...Introduction 2 Theoretical background 3 Service quality 3 Service Quality Evaluation Models 4 1. SERVQUAL Model 4 Description of the company 5 Starbucks 5 Importance of Marketing Research for Service Quality 5 Research objectives 5 Methodology 6 Questionnaire 6 Questionnaire description 6 Interview 8 Appendices 9 Appendix 1 (Questionnaire) 9 Appendix 2 10 (Interview map) 10 References 11 Introduction Recently the new trend that is developing is narrowed towards offering to the customer good service despite the good product. Having high service quality is accepted as one strong competitive advantage that is difficultly built but it brings high success for the company if managed properly. Service quality is following the perceptions of the customer of what he/she thinks that quality of service is about and meeting exactly their expectation. Theoretical background Service quality Defining service quality may mainly be based on assumptions because of the intangible nature that services have. Moreover, different circumstances might shape the definition of service quality differently. (Brown, 1999) Despite the intangibility that describes the services, the second very important element when giving theory based on service quality is that services are heterogeneous. Presenting them varies from producer to producer or from client to client. Finally, the last characteristic describing the services is the inseparability of the production and...
Words: 1797 - Pages: 8
...MZUMBE UNIVERSITY (CHUO KIKUU MZUMBE) GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THESIS OR DISSERTATION Prepared by: The Directorate of Research, Publications, and Postgraduate Studies P.O. Box 63 Mzumbe Morogoro, Tanzania Tel: +255 (0) 23 2604380/1/3/4 Fax: +255 (0) 23 2604382 E-mail: mu@mzumbe.ac.tz Website: www.mzumbe.ac.tz TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION ONE INTRODUCTION .. .. .. .. .. .. 1.1 Preamble .. .. .. .. .. 1.2 Thesis versus dissertation .. .. .. 1.3 Objectives of the thesis or dissertation option 1.4 Non-thesis /Non- dissertation option. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 1 1 1 1 SECTION TWO FONTS, MARGINS, SPACING, PARAGRAPHS, PAGINATIONS, ETC. 2.1 Typing and spacing .. .. .. .. .. .. 2.2 Dissertation/ Thesis title and its chapters.. .. .. .. 2.3 Fonts .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2.4 Paragraphs .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2.5 Language .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2.6 Treatment of abbreviations .. .. .. .. .. 2.7 Quotations .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2.8 Pagination .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2.9 Margins .. .. .. .. .. .. 2.10 Capitalisation and bolding of words .. .. .. .. 2.11 Tables and their numbering .. .. .. .. .. 2.12 Figures, diagrams, graphs, charts, illustrations, and photographs SECTION THREE THESIS/DISSERTATION OUTLINE 3.1 Sequencing the major parts .. 3.2 Details of the preliminary items 3.3 Headings .. .. .. 3.4 Length of the thesis/dissertation 3.5 Final submission .. .. SECTION FOUR DOCUMENTATION 4.1 Documentation styles .. .. 4.2 APA style for in-text citations 4.3 APA style for references...
Words: 5957 - Pages: 24
...bite. With the hectic lifestyle nowadays, it is no surprise that more people tend to eating-out in fast food restaurants. Thus, fast food restaurants are competing among each other, advertising their brands in order to attract customers. As the customers now have a huge range of fast food patterns and restaurants to choose, local fast food restaurants have to be sensitive in current demand and be innovative to ensure they meet their customer satisfaction. This research will focus only on service quality as a factor influencing customer’s satisfactions. The aim is to do an investigation about the service quality and customer satisfaction at A&W restaurant, Seksyen 7, Shah Alam. Using 5 SERVQUAL instruments, questionnaires will be designed and distributed to respondents. The findings will create awareness of service quality and customer satisfaction, thus help to develop future marketing strategy. 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Fast Food Industry The fast food industry is also known as Quick Service Restaurants (QSR). As its name suggests, fast food is any food that can be prepared and served within a short span of time. That being said, the concept encompasses all those restaurants and stores which sell or serve preheated or precooked food items to its customers (www.buzzle.com/articles/fast-food-industry.html) According to Bender and Bender (2001), fast food is a general term used for a limited menu of foods that lend themselves to production line techniques and that are typically...
