customer service as perceived by customers by means of determining whether the organisation is or is not meeting their expectations. / Thesis (M.Comm.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

Includes one computer disk in Work 6 format. / System requirements for accompanying computer disk: Mackintosh or IBM-compatible computer. Other requirments: Microsoft Word 6 or compatible Word Processor. / Bibliography: leaves 241-270. / xiii, 270, [47] leaves ; 30 cm. + 1 computer disk (3 1/2 in.) / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Graduate School of Management, 1999

Thesis (M.Sc.)--California State University, Dominguez Hills, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-81).

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of School of Technology, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 75-77).

This study investigates whether quality management has developed to such an extent that retailers, service repair organisations and consumers are satisfied with product and repair service quality provided by South African manufacturing companies. To investigate these aspects, the colour television industry has been selected because it contains various manufacturing companies of varying sizes and characters, employing different quality policies and performances. It offers relatively standardised products and services, which facilitates intercompany comparisons and employs a simple flow type assembly line process that is representative of other mass production industries. The hypotheses are tested by interviewing four selected populations by means of carefully constructed questionnaires, namely a retail population, a repair service population, a consumer population and a manufacturing population. The empirical results are statistically evaluated in terms of the various manufacturers ability to provide satisfactory product and repair service quality. Consumers and repair service organisations are selected because they represent a broad spectrum of the population with varying, but important opinions on product and repair service quality. Retailers selling colour television receivers are also selected as they play an important role in the management of quality and vary from small independent retailers to large chain stores and discounters. The results obtained from this study show that: • there is a need from the retailers, service repair organisations and consumers for the South African manufacturers to improve the quality of colour television receivers • there is a need by the consumers and the retailers for the manufacturers to improve their repair service quality • there is a need to improve the quality control procedures employed by the colour television manufacturers. / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management)

Thesis (MTech (Quality))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2010 / To succeed in the global market, South African enterprises need an overall operational excellence which is a key requirement for any business to sustain competiveness and growth. To effectively respond to the constant flexibility of customer demands, many quality initiatives have been developed to assist business organisations in the quest for excellence. Quality management has evolved over the years from a simple product inspection, to a modern management system that requires the involvement of the entire workforce and other stakeholders to work closely, toward customer satisfaction. Currently, the most used quality concepts by organisations throughout the world are ISO 9001(2008); Total Quality Management; Just in Time; and Six Sigma. Among these quality initiatives, Six Sigma has emerged as the most powerful quality improvement strategy. In South Africa (SA), business organisations have adopted several quality initiatives to cope with the challenges of globalisation. Six Sigma is one of the latest quality initiatives that many businesses in SA are using or considering as a mechanism to strengthen their product or service quality. This study explores a Six Sigma model for implementation in the context of the South African business environment. As less than ten percent of organisations worldwide have recognised the tremendous effects of Six Sigma in boosting their productivity and financial profit, it becomes extremely important to understand the complexity and critical aspects behind Six Sigma implementation, that organisations in SA must recognise when implementing Six Sigma. This study can assist many industries in SA, as well as those in other developing nations, who have not yet experienced Six Sigma implementation, to become aware of the complexity and critical elements of this quality approach.

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Technikon, 2003. / This research report is based on a case study. It follows up on the research of a previous study by Muregerera (1996). His thesis was compiled in order to develop a model for a world-class manufacturing organization. For his case study, he chose Omnigraphics. Although his focus was on world class manufacturing principles, he did address Omnigraphics prior to the organization receiving ISO 9000 certification through the SASS. This research report therefore looks at the transformation that Omnigraphics went through, from an organization without a formal quality management system, to one with a functional quality management system. Chapter one defines quality management systems and the benefits of a formal quality management system. Current research is discussed in chapter two together with the benefits and requirements of the ISO system. Chapter three addresses the challenges, which Omnigraphics faced prior to ISO 9000 implementation and the changes that occurred once this organization was certified to ISO 9001. A comprehensive survey was done to identify the actual benefits that suppliers and customers see in dealing with an ISO 9000 listed organization. Chapter four looks at the participants of the survey as well as the questions posed. Chapter five gives the results of the survey in a graphical format as well as an interpretation of the results. The research report also focuses on the new revision of the ISO 9000 series and this is addressed in chapter six. The report closes by reviewing the research and looking at the future of the ISO 9000 series.

Thesis (MTech (Marketing))--Cape Technikon, 1999. / Quality of service, as perceived by the customer, has been shown by research to be a critical factor contributing to organizational performance in recent years. Therefore, the management of service quality is a key variable, and for service quality to be managed, it has to be measured. There have been significant advances in the measurement of service quality in the past fifteen years, resulting in a stream of research, mostly concentrating on the external customers of profit-seeking firms. A key factor driving this research was the development of an apparently reliable, valid instrument for the measurement of service quality. This instrument called SERVQUAL, was developed by US researchers A. "Parsu" Parasuraman, Valarie Zeithaml and Len Berry. It has spawned an enormous debate in the marketing literature, leading to the further exploration and refinement of the dimensions of the service quality construct. While the use of SERVQUAL has been extensively investigated in external markets, and in for-profit firms, less attention has been given to its use, and more importantly, its reliability and validity in internal markets, and in not-for-profit organizations. These settings are becoming increasingly important from a services marketing perspective. Internal markets (where fellow employees are also customers) are being subjected to market testing, and many services previously provided within the organization are being outsourced. In order to survive, many functions such as information systems, training, catering and cleaning are being forced to market their services internally, and this includes assessing service quality, and improving it. Likewise, private and public nonprofit organizations are coming under increasing scrutiny, as donors and taxpayers alike become evermore concerned about the value gained from the expenditures made by these organizations with their funds. In this study, the SERVQUAL instrument was used to measure service quality as perceived by the internal customers of a large IT department within an extensive government organization. The main objectives of the study were to assess the psychometric properties of the SERVQUAL instrument in this setting. It was found that SERVQUAL generally performs well under these circumstances, with regard to reliability, construct, convergent and nomological validity. However, the instrument appears to be problematical in terms of discriminant validity. This is probably less attributable to the measurement situation as to the instrument itself, for the finding mirrors evidence from the literature. The study also identifies implications for management, and opportunities for future research.

Thesis (MTech (Quality))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. / The quality assurance role is an essential function in high risk industries such as the nuclear power industry where process failures can potentially have catastrophic results. As part of mitigating the risk inherent in such industries, the need for reliable quality assurance cannot be over-emphasised. Underpinning a reliable quality assurance function, lies the need for effective identification of risk; as well as effective decision making processes by competent auditors. A nuclear quality assurance (QA) department has noted an increase in the variability of its audit outcomes, which has resulted in the value of the audit process being questioned by various stakeholders. The research endeavoured to: explore and describe the practice amongst auditors when rating audit findings; potentially identify reasons for inconsistencies amongst auditors when rating findings; and provide recommendations to improve both the consistency amongst auditors when rating audit finding and the overall performance of the audit process. An exploratory study using the Delphi technique was adopted to enable multiple iterations of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, mimicking elements of a sequential exploratory strategy.