Bakalauro baigiamajame darbe nagrinėjama Šiaulių universiteto bibliotekos paslaugų kokybė. Bibliotekos teikiamų paslaugų kokybė buvo tiriama taikant standartizuotos apklausos raštu (anketavimo) ir grupinio interviu metodus. Tyrimo problema apibrėžiama tokiais probleminiais klausimais: kodėl svarbi bibliotekos paslaugų kokybė studentams? Kaip išskirti svarbiausius elementus, į kuriuos kreipia dėmesį studentai, vertindami ŠU bibliotekos paslaugų kokybę? Į kokias sritis reikia sutelkti didžiausią dėmesį, tobulinant bibliotekos paslaugų kokybę? Pirmoje bakalauro baigiamojo darbo dalyje pristatoma atlikta mokslo šaltinių analizė. Remiantis jos rezultatais apibūdinama paslauga, svarbiausios jos savybės, bendroji paslaugos kokybės samprata, paslaugos kokybės valdymo bei vertinimo modeliai. Taip pat analizuojama akademinės bibliotekos bendroji paskirtis, universiteto bibliotekos teikiamos paslaugos, išskiriami moderniosios bibliotekos bruožai. Tiriamojoje darbo dalyje pristatomas atliktas tyrimas, kurį sudaro dvi dalys – formalizuotas grupinis interviu ir standartizuota anketinė apklausa raštu. Remiantis tyrimo rezultatais, teigiama, kad ŠU bibliotekos paslaugos kokybė yra aukšto lygio, o tobulintinos sritys, remiantis vartotojų nuomone, yra susijusios su bibliotekos fondo turtinimu (leidinių kiekis, naujumas, įvairiapusiškumas) ir aptarnaujančio personalo bendravimo kompetencijomis. / The quality of services at the library of Siauliai University is analyzed in the bachelor final papework. The quality of services at library was analyzed applying the method of written standardized questioning (questionnare) and the method of sectional interview. The problem of the research was defined with that problematic questions like: why are the quality of library services relevant to students? How identify the most imortant elements, where students pay more attention valuating quality of library services? Where should be paid attention to improve library work? Final bachelor papework represented research analize of litarature sources in the first part. According to her results, describig the definition of services, basics services charakteristics, also common service quality conception, control and measurement models of service quality. Futhermore there is analyzed academical library the main purpose, university library services and identifies the modern library features. Also, final bachelor papework represented formalize group interview research and standardize questionnaire research in the practical part. Results of research shows, that the service quality at library of Siauliai University is in high level and sustaining client opinion the improvement parts are conected with library funds and service personnel communication.

Bakalauro baigiamajame darbe nagrinėjama paslaugų kokybė ir jos vertinimas, analizuojama paslaugų samprata, paslaugų kokybės esmė, išanalizuoti įvairių Lietuvos ir užsienio autorių mokslinėje literatūroje pateikiami paslaugų kokybės modeliai bei ikimokyklinių ugdymo įstaigų specifika. Darbo tikslas – įvertinti Kuršėnų vaikų lopšelių – darželių teikiamų paslaugų kokybę. Teikiamų paslaugų kokybei įvertinti buvo pasitelktas SERVQUAL paslaugų kokybės tyrimo modelis. Gauti atlikto tyrimo rezultatai parodo, kad tyrime dalyvavusių respondentų nuomone, bendra visų Kuršėnų miesto vaikų lopšelių – darželių teikiamų paslaugų kokybė yra gera. Respondentų nuomonės skiriasi tik vertinant atskiras paslaugų kokybės dimensijas: aukščiausiai vertinamos tikrumo, empatijos bei patikimumo dimensijos. Žemiausiai iš visų lopšelių – darželių teikiamų paslaugų vertinamos reagavimo ir apčiuopiamumo dimensijos. Aukščiausiai visas paslaugų kokybės dimensijas vertina Kuršėnų miesto vaikų lopšelio – darželio „Buratinas“ respondentai, tuo tarpu žemiausiai teikiamų paslaugų kokybę vertina Kuršėnų miesto vaikų lopšelio – darželio „Eglutė“ respondentai. / Undergraduate thesis examines service quality and its evaluation, analyzes service conception, service quality gist, analyzes the quality of service models presented the scientific literature by Lithuanian and foreign authors. The objective of the research is estimates the quality of service in all Kuršėnai early childhood centers. The service was estimated proposed SERVQUAL service quality model. The obtained results showed that survey respondents considered that the overall quality of services of all Kuršėnai early childhood centers is good. The respondent’ s opinion differs only in the assessment of individual service quality dimensions: the service quality certainty, empathy and reliability dimensions were top rated. Whereas response and tangibility dimensions got the lowest evaluation from the respondents in all Kuršėnai early childhood centers. All the service quality dimensions were top rated by respondents in Kuršėnai early childhood center “Buratinas”, while all the service quality dimensions got the lowest evaluation from the respondents in Kuršėnai early childhood center “Eglutė.

