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Quality assurance in higher education: a managerial perspective at a university of technology

Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
Magister Technologiae: Quality
in the Faculty of Engineering
at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology
2008 / Increasing customer demand for quality products and services have virtually
forced organisations to adopt quality in every aspect of their business enterprises.
Due to dynamic technological, political and economic changes in the world of
business, the science of management is volatile. Higher Education Institutions are
service providers and the customers thereof should be the focal point of their
existence, requiring very specific structures to manage service quality within the
various areas of application.
After extensive research on customer complaint behaviours, the value of customer
complaints have been highlighted, as it leads to useful insight into critical aspects
pertaining to service organisations. Some customers 'pre-plan' complaints, and
this act has been labeled as 'faked complaints'. This may lead to the organisation
obtaining an image of service failure, however this is not a true representation of
the organisation, thus impacting adversely on the efficiency of the organisation.
The primary research objectives of this study are the following:
~ To identify key drivers underpinning complaints at the Cape Peninsula
University ofTechnology (CPUT), in terms of service delivery.

~ To determine if management has a strategic focus on the quality of service to
students at CPUT.
~ To demonstrate the impact that management has on the quality of service
delivery.
~ To improve customer service at CPUT by minimizing complaints.
It is anticipated that the research will lead to an improvement in the current state
of service delivery at CPUT. By identifying and providing possible solutions to
customer complaints and addressing problem areas, the research in addition
should lead to improved communication between departments and communication
between CPUT and its customers (students).

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:cput/oai:localhost:20.500.11838/1208
Date January 2008
CreatorsHarris, Maleecka
PublisherCape Peninsula University of Technology
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Rightshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/za/

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