Customer satisfaction surveys are found everywhere, ranging from a simple on-line reservation service up to highly sophisticated procurement projects, which demonstrates the business entities nowadays position customer service in a decisive role to the operation. On the other hand, training is a popular approach to achieve consistent service quality and advanced customer satisfaction. This case study examines from practical aspects the training effectiveness of a four-year customer service program by analyzing the development of the case company¡¦s annual customer satisfaction rating.

Abstract Power electricity is the main energy for steel factory, the service quality on power dispatch to be linked with the whole performance of steel factory, face more serious challenge from the global competition, for managing the competition of inner and outer environment and creating corporate competitive advantages, how to provide higher service quality to reach customer satisfaction, become the key performance index for Power Dispatch Department in the future. This study represents an empirical assessment of service quality and customer satisfaction. The main structure and assessment are based on the PZB conceptual mode of service quality evaluation form ¡§ SERVQUAL ¡¨ and customer satisfaction theory, research objects are the customers of power consumer in steel factory, the study explored the relationship among customer satisfaction, service quality, corporate image, and price. The main conclusions are as follows: 1. Service quality has a positive effect on customer satisfaction; Corporate image and price of service have positive effect on customer satisfaction; The price of service directly influences service quality. 2. There are five dimensions extracted to evaluate the service quality on power dispatch, including reliability, empathy, responsiveness, assurance and safety tangibles. To evaluate the customer satisfaction, there are two out of five dimensions were statistically significant related to customer satisfaction. 3. The impact on customer satisfaction, the corporate image is the most important factor to customer satisfaction, service quality next and price last from this study. 4. This research compares SERVQUAL and SERVPERF evaluating models of service quality, the result is ¡§ SERVPERF ¡¨ has higher explanation ability (42.2%) on customer satisfaction, and empathy is a more important factor than responsiveness , but this is reverse of SERVQUAL. 5. Partial demographic statistics variable have significant differences to service quality, price, Corporate image, and customer satisfaction. Keywords: Service quality, Customer satisfaction, Corporate image

Advertising has been playing an important role in Marketing for a long time. An effective advertising can help the business to promote their brand and convey the product information to the target consumer successfully. In addition, there are some advantages of advertising haven¡¦t been discovered yet. The purpose of this study is to combine ¡§Marketing¡¨ with ¡§Finance¡¨ to explore the influence of marketing strategies on finance by discussing the relationship between advertising, customer satisfaction and shareholder value. The empirical study finds two important elements influencing on the shareholder value. First, advertising can create the intangible assets such as goodwill and reputation and transform those intangible assets into the cash flow to the business, and then increase the shareholder value. Second, according to the past study asserting that there are positive relationship between the customer satisfaction and shareholder value, this study also gets the positive and significant result. This study applied the LISREL model to verify the relationship between advertising, customer satisfaction and shareholder value through the process of direct and indirect effect on shareholder value. We find that the indirect effect of advertising is significant because the advertising increases shareholder value indirectly by increasing the customer satisfaction. The findings of this study can help the business manager to realize the interactions between ¡§Marketing¡¨ and ¡§Finance¡¨ and to make strategic decision to maximum the shareholder value by noticing that the role of marketing is as important as the financial performance.

There is a growing consensus that senior management in either marketing or finance department should not evaluate the marketing performance only by marketing metrics, e.g. market share, sales growth, customer satisfaction, and etc., but focusing on maximizing shareholder value because they do not understand how or even whether those marketing metrics benefit shareholders. To follow this trend, this article investigates whether a firm¡¦s advertising expenditure, customer satisfaction, and research-and-development (R&D) expenditure have effects on total risk, systematic risk, and unsystematic risk of its common stock. After examining American and Taiwan stock market in the period from 2001 to 2005, the study finds that, conforming to the hypotheses in the study, advertising and customer satisfaction can significantly lower all a firm¡¦s total risk, systematic risk, and unsystematic risk of its common stock. The result of R&D, however, rejects the hypotheses in the study and even previous research and states that R&D would increase a firm¡¦s total risk, systematic risk, and unsystematic risk of its common stock in American stock market, yet increase systematic risk and decrease unsystematic risk in Taiwan stock market. The implication of this study may offer senior managers an alternative thinking of controlling business risk and resource allocation.

Abstract The business world nowadays has changed rapidly on the market intelligence and its environment owing to the high technology. However, one element remains unchanged in view of managing an enterprise. It is to meet customers¡¦ needs. The research focuses on exploring consumers¡¦ inner intentions such as purchasing behavior, satisfaction and loyalty to the merchandise through observing the product of second generation crystal natural soap. Qualitative and quantitative research methods are adapted simultaneously in the research through interviews and questionnaires. Further intentions of customers based on the purchasing behavior, customers¡¦ satisfaction and consumers¡¦ loyalty are discussed in the research in order to find out the relationship between each facet. The research offers a conclusion and suggestions on the target market and the customer value at the end. Through the analysis and some proposals, the goal of the study presents a possibility for enterprises to meet their customers¡¦ needs by understanding their customers and the change of the market. The enterprises need to find out the different needs of customers in order to provide an effective way to promote their products and enhance their competitiveness in the market, which is the advantageous way to run an everlasting business. By Lo¡Awen chung Key words : Consumer behalf ¡Acustomer satisfaction ¡Acustomer loyalty

