• Refine Query
  • Source
  • Publication year
  • to
  • Language
  • 31
  • 2
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • Tagged with
  • 38
  • 38
  • 38
  • 35
  • 16
  • 16
  • 15
  • 14
  • 12
  • 11
  • 8
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
21

Service quality determinants and effectiveness in commercial real estate.

Wahome, Stephen. January 2010 (has links)
The service industry has been growing fast as national economies grew therefore becoming a major contributor to national gross domestic products (GDP). This growth in the services sector has led to questions around the issue of service quality. The aim of this study was to identify the determinants of service, assess the level of service quality in commercial real estate leasing and identify possible quality improvement measures. In carrying out the study, the service quality model developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1988:14), SERVQUAL, was used. The study was based on the leasing services of the broking department of one of the leading commercial real estate companies operating in Durban. The study was restricted to the Durban market. A non-probabilistic sample of 120 customers was drawn from a list of lease transactions concluded in the last one year. From this sample, 84 questionnaires were successfully completed either by way of a face to face interview or by telephone, showing a response rate of 70 percent. Data was collected using a questionnaire based on the SERVQUAL model and adjusted by the researcher in order to be relevant to the commercial real estate industry. The questionnaire comprised two sections each with 22 questions divided into the five determinants of service quality, which are service tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. The first section of 22 questions was on customer expectations of service while the second section of 22 questions was on customer perceptions of service quality received and factor rating at the end. Factor analysis of survey response data was used to analyze the data and draw conclusions. The study findings are that commercial real estate service quality determinants match those in other industries except for rank and order. In general, service quality was found to be below customer expectations and commercial real estate firms need to work on ways to improve it. The study is limited to the specific settings of customers of property brokers in the Durban commercial real estate market. It is uncertain as to whether the findings can be generalized to other areas. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.
22

A survey of customer satisfaction, expectations and perceptions as a measure of service quality in SANBS

Mququ, Mpumzi H January 2006 (has links)
The purpose of the study is to evaluate the service quality that the SANBS provides to its customers, by measuring customers’ perceptions and their expectations of service quality provided by the supplier of blood transfusion services. The organization that is used for this study is the South African National Blood Service (SANBS). Specifically the study seeks to: 1. Determine the extent to which customers are satisfied or not satisfied with the service they receive from the SANBS using the ten-dimensional format of SERVQUAL model, modified to the specific service quality requirements of the blood transfusion service industry. 2. Establish customers’ perceptions of the service they receive using a multiple-item scale (SERVQUAL) for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. 3. Establish customers’ expectations of the service, and compare them to their perceptions of the service they currently receive. The comparison is made along each service quality dimension, across different parts of same service on a geographical basis, and across different customer groups on a customer category (or type) basis. 4. Recommend implementation of appropriate service quality performance improvement procedures where necessary. Study design and methods: The data for the study came from the SANBS’ customer perception and expectation survey conducted in 2005. Questionnaires were sent out to hospitals that use products and services provided by the SANBS in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces of South Africa. The questionnaire was based on the multiple-item SERVQUAL model for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality, modified and tailored to specific service quality requirements of the blood transfusion service industry. Questionnaires were sent out to 113 (69.3%) hospitals out of a total of 163 blood-utilizing hospitals in the two provinces. Of the 113 hospitals, 92 (81.4%) responded, with questionnaires rendered unusable. The final sample size is 88 and is included in the final study database. The data is analyzed by comparing different parts of the service on a geographical basis namely KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape zones. The data is also analyzed by comparing different customer groups namely the Rural State Hospitals, the Urban State Hospitals and Private Hospitals. Results: The result confirms the research (alternative) hypothesis (H1 : μ1 ≠ μ2), and rejects Ho. The overall expectations ratings are higher than the perceptions ratings, and the KwaZulu-Natal expectations ratings are higher than the Eastern Cape ratings. The expectations of private hospitals and rural state hospitals have a higher rating than that of urban state hospitals and the perceptions of private and urban state hospitals have a higher rating than that of rural state hospitals. The largest service quality gap is the accessibility dimension which relates specifically to approachability and ease with which customers can access staff at different levels of the organization by e-mail, and includes accessing of knowledgeable blood bank personnel and medical staff of SANBS, but may also relate to the distance of hospitals from the nearest blood bank, all of which are situated in urban state hospitals. The mean difference for accessibility is the highest followed by the understanding customer mean difference. The mean differences for the other dimension categories are significantly less than that of the largest two dimensions, but not significantly different amongst themselves. The mean difference for rural state hospitals is the largest followed by private hospitals and urban state hospitals. The mean difference for rural state hospitals is greater than that for urban state hospitals in both zones, but the mean difference for private hospitals is greater in KwaZulu-Natal than in the Eastern Cape. The dimension means of differences for rural state hospitals are greater than that for urban state hospitals. According to the correlations between expectations and perceptions for different dimensions, there is a weak or no linear relationship between expectations and perceptions. Conclusion: This empirical study supports the literature on the provision of service quality, and concludes that there is a statistically significant difference or gap between the services offered by the SANBS as perceived by its customers, and the expectations of its customers. The study substantiates the need for management of blood transfusion services to take into account customer perceptions of service quality and their expectations, and upon identification of gaps, to implement appropriate service quality improvement processes, rather than take a one sided view of their (SANBS’) own perception of service quality.
23

The relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in the retail supermarket industry

Ndhlovu, Thinkwell January 2014 (has links)
The increasingly competitive business environment has influenced contemporary organisations to build mutual beneficial relationships with their customers indicating a paradigm shift from transactional marketing. In order to compete in this intense competitive environment, organisations are creating competitive advantage over their rivals through service quality that will influence customer satisfaction which subsequently leads to customer loyalty. Service quality has been found to be the key strategy of success and survival for most organisations like retail supermarkets who want to win the loyalty of their customers because of its positive effect on customer satisfaction. The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in the retail supermarket industry. An empirical study was conducted in Grahamstown between two main supermarkets through a survey that determined customers’ perceptions on service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty respectively. The empirical findings of this research study revealed that moderate to strong positive linear relationships exists between the dimensions of service quality (namely physical aspects, reliability, personal interaction, problem solving and policy) and customer satisfaction at the 5% level of significance. Furthermore, this study showed that dimensions of service quality (namely physical aspects, reliability, personal interaction and problem solving) have weak negative linear relationships with price sensitivity dimension of customer loyalty. The study further showed that the dimensions of service quality (namely physical aspects, reliability, personal interaction, problem solving and policy) have weak to moderate positive linear relationships with the purchase intentions dimension of customer loyalty. In addition, all the dimensions of service quality (namely physical aspects, reliability, personal interaction, problem solving and policy) showed moderate positive linear relationships with word of mouth communication dimension of customer loyalty. A weak negative linear relationship between price sensitivity dimension of customer loyalty and customer satisfaction was revealed in this study. Purchase intentions dimension of customer loyalty was also found to have a moderate positive linear relationship with customer satisfaction. In addition, word of mouth communication dimension of customer loyalty showed a strong positive linear relationship with customer satisfaction. There is sufficient evidence that the customers of the two supermarkets in this study have different perceptions on problem solving dimension of service quality. This study further provides sufficient evidence of the significant difference between gender on the levels of customer satisfaction. In addition, this study showed that customers of various levels of education and occupations differ in price sensitivity dimension of customer loyalty. The average scores for word of mouth communication, purchase intentions and price sensitivity dimensions of customer loyalty were found to be significantly different between the two supermarkets investigated in this study. Therefore, for supermarkets to compete effectively in the intense retail supermarket industry in South Africa they have to manage their service quality dimensions so as to influence customer satisfaction and customer loyalty respectively.
24

