Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Northern Timbers Sawmill (NTS), a hardwood sawmill in Tzaneen and part of Merensky Timber (Pty) Ltd, wished to determine their customers’ expectations and perceptions of the products and services offered. In order to assist NTS with this it was decided to develop a customer satisfaction survey that would be a tool for NTS to use to accurately and consistently measure and monitor the satisfaction of their customers with their products and services over time. A thorough literature study was done followed by primary research that included semi-structured interviews and a quantitative survey. Semi-structured interviews were performed on a randomly selected sample of customers from two primary segments, namely wet-off-saw and kiln dried timber. Based on the feedback from the interviews it was decided that the standard SERVQUAL model was the most appropriate framework to use as part of the development of the survey. An additional product quality and related aspects section was also included. The Cronbach alpha results of the SERVQUAL survey was 0.75 and 0.87, for expectations and perceptions, respectively, indicating a high internal correlation and consistency and indicating that the survey provided reliable results. The internal consistency was also confirmed by high Cronbach alpha results for each individual dimension. The primary components of satisfaction that were measured were expectations and perceptions (or performance). The customer satisfaction index for NTS was 89.87 per cent, which was fairly similar to the product satisfaction of 91 per cent attained from the product quality related section. The most important priorities for improvement identified were “Employees in Northern Timbers tell you exactly when services will be performed”, “Employees in Northern Timbers give prompt service to you” and “When Northern Timbers promises to do something by a certain time, they do so.” The effort NTS has made in ensuring that they stack, wrap and paint the select grade timber bundles contributed to the visibility and one of the highest mean scores in the survey of 5.63 out of 6. The fact that customers can contact the production team at the sawmill directly holds advantages for the customers and this was also confirmed by the survey producing the joint highest mean score of 5.63. It is also clear that there is very little interest and value for NTS in selling the FSC timber at a premium or offering pre-planed timber at a premium. The survey will be done twice a year – once during May or June, and once during October or November.

Thesis (MTech (Office Management and Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / Healthcare facilities across South Africa are increasingly facing a myriad of societal, fiscal, political and cultural challenges associated with demands for greater quality in the provision of healthcare services. This study measures service quality and customer satisfaction at a Cape Town hospital (hereinafter referred to as Hospital X), with the aim of providing its management with information to enable them to enhance service quality and thus improve customer satisfaction. It is essential to note that the respondents in this study were the parents or guardians of patients. The views of the patients were not obtained directly from them as it would have been unethical for minors to have participated in the survey. Their parents or guardians were surveyed in order to obtain the requisite data. The problem investigated was that management at public hospitals does not regularly research what customers need from a service quality point of view, Therefore, Hospital X may be failing to provide a quality service to its customers, namely, parents and guardians. Against this background, the researcher set out to measure customer perceptions and expectations of service quality by making use of the SERVQUAL model. “Customer expectation” is what the customer can reasonably expect given the available resources and is likely to be influenced by personal needs and past experience. “Customer perceptions” are totally subjective and based on the customer’s interaction with the service provided at Hospital X. The SERVQUAL model (reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness), is commonly known as the RATER model, RATER being an acronym formed from the first letter of each of the five dimensions of SERVQUAL. The study incorporates the SERVQUAL dimensions within a survey comprising a number of questions structured on a six-point Likert scale. The results of applying the SERVQUAL model will indicate whether or not Hospital X provides a quality service to their customers. The study seeks to demonstrate the importance of service quality and customer satisfaction to hospital management, as well as the impact that effective service quality can have on customers’ evaluation of their overall hospital experience. (The term customer will be used interchangeably with parent and/or guardian in this study.)

Department of Public Health / MPH

Cultural and heritage tourism, one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism industry, is becoming a major pillar in the tourism strategy of many countries. Like elsewhere in the world, museums play a significant role in heritage tourism. South Africa has a rich history of intangible cultural heritage which manifests itself in oral history, traditional music and dance, social practices and indigenous knowledge systems. It is becoming more important for museum managers to identify the variables that will enhance the attraction and retention of museum visitors. The aim of the study was to determine tourists’ satisfaction with their visit to Port Elizabeth’s heritage museums by comparing their expectations and experiences. This could help museum marketers to better understand their customers, and design experiences that match their expectations. The literature review presented a brief overview of heritage tourism, the museum experience, and visitors’ satisfaction. Concepts of heritage tourism, functions of museums and the different museum attributes that might impact customer satisfaction were discussed. Literature on visitors’ satisfaction included descriptions of the expectations and approaches to measuring customer satisfaction. A museum satisfaction conceptual model resulted from these reviews. ii The proposed model was modified in the empirical study. The data were collected by means of a survey, using self-administered questionnaires distributed to visitors at three heritage museums in Port Elizabeth. Two hundred and twelve useable questionnaires were received. The empirical findings did not fully support the conceptual model. By conducting a factor analysis, the data was reduced to eight factors, namely, human interaction, physical evidence, facilities, facility quality, exhibition, edutainment, escape and aestheticism. It was found that the satisfaction mean scores were consistently higher than the expectation mean scores. This implies that museum visitors were satisfied with their experience of the three heritage museums in Port Elizabeth. Finally, the results of the paired sample t-test and regression analyses tested and explained formulated hypotheses. The principal recommendations emanating from this study are summarised in two groups, namely: • recommendations pertaining to the strategic implications of the findings in terms of service, facilities and experience. For example, the museum administration could establish more facilities for the disabled and the elderly, consider discounting and promotion programmes, and increase the use of technology in their displays. • recommendations for future research. For example, future studies could be applied to investigate visitors’ satisfaction with other heritage museums in South Africa.

This dissertation provides an account of 'Batho Pele' (People First) and 'new public management' as applied in two government call-centres in the Eastern Cape. Focusing on the workers at these call-centres, this research examines the workplace organisation of these call-centres based in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality. The study involved interviews with managers, call-centre operators and trade unionists. The findings show how the work environment is not conducive to the goals of customer satisfaction as presented in the Batho Pele policies. The research investigates the conditions of workers as one explanatory factor for poor call-centre service. If workers are a key element in the success of the 'new public management', their work environment and conditions have to facilitate their job satisfaction and their improved customer service. The research demonstrated the evident lack of professionalism in the call-centre, customer care designed as a matter of compliance rather the need to change the culture and the persistent lack of discipline and supervision. The call centre operator's experiences include issues of surveillance, stress, emotional labour, lack of training, internal conflicts and bad 'customer service' as perceived by the citizens of the Metro.