Submitted in fulfillment of the requirement for the Masters Degree in Technology: Marketing, Durban University of Technology, 2013. / South Africa is experiencing an expansion of pharmacy chains. Globalization and deregulations have increased competition within the retail pharmacy sector. In this highly competitive sector, the most important strategy for a pharmacy chain to obtain customer satisfaction and maintain market profitability is attributed to customer-focus. The pharmacy chain needs to ensure that the customer remains the cornerstone of their business strategy and that they are able to “delight†the customer. Customer satisfaction has many benefits for the pharmacy chain, such as higher revenues, higher customer retention and increased market shares. Superior service quality and customer satisfaction must be promoted and maintained in order for the pharmacy chain to be the pharmacy of choice. The aim of this study is to measure levels of customer satisfaction at a selected pharmacy chain within the greater Durban area. The instrument to assess the customer’s expectations and perceptions of customer satisfaction is the SERVQUAL questionnaire, measuring expectations and perceptions according to five quality dimensions. These quality dimensions include tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. Four hundred customers were surveyed using the SERVQUAL questionnaire. The respondents were selected using non-probability sampling within which convenience sampling was applied. Data is analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. Conclusions and recommendations are drawn from the literature and the findings of the study. The study shows that customers’ expectations exceeded their perceptions on the five service quality dimensions used in the SERVQUAL questionnaire. Improvements are necessary in certain customer satisfaction dimensions. Therefore, it is recommended that the selected retail pharmacy chain attend to these gaps and ensure that necessary strategies are implemented in order to offer superior customer service in the face of growing competition. / M

Dissertation submitted in fulfillment of the requirement for the Master Degree in Technology: Marketing, Durban University of Technology, 2010. / China was the world’s third-largest producer of cars in 2006, and also the third-largest producer of “motor vehicles”. Great Wall Motor Company Limited (GWM) is the largest privately-owned automotive manufacturer in China. It was among the Top 500 Enterprises of China in 2004 and one of the best brands in the national automobile range. One of the more prominent industries in South Africa is the automobile industry. A high level of customer service is of paramount importance due to the competitive nature of this industry. Poor service at GWM service centres has created a negative perception amongst customers. GWM service centres do not appear to provide a satisfactory level of service for customers. The purpose of the study is to investigate customer perceptions of service quality at GWM service centres in the greater Durban area. In this research, the literature survey defined the service quality “gap” at GWM service centres, identified the role of effective communication in the service delivery system, measured the variables affecting current service delivery using the SERVQUAL instrument, and prioritized the importance of the factors influencing service delivery at GWM service centres. The analysis of the results revealed important findings. The results demonstrated that, in each of the five SERVQUAL dimensions, there was a negative quality gap. Improvements are needed across all five dimensions. Specific recommendations have been made to improve the levels of customer service quality at GWM service centres.