Investigating factors affecting customer retention at Nedbank South Africa

Madzivhandila, Rofhiwa January 2013 (has links)
The banking sector plays an important role in the economy of any country across the world. The recent financial crisis shows how much of the world’s economy is influenced by the banking sector. There are different roles that banks play in contributing to the operation and growth of an economy. Their role spreads from that of intermediary to that of provider of payment clearing services. Banks are an important and integral part of any economy. According to a study by Greenberg & Simbanegavi (2009), the South African banking sector is fertile ground for high levels of competition amongst its players. This competition is important for the proper working of the modern economy. According to Van Leuvensteijn et al. (2008), because banks act as the main vehicle for monetary policy, reduced competition in the banking sector can hinder the efficiency of monetary policy. As a result of the competition in the banking sector, customer retention is a key component of banks’ strategies in today’s market. The main aim of the study was to investigate factors affecting customer retention at Nedbank South Africa. The study focused on the institutional causes of bank customer defection and sought to investigate the effects of three factors (Customer service quality, Satisfaction with product, and Switching costs) on Customer Retention. This study showed the importance of customer retention and more importantly how the mentioned three factors affect customer retention at Nedbank South Africa. One of the highlights that came out of this research was that 50 perscent of the respondents were either considering closing their account or were likely to close their account within the next 12 months. In conclusion, these three factors were found to be important in the customer retention strategy of the bank. Recommendations were presented by the author on how to integrate the factors into a retention framework that can contribute to the profitability of the bank. Areas of future research that can be helpful to the bank were also highlighted by the author.
25

Perceived Service Quality's Impact On Behavioral Intentions In The Timeshare Industry

Pollar, Leonard, II 01 January 2010 (has links)
This study created a model using factor analysis and structural equation modeling to investigate the relationship of service quality, word-of-mouth recommendation and price sensitivity of individuals who experienced a timeshare mini vacation at a branded timeshare resort. The constructs of service quality were developed by creating a survey tool. A total of 4,797 surveys were electronically sent resulting in a total of 1,275 of the individuals surveyed who met the criteria of staying at a branded hotel or resort during their mini vacation. Six different variables were created from the ordinal level questions on the survey: Resort Accommodations, Sales Gallery, Sales Presentation, Resort Activities, Resort Staff and Brand Value. These were then used in an exploratory factor analysis to identify latent factors after which structural equation modeling was used to define the relationship between the factors and the independent variables. A total of 44 models were explored and evaluated based on goodnessof-fit metrics. The model that had the best level of fit was a first-order two-factor model. This model was created with an 80% subset and confirmed with a 20% subset of the sample. The factors found represent the Vacation Experience Promise (VEP) and the Vacation Experience Delivery (VED). There was a positive correlation for both VEP and VED with word-of-mouth recommendation and price sensitivity. The research also posited 24 hypotheses of the relationship between the service quality constructs, word-of-mouth recommendation and price sensitivity with the demographic characteristics of guest type, gender, stay type, age, marital status, gross income, timeshare ownership and the number of presentations attended. There was not enough information to support a relationship between the service quality constructs, word-ofmouth recommendation and price sensitivity with regards to gender, gross income and marital iv status. There was a difference in the scores for the service quality constructs and the varying categories within the age, stay type, and timeshare ownership demographic variables. There was a difference only in the VED scores and the varying categories within the guest type and presentations attended demographic variables. There was also a difference in the scores for the word-of-mouth recommendation construct and the varying categories within the age, guest type, timeshare ownership and number of presentations attended demographic variables. Lastly, there was also a difference in the scores for the price sensitivity construct and the varying categories within the guest type, timeshare ownership and presentation attended demographic variables. The research discusses the business implications associated with these findings and proposes next steps for future research.
26

The Effect of Value Co-creation and Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction and Commitment in Healthcare Management

Kwon, Junhyuk 08 1900 (has links)
Despite much interest in service quality and various other service quality measures, scholars appear to have overlooked the overall concept of quality. More specifically, previous research has yet to integrate the effect of the customer network and customer knowledge into the measurement of quality. In this work, it is posited that the evaluation of quality is based on both the delivered value from the provider as well as the value developed from the relationships among customers and between customers and providers. This research examines quality as a broad and complex issue, and uses the “Big Quality” concept within the context of routine healthcare service. The last few decades have witnessed interest and activities surrounding the subject of quality and value co-creation. These are core features of Service-Dominant (S-D) logic theory. In this theory, the customer is a collaborative partner who co-creates value with the firm. Customers create value through the strength of their relations and network, and they take a central role in value actualization as value co-creator. I propose to examine the relationship between quality and the constructs of value co-creation. As well, due to the pivotal role of the decision-making process in customer satisfaction, I will also operationalize the value co-creation construct. Building upon the “Big Quality” concept, this study suggests a new approach by extending the quality concept to include the value-creation concept in Service Dominant Logic. This study identifies the associated constructs and determinants of Big Quality in routine healthcare management service, and examines the relationship among the associated quality constructs, customer satisfaction, and customer commitment. This study employed an online survey methodology to collect data. In data analysis, I used the variance-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach to confirm the factor structure, proposed model, and test the research hypotheses. The results show that the customer’s participation in in-role and extra-role behaviors are positively associated with their perceived quality, satisfaction, and commitment level. The major contribution of this study to decision sciences and the service quality literature is the development of a comprehensive framework explaining the importance of value co-creation within the context of healthcare quality. Finally, this work examines perceived service quality as a key factor of customer satisfaction and the relationship of Big Quality with commitment level in healthcare service management.
27

