A gap model of purchasing's internal service quality: Concept,case study and internal survey

Traditionally, the monitoring of a purchasing department's performance is primarily focused on cost analysis and the evaluation of suppliers rather than on internal service aspects. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to develop an instrument for the measurement of the internal service quality of purchasing departments. Based on the SERVQUAL and the general gap model of service quality, a specific gap model regarding purchasing's internal service quality was developed. Similar to previous research, both the perceptions of the actual service and the internal customers’ expectations of the service quality were included. In addition, the model contains a self-evaluation by contrasting the views (expectations and perceptions) of the internal customer with those of the purchaser. The application of this instrument in a large company demonstrates the general usefulness of this instrument. Statements of 145 internal customers and 36 purchasers were available for statistical analysis. The results of this analysis can be helpful in detecting weak points and sources of internal customers’ dissatisfaction.     

A fuzzy service quality based approach for performance evaluation of educational units

Educational unites try to make efficient use of resources to achieve higher service qualities. This paper presents a new hybrid fuzzy approach based on service quality for performance evaluation of educational units. The proposed approach includes four stages: firstly, evaluation and gap analysis of students' expectations and perceptions in the service quality of educational units are performed based on fuzzy SERVQUAL questionnaires. In the second stage, the corresponding weights of dimensions and sub-dimensions of SERVQUAL are determined via fuzzy AHP method. In the third stage, the educational units are ranked using fuzzy TOPSIS method with respect to service quality sub-dimensions. Finally, a fuzzy DEA method is applied to determine the efficiency of educational units based on their service quality ratings. The approach is used for performance evaluation of eight higher education institutes in Iran. The proposed approach increased the accuracy of performance evaluation of educational units based on service quality.     

Service quality of travel agents in Turkey

Customer satisfaction is an important measure of service quality in travel agents. Customers’ perceptions about agents seem to have been largely ignored by agent management in developing countries. The assessment of service quality provides an important feedback for agents to assess and improve its service to its customers. The aim of this study is to develop a reliable and valid instrument measure customer satisfaction in travel agents. A questionnaire to measure the service quality of travel agents was used and a total of 217 customers in Turkey were interviewed. Factor analysis was utilized to determine the factor structure. The instrument of the customer satisfaction developed in this study provides insights to the researches who study the improvement of customer satisfaction with service quality of travel agents and decision markers.     

The effects of retail channel integration through the use of information technologies on firm performance

The ability of information technologies (ITs) to integrate activities and offerings across multiple channels offers a promising opportunity for retail firms to enhance their relationship with their customers and firm performance. Consumers value the flexibility to learn about the available offerings, complete their orders and obtain customer service across different channels in a convenient and integrated manner. Therefore, the retail industry has begun to use IT extensively to automate and integrate business processes across their traditional and online channels. This study examines the impacts of the use of IT by retail firms in integrating channel activities for selling to customers. Our research model argues that retail channel integration through IT should enhance the efficiency and innovation of a retail firm. In turn, these improvements should enhance their overall performance. We also propose that the environmental dynamism would moderate the effects of improvements in efficiency and innovation on firm performance. We draw upon recent theories in organizational resource integration and organizational learning to develop our research model and hypotheses. Based on survey data from 125 multichannel retailers in Singapore, we find that retail channel integration through the use of IT allows firms to not only be efficient in delivering the current offerings, but also be innovative in creating future offerings. Further, we find that environmental dynamism does positively moderate the effects of innovation ability on performance. Our results provide managerial insights for firms involved in digital integration not only in the retail sector but also in other service industries. These findings could also serve as a foundation for further research on service operations management for firms with both physical and online operations.     

Public service quality evaluation with SERVQUAL and AHP-TOPSIS: A case of Philippine government agencies

This paper proposes an integrated SERVQUAL model, analytic hierarchy process, and technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (AHP-TOPSIS) method to evaluate service quality among employment-related government agencies. A case study was conducted in the Philippines to establish critical dimensions attributed to the modified SERVQUAL model investigated covering five government agencies. It is found out that responsiveness dimension needs the most improvement in terms of carrying out quality service while promptness of services is considered as the most important sub-dimension. Furthermore, the proposed approach can enable government administrators to lead its efforts and resources in improving service quality to critical dimensions and sub-dimensions.     

Diaries from the front line—Formal supervision and job quality among social care workers during austerity

Focusing on social care workers in public, private and voluntary sectors, this article contributes to research on the impact of austerity on public service human resource management (HRM). The article uses an innovative diary method to highlight the importance of intrinsic elements of job quality such as supervision practice in mitigating degradation in extrinsic elements as austerity dismantles public service HRM. The article also reports that supervision has itself come under pressure due to resource shortages. The results regarding sub‐sector differences have implications for policy‐makers and practitioners in terms of rebuilding the standard employment relationship in social care so that they are more sensitive to differences across private, public and voluntary sectors.     

