The aim of this thesis is to test the importance and sufficiency of existing constructs of customer service, customer satisfaction and service quality in the logistics function of the UK food processing industry. These activities represent ongoing challenges in the logistics discipline and are under-researched in this industry sector that is affected by primary producer crises, product commoditisation and increasing retailer power. Firms that improve customer service should increase customer satisfaction resulting in better customer-supplier relationships, increased customer loyalty, profitability and a differential competitive advantage. The customer-supplier dyadic exchange between intermediary food processors is the focus of study. There has been little programmatic and integrative study or empirical research of these activities in logistics since work conducted over twenty-five years ago by La Londe and Zinzser. Additionally, some existing studies suffer from a general lack of rigour that pervades the logistics discipline and has prevented meaningful development of research validity and reliability. Finally, existing research into these activities from the marketing discipline is under-utilised in these investigations. Indeed, there has been limited inter-disciplinary research in logistics notwithstanding the genesis of both logistics and marketing as a single discipline at the beginning of the 20th century. This study uses a rigorous two-stage methodology developed for marketing research by Churchill. This methodology comprises generating variables for enquiry from a literature review, collecting and analysing data in a pilot survey to purify variables, and conducting a second survey to assess reliability and validity of pilot study findings. Models used for the study are adapted from existing work in marketing service quality by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry and are supplemented by relationship constructs emerging from the pilot study. A postal survey was administered to 1,215 UK food processors. Respondent data was analysed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling to test variables and constructs. The findings of this study validate constructs of pretransaction, order service and quality and relationship service and quality, thus reaffirming original constructs developed by La Londe and Zinzser. The findings also falsify transaction service quality constructs posited by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry. Issues of price, supplier importance, supplier switching, and relationship power were tested, but did not feature in resultant constructs. These latter issues are discussed in terms of an overarching framework that encompasses the validated constructs and an extended model is hypothesised for future study. The results of this thesis indicate that UK food processors should consider all phases of pre-transaction, transaction and post-transaction events when facilitating operations design and customer service planning.

Aim: The purpose of this study is to investigate the evaluation and conceptualization of service quality and its interactive impacts for customer satisfaction. This study provides some positive and constructive proposal to make up the service gap ,and provides preliminary results supported by SERVQUAL model to measure the mutual interactions between service quality and customer satisfaction. Service quality and customer satisfaction have been studied by the help of quality dimensions and some suggestions are offered for improving service quality. Methods: The primary data have been collected through interviews and questionnaires. The secondary data has been collected through literature review. Case study approach is used to identify the current relationship between service quality and consumer satisfaction. Result and Conclusions: We used five service quality dimensions to measure service quality and customer satisfaction. After survey is conducted, it has been clear that there are two dimensions (Empathy and Responsiveness) made a significant service gap between our target company and the key customer groups. The gap is the Differentiated service and the Service promptness. We also give our suggestions to make up the gap.             Providing differentiated services. Scheduling to the workload rather than to workers’ traditional schedules Empowering as many staffs as possible to deal with the problems and providing initial training on how to solve most common problems Customer segmentation, providing the characteristic services to customers. Providing characteristic services to customers Contributions of the thesis / Value: We believe that this thesis will help Xingya Technical Communication Company (XTCC) to become more aware of service quality and constantly updated the service to overcome the customer complaints. And after the study, we find that the service quality dimensions (Empathy and Responsiveness) are the controversial issues. We think this study can provide some useful information for this research area. Implications: This survey contributes to the topic both at practical and theoretical levels. We also put forward our suggestions for the target service provider in order to help them improve service quality in the future.

This paper presents the background, aim and results of a small empirical study conducted in the setting of a medical hospital library. The background is found both in the quality ambitions of the medical professions and organizations and in the effort of medical libraries to show their importance to the total quality of medical decision making. As a first step in the library's quality process, the aim has been to identify quality performance indicators of value to library users in their contact with a medical hospital library. The second step- to identify satisfaction levels - is not included in this work. Another aim has been to compare the quality categories in this small study with the generally accepted quality categories that emerged in the comprehensive studies of Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry in which customers express their expectations and perceptions of services. This study is based on a small number of interviews with representatives from different user groups within a hospital. The analysis is inspired by phenomenography which build on perceptions of phenomena - in this case the phenomenon "quality". In the material from the interviews five quality categories were identified. Compared to generally accepted quality categories from the service sector none of these five categories were unique. Important conclusions were that despite the homogeneity of the user group, expectations and needs are different and vary from time to time. Consequently flexibility and individual treatment of library users are crucial if the library is to meet user expectations. But the material also shows that despite access to modern technology users have very traditional perceptions of the library seeing the library as a room. If libraries were to let only user expectations initiate changes, it would lead to stagnation. It is not realistic to rely only on the knowledge or interest of the users.

