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.

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: 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

Understanding the process of consumers during key purchasing decision points is the margin between success and failure for any business. The cultural differences between the factors that affect consumers in their decision-making process is the motivation of this research. The purpose of this research is to extend the current body of knowledge about decision-making factors by developing and testing a new theoretical model to measure how culture may affect the attitudes and behaviors of consumers in restaurants. This study has its theoretical foundation in the theory of service quality, theory of planned behavior, and rational choice theory. To understand how culture affects the decision-making process and perceived satisfaction, it is necessary to analyze the relationships among the decision factors and attitudes. The findings of this study contribute by building theory and having practical implications for restaurant owners and managers. This study employs a mixed methodology of qualitative and quantitative research. More specifically, the methodologies employed include the development of a framework and testing of that framework via collection of data using semi-structured interviews and a survey instrument. Considering this framework, we test culture as a moderating relationship by using respondents’ birth country, parents’ birth country and ethnic identity. The results of this study conclude, in the restaurant context, culture significantly moderates consumers’ perception of service quality, overall satisfaction, and behavior intention.of OA.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / In recent years, the South African online shopping industry has experienced remarkable growth which has attracted multi-national online stores to operate in the South African market thus creating competitive pressure for domestic online stores. Consequently, this presence of competition from well-resourced and recognisable online store brands it is critical that domestic online stores adopt measures to protect their competitive positions and to pursue competitive advantage. An adoption of a customer-centred approach focused on increasing customer satisfaction is one strategy for online stores to consider. This study had as its primary objective to develop a theoretical model of psychographic influences on customer satisfaction with electronic service quality. The associated objectives were to develop a theoretical model to (i) assess online shopping customers’ perceptions of electronic service quality, (ii) illustrate the effect of electronic service quality on customer satisfaction, (iii) measure the effect of customer satisfaction on customer behavioural intentions, and (iv) determine how customers’ perceptions of electronic service quality differ across different customer psychographic profiles. A quantitative descriptive cross sectional study was conducted to address the research objectives. Data was collected through a questionnaire from a sample of 344 South African online store customers. Statistical descriptive and inferential analyses were performed including mean values, structural equation modelling and analysis of variance. The findings included that, i) customers have negative perceptions of electronic service quality in South African online stores, ii) the constructs of electronic service quality, efficiency and contact, have a significant positive effect on customer satisfaction, iii) customer satisfaction has a significant positive effect on customer behavioural intentions, and iv) a significant difference in the perceptions of electronic service quality was found to exist among customers with different psychological profiles. Based on the study findings it is recommended that South African online stores should improve electronic service quality and apply market segmentation on the basis of customer psychological profiles in order to gain competitive advantage.

La présente thèse interroge la relation entre le lieu et l'individu. Plus particulièrement, elle porte sur l'étude des réactions émotionnelles, cognitives et comportementales du client dans un espace de réhabilitation selon son niveau d'acculturation. Il s'agit des clients issus de deux cultures différentes (syrienne et française) et de leur perception d'un espace de service fortement marqué culturellement (une ancienne maison à cour réhabilitée en restaurant). L'objectif de cette thèse est de démontrer le rôle qu'exerce l'acculturation dans le processus d'influence des éléments de l'environnement physique de service sur les réponses du client. Le modèle conceptuel élaboré met en exergue les liens de causalité entre l'environnement physique perçu, les états émotionnels, la qualité de service perçue et les intentions comportementales. Il mobilise également le concept d'acculturation pour vérifier son rôle dans le processus de perception de l'espace de service. A cette fin, deux études (qualitative et quantitative) ont été menées auprès de clients des restaurants de la vieille ville de Damas en Syrie. Les résultats ont permis de retirer trois enseignements. (1) Les principaux facteurs de l'environnement physique de service perçus par le client sont l'ambiance, le design et les facteurs sociaux ; (2) Le niveau d'acculturation du client modère les effets des éléments de l'espace de service sur l'évaluation de la qualité de l'offre et sur l'intention de fidélité ; (3) La perception de l'environnement physique de service peut être influencée par certaines variables individuelles de nature sociodémographique / This research aims to investigate the relationship that exists between individuals and their surroundings. Specifically, we study cognitive, emotional and behavioral responses of clients to elaborate on the causal relations that exist between perceived physical environment, individuals' emotional states, perceived service quality and behavioral intentions. In addition, we also integrate the concept of acculturation to understand how an individual's richness of exposure to local culture influences his/her perception vis-à-vis the service facility with substantial cultural relevance. To explore these concepts, we study this phenomenon across two different cultures (Syrian and French) for restaurants that are set up at locations holding significant cultural value (i.e. old courtyards rehabilitated as restaurants). Two different studies (qualitative and quantitative) were conducted with the clients of restaurants in the old city of Damascus, Syria. Results lead to three principles findings: (1) Principles factors that influence client's perception of physical characteristics of a service setting are ambiance, design and social factors; (2) The acculturation level of a client moderates the relationships between physical characteristics of an environment and client evaluations of the service and his/her loyalty intentions; and (3) perception of the physical characteristics of a service environment is influenced by certain socio- demographic variables of an individual.

