This study tests two competing theories of consumer satisfaction within the context of a high contact service, the disconfirmation of expectations theory and the value-percent disparity theory. In addition, it examined the strength of these theories when a new construct dealing with role performance was added. This service is a librarian-assisted, computerized information retrieval service, for the compilation of bibliographies. The study involved the experimental manipulation of consumer expectations about product-outcome attributes and about role performance attributes as well as actual performance for both types of expectation. The medium selected for the experiment was the observation of the roleplay by three actors involved in the service purchase process. The relative strength of the competing theories was then tested using multiple regression.

D.Com. (Business Management) / In recent academic journals it is clear that the marketing of services is still a popular topic of research. Although not surprising, the bulk of the research centered around aspects such as marketing strategy, service quality and the difference between product and services marketing. The aspect of risk perception, particularly in the buying process of services, has received rather marginal attention from researchers and the interest in the relationship between risk perception and information acquisition has only recently been revived in the work of Murray (1991). A topic still to be resolved in academic research, is the involvement of risk perception in the buying process of industrial services. This study is primarily concerned with the relationship between risk perception and the information acquisition behaviour of buyers of industrial services in contrast to the purchase of consumer services. To make a contribution to the scientific understanding of the marketing of services, six hypotheses were proposed to be tested in an experimental setting. The hypotheses postulated selected behavioural patterns of decision maker in reaction to the independent variable of manipulated risk perception. The experimental design used, was a 2x3 repeated measures design where the independent variable was manipulated with one of five randomly assigned services in each category of a continuum of three different levels of risk perception (High, medium and low risk). The dependent variables constituted measures of source usage, source effectiveness and source confidence. The three dependent measures were operationalised by a 25-item rating scale derived from Andreason (1968) and Murray (1991)...

M.B.A. / Competitiveness is defamed as ensuring that the port and transportation system can meet the requirements of its users. For the port to compete successfully for business in both domestic and international markets, it must have the ability to move people and cargo efficiently, reliably, and at a reasonable cost, without infrastructure impediments or congestion delays. Competitiveness is the key aspect that influences the meaningful participation and survival of the South African port system within the global environment. For exporters and importers, competitiveness translate into a demand for intermodal services that provide speedy and efficient movement of cargo through ports and terminal transfer facilities to land side transportation. It also translates into a demand for ready access to the transportation information that is needed by all players within the maritime environment. There is a strong belief and a sense of urgency among some port stakeholders in South Africa, who maintain that there is not enough spending on construction, operations and maintenance for ports. The following capacity issues will influence the future competitiveness of the port system and infrastructure: • Technological advancements in terms of processes and systems; • Hinterland connections; • Infrastructure usage in and around the ports; • Increasing dredging requirements. Thus, there is a need to improve the productivity, throughput capacity and accessibility to meet the expected growth in international trade. The port authority's tariffs in future should be based on the principles of user pays, cost-based tariffs and adequate return on capital employed. The South African port system should remain financially autonomous and not require subsidization from the State.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / Relationship marketing is still in its infancy as a mainstream marketing concept, although it has established itself as an underlying paradigm in modern services marketing. Its importance is recognised to a growing extent with a call for organisations to move from a short-term transactional approach to a long-term relationship one (Kotler, 1992; Grönroos, 1994). From the interviews, it is clear that the directors support the findings in respect of the literature review that service marketing should be centred on the key concept that quality should form an integrated component of every step of the development and delivery of a service bundle and should be based on long-term customer relationship development. From the literature review, and with specific reference to the seven P’s marketing mix and relationship marketing approach, it can be delineated that service marketing practices are the combination of service-bundle development, pricing, process, promotion, place, people, physical evidence and the management of the relationship with the customer through the various relationship marketing practices. This conceptual framework will enable the Firm to categorise its marketing objectives and also to provide a clear description of how the marketing objectives identified will be achieved within a stated timeframe. Therefore, quality within the conceptual framework of marketing is measured through the perception of the customer primarily during two occurrences. The first is during any contact session between the customer and service provider or with one or more of the service provider’s employees and the second is when the service bundle is utilised. In the first instance referred to above, customer contact sessions provide the service provider with the opportunity to engage the customer by way of an interactive process in a social context, thus enhancing social bonds through relationship marketing. It has been accepted in the marketing industry that the relationship component is firmly underpinned by mutual trust. Where a service provider maintains strong trust relations with their customers, the relationships involved generally culminate both in the retention of the customer and in long-term profitability. The second determinant of service-bundle quality (product quality) requires from the service provider the skill and ability not only to develop a service bundle that meets the quality expectation of the customer, but which further extends to the ability of the service provider to ensure the recruitment of employees with the appropriate interpersonal skills, aptitude and service knowledge and to provide them with continuous training, leadership, coaching, development programmes and communication to ensure that they retain the skills and expertise to develop a professional service-bundle offering that meets the customers’ expectations. Consumers make judgements and deliver perceptions of the service provided based on that which is provided by those employees with whom they interact. Consequently, employees drive service value which, in turn, drives customer satisfaction and loyalty, resulting in increased revenue and profit (Hanna & Newman, 2007). It is, therefore, submitted that relationship marketing and quality control in development of the various service bundles by the professional service provider are essential if the Firm wants to obtain a form of competitive advantage over its competitors.