Words: 6240 - Pages: 25
...d SERVQUAL and Model of Service Quality Gaps: A Framework for Determining and Prioritizing Critical Factors in Delivering Quality Services Dr. Arash Shahin Department of Management, University of Isfahan, Iran E-Mail: arashshahin@hotmail.com Abstract Service firms like other organizations are realizing the significance of customer-centered philosophies and are turning to quality management approaches to help managing their businesses. This paper has started with the concept of service quality and has demonstrated the model of service quality gaps. SERVQUAL as an effective approach has been studied and its role in the analysis of the difference between customer expectations and perceptions has been highlighted with support of an example. Outcomes of the study outline the fact that although SERQUAL could close one of the important service quality gaps associated with external customer services, it could be extended to close other major gaps and therefore, it could be developed in order to be applied for internal customers, i.e. employees and service providers. Key words: Service, Quality, Gaps, SERVQUAL, Customer, Expectations, Perceptions Introduction Managers in the service sector are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that their services are customer-focused and that continuous performance improvement is being delivered. Given the financial and resource constraints under which service organisations must manage it is essential that customer expectations are properly...
Words: 4490 - Pages: 18
...Strategic Service Marketing Reflective Journal Nicolae Focsa B00053177 Department of Business School of Business & Humanities Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown Dublin 15. Word Count 13582 Words General Business –BN101 Strategic Service Marketing 16th December 2014 Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction 1 2.0 Week 1 1 3.0 Week 2 1 3.1 1 4.0 Week 3 1 4.1 1 4.2 1 4.3 1 4.4 1 4.5 1 4.6 1 5.0 Week 4 2 5.1 Week 5 and Week 6 2 18.0 Conclusion 2 Bibliography 3 Appendices 1 Introduction In this reflective journal I am required to reflect on strategic service marketing. I am reflecting on 3 dimensions lecture reflection from material that I study in lecture class, employee reflection myself as an employee in service industry how can I reflect on this matter and consumer reflection myself as consumer of services. Week 1 16 of September 2014 In this lecture im going to reflect on some quotations about service Strategic services without process is little more than wish list- Robert Filek. I understand this that services cannot exist without the practice. In order to do services an organisation need to put in process A satisfied customer is the best business of strategy of all- Michael leboeuf Customer need to be satisfied after receiving a service. A customer satisfied...
Words: 13662 - Pages: 55
...Abstract The Study of Customer Loyalty Factors in the Mobile Telecommunications Industry in China This article is a study of Chinese telecommunications service customer loyalty factors and the impact of the internal mechanism. The industry empirical study reveals the communications services industry, the impact factors of customer loyalty, and the interaction between these factors mechanism. With the increasingly fierce market competition and increase costs for customers, cultivate and maintain long-term customer loyalty is a business enterprise can be an important factor. On the one hand, enterprises have to get a good income, in addition to the core technology and improving product quality, but customer satisfaction, service quality and Enterprise Image will to some extent affect on customer loyalty, loyal customers are the main profit source. On the other hand, when supply exceeds demand in the market environment, the cost to acquire new customers than to maintain existing customer costs, but the profit contribution of new customers is far less than the original customer. Finally, the loyalty of customers through word of mouth to bring new business customers. Therefore, the development of customer loyalty strategies, research customer needs and maintain long-term two-way interaction with the customer relationship business and academia has been the focus of attention. Customer loyalty in the communications industry, more and more attention, is the communications business...
Words: 11465 - Pages: 46
...A Conceptual Model of Service Quality and Its Implications for Future Research Author(s): A. Parasuraman, Valarie A. Zeithaml and Leonard L. Berry Source: Journal of Marketing, Vol. 49, No. 4 (Autumn, 1985), pp. 41-50 Published by: American Marketing Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1251430 . Accessed: 07/11/2014 07:27 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. . American Marketing Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Marketing. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 202.175.6.45 on Fri, 7 Nov 2014 07:27:25 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions A. Parasuraman,Valarie A. Zeithaml, & Leonard L. Berry A Model of Service Conceptual Its Quality and Implications for Future Research The attainment of quality in products and services has become a pivotal concern of the 1980s. While quality in tangible goods has been described and measured by marketers, quality in services is largely undefined and unresearched...
