M. Tech. (Tourism and hospitality Management, Faculty of Human Sciences)|cVaal University of Technology / The growth of the tourism industry led to the development of various different types of tourism products. In order to remain competitive it is important that tourism products provide high-quality services for tourists. Tourists are, however, becoming more demanding due to higher education levels, more sophisticated tourists that travel more and are more exposed to various types of experiences. It is therefore important that tourism products satisfy the expectations of the guest to increase loyalty levels as well as return to the product. It is difficult today to exceed the expectations of the guest but high levels of service quality can make a difference in the customer experience and it is thus worthwhile to go the extra mile for guest. Although service quality has been measured in various research studies it has not been measured for the guesthouses in Kimberley and this information can be to the advantage of the tourism products as well as to that of Kimberley as a destination. The main aim of this study was to measure service quality levels of guesthouses in Kimberley based on the SERVQUAL instrument to gain a competitive advantage over similar tourism products and to assist these products in meeting and exceeding guest’s expectations. Questionnaires were distributed at participating guesthouses in Kimberley. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed among guests guest of which 450 were used in the analyses. The questionnaire was divided into four sections, namely socio-demographic information, the expectations of guest, the perceptions of guest and the overall service quality of the guesthouse. The data resulting from the questionnaires was captured and analysed by means of descriptive and exploratory analyses in SPSS. A factor analysis was applied to the 29-attribute scale measuring service expectations and perceptions. The paired-samples t-tests were used to determine the differences in the expectations and the perceptions. The multiple regression analysis was done to determine the aspects best predicting the overall service quality levels in the guesthouses. From the descriptive analyses it was clear that the two main expectations from guests include the following: employees will be willing to serve and that employees will always be available when needed. The highest mean value was obtained for the first aspect mentioned. In terms of the perceptions, the main perceptions of the guest included: employees gave individualised attention, the operating hours of the guesthouse are convenient and the guesthouse provides a safe and secure environment. In the case of perceptions, the aspect that yielded the highest mean was: employees are always available when needed. The paired t-test revealed very few differences in expectations versus perceptions and this indicated that respondents are satisfied with the service levels and that the guesthouses did better than expected. The factor analyses revealed the following five factors: Tangibles, Adequacy, Understanding, Assurance and Convenience. Before visiting the guesthouse it was clear that Assurance made the strongest contribution to overall service quality but after visiting the guesthouse Understanding and Convenience made the strongest contribution to overall service quality; thus indicating what is important to the guests. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge in guesthouse management but also to service quality in accommodation establishments such as guesthouses. Knowing that service levels in the participating guesthouses adhered to the needs of the current guests guest is encouraging, but these establishments need to plan strategically for when these guests guest overnight again and might expect something additional, extra or even different. / National Research Foundation

Business-to-Business (B2B) beskriver relationen mellan två företag där ett företag säljerprodukter eller tjänster till ett annat företag. I dagens konkurrenshårda marknad gäller det för ett företag att ständigt sträva efter att ligga ett steg före för att öka chansen att överleva. Dessutom kan dagens kunder söka och jämföra det de vill ha med bara ett klick på internet vilket leder till att företag förväntas att ständigt förbättra och utveckla sina produkter för att tillfredsställa sina kunder. Syftet med detta arbete är att ta reda på vad kunderna anser är viktigt vid val av leverantör och om miljöaspekten är avgörande för kunden vid val avleverantörer. En litteraturundersökning som kompletterades med en enkätundersökning genomfördes för att få svar på vilka av de fyra aspekter (kvalité, miljö, service, pris) är avgörande vid val av leverantör. Gruppen har använt sig av ett företag inom textil- och konfektionsbranschen som utgångspunkt för vilka företag enkäterna skulle skickas till. Undersökningen baseras främst på företag inom hotellbranschen i områdena Göteborg, Borås, Varberg och Falkenberg. Gruppen har använt sig av enkäter där deltagarna tillfrågades hur avgörande aspekterna kvalité, miljö, pris och service är vid val av leverantör av arbetskläder. Resultatet av litteraturstudien visar att kvalité och service är avgörande vid val av leverantör i ett B2B sammanhang och att pris inte är lika avgörande. Resultatet av enkätundersökning visar att samtliga hotell som deltog i undersökningen anser att det mest avgörande vid val avleverantör är kvalité och näst viktigast är miljö. Service och pris hamnade på en tredjerespektive fjärde plats i rangordning. / Business-to-Business (B2B) describes the relationship between two companies where one company sells products or services to another company. In today's highly competitive market, businesses are forced to continually improve and develop their products in order to satisfy their customers. In addition, today's customers can search and compare what they want just with just one click on the internet, which means that companies are expected to constantly improve and develop their products to survive in the highly competitive market. The purpose of this work is to find out what customers consider important in choosing a supplier and whether the environmental aspect is crucial for the customer in choosing suppliers. A literature study supplemented with a survey was conducted to find answer on which of the four aspects (quality, environment, service, price) is crucial in selecting a supplier. The group has used a company in the textile and clothing industry as the starting point for which companies the questionnaires were to be sent to. The survey is primarily based on companies in the hotel industry in the areas of Gothenburg, Borås, Varberg and Falkenberg. The group has used questionnaires where participants were asked how crucial aspects of quality, environment, price and service are when choosing a supplier of work clothes. The outcome of the literature study shows that quality and service are crucial in choosing a supplier in a B2Bcontext and that price is not as crucial. The results from the survey indicate that all hotels participated in the survey find that the most crucial in choosing a supplier is quality and the second most important is the environment. Service and award ended in a third and fourth place in ranking.