The thesis concerns quality of service in the context of business advisory services. The economic rationale for improving any quality standard is based on the theory that by creating customer satisfaction and a perception of service quality, an organisation can retain its existing customers and attract new business, thus improving market share. This argument is based on the assumption that by improving the quality of the service delivered to customers, product offerings can be differentiated in such a way as to improve customer value. This is a customer defined approach to quality and assumes that the provider has understood and responded to customer requirements. In order to achieve this it is necessary to understand the particular situational characteristics of this market and the criteria customers use to assess the service they receive. In order to investigate service quality in business advisory services, the public relations industry in Scotland is considered as a specific case. Public relations is a business advisory service concerned with the management of image or reputation. However it is not a homogeneous product and is made up of a number of specific functions that equate to two main product variants. Based on these product variants, the research identifies three main purchaser groups in Scotland. However, although outcome expectations are consistent across purchaser groups, there are different expectations of the process of delivering the service according to the product variant purchased. The research concludes that when purchasers are buying a task level service their perceptions of quality are based upon tangible, measurable service features, whilst purchasers of a managerial product variant are concerned with process factors that lead to developing a relationship of trust. There are also a number of 'bottom-line' expectations, common across purchaser groups, which are essential to a perception of quality. Service quality, in the business advisory service context, is dependant on recognising what constitutes the core product and tailoring the process of delivery to satisfy purchaser expectations. The implications of this research are that an understanding of context is essential when considering service quality, in order that customer expectations and provider delivery combine to achieve added value. Secondly, that product definitions are required in determining the expectations associated with performance quality; and thirdly, that customer segmentation based upon product variant is a viable proposition in business advisory services.