Die impak van dienskwaliteit, kliënteretensie en werknemersretensie op die markaandeel en winsgewendheid van 'n finansiële instelling

02 March 2015 (has links)
D.Com. (Marketing Management) / The size of South Africa's banking industry grew from R398 billion in 1995 to R471 billion in 1996 while banking transactions totalled R58 634 billion during 1996. Like most other service companies, the banking industry also experiences customer turnover. During the period March 1995 to February 1996 customer switch, which refers to the closing of an account at one institution and the opening of a new account at another institution, by clients of all banks amounted to 4,9 percent. Mutual interaction between a service provider and a client is a very important determinant of customer satisfaction with a service. It is therefore important for the company to focus on the retention of customers because it is more profitable to retain a customer rather than recruiting new customers. Customer switching can damage the future stream of income of a company. The loss of a customer therefore, is not only one transaction, the company looses a life long stream of income. Customer satisfaction therefore influences the primary source of future income of most companies directly. Quality service is of utmost importance for the success and survival of companies in today's competitive environment. To be successful it is necessary for each department within the company to operate effectively and to be client orientated. Companies believe that they will be more profitable if a marketing orientation is established within the company. Employees must therefore, understand their role in the total service chain. A client's perception of a service becomes reality when he/she experiences the service during a service encounter where interaction between the customer and the company takes place with the employee as intermediary.
28

Incorporação da voz do cliente nas etapas iniciais do desenvolvimento de sistemas produto-serviço (PSS)

Mazo, Sara Zuluaga 03 May 2012 (has links)
CAPES / Os Sistemas Produto-Serviço (PSS) têm como finalidade satisfazer as necessidades dos clientes por meio de um serviço que integra produtos, redes de apoio e infraestrutura. Embora o PSS seja estudado por autores em nível mundial, existem muito poucos métodos para o projeto de PSS a partir da qualidade percebida pelo cliente. O propósito do presente trabalho é sugerir uma ferramenta que incorpore a voz do cliente nas etapas iniciais do desenvolvimento de Sistemas Produto-Serviço, visando criar um modelo de referência e propor as oportunidades de pesquisa futuras. Para atender o objetivo geral, é apresentada a fundamentação teórica baseada numa recompilação da literatura, passando pela definição de PSS, os diferentes tipos de PSS, as vantagens e barreiras na sua aplicação, diferentes modelos para o projeto de PSS e as ferramentas de apoio que incorporam a voz do cliente no Processo de Desenvolvimento de Produtos (PDP) e que, possivelmente, poderiam auxiliar o processo de projeto de PSS. A ferramenta que melhor abordou os requisitos do projeto de PSS é o desdobramento da função qualidade (QFD). O QFD é uma ferramenta efetiva para traduzir a voz do cliente em parâmetros de engenharia, capaz de introduzir o tema da qualidade no desenvolvimento de PSS. A proposta da presente dissertação parte dos trabalhos existentes da aplicação de QFD no projeto de PSS; são melhorados os trabalhos até agora desenvolvidos e exemplificadas por meio da aplicação do modelo numa lavanderia. O modelo para apoiar o desenvolvimento de PSS tem duas barreiras principais, que estão associadas com a avaliação qualitativa da matriz de relacionamento e com a possível complexidade em trabalhar grandes quantidades de requisitos e características de qualidade. / Product-Service Systems (PSS) are designed to satisfy customers’ needs through a service that includes: products, support networks and infrastructure. Although many authors around the world have studied PSS, there are very few methods for service design based on the customers’ quality perception. The purpose of this work is to provide a tool that incorporates the customers’ voice at the early stages of the development of Product-Service Systems and, with this, to provide a reference model and propose future research opportunities. To meet the main objective, literature review was conducted, including the definition of PSS, the different types of PSS, the benefits and barriers of its implementation, different models for designing PSS and the support tools that incorporate the customer´s voice in the Product Development Process (PDP) and that could possibly assist the designing process of PSS. The tool that best addressed the requirements of the PSS design was the Quality Function Deployment (QFD). QFD is an effective tool for translating the customers’ voice into engineering parameters, as it is able to introduce the quality topic into the development of PSS. The starting point of the present work was to improve existing studies of QFD utilization in PSS development. Then the model is application is illustrated with a laundry business case. The model that supports PSS development has two main barriers, which are associated with the relationship matrix qualitative evaluation and with the possible complexity in working with large amounts of quality characteristics.
29