Words: 6638 - Pages: 27
...Telecom Malaysia and A.K. Khan and Company Ltd of Bangladesh. It has started its commercial operation in Dhaka as a Global system for mobile communication (GSM) 900 cellular operators on 15th November 1997. Moreover, Aktel has commenced its operation in Chittagong on March 26, 1998. Aktel is the market follower in telecommunication service in Bangladesh having more than 1 million subscribers and is controlling approximately 23% of the market share. According to Islam, Khan, and Rahman (2002), the market share of Aktel is now decreasing at a great extent as the customer loyalty level is decreasing. As the socioeconomic status of the country does not provide further possibilities to enhance the growth of the industry, as a market follower, Aktel should strive to retain its existing subscribers and penetrate other operator’s subscriber. Therefore, there is an emergence of studying the related facets of the customer loyalty in the context of Bangladesh GSM telecommunication system for Aktel to retain and increase its market share. Hence, in the current study, the researchers intend to examine whether there are relationships among service quality, customer satisfaction, trust, and customer loyalty in Aktel in Bangladesh or not. Statement of the problem Customer satisfaction and trust are positively related with customer loyalty (Bruhn & Grund, 2000; Chaudhuri & Holbrook, 2002; Gronholdt, Martensen, & kristensen, 2000; Gerpott, Rams, & Schindler, 2001; Kristensen...
Words: 14146 - Pages: 57
...Service Quality: The Future of the Services Industry “Why is quality such an important issue in the marketing of services? Why is quality more difficult to manage in service industries than it is in the case of physical goods? Use examples to support your answer.” The concept of service quality is a relatively new construct in the marketing discipline which first emerged in the 1980’s when organisations began to consider quality not only in the already established manufacturing sector but in the rapidly evolving service industries sector also. Specifically defined service quality is a subjective experience which results from ‘an evaluation process in which the customer compares their perceptions of service with their expectations’ (McColl-Kennedy 2003). In the late 1990s and early part of the 21st century service organisations began to realise the importance of service quality and strived to narrow the gap between the customers perceptions of service and their expectations in order to deliver a quality service that linked to customer satisfaction, retention and patronage. This relisation that service quality was an important source of competitive advantage and long-term profitability for service organisation’s advocated the paradigm shift in marketing from a focus on manufacturing quality to incorporate service quality also. Moreover the modern day services firm strives to deliver a quality service on a routine basis, however due to the uncontrollable and unpredictable...
Words: 1626 - Pages: 7
...SERVQUAL and Model of Service Quality Gaps: A Framework for Determining and Prioritizing Critical Factors in Delivering Quality Services Dr. Arash Shahin Department of Management, University of Isfahan, Iran. Abstract Service firms like other organizations are realizing the significance of customer-centered philosophies and are turning to quality management approaches to help managing their businesses. This paper has started with the concept of service quality and has demonstrated the model of service quality gaps. SERVQUAL as an effective approach has been studied and its role in the analysis of the difference between customer expectations and perceptions has been highlighted with support of an example. Outcomes of the study outline the fact that although SERQUAL could close one of the important service quality gaps associated with external customer services, it could be extended to close other major gaps and therefore, it could be developed in order to be applied for internal customers, i.e. employees and service providers. Key words: Service, Quality, Gaps, SERVQUAL, Customer, Expectations, Perceptions Introduction Managers in the service sector are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that their services are customer-focused and that continuous performance improvement is being delivered. Given the financial and resource constraints under which service organisations must manage it is essential that customer expectations are properly understood and measured and...
Words: 4472 - Pages: 18
...SERVQUAL and Model of Service Quality Gaps: A Framework for Determining and Prioritizing Critical Factors in Delivering Quality Services Dr. Arash Shahin Department of Management, University of Isfahan, Iran E-Mail: arashshahin@hotmail.com Abstract Service firms like other organizations are realizing the significance of customer-centered philosophies and are turning to quality management approaches to help managing their businesses. This paper has started with the concept of service quality and has demonstrated the model of service quality gaps. SERVQUAL as an effective approach has been studied and its role in the analysis of the difference between customer expectations and perceptions has been highlighted with support of an example. Outcomes of the study outline the fact that although SERQUAL could close one of the important service quality gaps associated with external customer services, it could be extended to close other major gaps and therefore, it could be developed in order to be applied for internal customers, i.e. employees and service providers. Key words: Service, Quality, Gaps, SERVQUAL, Customer, Expectations, Perceptions Introduction Managers in the service sector are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that their services are customer-focused and that continuous performance improvement is being delivered. Given the financial and resource constraints under which service organisations must manage it is essential that customer expectations are properly...