<p>Marketing researchers have long relied on customer perceptions of service encounters to represent the "true" underlying quality. Researchers and practitioners in healthcare, on the other hand, have long dismissed customer perceptions as a credible measure of service quality. We built a quality framework designed to address this fundamental question: are customer perceptions of service encounters unique, redundant, or wholly flawed measures of actual service quality?</p><p>We consistently show customer perspectives reflect a measure of service quality that is both unique from, and complimentary to, the competence with which a service is provided. In fact, we found the explanatory power of either single dimension of process care is completely dependent on the state of the other as they relate to service encounter outcomes. This latter finding may require both management and policy makers to rethink how they approach managing and incenting a balanced approach to investments in improving process care dimensions.</p><p>Our research also provides evidence of factors both within, and indirectly outside, the control of management in improving healthcare service quality. In addition, government administrators face a particularly challenging roll in the system; their own policies - whether too punitive or too generous - have the potential to institutionalize lower quality healthcare for the very populations they are most trying to protect.</p> / Dissertation

Neabejotina, jog paslaugų kokybė – pagrindinis aspektas, nulemiantis sveikatingumo centrų išlikimą konkurencingoje aplinkoje. Atsižvelgiant į sveikatingumo centrų paslaugų kokybės kintamumą, vertėtų nuolat ją analizuoti bei įvertinti. Tačiau kalbant apie sveikatingumo centrų kokybę negalima nepaminėti žmogiškųjų išteklių indėlio. Baigiamajame darbe analizuojama sveikatingumo centrų darbuotojų situacija bei vartotojų suvokiama teikiamų paslaugų kokybė. Tyrimo tikslas yra išsiaiškinti Lietuvos sveikatingumo centrų darbuotojų situaciją bei jos įtaką vartotojų suvokiamai teikiamų paslaugų kokybei. Tyrimo uždaviniai: išanalizuoti paslaugų kokybės valdymą bei darbuotojų valdymo svarbą organizacijoje; išnagrinėti bei palyginti Lietuvos sveikatingumo centrų darbuotojų situaciją su ES šalių situacija; atskleisti ryšį tarp Lietuvos sveikatingumo sektoriaus darbuotojų ir sveikatingumo centrų kokybės vartotojų požiūriu. Metodai: mokslinės literatūros analizė; anketinė apklausa; aprašomoji statistika, palyginamoji analizė. Tyrimas atliktas: 2011 metų kovo - gegužės mėn. Tyrimui pasirinktas apklausos metodas, pasirinktos anketos. Tyrimo generalinė visuma -sveikatingumo centrų darbdaviai bei vartotojai. Imties dydis – I-ojo tyrimo – 12 respondentų, II-ojo – 40 respondentų. Pagrindinės darbo išvados: Nėra konkretaus vieningo paslaugos apibrėžimo, todėl apibendrinant galima teigti, kad paslauga visų pirma yra procesas, kai vyksta vartotojo ir personalo sąveika ir to proceso tikslas yra... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / -.

