It is because the ¡§Birth Rate Declination¡¨ is arrival. The competition of each child is to turn a white-hot stage. In addition, the concept of ¡§Whole Personal Education¡¨ is growing up, which parents are not only focusing on the entrance examination which children have to study in the cram schools. In today, parents are focusing on the omnidirectional technological skills. Therefore, the cram schools which are in Taiwan have already changed their teaching strategies. Originally, the doctrine is to enter higher level schools; however, the doctrine is to have different talents. As a result, each kind of cram school marches toward multidisciplinary period. In this competitive period, parents select talent cram schools with strict rules and many managers of cram schools are also finding out key elements that cause satisfaction from parents. The key elements are as following. First, the customers¡¦ ideology is developed; second, the quality of service is superior or inferior; third, the form of business is excellent or not; fourth, the competitive condition of price, etc., This research paper provides two famous cram schools that are very famous and have branch offices in south Taiwan as examples. Moreover, this research paper will investigate the relation between the quality of service, the form of business, sense of price, and customers¡¦ satisfaction. There are five hundred questionnaires. Three hundred questionnaires are assigned from percussion instrument classes, and the quantities of responses are two hundred and eighty-two questionnaires. Two hundred questionnaires are assigned from dancing classes, and the quantities of responses are one hundred and fifty-three questionnaires. The percentages of responses are eighty-seven. After analyzing, this research paper discovers some conclusion as following: 1. In price part, two units group of parents who have higher educational degree and income make more senses about price than lower group parents. Furthermore, in percussion instrument classes, female make more senses than males about price. In contrast, males make more senses than females in dancing classes. 2. In the quality of service, there are three ideas that are responses, care, and tangibles. In these three ideas, females can have the agreement easier than males with cram schools. Two units group of parents have obvious difference in response. The parents who are from percussion instrument classes do not satisfied with responses, but parents who are from dancing classes agree with the responses. 3. In percussion instrument classes, parents pay much attention to the form of business; even it makes a stay in classes. 4. In customers¡¦ satisfaction, two units group of parents who are in this research express that females feel satisfied more than males. 5. In census, there are not so many distinct varieties. However, there are only few obvious varieties which are professional part, educational part, and family state etc., in percussion instrument classes. In professional part, the obvious varieties are ¡§the tangible of service quality.¡¨ In educational part, the obvious varieties are ¡§the form of business.¡¨ In family state, the obvious varieties are ¡§the credit of business.¡¨ In contrast, in dancing classes, there are two obvious varieties which are professional part and family state. In professional part, the obvious varieties are ¡§the sense of price.¡¨ In family state, the obvious varieties are ¡§the customers¡¦ satisfaction.¡¨

The aims to set up Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is to increase enterprises' running efficiency and obtain the capability to respond to the whole supply chain so as to possess business competence and increase profits. There is no doubt that ERP plays an important role in enterprises. Besides, the assistance of consultant service would be beneficial for the successful introduction of ERP into enterprises. Moreover, the consultant teams assigned by consultant companies not only have to obtain professional competence of product techniques but have to offer service quality which is the vital element affecting customers' satisfaction and the success of cases. The present study is based on the theory of IMP interaction model and it attempts to conduct empirical research on the perceptive service qualtity of the consultants who introuduce ERP into enterprise cases. The main purpose of this research aims to find out the effects of consultant service quality on customers' satiscation and their behavioral intention to utilize this system. Additionly, the findings could also be suggestive resources to enterprisers, consultants, and future researchers. The results of this study show that the service quality of the consultants making intoduction of ERP into enterprises has obvious influences on customers' satisfaction and their behavioral intention to adopt ERP. In general, the key issues influencing customers' satiscation and their choices are classified into following three dimensions: (1) the outcomes brought about by the collaboration between consultants and project committees; (2) the professional and service competence presented by consultants; (3) the equality between consultant service and the implementation fee. In addition, this present study also presents different satisfaction degrees examined by reserach variables and population statistic variables. It is hoped that these difference analyses would be beneficial for managers to imrprove ERP consultant service quality.