The main objective of this research is to measure the relation between different dimensions, or constructs of service quality with customer satisfaction and brand loyalty; thereby identifying the most important factors of service quality that affect customer satisfaction and brand loyalty, in the context of subscription video on demand (SVOD) services in the Swedish market. This study utilised a mixed methods approach divided into two stages, whereof the first involved multiple focus groups for collecting qualitative data. The second stage consisted of quantitative data collection through online questionnaires from 122 valid respondents, ranging from the age of 18 to 29 by a non- probability sampling method. SPSS was used to analyse the data with three statistical analysis methods: bivariate correlations, for establishing evidence of construct validity; a reliability analysis to test Cronbach alpha for internal consistency; and multiple regression analysis to examine the relationship between independent and dependent variables. The research findings indicate that there is a positive, significant relationship between customer satisfaction and certain constructs of service quality. Also, findings indicate that the statistical relationship between the constructs of service quality and brand loyalty are partially mediated by customer satisfaction. As a result, companies operating in the Swedish SVOD-industry need to focus on improving the significant factors of service quality, as they may increase customer satisfaction of 18 to 29-year-old customers, and further create long-term relationships as a way of gaining competitive advantage.

Nos últimos anos, observa-se um aumento na quantidade de serviços de atividades físicas oferecidos a população por iniciativas publicas e privadas. Dessa forma, é necessário que haja uma avaliação constante da qualidade do serviço prestado. Estão disponíveis na literatura instrumentos que tem como objetivo de avaliar a qualidade, no entanto se constatou uma lacuna no que diz respeito a considerar as visões dos três grupos de avaliadores (clientes, instrutores e gestores). Dessa forma, o objetivo dessa pesquisa foi construir um instrumento de avaliação da qualidade de serviços e programas de atividades físicas de maneira que o mesmo pudesse ser respondido por esses 3 grupos a fim de compreender visão dos mesmos acerca da qualidade. Para isso, foi realizada a adaptação semântica do instrumento SQSFp e processo de validação de conteúdo em duas etapas. Na primeita etapa, o conteúdo, em termos da pertinência e da clareza dos itens do instrumento, foi avaliado por painel formado por 6 especialistas. Foram realizados cálculos de porcentagem de concordância e índice de validade de conteúdo (IVC). O instrumento final resultou em 30 itens, distribuídos em 9 dimensões e foi denominado SQFSbr. A segunda etapa, de validação prática, foi a de aplicação à clientes, instrutores e gestores a fim de verificar a clareza e entendimento do mesmo por parte dos respondentes, bem como realizar um levantamento sobre a percepção dos grupos em relação às dimensões da qualidade. Não houve menção de falta de entendimento ou clareza em relação aos itens por parte dos grupos, reafirmando a validade do instrumento SQFSbr. Sugere-se que futuros estudos sejam realizados no sentido da aplicação do instrumento entre clientes, instrutores e gestores de um mesmo programa permitindo uma avaliação comparativa das visões / In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of physical activity services offered to the population by public and private initiatives. Due to this perpetual increase, a constant evaluation of the quality of services remains necessary. There are instruments available in the literature that aim to assess quality, but a gap has been identified in regard to the views of the three groups of evaluators (clients, instructors and managers). Thus, the objective of this research was to construct an instrument to evaluate the quality of services and physical activity programs utilizing the responses of these 3 groups in order to understand their view regarding the quality. For this, a semantic adaptation of the SQSFp instrument and the content validation process were performed in two stages. In the first stage, a panel of 6 specialists evaluated the content, in terms of relevance and clarity of the items of the instrument. Percentage of concordance and content validity index (IVC) calculations were performed. The final instrument resulted in 30 items, distributed in 9 dimensions and was named SQFSbr. The second stage, the practical validation, was applying the instrument to clients, instructors and managers in order to verify the clarity and understanding of the same by the respondents, as well as to carry out a survey about the perception of the groups regarding the dimensions of quality. There was no mention from the evaluators on any lack of understanding or clarity regarding the items by the groups, reaffirming the validity of the SQFSbr instrument. It is suggested that future studies be carried out towards the application of the instrument among clients, instructors and managers all from the same program allowing a comparative evaluation between the visions

