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.

Autolab is a department of the South African Sugar Association, which develops and provides support services for computerised systems installed in the local sugar industry as well as one sugar mill in Zimbabwe. Autolab’s customers in South Africa were surveyed to measure their present levels of satisfaction towards the service provided by Autolab and to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses. The data collected for this formal study was through a quantitative survey research instrument called SERVQUAL. The survey was limited to Autolab’s Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) users who are in contact with the Autolab staff and who will be able to rate their quality of service. These users are mainly the senior employees of the departments that are using the Autolab’s LIMS systems. They represent the population of this study, which are 79 users. A very good response rate of 91 % percent was achieved with 72 questionnaires being completed and returned by the respondents. The results of the survey show that the respondents’ expectations exceeded their perceptions for all the service quality dimensions. However, the difference between expectations and perceptions was significant for all the service quality dimensions except the empathy dimension. This implies that Autolabs’ customers have some level of dissatisfaction with the quality of service they provide. It is hoped that the shortcomings identified in this study will help Autolab to improve the quality of service they provide. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2009.

Service management is a fascinating and complex subject. It is fascinating because, even entities that manufacture products get concerned about customer service. Management scientists such as Edward Deming developed a concept known as total quality management (TQM), which has been implemented in manufacturing companies mostly, and some of those companies include those discussed by Robbins & Decenzo (2001 : 65), namely ; General Motors, Ford, & Daimler-Chrysler. This concept TQM is implemented in order to make the ultimate customer happy and thus creating customer loyalty. If TQM was implemented only for the purpose of quality in products and not involve those employees in support departments such as Finance, Human Resources, Marketing & Sales, Customer Care/Enquiries, within one company, such an endeavour will be rendered ineffective and non-systemic. The service industry is however still lagging behind with it's own innovations. We still yet to see strategies spawned from the service sector. Service in this instance refers to the 'non-product' sector. It is for this reason that this study focuses on service management in the service industry, to make a clear distinction. Service management is complex. because, as it is argued in this study, it is intangible. The definitions of service developed by many authors such as Gronroos (1990), van Looy et al (2003), and Fitzsimmons & Fitzsimmons (2004), state that service is an activity of more or less intangible nature. They further say that service involves the interaction between a customer and service employees. This is what makes it complex. Service is about people. Zeithaml & Bitner (2000) pointed it out that "the employees delivering the service frequently are the service in the customer's eyes.."(pg. 13). Human activity systems, are typically complex, and as such service is likely to be complex because it involves human interaction. Such a complex system is likely to be characterized by complex phenomena. Complex systems are best studied through systems approach. It was in this light that this study is based on a systems inquiry. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

The marketisation of higher and further education institutions whereby education institutions adopt commercial practices to operate has led to increased competition in the education industry. Various sources of competitive advantage are being searched for aggressively by education institutions in the hope of securing customers and remaining competitive. Service quality has become one of the biggest sources of competitive advantage for higher and further education institutions as it enables the institutions to differentiate themselves from the competition. Development and Training for Adults (DTA) College in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa also faces similar challenges of the need to be competitive in an increasingly competitive environment. The study investigated the customers‟ perceptions and expectations of service quality at DTA College in Pietermaritzburg in order to identify and assess any existing service quality gaps. The SERVQUAL instrument which consists of 22 statements on perceptions and 22 on expectations of service quality was utilised to collect data for the research study at DTA College. A sample size of 58 was used and it was selected through stratified random sampling to maximise representativeness of the sample. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the data. Statistical tools that include frequencies, meanscores and tabulations were utilised to present the data from findings. The Wilcoxon signed ranks test was also utilised to further analyse the significance of the gaps. The findings from the study indicated that, a negative service quality gap exists at DTA College. Reliability was the service quality dimension that had the widest gap which indicated that the respondents do not rely on the College as it does not deliver as per promise. Assurance was the service quality dimension which had the narrowest gaps. However, 3 of the 4 assurance gaps were significant according to statistical tests conducted which mean that DTA College has to pay attention to all the service quality dimensions regardless of the gaps being small. Frequent interaction between the college and the customers is recommended for DTA College as it provides the college with important information on customer expectations and perceptions. Continuous employee training to improve the existing skills is also recommended for the college‟s employees as it can have a good impact on meeting the customers‟ expectations of the service quality dimensions. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

The study set out to investigate Customer Care in the . Pharmaceutical Industry with reference to Retail Pharmacies in the Mafikeng area. This will be achieved through the following: Highlighting any inadequacy of customer care process at retail pharmacies, determine if the current customer care tools utilised are optimal or not, determine the extent at which such tools are utilised and to determine where accountability lies for customer care within the organisation. Six out of eight pharmacies participated in the study (75%, Four of which are leaders in the market as they are big stable companies and some are franchises. The measuring instruments utilised was a questionnaire because of the descriptive nature of the study. The questionnaire was in a structured format which consisted of two parts, namely, demographics and general questions evaluating the competency of staff and the quality of service.120 respondents participated in filling in the questionnaire over a period of two weeks. Every pharmacy had twenty respondents respectively. The findings revealed that most respondents were satisfied with the service provided , with only a few who were unhappy about certain elements of the questionnaire. However, the overall responses were satisfactorily and unexpected since patients tend to complain about services. The researcher recommends that staff need to be trained on the following, how to be friendly to customers and greet them with a smile. Greet them by name if possible, as it will impress the patient to notice that staff members know him/her by name. To be polite and pleasant when talking to clients. To be trained on product knowledge as it improves competency and confidence of client in a person. Adequate training of staff is important as it ensures provision of quality service to the patients, thus reducing complaints. Even though the results of the study were satisfactorily, it is important for the management of the organisation to concentrate on Few patients who are not happy about the service so as to improve and satisfy as many customers as possible. / (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2003

The recent worldwide shift in focus from goods production to service provision in Western countries has resulted in the expansion of the service sector. The front-line worker has become a central figure in the new workplace, forming an important link between the company and the customer. The nature of the interaction between customer service staff and clients influences the perceived quality of service rendered by the company. Call centre work requires a high degree of personal contact with the public and the performance of emotional labour. Previous research found emotional labour to be a significant predictor of burnout. Given the above scenario, the lack of empirical research that systematically investigates burnout in a customer services environment in South Africa is a source of concern. The objectives of this study were to determine the construct validity and internal consistency of the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS) (Schaufeli, Leiter, Maslach & Jackson, 1996) in a customer services environment, and to compare the relationship of burnout with various demographic characteristics. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The study population consisted of an accidental sample of customer services personnel (N = 228). The Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS) was used to determine the level of burnout in the participants. A biographical questionnaire was used to gather additional information. Structural equation modelling (SEM) methods as implemented by AMOS were used to test the factorial model for the MBI-GS. Cronbach alpha coefficients and inter-item correlation coefficients were used to assess the internal consistency and construct validity of the MBI-GS. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. T-tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to determine differences between the sub-groups in the sample. Tukey tests were done to indicate which groups differed significantly when ANOVAS were done. The results confirmed a three-factor model of burnout, consisting of Exhaustion, Cynicism and Professional Efficacy. All three factors showed acceptable internal consistencies. The results also showed that customer service staff who measured high on exhaustion and cynicism (compared with those who measured low) experienced less job satisfaction. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2007

Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2002.

Thesis (MBus)--University of South Australia, 2001

Thesis (MBus) -- University of South Australia, 1998