Darbo objektas: turizmo paslaugų kokybė. Darbo tikslas - įvertinti Druskininkuose teikiamų turizmo paslaugų kokybę, remiantis vartotojų nuomone. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. Apibrėžti paslaugų sampratą ir savybes; 2. Pateikti turizmo paslaugų klasifikaciją; 3. Išanalizuoti paslaugų kokybės esmę ir vertinimo modelius; 4. Nustatyti Druskininkų turizmo paslaugų kokybę ir pateikti išvadas. Pagrindiniai rezultatai, išvados ir pasiūlymai. Turizmo paslauga, kaip ir bet kuri kita paslauga pasižymi šiomis savybėmis kaip heterogeniškumas, neapčiuopiamumas, neatsiejamumas, trumpalaikiškumas. Turizmo paslaugos yra klasifikuojamos į pagrindines, palengvinančias paslaugas ir palaikančias paslaugas. Išskiriamos tokios paslaugų rūšys: kelionių organizavimo paslaugos, turistų informavimo paslaugos, apgyvendinimo paslaugos, sveikatinimo ir sveikatingumo paslaugos, vežimo, maitinimo, pramogų, konferencijų organizavimo, vandens ir kitos turizmo paslaugos. Turizmo paslaugų įmonės konkuruoja aukšta teikiamų paslaugų kokybe, todėl svarbiausia, kad vartotojas gautų tokias, kokių tikisi ar aukštesnės kokybės turizmo paslaugas. Kokybės vertinimo metodų gausoje palankiausiai vertinama SERVQUAL metodika, kuri parodo vartotojų lauktą ir patirtą paslaugų kokybę. Remiantis lauktos kokybės vertinimo rezultatais galima teigti, kad Druskininkuose teikiamos turizmo paslaugos patrauklios ir kokybiškos vartotojų požiūriu, nes tikimasi gauti aukštos kokybės paslaugas. Remiantis patirtos kokybės vertinimo rezultatais... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Object of the paper: tourism service quality. Aim of the paper – to assess quality of tourism services provided in Druskininkai, based on consumer opinion. Objectives of the paper: 1. To define the concept of services and its characteristics; 2. To introduce the classification of tourism services; 3. To analyse the nature of tourism quality and its evaluation models; 4. To determine the quality of tourism services in Druskininkai and to list the results. General results, conclusions and suggestions. Tourism service, just as any other service, can be characterised by such features as heterogeneity, impalpability, inseparability and transiency. Tourism services can be classified into basic, assistant services and support services. The following types of services can be distinguished: travel organising services, tourist information services, tourist accommodation services, health and wellness services, transportation, catering, entertainment, conference organising, water and other tourism services. Tourism service companies compete by providing high quality services, therefore, it is imperative to deliver such services, which would meet or exceed consumer expectations. Among myriad quality assessment methods, the SERVQUAL method is highly regarded as it reflects consumer anticipated and experienced service quality. Based on the results of anticipated quality assessment, it is safe to claim that tourism services provided in Druskininkai are attractive and of high quality... [to full text]

The following have been rectified in response to previous evaluation by examiner Olof Bruninge. -We have solely chosen qualitative methods in data collection and analysis by making use of data gathered from focus group workshop. The findings have been coded and analysed descriptively. -We have reformulated research questions and replaced the hypothesis with open questions. Allowing us to explore the participants’ behaviour rather than testing hypothesis. -All quantitative measures have been replaced with qualitative analysis and descriptions. -We have provided tables with results from focus group findings to increase transparency in our data

The goal of this research was to explore what the value drivers are in SAP Enterprise Mobility. On the basis of existing literature a model was created that predicts customer value in this particular industry. Furthermore, with this research it was tried to find out whether there is a connection between large firms and investment plans in enterprise mobility, as well as for what purpose companies want to invest in enterprise mobility. Because it is most interesting what brings value to decision makers regarding investing in SAP Enterprise Mobility, the target population consisted of IT decision makers. They were asked to complete a questionnaire which measures their attitude towards product quality, service quality, relationship quality, the fairness of the product price, the fairness of the service price, and the customer value in SAP Enterprise Mobility as a whole. During an intensive month of data collection 32 IT decision makers cooperated to execute this research.  The data suggests that quality of SAP products, such as the mobile applications and the mobile platform, is a value driver, as well as a fair price for consultancy services. Interestingly, despite the theoretical background the data does not indicate that the price of SAP products, the quality of the service that the consultancy provider delivers, and the quality of the relationship with the consultancy provider are significant value drivers. The data does confirm that large companies (with more than 1000 ERP users) have a stronger tendency to invest in enterprise mobility in 2014 than smaller companies. Moreover, there is a lot of variety in the purposes for investing in SAP Enterprise Mobility. This implies that SAP Enterprise Mobility is a very versatile concept and is used for many different and individual purposes.