Marketing practices like Money-Back Guarantees (MBGs) and warranties are quite controversial in the health care market. Despite their professed intention to improve consumer welfare, MBGs are often decried for taking advantage of consumers who might not have the correct information. This concern is valid especially given the salient features of health care markets: a) customization, b) expert service, and c) difficulty in measuring service quality. For instance, in the context of in-vitro fertilization (IVF)-a medical procedure to assist infertile couples in having children-many health care and policy experts argue that MBGs offered by fertility clinics are nothing but marketing gimmicks and that these clinics either sort and treat only the more fertile patients or overtreat patients with more aggressive and risky treatment protocols. This concern, however, is in stark contrast with the signaling literature in marketing and economics. The central idea of the signaling theory is that the cost of offering MBGs can be so high that low-quality clinics are not able to afford mimicking the high-quality clinics' offering of MBGs. Essentially then, only high-quality clinics would be able to afford MBGs. Given these contrasting viewpoints, my dissertation aims to advance our understanding of the strategic MBG decisions in the health care market. Utilizing data from the U.S. IVF market, I investigate the relationship between MBGs and clinic capability, which contains two aspects: a) service quality, i.e., the effectiveness in transforming input to treatment outcome (or quality output), and b) service productivity, i.e., the efficiency in transforming input to production possibility (or quantity output). Considering the nature of the IVF market, my findings have natural extension to other health care and expert service markets. In chapter 2 (essay one), I empirically examine the underlying mechanism of MBGs-whether MBGs in the IVF market can act as credible signals of quality or simply marketing gimmicks-by investigating the relationship between MBG offers and treatment outcomes at the clinic level. The analysis is conducted on a large and unique longitudinal dataset that includes a) clinic-level treatment and outcome statistics for almost all IVF clinics in the U.S., b) fertility clinic characteristics and MBG decisions, c) information on state-level insurance mandates, and d) demographic characteristics. Using an instrument variable approach to account for the endogeneity of MBG decisions made by fertility clinics, I find that compared to clinics not offering MBGs, clinics offering MBGs secure better treatment outcomes (i.e., higher live birth rate) and use less aggressive treatment (i.e., transferring fewer embryos) without sorting higher fertility patients or imposing higher long-term risk (i.e., multiple birth rate). These results taken together suggest that MBGs can work as signals of quality despite the incentives for clinics to engage in opportunistic behaviors.In chapter 3 (essay two), I empirically examine the relationship between MBG decisions and clinic productivity. To quantify the unobserved productivity, I first incorporate the quantity-quality tradeoff into the production function and then estimate it using a non-parametric structural model approach recently developed in the economics literature. Empirically, to handle the endogeneity challenge caused by unobserved productivity, I use input change decision (i.e., hiring and investment) as a proxy for productivity. Then, I use an instrument variable approach to deal with the attenuation bias caused by measurement error in quality output. The results show that a) the quantity-quality tradeoff exists in the IVF market, b) expert labor plays a more important role than capital in determining the production quantity, and c) clinics with higher productivity are more likely to be offering MBGs, being non-profit, with longer experience, providing service to single woman, with higher competition, and in states with IVF insurance mandates. Compared to non-MBG clinics, MBG clinics have higher capability because they are not only more effective in transforming resource to successful outcome, but also more efficient in transforming capital and labor to production capacity. Shedding light on the public policy debate over MBG practice in the IVF industry, my study indicates that traditional marketing strategies deserve nuanced analysis in the health care and expert service markets.

The aim of the research is to identify, evaluate and develop service quality measures/dimensions – from the students’ point of view – at independent Colleges in the UK. The primary objective of the study is to determine whether private higher education providers in the UK meet student expectations. In order to achieve the primary objective, the research identified two secondary objectives as: what are the areas of service quality that are most important to students, when choosing to study at a private college in the UK; and does their chosen private college meet student expectations in all these areas? The research consists of three stages: 1) an extensive analysis of literature followed by discussions with industry experts to map recent developments within independent colleges in the UK, 2) an analysis of a student focus group discussions as well as an expert panel review, of the focus group findings, in order to develop the initial conceptual model and the development of the measurement instrument i.e., online questionnaire, and 3) the online questionnaire link was then promoted to qualifying participants internationally using the official website (www.service-quality.co.uk) as well as social media, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. In addition, links to the survey and the progress have been listed at several discussion groups as well as included in online press releases. The online questionnaire was made available from 1st June to 30th November 2013, to ensure sufficient time was given to promote the survey and attract a good number of responses. 12,775 completed questionnaires were gathered during the six months period. The sample data was analysed for the normality of distribution followed by assessment of validity and reliability, using parametric statistical analysis tools. Finally, the research concluded that students chose to study at independent colleges as they offered five service quality dimensions as: flexible, market driven, assurance, customer focus and focus practitioners. The participants also agreed that their chosen independent college either met or exceeded their expectations. The research findings were inconclusive in terms of the order of importance of these service quality dimensions. The service quality and performance model for independent colleges in the UK requires these three components: service quality dimensions, measures, and implementation points, to continuously refine and develop. Following such a model, the organisation will continuously identify and refine the service quality dimensions and measures to meet changing student expectations on a continuous basis, whilst sustaining positive service gaps, thriving to remove negative service gaps and by converting neutral areas to positive service gaps.