M.Com. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

by Leona Tam Wing Yin. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-122). / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.vi / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vii / Chapter Chapter I: --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 1.0 --- Overview --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Objective --- p.2 / Chapter 1.2 --- The Service Switching Behavior Model --- p.3 / Chapter 1.3 --- The Design --- p.3 / Chapter 1.4 --- Significance of This Study --- p.5 / Chapter 1.5 --- Outline of This Study --- p.5 / Chapter Chapter II: --- REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND MODEL DEVELOPMENT --- p.7 / Chapter 2.0 --- Overview --- p.7 / Chapter 2.1 --- Review of Relevant Studies in Services --- p.7 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Unique Characteristics of Services --- p.7 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Classification of Services --- p.9 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- Measurement of Service Quality --- p.14 / Chapter 2.1.4 --- Review of Past Studies in Service Switching Behavior --- p.16 / Chapter 2.1.5 --- Characteristics of Service Switchers --- p.18 / Chapter 2.2 --- Limitations of Past Studies --- p.18 / Chapter 2.3 --- The Conceptual Model --- p.20 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- The Conceptual Framework --- p.20 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Definition of Constructs --- p.22 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- Causal Relationships among Constructs in the Conceptual Model and Hypotheses --- p.25 / Chapter 2.4 --- Summary --- p.32 / Chapter Chapter III: --- METHODOLOGY --- p.33 / Chapter 3.0 --- Overview --- p.33 / Chapter 3.1 --- Research Methodology --- p.33 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Research Strategies and Three-Horned Dilemma --- p.33 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- The Research Strategy Chosen for This Study --- p.34 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- The Design --- p.35 / Chapter 3.1.4 --- The Sample --- p.36 / Chapter 3.1.5 --- The Data Collection Procedure --- p.37 / Chapter 3.2 --- Operationalization of Constructs --- p.38 / Chapter 3.3 --- Statistical Analysis --- p.43 / Chapter 3.4 --- Research Activities --- p.45 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Pretest for Selection of Services for the Study --- p.45 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Pretest of the Questionnaire --- p.48 / Chapter 3.4.3 --- The Main Study --- p.48 / Chapter 3.5 --- Summary --- p.48 / Chapter Chapter IV: --- ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS --- p.50 / Chapter 4.0 --- Overview --- p.50 / Chapter 4.1 --- Scale Assessment --- p.50 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Unidimensionality of the Constructs --- p.51 / Chapter 4.1.1.1 --- Exploratory Factor Analyses --- p.51 / Chapter 4.1.1.2 --- Confirmatory Factor Analyses --- p.52 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- Reliability --- p.53 / Chapter 4.2 --- Structural Equation Modeling --- p.54 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- The Structural Equation Models for All Three Services Combined --- p.55 / Chapter 4.2.1.1 --- The Full Model for All Three Services Combined --- p.55 / Chapter 4.2.1.2 --- The Modified Model for All Three Services Combined --- p.59 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- The Structural Equation Model for Fastfood Restaurants --- p.61 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- The Structural Equation Model for Hair Salons --- p.61 / Chapter 4.2.4 --- The Structural Equation Model for Banks --- p.62 / Chapter 4.3 --- Discussion --- p.63 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Results of the Service Switching Model for All Three Services Combined --- p.63 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Comparison of Structural Model Results of Overall Model and Individual Models --- p.64 / Chapter 4.4 --- Summary --- p.67 / Chapter Chapter V: --- CONCLUSION --- p.68 / Chapter 5.0 --- Overview --- p.68 / Chapter 5.1 --- Summary of the Research --- p.68 / Chapter 5.2 --- Contributions of the Research --- p.72 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Theoretical Contributions --- p.72 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- Managerial Implications --- p.76 / Chapter 5.3 --- Limitations --- p.82 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Research Design --- p.82 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Sample and Sampling Procedure --- p.83 / Chapter 5.3.3 --- Data Collection Procedure --- p.84 / Chapter 5.3.4 --- Measurement --- p.85 / Chapter 5.4 --- Future Research Direction --- p.85 / Chapter 5.4.1. --- The Use of More Comprehensive Model as the Conceptual Framework --- p.85 / Chapter 5.4.2 --- Testing the Effect of Situational Factors on Service Switching --- p.86 / Chapter 5.4.3 --- Testing the Effect of the Customer's Personal Characteristics --- p.86 / Chapter 5.4.4 --- Using Different Service Classification Schemes to Choose Representative Service Industries to Be Tested in the Conceptual Model --- p.87 / Chapter 5.5 --- Summary --- p.87 / FIGURES: / Figure 1 --- p.89 / Figure 2 --- p.90 / TABLES: / Table 1 --- p.91 / Table 2 --- p.92 / Table 3 --- p.94 / Table 4 --- p.95 / Table 5 --- p.97 / Table 6 --- p.98 / Table 7 --- p.100 / Table 8 --- p.102 / Table 9 --- p.104 / Table 10 --- p.106 / Table 11 --- p.108 / Table 12 --- p.109 / APPENDIX --- p.110 / REFERENCE --- p.115