Service quality at selected health and fitness centres in townships in the greater Durban area

Ngceba, Asiphe January 2017 (has links)
Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Masters in Management Sciences: Marketing, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. . / The increasing interest in people’s wellbeing has seen the growth of health and fitness centres (HFC) all across South Africa. It has been a decade since Virgin Active and Planet Fitness expanded their business into townships, with this endeavour resulting in the opening of HFC in Khayelitsha and Soweto. The motivation behind this study is therefore to examine the effect of service quality on customer satisfaction in the HFC industry in Ntuzuma, Umlazi, Kwa-Mashu, Clermont, and Phoenix, all townships in the greater Durban Area. Thus, the main purpose of this research is to ascertain service quality at selected HFC in townships within the greater Durban area. Interest in service quality has grown over the last decade due to increasing competition, which has led managers to finding ways of improving profitability. One area of interest is service quality and how it affects customer satisfaction and its impact on the bottom line, which is why ascertaining service quality at selected HFC in the greater Durban area’s townships is significant. The study was descriptive, quantitative and cross-sectional in nature, probing the effect of service quality on clients’ customer satisfaction. From these findings the Health and Fitness Centres can identify more specifically the failures in its service quality and seek to improve upon them. Service quality dimensions that are deemed to be good predictors of service quality for members of the HFCs offering have been related to factors such as the “Tangibility”, Reliability”, “Responsiveness”, “Assurance” and “Empathy. It is hoped that the results obtained will aid to support these centres in adopting practical customer service quality measures that will assist them to succeed in the highly competitive health and fitness industry. / M
30

Consumer protection and service delivery by the retail industry in the greater Durban area : the legal implications of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008

Govender, Vasantha January 2017 (has links)
Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Master’s Degree in Marketing, Durban University of Technology, 2017. / As a result of weaker bargaining power, consumers are often exploited or treated unfairly in the business arena. Whilst consumer abuse is a global problem, South African consumers are more vulnerable due to various socio-economic conditions that affect their ability to negotiate equally in the marketplace. Factors such as poverty and illiteracy contribute to consumer abuse and is perpetuated by the discrimination which was inherent in the apartheid era. Accordingly, the Consumer Protection Act, 2008 (CPA) was promulgated to promote the respect for consumer rights, create awareness, enhance consumer protection and eliminate unfair and dishonest business practices which were prevalent at the time. This study aims to investigate the implications of consumer rights for service delivery within the retail sector. The main objective of this research was to explore the levels of awareness of consumer rights and to identify consumers’ expectations and perceptions of service delivery in relation to the CPA. The research design was quantitative in nature. A questionnaire was designed to assess the levels of awareness of rights and consumers’ expectations and perceptions of the service delivered by retailers, in relation to the service quality dimensions. Using convenience sampling, data was obtained from 337 respondents in the greater Durban area. Data was analysed using SPSS version 24.0 and interpreted using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings of the gap analysis revealed that the respondents’ perceptions of service quality was consistently lower than their expectations, in respect of several dimensions of service quality. These negative gaps indicate that the level of the delivered service had fallen below the respondents’ expectations of service quality amongst retailers. This implies that respondents’ were dissatisfied with business compliance with provisions of the CPA. Businesses are hence encouraged to take steps to ensure legal compliance, thereby enhancing customer satisfaction and attaining higher levels of service excellence. / M

Page generated in 0.0974 seconds