South African short-term insurers are finding it increasingly more difficult to maintain their market value amidst unpredictable and erratic economic conditions. In addition, the short-term insurance industry is faced with two major challenges: the growing number of direct short-term insurers entering the industry, and the significant decline in customer retention rates. Based on the literature review, it was found that these challenges present short-term insurers with a strategic imperative – they need to adopt a CRM approach, incorporating an integrated customer focus aimed at developing long-term relationships with customers. If they want to succeed in this pursuit, short-term insurers need to understand their customers‟ perceptions of the service offering, their existing relationship with the insurer, their levels of satisfaction, and their behavioural intentions towards the insurer. The primary objective of this study was to determine the influence of both direct and indirect short-term insurers‟ service quality and benefits derived from being in a relationship with the insurer, specifically on their customers‟ levels of satisfaction, their loyalty, and positive word- of-mouth intentions. In this vein, the study also sheds light on how short-term insurers can adapt their marketing strategies in order to develop and maintain successful long-term relationships with their customers. The study followed a descriptive research design. Convenience sampling was used to select suitable respondents, and data was collected by means of mall-intercept, person-administered surveys from individuals residing in the Gauteng Province of South Africa and who currently have short-term insurance. A sample size of 891 responses was realised. The results from the study indicate that respondents’perceptions of their insurers’ service quality offering do not differ significantly from their expectations. In other words, respondents seem to be satisfied with their insurers’ services. Results furthermore showed that quality services and additional relational benefits positively influence respondents’ levels of satisfaction with their short-term insurers, which in turn influence their intentions to remain loyal to their insurers or to communicate positively about them. In addition, no significant differences were observed between direct and indirect short-term insurance respondents with regard to service quality, relational benefits, customer satisfaction, or behavioural intention. Based on the results, this study proposes a model that sets out to demonstrate how South African short-term insurers can utilise service quality and relational benefits to realise and improve customer satisfaction, in order to encourage positive behavioural intentions among their customers. It is recommended that, in order to differentiate themselves, short-term insurers (both direct and indirect) should ensure that their service quality offerings are superior to those of their competitors’. Short-term insurers can attain high quality service offerings by paying special attention to their reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. It is also recommended that short-term insurers should attempt to provide the same levels of relational benefits to all of their customers, independent of demographic differences, as a way to improve the overall morale and satisfaction of their customers. Since no significant differences were found in terms of different groups of respondents, it is further recommended that short-term insurers should differentiate themselves by customising their target market(s), through focusing their service and relational offerings on specific demographic, geographic, and psychographic segments. Finally, it is recommended that short-term insurers should use the model developed in this study with a view to improve the overall effectiveness of their CRM efforts. Recommendations for future research include extending this study to other South African provinces, in order to determine whether differences exist between respondents from different geographic locations. Future research can include representative numbers of respondents from each individual short-term insurer with a view to attain more accurate and representative information regarding specific insurers. A similar study can also be conducted among long-term insurers in order to determine whether the insurance industry in its entirety can benefit from the findings from this study. Finally, future research can test the CRM model presented in this study in the context of other service industries to determine its relevance and applicability. / Thesis (PhD (Marketing management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