<p>Globalization creates for companies’ new opportunities for business development, as well as new challenges. One of the most prevailing challenges is the ability to create new products and services in accordance to diverse customer needs and requirements, as well as implementation of new technologies in future lines of products. Therefore, companies realize the importance of the Marketing and Sales (M&S) and Product Development (PD) departments. The interface between those two departments plays a decisive role in realization of customer needs and requirements, and application of the right technologies in new products. The speed and accuracy with which the information between the M&S and PD department is exchanged directly influences success of one’s products on the market. Consequently, companies strive to achieve greater level of cross-functional integration within the interface, by overcoming barriers to integration, and improving the quality of internal services by utilizing computer based Information Systems (IS). The role of IS in supporting cross-functional work environment is growing, thus companies of all size make investment in IS. Nonetheless, these investments very often fail or not bear expect results, due to lack of alignment of the investment with the business.</p><p>This thesis documents a diagnosis undertaken for the Case Company. In recent years the Case Company experienced rapid international expansions and fast growth, which in turn exposed a whole new range of problems. The existing work routines turned out to be inadequate to maintain international expansion and growth. A great deal of these problems was enrooted directly in the interface between the M&S and PD departments. Therefore, the company realized a need to isolate and eliminate them, and further foster the cross-functional integration and information flows within the interface by implementation of a computer based Information System.</p><p>The purpose of this thesis is to enhance the understanding of the integration and communication process within the M&S and PD departments at the Case Company. In order to fulfil the purpose the Enterprise Knowledge Development modelling technique was employed. This allowed tracing the problems to their roots, by mapping business processes, goals, rules, actors, as well as clarification of concepts. As a result an objective snapshot of the current cross-functional integration between the M&S and PD departments was created. Further, this snapshot was compared against a great body of literature in the field of Product Development and Management and Process Management. The comparison made it possible to indicate areas for potential future improvements. The proposed change needs aimed at enhancing the internal customer satisfaction. Last but not the least in deep analysis of the current cross-functional relations within the interface made it feasible to suggest (with literature assistance) initial vital functions of a computer based Information System to enhance the integration and information flows within the studied interface at the Case Company. The proposed functionality corresponds to the current, as well as anticipated needs of the interface that has been derived based on requirements of the actors to fulfil goals and satisfy organizational processes.</p>

<p>Background: Since the airline deregulation was completed in 1997, a new business model has emerged in the European civil aviation industry. It has caused a shift in the way people travel within Europe. The airlines operating under this new business model known as point-to-point, have created a new outlet for commercial passenger travel and raised concerns for established flag carriers.</p><p>Problem: This study is of great importance due to the fact that people are traveling more frequently and wish to do so quicker and more efficiently. With so many options to choose from and cost being an important decision maker for both companies and consumers, a study of this industry in terms of competition, price and service quality is of great impor-tance.</p><p>Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and describe whether or not changes in the competitive landscape of the European civil aviation industry are related to the movement of economy class prices. The thesis also looks at whether or not changes in the competitive landscape are related to changes in service quality in the same industry. Both flag-carriers and low-cost carriers in terms of their business models will be investigated.</p><p>Method: The method chosen for this study was of an integrated approach based solely on secondary data due to the sheer size and scope of this industry. This study investigated the two major business models of this industry through routes to the major cities and capitals of Western Europe from Stockholm Arlanda airport and Stockholm Skavsta airport. A literature study coupled with a comparative analysis has also been done.</p><p>Conclusions: Dramatic change is occurring in the industry. Competition is increasing not only between companies but between two competing business models. Increased competition is leading to better on-time performance but lower in-flight and ground service quality. Aggregate price level has risen for flag carries with the opposite happening for low-cost carriers. The increased competition is threatening the ill-performing flag carriers and will most likely transform the industry.</p>

<p>Using an already developed model for measuring the quality of online services, the authors of this thesis have developed and later on modified a theoretical model (instrument) for measuring the quality of online banking services in particular. Using quantitative research method including the design and distribution of a questionnaire, empirical data was collected on which statistical analysis has been performed. As a result of the conducted analysis, the initial theoretical model has been modified, so that the final version of the model (instrument) for measuring quality of online banking services includes four quality dimensions (Service Performance, Website Characteristics, Communication and Efficiency) with total of 17 items (questions). Furthermore, based on the modified theoretical model, customer satisfaction with different aspects of the online banking services has been evaluated. Based on the results of the Analysis of the Empirical Data, managerial recommendations are given. Suggestions for further research on quality of online banking services are also offered.</p>