Almost everything we as consumers buy in a store has a package. Packages have many functions – some, if not all, present marketers with the opportunity to gain competitive advantages. The packaging influences the usage behavior long after it has influenced the purchase, therefore it is an interesting empirical context to study within the field of marketing. Nevertheless, academic attention to packaging has been sparse over the last two decades even though the industry focus on packaging as a strategic tool has grown over that same period. Exceptions in the marketing literature are investigations of packaging and brand communication, advertisement-package coordination, and packaging size and shape. In contrast to the traditional approach that views packaging as a complimenting non-product-related attribute, it is suggested in this thesis that packaging is a product-related attribute that does affect the customers’ experiences of products. The overall aim of this thesis is to develop and test theoretical models and provide empirical evidence of customer experiences in the context of packaging from a service perspective. To study packaging from a service perspective is relevant for several reasons. One reason is that packaging can have several functions, which include more than the physical package. Another reason is that packages are carriers of information that is interpreted by customers. The combination of function, information, the physical package, and its content creates the total customer experience. The results of this thesis provide increased knowledge about packaging and customer experiences from a service perspective. On an attribute level, quality attributes such as protection and usability are categorized according to Kano’s theory of attractive quality. The results show that customers’ evaluations of packages are multi-dimensional. On a comprehensive or an overall level, structural equation modeling is used to investigate the consumption process. We conclude that the quality attributes of packages need to be designed to display quality both on the shelf in a store and during usage and consumption at both the attribute and comprehensive level.

This report presents the summary of findings of the 2003 image and customer service-tracking survey for the Jewel bank. The overall objectives of the survey were to: -Monitor any changes which may have occurred over the past years in usage of the Jewel Bank, perceptions of the banks image, and the service delivery offered by the bank in respect of existing Jewel Bank customers, and -Obtain the perceptions of non-customers of Jewel Bank with regard to awareness of the bank, its image and service delivery Face-to-face interviews were carried out with respondents in the following categories: Respondent category' Sample size Customers who joined Jewel Bank before the transformation from CBZ to Jewel bank 30 Customers who joined Jewel Bank during the transformation from CBZ to Jewel bank 30 Customers who joined Jewel Bank after the transformation from CBZ to Jewel bank 30 Potential customers of Jewel Bank 30 Total 120 / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

In the face of increased competition compounded by globalisation, the challenge facing many South African companies is the need to develop a competitive advantage that will secure and grow its market share. This study explores the concept of customer satisfaction as the means to create that competitive advantage. Customers today are more demanding and are exposed to wider choices. The challenge facing management is to define strategies to "delight customers" - customers do not just want to be pleased they want to be delighted, they want to feel that the company exists to ensure that their expectations are not only met, but exceeded. This study further explores quality as a strategy to enhance customer satisfaction. The Six Sigma approach to quality management has been chosen as the focus. This study has been based on a medium sized South African Information Technology (IT) company, called Business Connexion. The IT industry is characterised by many challenges, the most significant being that it is currently in a slow growth phase after being in a boom in the late 1990s. The management of IT companies, today need to develop strategies to retain their customers and to attract new ones. The challenge facing Business Connexion, who is a relatively new entrant to the market, is to develop a competitive advantage that will put it ahead of its competitors who come in the form of large internationally listed companies. This study explores the option of Business Connexion defining its differentiator based on the capacity to offer its customers a superior quality service at a price lower than that of its competitors. The Six Sigma approach is suggested because it focuses on the elements such as: defining customer needs, creating processes to meet and exceed customer expectations, investigating methods to reduce costs and creating a quality-focused culture within the company. These elements are critical to achieving competitive advantage. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

The main driving force behind the increasing interest in delivering service quality, is the need to keep customers satisfied and loyal. Companies are realizing that it's far more profitable to service existing customers than it is to develop new ones. As a result, they are doing all they can to strengthen and foster customer relationships. This, in turn, has led to the need for more innovative service quality strategies. Knowledge of one's customers is an important factor. The more information a company has, the more targeted their marketing can be and the better able they are to serve their customers' needs. This research dissertation is aimed at identifying the strategies that contribute to delivering quality service that leads to customer satisfaction and eventually client retention. It evaluates the benefits of the human, work process and technological dimensions and determines what actions are required by The Company to improve the levels of customer service. Based on the analysis, the gap between the current service expectation of The Company and service delivery by The Company urgently needs to be reviewed in light of customer satisfaction and customer retention. The guiding principle at most companies today is to develop systems to economically produce goods or services that satisfy customer requirements. To carry this out effectively requires a companywide quality improvement program. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

This research sought to evaluate and analyse customers perceptions with regard to service quality they receive on the maintenance of government properties within Ehlanzeni District, Mpumalanga Province. The purpose of the study was to establish whether the Department of Public Works (DPW) provides the promised service dependably and reliably; prompt service; caring and individualized attention; and had knowledge and courtesy. The study was based on the survey that used a quantitative approach. The research population was for both DPWs. officials and the customers (tenants) occupying the government properties residing within the Ehlanzeni District area. A probability sample of 97 respondents was drawn with a population size of 200 occupants. The sample was composed of 50.6% males and 49.4% females. Of the sample, 70.7% were tenants of the government residential houses and 29.3% were government officials. Data was collected using the structured questionnaire, from both the DPW officials and tenants about their perceptions on the service quality. The SERVQUAL instrument developed by Parasuraman contained Seven Gaps was adopted to compare the extent of service quality delivered by DPW to its customers. The researcher realized that there were discrepancies between employees perceptions and management perceptions and it advises the management to focus on building effective communication channels. The gaps identified (i.e. Gap1, Gap 2, Gap 3, Gap 4, Gap 5, Gap 6 and Gap 7) formed key framework for the evaluation of service quality on the maintenance of government properties. It is recommended that the future improvement be identified to address the challenges. Key Words: Customers. Perception, Service Quality, Service Quality Gap Analysis, Property, Preventive Maintenance and Maintenance Backlog. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.