This thesis developed a normative model for designing advertising communications for entertainers in particular fields. Models in four major areas of advertising communication (segmentation, positioning, strategy and creative decisions) were reviewed and a model was developed that was tailored to the entertainment service industry. Based on each model, hypotheses were developed to posit relationships between easily identified and accessed restaurant characteristics (location, classification, atmosphere style and current entertainment status) and interest in hiring entertainment, entertainment form attractiveness and consumer involvement. These hypotheses postulated that there were differences, based on restaurant groupings by the characteristics, in terms of restaurant managers' interest in hiring magic, perceptions of attractiveness and involvement. The research was conducted in two phases. The first phase was an informal pilot study that determined salient attributes and entertainment services for consideration in positioning; the second phase was the use of a personal interview survey to examine the attitudes of restaurant managers in Southwest Virginia toward entertainment in general, and magic in particular. Magic was selected as a representative entertainment form for testing of the conceptual model. In general, the analysis provided good support for the hypothesized relationships. All hypotheses showed significant results for at least some of their component parts, the primary exception being the belief that restaurant managers differ in their attitudes by the location of their restaurants. Finally, the major findings of the research were used to discuss managerial recommendations for designing an advertising communication for magicians. Limitations and implications for future research were also discussed. / Master of Science

M.Comm. / The objectives of this study are: - to determine the perceptions of the internal client relative to his requirements of the service being delivered, - to determine the specific areas in which there are shortcomings in the delivering of the services, and - to make recommendations for provision of better service. The respondents who participated in the study, are the managers of Telkom in the Witwatersrand area. The technical support services are delivering a support service to Telkom in maintaining the infrastructure of its network (power systems, air conditioning systems and electronic cards) and the production of various products of plastic and steeL The viability of the workshops will depend on delivering a quality service to its clients that meets their minimum requirement of expected performance. Data collection took place by using the SERVQUAL-questionnaire. This questionnaire is based on the five dimensions of service quality that were identified in a study by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1985), namely reliability, reaction, insurance, empathy and tangibles. The managers were required to complete the questionnaire which was sent by E-mail A software program was used to process the results. The results indicated a negative satisfaction index and the conclusion could be drawn that the workshops do not meet expectations of the clients. The satisfaction gap is the difference between the perception of the client of the service that is delivered and the minimum requirements expected of that service. The reliability dimension is rated the worst of the five dimensions, where the respondents felt that the details of the timing of the delivery of the service are insufficient. The tangible dimension is rated the second lowest of the five dimensions. The two most important areas that require attention, agree the premises of the workshops and the documentation which accompanies the delivery of the service.

Thesis(M.B.A.)--University of the Witwatersrand, 1991 / The research investigated the evaluation of common goods and services by white and black consumers, and to determine where similarities and dissimilarities between these two segments existed. A review of the literature on consumer behaviour, with specific reference to decision making models, and a series of in depth interviews enabled the expansion of the Zeithaml (1981) set of constructs by a factor of two. A questionnaire was developed and administered to white and black employees of well known local firms in a variety of industries. Hypothesis testing enabled validation of the expanded set of constructs, and the comparison of white and black evaluative differences, while correspondence ;analysis determined the key evaluative dimensions. Important new dimensions discovered included Convenience, Loyalty and Reception. An invaluable method of clustering was found in the /chi squared trees technique. The results indicated that black consumers are significantly less experienced in the use and evaluation of common services compared to their white counterparts. As a result of this inexperience, a much less sophisticated set of key evaluative constructs are relied upon in the decision process. Both segments appear to be /ciware of generally higher risks associated with services, but are less prone to invest effort in information gathering prior to purchase. The white segment purchases services based on their convenience, whilst the black segment faces equal inconvenience for any purchase. The most significant marketing implications drawn were firstly, the need to appreciate consumer perceptual similarities across, and differences within, goods and services categories. Secondly, marketers need very different strategies for the black segment.