Information system is a crucial topic in today’s business world. Without a proper information system, it is very difficult to compete on the market. The purpose of the study was to analyze the impact an information system has on the users work and how those factors are assessing the users’ readiness to change to e.g. switch from an existing information system to a new more advanced one. The study was based on the DeLone and McLean IS success model and a single case study was conducted with an inductive research approach. The empirical data has been gathered through semi-structured interviews and the findings show that reliability, response time and IT service of the IS system are the factors with the most influence on the user’s perceived readiness to change. Moreover, the users are not ready to change the current information system that is running within the company for a more advanced one. Position, technical skills and top management are all impacting the user’s readiness to change. Organizationscan use these findings to analyze the users’ satisfaction, their behavior and readiness to face the future changes.

Digitaliseringens framfart i banksektorn och dess påverkan på teknologin har medfört att allt fler bankärenden hanteras digitalt via internettjänster. Till följd av digitala banktjänster har en ny dörr öppnats för bedragare. Bedrägerier och ID-kapningar har medfört att bankkunder blir skeptiska gentemot digitala banktjänster eftersom kunder upplever hot mot deras integritet. Denna studies ambition är att studera förtroende, servicekvalitet och teknologisacceptans, som tidigare framhävts som betydande variabler i påverkan på integritetsrisken. Till skillnad från tidigare forskning har denna studie byggt upp en forskningsmodell som bygger på förtroende, servicekvalitet och teknologiacceptans för att undersöka integritetsrisken i samband med digitala banktjänster. Utifrån forskningsmodellen har tre hypoteser utformats för att vidareutveckla kunskapen inom forskningsområdet. En positivistisk forskningsfilosofi och en deduktiv forskningsansats präglar denna studie, där en kvantitativ forskningsansats i form av internetenkäter valdes för att samla in empiriska data. Studiens resultat, baserat på 101 respondenter, påvisar att förtroende och teknologiacceptans har en påverkan på integritetsrisken, dock visar resultatet att servicekvalitet inte har någon påverkan på integritetsrisken. / Rapid development in technology due to digitalization has altered a myriad of people’s lives, as it provides the customers an opportunity to perform banking activities online. As a result of digital transition from traditional banking to online banking, fraud has occurred more frequently. Owing to this, banking customers have become skeptical about online banking and are more aware of its impact on their integrity. The purpose of this study is to examine trust, service quality and technology-acceptance in regard to the perceived integrity risk. Contrary to previous research, this study has constructed a research model built on trust, service quality and technology-acceptance, factors that have been perceived as having an impact on the integrity risk in conjunction with online banking. Utilizing the research model, three hypotheses have been created to further explore the research area. A positivistic research philosophy and a deductive research approach was implemented in this study. Furthermore, a quantitative research method in the form of questionnaires was used to gather and collect empirical data. The results, based on 101 respondents, show that trust and technology-acceptance have an impact on the integrity risk, however it also shows that service quality does not have an impact on the integrity risk.