Service quality defined by the customer is an important element in satisfying customers and may determine retail survival. The SERVQUAL instrument measured desired and minimum expectations and perceptions of service quality in a small apparel specialty store. Factor analysis with varimax rotation resulted in three dimensions of service quality for both desired and minimum levels of expectations and perceptions: (a) Personal Attention, (b) Reliability, and (c) Tangibles. Regression analyses determined the relationship between overall service quality (OSQ) and various predictor variables. Based on gap scores between desired expectations and perceptions, the Personal Attention and Tangibles dimensions were significant in predicting OSQ. SERVQUAL is a managerial tool that small apparel retailers may use to improve service quality.

The market for high-tech services is expanding, and writers will have to create more documents to market these services. Researchers note marked differences between traditional goods marketing and services marketing. A rhetorical framework for high-tech services marketing will give writers a tool for creating effective marketing messages. This study examines the five canons of rhetoric in their classical context, and then examines how the first professional teachers, the Sophists, used rhetoric to promote their services. The canons of rhetoric are then analyzed to show their modern significance. This study also considers visual rhetoric and how writers can use it effectively. This study shows that companies should promote service quality and strong service relationships through the rhetorical element of ethos. This study examines services marketing samples through a visual and verbal rhetorical framework, providing rhetorical insights that writers can use in their work.

Title: Customers satisfaction with the services of Energy Studio Objectives: The objective of this diploma thesis is to find out the quality of services provided by Energy Studio via SERVQUAL questionnaire. Then create suggestions and recommendations based on the results of this questionnaire. These suggestions and recommendations should lead to overall improvement of quality of all services offered by Energy Studio. Methods: The research of service quality in yoga center Energy Studio was performed by using standardized SERVQUAL questionnaire which explored the actual perceived quality of services and was comparing it to clients expectations. The data collection took place in the period from February 2015 until the half of March 2015. Results: The results of the customer's satisfaction analysis in Energy Studio Václava Krejčíka show that the customers are very satisfied with services provided by studio. The overall quality of services in that yoga center are evaluated better than was customers expectation. There are small gaps in some services, on which should Energy Studio focused in order to reach the maximal customer satisfaction. On the basis of the results there were put together suggestions and recommendations which should lead to the requested increase in service quality level. Keywords:...

6 ABSTRACT Title: Satisfaction Members of CZ Golf Club with Services of Golf Resort Písek Centre Objectives: This thesis explores the extent of satisfaction members of Golf Resort Písek Centre with provided services. The extent of satisfaction was determined by an opinion poll where the members evaluated the perceived quality of services and the quality of services which they would expect at an "excellent" golf resort. Questionnaire was compiled according to a research which considered the most significant elements that should be implicit for each golf resort. The acquired findings allowed assessing the quality of services at Golf Resort Písek Centre. Given the assessment some recommendations are suggested, which should increase the quality of services at the resort and consequently the higher satisfaction of its members. Methods: The survey of the quality of services was performed using the designed questionnaire, which was inspired by SERVQUAL method. Therefore, it compares the quality of the services at an "excellent" golf resort with perceived quality of services at Golf Resort Písek Centre. The created questionnaire was designed according to the analysis of an opinion poll, where the importance of particular features was determined. The most important features were used in the main questionnaire which...

Title: Analysis of customer satisfaction in Aquapark Příbram Objectives: The aim of this thesis is to conduct content and statistical analysis of data collected directly from customers of Aquapark Příbram. Customers of the public were a research sample with the highest priority. As secondary sample were established trainers of the sports clubs using the Aquapark Příbram. Methods: Data collected from the primary sample were gained via CERM-CSQ based questionnaire Data collected from the secondary sample were obtained by structured interview. This structure was based on our questionnaire. Factor and correlation analysis were used to process quantitative data. Results: The content analysis showed the biggest drawbacks of service quality. According to the statistical analysis some service quality attributes have bigger influence on customer satisfaction than the others. Above mentioned drawbacks belong to those more influential attributes. On the basis of the results obtained certain suggestions were made to increase customer satisfaction. Key words: customer satisfaction, service quality, Aquapark Příbram, model CSQ, factor analysis