South African higher education institutions are facing increasing competition from both local and global competitors. This increasing competitive pressure has forced them to become aware of the importance of building and sustaining a suitable competitive advantage. Adding to this, South Africa’s economy, together with the world economies, has witnessed changing circumstances in relation to consumers’ needs, tastes and preferences. In this light, service quality has been recognised as a means to meet these challenges. As service industries play an important role in many economies around the world, the significance of providing an adequate level of service quality has emerged. Higher education institutions too are now being called upon to account for the quality of the services they provide. As service quality is a key strategic issue and a pervasive strategic force, the methods deployed in measuring service quality is of concern. Traditionally, higher education institutions used measures to account for the academic standards they provide, together with accreditation and performance indicators of teaching and research. However, from the viewpoint of their primary consumers, higher education institutions need to put measures in place to account for their students’ perceptions of service quality as well. Higher education institutions need to concentrate their attention on what the students feel is important in delivering the service. In measuring service quality from the perspective of the students, higher education institutions will be able to improve their service delivery processes, which will help to create consumer loyalty and, in the long-term, build a competitive advantage. The primary objective of this study was to provide a comparative view on the undergraduate students’ perceptions of the service quality delivered by two South African higher education institutions. The study comprised a literature review and an empirical study, and a descriptive research design was employed. The literature review focused on service quality. The literature review did not focus specifically on examining service quality from higher education institutions perspective but rather looked at service quality from the perspective of general service industries. In addition, in order to shape the literature on service quality, an introduction to services and services marketing was provided. Within the empirical portion of this study, quantitative research was applied using the survey method. Two South African higher education institutions formed the two sample groups in this study. A self-administered questionnaire was administered on the relevant first-, second- and third- year business and marketing management students of each sample’s respective faculties. The findings obtained from the main survey questionnaire are discussed in order to provide insights as to how students’ evaluate the service delivery of higher education institutions. Given the limitations and scope of the study, a balanced view of the two sample groups is provided in that the sample groups were split representatively. The recommendations provided in this study provide guidelines regarding the possible ways in which higher education institutions can market themselves in order to build a sustainable competitive advantage. / MCom, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

The lack of service delivery by South African municipalities has received much attention in recent years. In South Africa, service quality within local government is perceived as being generally poor. According to the South African Constitution, the mandate of a municipality is to ensure service deliveries through satisfying citizens‟ basic needs. Therefore, an understanding of customers‟ expectations and perceptions is vital for any service organisation’s success. The research undertaken in this study was deemed necessary, given that service delivery by South African municipalities is widely considered to be lacking in various areas. The research was conducted against the backdrop of the White Paper on Local Government that calls for the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner. The primary objective of the study was to provide a view on the community’s expectations and perceptions of the service quality delivery by the Emfuleni Local Municipality in order to identify any potential service quality gaps. The study follows a descriptive research design approach. The literature review comprised published research relating to service quality and service quality models. The literature review provides information on service quality from the perspective of general service industries, as well as an overview of the current South African local spheres of government. The outcomes of the literature review served to provide the theoretical framework for the empirical study. A questionnaire survey was utilised to gather the required data for the empirical portion of this study. Residents of the Emfuleni Local Municipality formed the sampling frame of this study. The questionnaire included the SERVQUAL measuring scale. Self-administered questionnaires using the mall-intercept survey method were employed as the data collection method. In accordance with the delineated scope of the study, this study was confined to the Vereeniging and Vanderbijlpark pay points of the Emfuleni Local Municipality. The study is cross-sectional in nature (data were collected in December 2010) and, as such, the results are representative of that point in time. The findings indicate that customers of the Emfuleni Local Municipality have negative perceptions of the quality of services delivered by the municipality. A statistical and practical significant difference was computed between expectations and perceptions on all of the service quality dimensions concerning service-quality delivery by the Emfuleni Local Municipality, thereby indicating service quality gaps that need to be addressed. The recommendations provided in this study focus on suggesting possible ways in which municipalities in South Africa in general, and in the Emfuleni Local Municipality in particular, may improve their service-quality delivery in order to decrease the gaps between expectations and perceptions, and doing so, increase customer satisfaction. Recommendations for closing these gaps include increasing marketing research, upgrading and maintaining the physical facilities, improving collaboration, co-ordination and co-operation between departments, keeping up-dated records, improving communication programmes, and implementing management and leadership training for management team. In addition, it is recommended that municipalities recruit qualified personnel who are willing to help, and that they engage in on-going staff training and motivation initiatives. / MCom, Business Management, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012