Background: Due to the deregulation of the European airline industry within the 1980’s, competition between airlines has intensified greatly. The emergence of low-cost carriers has given rise to the competition on price. However, meeting customer demands and delivering high-quality service, beyond the mere price factor, is still crucial for an airline’s survival. Previous literature has focused on the interactive marketing aspect between employees and passengers when it comes to service quality and customer satisfaction. Today, there is a gap between what management does to satisfy its employees. This research will evaluate what should be done by management in order to meet customer expectations and perform an excellent service.   Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine how Germania’s management inhibited its employees in delivering superior service quality and how distributed communication within the Service Marketing Triangle negatively affects the Internal Marketing Model. The study’s empirical findings contribute to existing internal marketing literature and result in an extension of the Internal Marketing Model according to Ahmed and Rafiq (2002).   Method: A qualitative method consisting of semi-structured interviews with four former airline employees and two focus groups of 13 students was applied. This setup gives insight into both the consumer and employee perspective. Additionally, to handle the great amount of data, a thematic analysis was applied.   Conclusion: This study shows how Germania inhibited its employees from performing their work and deliver the service quality that was expected by customers. These inhibitions were mainly found in the tools that the company provided. The shortcomings can be found within the Service Marketing Triangle and an extension of the Internal Marketing Model is concluded from these. The findings and existing theory prove, that employee motivation, job satisfaction and employee empowerment are crucial aspects when it comes to meeting customer expectations and hence, delivering excellent service. The degree of the employees’ empathy, competence, and professionalism determine, whether the customer is satisfied and whether they are loyal to the airline.

The study has been made in association with a facility management company where the service delivery to a specific customer has been studied. The purpose of the study is to map the main factors that makes both the customer, and the employees that work in the delivery process, satisfied in order to get the rating for customer and employee satisfaction up. The purpose of the study is also to map which improvements that can be made to get the rating for customer and employee satisfaction up. The data for the study has been collected through semi- structured interviews with both customers and employees. The results of the study shows that the customer is not satisfied with the current delivery in spite of an increase in satisfaction over the past six month. The employees is currently shown to be satisfied but talks about an increase in satisfaction over time. The results shows that the customers and employees is aware of possible improvements in the delivery process. The report includes theory of customer and employee satisfaction and change- and quality management. Conclusions show that customers seems to be affected by seven different factors in case of their satisfaction where reliability is the most important one. The employees seems to be affected by five different factors in case of their satisfaction, for example fundamental rights and communication. The conclusions also show that there is a gap between the customer's expectations and the offer received and that improvements made by the customers and employees can be of value to the company. / Studien har genomförts på ett Facility Management företag med fokus på affärsenheten för  fastighet. Facility Management, förkortat FM, innebär att företaget bistår med den strategiska ledningen av resurser och tjänster som krävs för att en byggnad eller fastighet ska fungera effektivt. Studien berör servicekvaliteten i en serviceleverans till en specifik kund som äger och förvaltar fastigheter för bland annat utbildning och vård. Anledningen till att studien genomförts är då ett missnöje har konstaterats hos såväl kund som medarbetare i den studerade leveransen utifrån företagets kund- och medarbetarundersökning år 2018. Undersökningen visade störst behov av förbättring inom området Servicekvalité för att öka kund- och medarbetarnöjdheten i leveransen. Syftet med studien blev därför att undersöka vilka huvudsakliga faktorer som ligger till grund för kunders och medarbetares nöjdhet i en serviceleverans samt vilka förändringar som kan göras för att förbättra kund- och medarbetarnöjdheten. Rapporten är en fallstudie som består av kvalitativ primär data. Data samlas in med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer hos det undersökta företaget samt hos företagets kund. Studiens resultat visar att kunden inte är helt nöjd med leveransen, trots en ökad nöjdhet de senaste sex månaderna. Företagets medarbetare visar också ökad nöjdhet över tid och anger att de anser sig själva nöjda med arbetssituationen i nuläget. Resultatet visar att både kund och medarbetare har förslag på hur leveransen kan förbättras för att öka nöjdheten både både för kund och medarbetare utöver de förbättringar som hittills har gjorts i leveransen. Kunden ger förslag både på vad företaget kan erbjuda men även vad de själva kan göra för att uppnå nöjdhet. Medarbetarna ger förslag på åtgärder som skulle förbättra deras vardags samt förbättringar som de anger skulle hjälpa dem att leverera en högre servicekvalitet. Studiens resultat har stöttats av teorier samt tidigare forskning om kund- och medarbetarnöjdhet samt förbättringsarbete, däribland Grönroos modell för tjänstekvalitet, Kano- kundmodell samt Gap-modellen. Studiens slutsatser är att kunders nöjdhet påverkas av sju olika faktorer där kunden värdesätter tillförlitlighet och pålitlighet högst av faktorerna medan faktorn omgivning är den minst viktiga för kunden för att känna nöjdhet. Studien visar även att medarbetares nöjdhet påverkas av fem olika faktorer vilka är: grundläggande rättigheter, kommunikation, uppskattning, sammanhållning samt utveckling. Studiens slutsats är även att servickvaliteten har gap mellan kundens förväntningar och det erhållna erbjudandet där kundens och medarbetarnas konkreta förslag till förbättring kan hjälpa företaget att förbättra både kund- och medarbetarnöjdhet.