The main objectives of this study are to demonstrate the significance of customer service quality in the banking sector of Cyprus in order to enable managers in banking organisations to identify the determinants of customer perceptions of service quality and ultimately to provide a method to measure the levels of service quality offered. Therefore, the objectives of this thesis are: • To evaluate the SERVQUAL model and assess whether it can be applied in the context of the Cypriot banking industry, and consequently establish a reliable and valid service quality measurement instrument for Cypriot banks, and • To identify the level of service from banks in Cyprus and detect ways to improve the service quality offered. This study evaluates SERVQUAL dimensions, and more specifically the perceptions side of the instrument, and modifies it through an extensive and in-depth analysis of the literature review published on the topic of service quality and through interviews with bank experts and quality specialists so as to assess its applicability to the banking industry in Cyprus. As a result of this analysis, a modified version of the perceptions’ side of SERVQUAL was constructed as a measurement scale of service quality in the banking sector of Cyprus. Data were collected through customer surveys conducted outside bank branches. Subsequently, the collected data were analysed through tools such as factor analysis, multiple regression analysis, and internal consistency measurement. This analysis helped to prove the validity and reliability of the modified instrument used to measure service quality and revealed the dimensional structure of the service quality construct in the Cypriot banking sector. The major findings of this study suggest a four-dimensional construct derived from 23 items in the questionnaire. These dimensions are employee proficiency, convenience, professionalism and assurance. All four factors are positive and significant predictors of service quality. This result is different from the SERVQUAL and the SERVPERF models as both indicate five dimensions composed of 22 items. The reliability and validity of the scale(s) in this study were fully supported. These results lead to several implications for both researchers and practitioners. For theorists, the results of this study can be used as foundations for further studies, for questionnaire scale development, to further support the use of a single scale and to raise the issue of the non-existence of the ‘tangibles’ dimension, which is not fully discussed in the literature and should be tested in future studies as well. For managers and practitioners this study offers much support for the importance of employees and for a continuous investment in service quality programmes. It also suggests incorporating service quality measurement into branch performance measurement. Finally, the results obtained in this study pose significant challenges to managers and support the idea that practitioners should have a comprehensive view of service quality in banking organizations to accurately measure customer perceptions of service quality.

The 2001 Institute of Medicine's (I.O.M.) landmark report, Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century observes that, "[though] medical science and technology have advanced at a rapid pace,...the health care delivery system has floundered in its ability to provide consistently high-quality care" (I.O.M. 2001). The report recommended six quality aims for a twenty-first century health care system; one of them being patient-centered care. It explains patient-centered care as "providing care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions" (I.O.M. 2001). This research is aimed at directly addressing this I.O.M. recommendation and seeks to understand quality care in the context of the I.O.M. guideline which clearly states that to achieve quality "the patient is the source of control of interactions" with the provider system. The objectives of this project are: (i) to gain a deeper and clearer understanding of the ways patients as customers of an outpatient clinic evaluate health care providers, and (ii) to determine if varying definitions of service quality exist with in a clinic containing a complex constituency. The project site chosen was the set of outpatient clinics at USF Health that makes for a complex site (e.g. eighty different specialties, outpatient surgical units, practicing and academic environment, multi-disciplinary teams at work involving multiple levels of health care professionals and complex inter-personal relationships) to carry out this research. The formal hypothesis can be stated as follows: H1: There exist identifiable differing classes of patients with varying perceptions of Service Quality in an outpatient setting. The subsequent research questions that the research aims to address are that, given that differing patient classes can be identified, do they have an impact on the overall patient-perceived quality and how significant is the impact? The project will contribute to a change in the approach at the clinic from a profession-centered to a patient-centered effort. It will raise the awareness among clinicians about how patients view quality care which can then be integrated into the system, institutionalized over time and thus help them improve their ability to provide quality care as preferred by patients. It will also serve to educate and empower the patients by increasing their participation and strengthening their role as partners with clinicians in a health care system. According to a review of the consumer health literature (Hibbard 2003), patients who collaborate with their health care providers and play an active role in their health care have improved health outcomes. It also enables future work in metric identification to promote continuous improvement in care provision. Though the research was conducted at a specific outpatient setting, it will have wider applicability as it can be a model worth emulating more broadly. The study also contributes to the academic literature that clearly indicates that there is a recognized need for more research on the delivery of outpatient care (Hammons 2003). Additionally, the study can be applicable and useful in other environments with complex constituencies (e.g. university classrooms, public transportation and travel industry).