As tecnologias de informação e comunicação (TICs) têm transformado a forma como a sociedade e o governo se relacionam, proporcionando uma aproximação entre a administração pública e o cidadão por meio da prestação de serviços públicos eletrônicos, sendo essa relação mediada por TICs conhecida como governo eletrônico. A utilização do governo eletrônico propicia uma série de benefícios para a administração pública, como a eficiência pública, melhora na accountability, controle dos gastos governamentais e oferta de serviços públicos eletrônicos de qualidade que proporcionem a satisfação dos usuários. Nesse contexto, o estudo se propôs a analisar a satisfação dos gestores municipais de saúde e os contadores com o Sistema de Informações sobre Orçamentos Públicos em Saúde (SIOPS) e propor um modelo para avaliação desse sistema de satisfação desses usuários. O SIOPS representa um instrumento de controle e acompanhamento da aplicação mínima constitucional de recursos com ações e serviços públicos de saúde. Inicialmente, analisou-se o site, redes sociais e programa do SIOPS, depois entrevistas com gestores federais e órgãos de controle, visando a elaboração de uma matriz SWOT e, por fim, avaliou-se a satisfação dos gestores municipais de saúde e contadores (alimentadores do sistema) com a utilização do sistema. Para obtenção desse objetivo, elaborou-se um modelo de análise dos serviços públicos ofertados pelo SIOPS e avaliação da satisfação de utilização do mesmo. Os resultados obtidos permitiram concluir que o SIOPS executa os objetivos para o qual ele foi criado, que os gestores municipais e contadores estão satisfeitos com o sistema, sendo a eficiência, confiabilidade, liderança estratégica, inteligência competitiva e gestão da tecnologia os atributos que mais contribuíram para a satisfação dos gestores municipais e a eficiência, qualidade da informação/serviço, suporte ao usuário, confiabilidade e gestão da tecnologia no caso da satisfação dos contadores. / Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have transformed the way society and government relate, providing an approximation between the public administration and citizens through the provision of electronic public services. This relationship mediated by ICTs is known as electronic government. The use of e-government provides a number of benefits for public administration, such as public efficiency, improved accountability, control of government spending, and the provision of good quality electronic public services that provide user satisfaction. In this context, the study to analyze the satisfaction of the municipal health managers and the accountants with the Information System on Public Budgets in Health (SIOPS) in order to propose a model for the evaluation of this system and the satisfaction of its users. The SIOPS represents an instrument for controlling and monitoring the minimum constitutional application of resources with public health actions and services. Initially, the SIOPS website, social networks and program were analyzed, then federal managers and members of control bodies were interviewed in order to elaborate a SWOT matrix and, finally, the satisfaction of municipal health managers and accountants (system feeders) with the use of the system was evaluated. To achieve this goal, a model of analysis concerning the public services offered by the SIOPS and its satisfaction assessment was elaborated. The results allowed us to conclude that SIOPS accomplishes the objectives for which it was created and that municipal managers and accountants are satisfied with the system. The attributes that contributed the most for the satisfaction of municipal managers were efficiency, reliability, strategic leadership, competitive intelligence and technology management, whereas for the accountants\' satisfaction the main aspects were efficiency, quality of information/service, user support, reliability and technology management.

Syfte och forskningsfrågor: Syftet är att undersöka tjänsteföretags insatser för att skapa servicekvalitet och goda kundrelationer, med hänsyn till de möjlighet som den digitala utvecklingen medför. 1. Vilka insatser står i centrum för det fysiska mötet respektive virtuella kontakterna? 2. Vad har den digitala utvecklingen skapat för möjligheter för företagen till att erbjuda servicekvalitet och värdeskapande? 3. Vilka variationer finns det i företags prestationer mellan olika målgrupper? Metod: En kvalitativ metod med ett växelspel mellan ett induktivt och ett deduktivt tillvägagångssätt har tillämpats. För datainsamlingen har semistrukturerade intervjuer med nio respondenter från banksektorn ägt rum. Slutsats: För att skapa servicekvalitet och goda kundrelationer med hänsyn till de möjligheter som den digitala utvecklingen medfört, har vi funnit att tjänsteföretag bör kombinera det traditionella servicelandskapet och det virtuella servicelandskapet på ett sömlöst sätt. Att behålla relationerna personliga ses även det som viktigt och något segmentering och kundanpassning skapar förutsättningar för. Genom att två välfungerande servicelandskap erbjuds för kunden, skapas en större möjlighet och valfrihet som gör att kunden utför sina ärenden på det sättet som passar dennes behov och önskemål bäst. Genom att tjänsteföretag tillhandahåller kunder digitala lösningar, kan en högre kvalitet i det fysiska mötet skapas. / Purpose and research questions: The purpose is to examine the service companies efforts to create service quality and good customer relations, taking into account the opportunities that digital development entails. 1. What efforts are at the centre of the physical meeting and virtual contacts? 2. What kind of opportunities has the digital development created for companies to offer quality of service and value creation? 3. What variations are there in companies' performance between different target groups? Method: A qualitative method with an interaction between an inductive and a deductive approach has been applied. For data collection, semi-structured interviews with nine respondents from the banking sector have taken place. Conclusion: In order to create service quality and good customer relations regarded to the opportunities the digital development entails, we have found that service companies should combine the traditional service landscape and the virtual service landscape in a seamless kind of way. Keeping the relationships personal is also seen as important and something segmentation and customization create the conditions for. By offering two well-functioning service landscapes, greater opportunity and freedom of choice are created for the customer. When service companies provide customers with digital solutions, a higher quality in the physical meeting can be made possible.