Words: 4477 - Pages: 18
...DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING STUDIES AND INTERNATIONAL MARKETING University of Chittagong An assignment of MARKETING RESEARCH Course no: 402 Submitted To: Mr.Sagib Kumar Ghosh Assistant professor Department of Marketing Studies and International Marketing University of Chittagong Date of Submission: 08/03/2015 Submitted by Member’s Name | ID | Farah Salsabil Faria | 10304069 | Md. Mehedi Hasan | 10304100 | Md. Saiful Islam | 10304065 | Sanjida Akter | 10304038 | Rifat Fouzia Rifa | 10304093 | S.M Zia Uddin | 10304017 | Md. Saidur Islam | 10304111 | Md. Ariful Islam | 10304043 | Md. Munsurul Islam | 10304054 | Ruma Chukraborty | 10304027 | Mukta bhattacharjee | 10304086 | Israt Jahan Lipy | 10304101 | Sharmin Akter | 10304116 | Syed Mahamodul Hasan | 10304050 | Acknowledgment With great pleasure we are now in the position to present our assignment. First of all we would like to thank Almighty ALLAH for giving us the strength, spirit & enthusiasm to accomplish this assignment. We express our heartfelt gratitude & thanks to our honorable course instructor Mr. sagib kumar ghosh for inspiring & assigning us with such an interesting as well as educative topic for this assignment. This has been a worthwhile experience as we got to learn many new things regarding measuring customer satisfaction with technological...
Words: 4717 - Pages: 19
...Science and Education Service Quality Management in Hotel Industry: A Conceptual Framework for Food and Beverage Departments Ala`a Nimer AbuKhalifeh1 & Ahmad Puad Mat Som1 1 School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia Correspondence: Ala`a Nimer AbuKhalifeh, School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia. Tel: 60-4-653-3741. E-mail: ana11_hbp046@student.usm.my Received: March 8, 2012 Accepted: May 15, 2012 Online Published: July 16, 2012 doi:10.5539/ijbm.v7n14p135 Abstract URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v7n14p135 Service quality has been an important subject of research involving food and beverage (F&B) departments of hotels. Despite a substantial number of studies on service quality, the reasons why guests revisit a hotel and why a high-quality service from the F&B department is needed have remained unanswered. This paper aims to review existing literature on service quality management in the F&B departments of hotels, its process, and the effective service quality management framework. This paper discusses famous models, and explains Parasuraman’s dimensional framework of service quality management in the area of F&B and its application to the hotel industry. The conceptual paper suggests application of the dimensional model in the F&B department and encourages hotels to improve its management to better satisfy their guests. Keywords: service quality, hotel industry, parasuraman...
Words: 4547 - Pages: 19
...Introduction The customer service is one of important part of marketing. According to Adam Smit “Customer care is the bridge between the manufacturer and the consumers" However, the failures of some companies are not interested in customer service; it leads to the backs of customers with the products or services. In 21st century, service providers and gradually grow to become an industry favourite, promising. The services link between manufacturers and customers, and the impact between these objects. Manufacturers through the provision of services to customers, and receive feedback from them and meet their requirements. Customers through service providers say their desire to manufacturers. On the other hand the customer care is always a necessary requirement in the business of companies. Today, customers want to be treated with courtesy, respect and hear the heartfelt thanks. Therefore, a successful company not only provides good products for customers but also this company need professional customer service system. The report provides the good customer service of John Lewis, it shows the company's efforts to meet the demand of customers. Besides, through this project I wanted to go into quality customer care services of Viettel Telecom like a bad example. This report indicates causes and consequence of poor quality of service Viettel Telecom. From which, I provide a few suggestions and recommendations to the company may improve the quality of their customer services. II. Summary of...
Words: 2227 - Pages: 9
...and practical issue for market researchers and consumer researchers (Meuter et al, 2000). With positive results in most research, the significance of customer satisfaction and customer retention in strategy development for a “market oriented’’ and “customer focused’’ firm cannot be underestimated (Kohli and Jaworski, 1990). Specifically, Levesque and McDougall (1996) stated that customer satisfaction and retention are critical for retail banks, because of their impact on the company’s profit. With this, there is the challenge for banks to deliver a satisfactory quality service. After all, customer satisfaction is inarguably one of the two core concepts that are at the root of the marketing theory and practice (Spreng and Mackoy, 1996). The other one is service quality but it can be said it is not purely intertwined with customer satisfaction as a customer can be satisfied even though the service is not of high quality. But then, customer satisfaction is considered a must for customer retention and loyalty, and undoubtedly helps in realizing economic goals like profitability, market share, return on investment and other corporate target (Reichheld, 1996; Hackl and Westlund, 2000). This paper presents the proposal to investigate customer satisfaction in the banking industry and link it with the profit of the company. As mentioned, this theory is also plays an important role to banks. The study will focus specifically on the Barclays Bank of Kenya. Barclays is a UK based...
Words: 4589 - Pages: 19