The evolution of the airport business is demonstrated by airports that are adopting new business strategies and commercial models, which allow them to be, for example, service providers instead of real-estate managers, with the focus on cost reduction and increasing non-aeronautical (commercial) revenues. Information technology (IT) can be used by airports to achieve their business goals, such as enhancing performance by delivering cost reductions and generating additional revenue streams. Airports operate in an increasingly competitive and dynamic market, with the aim of attracting a larger share of hub traffic from neighbouring airports. Therefore, financial and operational performance will be key elements for airlines when choosing a new airport destination. The research shows that airports are more focused on passenger satisfaction, resulting in airport performance indicators that have the passenger at its operational core and performance targets (e.g. Airport Service Quality passenger satisfaction survey). IT plays an important role in increasing airport performance through the automation of processes such as the deployment of common-use check-in desks and self-service check-in kiosks. Studies of other industries have shown evidence that IT impacts firm performance, but there have been few studies related to the airport industry. Thus, the aim of this research is to assess the relationship between IT and airport performance, and it proposes a conceptual framework to assess the relationship between IT and airport performance by drawing from studies in other industries. Two methodologies were used in this research, the first one was the case study, and the second one was the online survey. The case studies consisted of 16 faceto- face interviews with senior staff representing two airports in Asia, one airport in Australia, and one airport in Europe. The case studies result show that there is a relationship between IT and airport performance ... [cont.].

O setor varejista vem passando por profundas mudanças com o intuito de se adequar a uma realidade cada vez mais competitiva, e os serviços vêm ocupando lugares de destaque por sua contribuição no processo de agregar valores aos consumidores. A satisfação dos consumidores em relação a esses serviços também é fundamental para que os varejistas alcancem suas realizações. Assim, torna-se essencial entender como certos conceitos como a qualidade do serviço e a imagem da loja influenciam na formação da satisfação desses consumidores. Embora existam muitas pesquisas relacionadas a esses conceitos, pouco se tem estudado sobre a relação entre eles. Esses estudos se tornam ainda mais raros quando inseridos no contexto dos serviços automotivos ainda que este represente um setor em desenvolvimento. A importância do setor automotivo e dos relacionamentos entre os conceitos acima mencionados foram estímulos para o objetivo deste trabalho que foi analisar o papel da qualidade do serviço e da imagem da loja na satisfação dos consumidores de serviços automotivos. Para que esse objetivo pudesse ser alcançado, foram realizadas revisões da literatura sobre a qualidade dos serviços, a imagem da loja, a satisfação dos consumidores, o setor automobilístico no Brasil e a relação entre a satisfação dos consumidores, a qualidade dos serviços e a imagem da loja. A pesquisa de campo foi realizada em duas etapas: num primeiro momento, foram coletados dados através da aplicação de questionários enviados por correio eletrônico e também aplicados a estudantes de graduação. Para a confirmação desses dados, realizou-se um grupo focado com consumidores de serviços automotivos. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que, além dos aspectos da qualidade do serviço, os aspectos relacionados à imagem da loja também desempenham um importante papel na formação da satisfação dos consumidores de serviços automotivos. / The retail store has been going through deep changes in order to fit into a reality which is becoming more and more competitive, and the services have been more important to add value to consumers. Consumer satisfaction related to these services is also fundamental for retailers to reach their goals. Therefore, it is essential to understand how certain concepts such as service quality and retail store image influence consumer satisfaction building. Even though there are many researches related to these concepts, there are few studies about their relationship. These studies are even more rare when it comes to the automotive service context, yet it is a developing sector. The importance of the automotive sector and the relationship between the concepts mentioned before led to the objective of this dissertation which is to analyze the service quality role and the retail store image role in the process of consumers satisfaction building related to automotive services. In order to achieve this goal, a literature review about service quality, store retail image, consumer satisfaction, the automotive sector in Brazil, and the relationship among consumer satisfaction, service quality, and retail store image was made. The research was divided in two steps: questionnaires were both sent by E-mail and also answered by undergraduate students. To confirm these data, a focused group of automotive service consumers was formed. The results showed that not only the service quality aspect but also the retail store image aspects have an important role in the process of building consumers satisfaction related to automotive services.