The basic purpose of the research is to understand the significance of internal marketing in influencing frontline employees'job-related attitudes and service quality. Since rewards are considered to be an important compqnent of internal marketing, this research investigates relationships among frontline employee perceptions of rewards (extrinsic and intrinsic), attitudes (three components of organisational commitment viz. affective, normative and continuance, and job satisfaction), and service quality, in banking call centres. In this context, a conceptual model is presented comprising rewards as the antecedentsa, ttitudes as the mediating variables, and service quality of the frontline employees as the outcome variable. The model is empirically tested through a large sample study that is conducted among 4 call centres of a major retail bank in the UK. Following certain qualitative in-depth interviews at the exploratory stage, structural equation modelling (using AMOS) is carried out on 342 useable questionnaires (response rate of more than 50%), to empirically test the proposed framework for the study. The measurement and structural models, after validation and purification, provided satisfactory fit estimates across absolute, incremental and parsimonious measures. The results highlight the importance of rewards, as part of internal marketing, in maintaining employee attitudes, and improving service quality. Intrinsic rewards (like role clarity, training and skill variety) emerged as the most significant of all, as they were found to impact on service quality directly. Extrinsic social rewards (like supervision and team support) were not found to be significant, while the finding regarding extrinsic organisational rewards-service quality relationship was surprising. Although assumed important for perfon-nance, some had no direct effect (pay, and benefits satisfaction, extrinsic exchange), while others (working conditions and promotional opportunities) exerted a negative direct effect on service quality, although the indirect effect of most of these rewards was found to be positive. However, these rewards were considered important for influencing employee attitudes, which in turn influence service quality. In this context, the importance of employee attitudes like affective commitment and job satisfaction is emphasisedfor service quality. The empirical results of the study also reveal that it is the nature of commitment that matters in commitment-service quality relationship. Affective commitment emerged as the only attitude variable to bear a significant positive relationship with service quality. Job satisfaction was not found to impact on service quality directly, although the indirect effect was found to be positive. Normative commitment impacted on service quality indirectly, while continuance commitment was not found to be effective at all. Besides theoretical and methodological contributions, the thesis also provides strong managerial implications and directions for future research in applying internal marketing for improving service quality of frontline employees in call centres. Keywords: internal marketing, rewards, service quality, commitment, job satisfaction, UK banks, call centres, frontline employees.

This thesis is concerned with the quality of care for the elderly in nursing homes, responding to a critical social and demographic imperative. The aim of this study is to provide a service quality construct for nursing homes to increase client focus and satisfaction. The research is underpinned by the service quality literature. It utilises the SERVQUAL construct to explore the nature of service quality in nursing homes through semi-structured interviews with nursing home residents and resident's families. A service quality scale was constructed comprising six dimensions and 27 scale items capturing service delivery in nursing homes. This scale was purified through a survey of residents and family members (n=263). Through exploratory factor analysis, six importance and four experience factors were identified. Regression analysis was used to identify relationships between the factors, service quality and satisfaction. The results indicate that importance does not predict perceived quality, though experience of responsiveness and hospitality and courtesy and personal approach are indicators of service quality. Furthermore, quality emerges as a predictor of satisfaction. From these outcomes, a service quality construct was developed which comprises of service marketing and service quality dimensions. This thesis contributes to the construction of the concept of service quality in nursing homes, its dimensionality and thus the precursors of satisfaction. These have considerable implications for the management of nursing home services.homes, its dimensionality and thus the precursors of satisfaction. These have considerable implications for the management of nursing home services.

In the past years the competition in the restaurant trade in Umeå is increasing. There is more choice for the customers and thereby the restaurants have to work harder to attract customers. One way is to Market themselves differently. In this research we are studying one way of diversifying Service Marketing, namely through people. Especially in the restaurant sector the frontline employee is an essential part of the service. We argue that by improving the Internal Marketing a business can ensure, through Human Resource Management, to have a service-minded and customer-oriented workforce, motivated to deliver Service Quality. Further, by strengthening the Internal Branding the workforce will work in unity with the internal and external brand, being more willing and committed to deliver high quality services. We aim to find that through having well trained frontline employees the customer will know a difference and have a better experience when visiting the restaurant. Three restaurants in the Umeå market have been chosen for our study. To collect data from these restaurants we have conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews. The contributions of this study were that training, and especially learning by doing and experience, is crucial in learning ones job according to the respondents. Also that having a good balance between having standard procedures and employee empowerment could improve the Service Quality through reliability in the service delivery. Last but not least, a concept of Reciprocal Commitment was developed showing the importance of a business investing in the employee, training being part of that investment, to get the employee to invest his/her time and commitment in the business. Through this study we have developed a model showing the influence and benefits of training in the selected restaurants. We have realised that training is not the only way, but plays an important role in Marketing through people.