The purpose of this research is to investigate into the client perceptions and expectations of quality legal service offered by local service providers i.e. the law firms. The study is to determine how effective Singapore law firms have been providing legal services from the client perspective, and to reconcile the law firms' perception of quality services with that of the consumers of legal services. The first study is targeted at the commercial business corporations, the main end-users and recipients of legal services provided by the law firms. The supplementary study involves obtaining a simple feedback from local law practices in Singapore on the implementation of formal quality service management or client care programmes in the legal organisations covered in the survey. / The research is based on the concepts of quality management theory, theoretical contributions from the service quality and legal service literature. The literature review suggests that consumers make satisfaction evaluations based on service provider's delivery performance. Despite increasing importance of the services sector of the economy, very little independent research has been published regarding the service delivery performance of legal professional services providers within the context of Singapore to determine the satisfaction level as perceived by their corporate clients. / From the literature review five service dimensions are identified that appear to be common to legal service firms: understanding the organisation's needs, technical legal skills, quality of service, overall value for money and general satisfaction. The descriptive study is conducted in a non-contrived environment and consists of three phases, namely, pre-tests, mail questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews with business consumers of the legal services. The wide-spectrum of industries covered in the research includes: professional services (management, IT and HR consultants), manufacturing, communication, transportation, wholesale and retail organizations. The data from the 84 business entities, representing some of the top 1,000 companies and top 500 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), were collected through return mail and online surveys, secondary sources, and semi-structured interviews with the corporate executives who are responsible for the selection and the working relationships with external legal service professionals. The essential aspects of the service quality dynamics explored in the study relate to client expectations and perceptions of the legal services provided. The findings provide application opportunities particularly in the management of quality in legal services, client relationships, and professional practice in business-to-business contexts. / An evaluation model emerged from the extensive literature review, responses from the mail and online surveys, and interviews. It integrates the Eight Stages in the service quality-profit chain. The conceptual framework is dynamic in that it is evolutional, integrative and flexible. The model is subject to influencing factors such as the nature of the service, the nature of the contract as well as the personal characteristics of the professionals and the respondents. Expanding from the existing literature on satisfaction in the service industry, this research offers legal service providers a generic framework to better manage their business relationships and thus preserve their existing clients and possibly attract new ones, which in turn sustain long-term profitability. / Key words: Service Quality; Quality Management; Quality Gaps; Legal Service Delivery; Client Perceptions; Client Expectations; Client Satisfaction; Technical Legal Skills; Client Care; Client Management; Total Quality Management; Quality Service-Profit Chain; Service Encounters; Professional Services; Legal Profession; Legal Marketplace. / Thesis (PhDBusinessandManagement)--University of South Australia, 2004.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/267533 |
| Creators | Oh, Pheng Chiew John. |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | copyright under review |
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