Alors que l'univers bancaire va connaître ces prochaines années, de profonds changements liés à une restructuration de son modèle, il nous semble pertinent de comprendre si le marketing sensoriel peut créer de la valeur ajoutée pour le client et les entreprises dans ce contexte. Le fait de diffuser un parfum et/ou une musique doit néanmoins faire l'objet de certaines recommandations. En effet, un parfum, ou une musique, fortement congruent avec l'image d'une entreprise aura-t'il des effets différents (et plus ou moins forts) qu'un parfum (ou qu'une musique) faiblement congruent avec l'image de l'entreprise, sur la satisfaction et les réponses comportementales des individus ? Cette thèse a pour objectif d'étudier cette thématique. Deux phases de recherches ont été mises en oeuvre. Tout d'abord, une phase qualitative qui a permis de faire ressortir les marqueurs de l'identité de la marque, permettant la création de deux types de parfums (fortement congruent vs. faiblement congruent) et de deux types de musiques (fortement congruente vs. faiblement congruente). La deuxième phase, quantitative a été réalisée in situ. Les résultats montrent qu'une diffusion de parfum faiblement congruent avec l'image de l'entreprise conduit à des réponses plus favorables de l'individu sur la perception des éléments physiques et in fine sur sa satisfaction et ses réponses comportementales. A contrario, une diffusion de musique produit globalement des effets négatifs. / While the bank sector will be the center of huge changes, during next years, due to a restructuration of its model. It seems relevant to understand whether the sensory marketing can create added value for the customer and companies in this context A scent and/or a music diffusion must nevertheless be the object of recommandations. Indeed, will a scent or/a music with high level of congruency with brand image have differents effects(and stronger or lower) than a scent (or a music) with a low level of congruency on the satisfaction and behavioral responses of consumer ? This doctoral research aims to investigate this issue. Two diffents stages have been realised. First of all, a qualitative study allowed to show brand's identity markers allowing the creation of two types of scents (high congruency vs.low congruency) and two types of musics (high congruency vs. low congruency). The second stage, quantitative, has been realised in situ. Results showed that diffusion of a perfume with low congruency with the brand image leads to more favorable responses of physical elements and in fine on the satisfaction and on the behavioral responses. Conversely,a music's diffusion overall leads to negatives effects

This study assesses tourism policy and service quality management in business and conference tourism in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), examining the capacity of KSA to become an international business conference tourism destination. It considers the factors that could favour or hinder the expansion of the conference industry in (KSA), Research was conducted through mixed methods, the fact that qualitative and quantitative designs complement each other - each covering for the weakness of the other including original data drawn from interviews and questionnaires. The target respondents are officials from the Saudi Exhibition and Convention Bureau, which is the government organisation responsible for conferences, drawn from the public sector, and staff and managers of tourism companies drawn from the private sector. Understanding these factors is vital to enable stakeholders to address the opportunities and challenges that may emerge. Substantial analysis of the interviews and questionnaires brings out both important recurring themes and specific detail. The personal views of the participants reflect optimism for the sector's current performance and its prospects in the future. The participants also noted that the continuous increase of the sector's performance in KSA has been secured mostly due to the government's support. It demonstrated that there are several positive factors about KSA that may promote a thriving conference tourism sector. This is contrary to the expectations that global issues such as terrorism, and the negative images they have painted of the Arab world from the Western perspective, which have increased safety concerns for delegates visiting KSA. A further objective was to analyse the quality of service and its effects on business conference tourism in (KSA). This facilitates the rating of the current condition of facilities used in conference tourism, as well as the status of supporting industries such as hospitality. Respondents in this context include external delegates who use these services and can give a first-hand account of their experiences. From these responses, it was established that that a large percentage of external delegates preferred staying in 4- and 5-star hotels. The fact that these hotels were available for these delegates meant that the hospitality industry in KSA is large enough to accommodate conferences and also that the level of customer satisfaction that they offer is relatively high. A further objective was to explore the social and political feasibility of KSA developing as a business conference tourism destination. This objective was addressed using the responses of internal conference delegates to evaluate how the social and political characteristics and perceptions of KSA may influence the future conditions of conference tourism in the country. The data gathered shows that there is a close relationship between social and political factors, and the performance of business and conference tourism in KSA. Several elements of the social and political environment have a bearing, not only tourism but also on other sectors in the country One of these is infrastructure; with appropriate infrastructure, which can only be attained with responsible political planning, the running of many industries will be smooth. This study has established that KSA has the infrastructural capability for hosting international conferences, and its organizational capabilities are good. The themes uncovered have pointed out that the Saudi tradition is significant in the development of Saudi Arabia as a business and conference tourism destination. Culture has been shown to be significant determinant of the sector. It is thus important to consider the cultural attributes that act as obstacles to KSA gaining a position as a business and conference tourism destination, while also noting that the themes have pointed out that several socio-political challenges surround the development of Saudi Arabia as a business and conference tourism destination.