The impact of online reviews on inbound travellers’ decision making

This paper explores the hotel experience of inbound travellers to five-star boutique hotels of Sri Lanka and ascertains how hotels have satisfied their customers’ expectations through assessment of the positive and negative reviews. A qualitative research method of content analysis incorporating quantitative elements is engaged for this study. Data comes from a survey conducted by the TripAdvisor website. This study reveals that all dimensions of service quality played an equally important role from the perspective of customers. However, consumers are not satisfied due to the presence of perceived quality gaps. It was revealed that to maximise customer satisfaction, boutique hotels need to refer to online reviews to obtain authentic information from their guests. Sri Lanka is making strong efforts to support its tourism industry which got affected by the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings, therefore the findings of this paper will undoubtedly be useful for the trade.     

基于服务科学构建旅游服务质量评价模型的研究

本研究旨在为旅游业提供可靠的服务水平测量工具,帮助旅游管理者找寻服务质量的改进方向,提高服务水平。根据服务科学管理与工程(SSME)的研究方法,界定出旅游服务质量的5个维度,22项指标,在进行了信度、效度检验的基础上建立服务质量评价模型,分析评价了松潘旅游服务质量。     

Examining public service motivation in the voluntary sector: implications for public management

Building on research about the nature of public service motivation (PSM) and its application outside the public sector, the authors provide a qualitative-based examination of PSM’s relevance to voluntary sector employees. In doing so, they explore how far their motivations extend beyond those encompassed within current conceptualizations of PSM and whether PSM research can be enriched through the adoption of qualitative methodologies. The findings suggest that PSM accounts for some, but not all, of the motives of voluntary sector employees and indicate that public sector managers involved in outsourcing public services need to be sensitive to their distinctive features.     

珠海市住宅小区物业管理服务质量调查研究

文章基于SERVQUAL模型建立住宅物业管理服务质量评价指标体系,并依此设计问卷来对珠海市物业管理服务质量进行调查。研究发现,业主总体较满意,但在某些方面还有待提高,并在此基础上提出一些有针对性的提高服务质量的措施与建议。     

以差距模型和价值曲线评价模型分析饭店服务质量——以广州香格里拉大酒店为例

饭店服务质量的优劣决定着饭店的命运,其不仅要依靠硬件设施,还需要一系列完善的软件服务,同时根据消费者的需求和期望来提供个性化服务。文章以广州香格里拉大酒店为例,运用差距分析模型和价值曲线评价模型来分析其服务质量,对比当今饭店服务质量发展中存在的问题,提出关于如何提高饭店服务质量的建议。     

A Measure of Staff Perceptions of Quality-Oriented Organizational Performance: Initial Development and Internal Consistency

The present study originated from a university's effort to develop a Total Quality Management (TQM) system for improving the quality of staff services. This extends TQM into a major service sector, higher education, which has only recently begun to explore TQM applications. Integral to this effort was the development of an instrument for assessing service quality based on staff perceptions. The instrument was based on a core set of dimensions identified as common to the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award, and the psychology and management literatures. Initial support for this instrument came from high reliability coefficients for each of the component scales. Recommendations for further validation efforts and potential practical applications are also discussed.     

Under‐funded and overwhelmed: the voluntary sector as worker representation in Britain's individualised industrial relations system

The majority of British workers are non‐unionised. They face grievances at work alone. For the low paid among them, the main source of advice and support is the voluntary sector, in particular the Citizens Advice Bureaux and Law Centres. This article presents findings from a survey of front‐line employment advisers in Citizens Advice Bureaux and Law Centres that show how under‐funding by government at a time of rising demand from workers has affected the service they are able to provide and the quality of their own working life.     

Customer satisfaction of bicycle sharing: studying perceived service quality with SEM model

ABSTRACT

Bicycle sharing is an emerging business in many cities worldwide and has attracted a large number of users, due to its convenience, environmental friendliness, low cost, and flexibility for short-distance travels. This study evaluates main factors affecting the perceived service quality, satisfaction, and loyalty of bicycle sharing customers. We design measurement variables, conduct a satisfactory survey on customers using OFO bicycle sharing service in Ningbo, China, develop a Service-Satisfaction-Loyalty model using structure equation modeling (SEM), and conduct statistical analysis. The perceived service quality was simplified to three dimensions including: perceived service quality of platform, perceived quality of bicycle entity, and perceived quality of value. The results show that SEM model can account for commonly unobserved variables within satisfaction and loyalty of bicycle-sharing. Perceived services quality of bicycle entity and platform are found to affect customer satisfaction significantly, while perceived quality of value is not a significant factor. This study confirms that satisfaction decisively leads to loyalty of bicycle sharing.     

A case study on the application of Fuzzy QFD in TRIZ for service quality improvement

The improvement of service quality so as to enhance customer satisfaction has been widely mentioned over the past few decades. However, a creative and systematic way of achieving higher customer satisfaction in terms of service quality is rarely discussed. Recently, TRIZ, a Russian acronym which means “Theory of Inventive Problem Solving,” has been proven to be a well-structured and innovative way to solve problems in both technical and non-technical areas. In this study, a systematic model based on the TRIZ methodology is proposed to generate creative solutions for service quality improvement. This is done by examining first the determinants of service quality based on a comprehensive qualitative study in the electronic commerce sector. Then the correlation between the imprecise requirements from customers and the determinants of service quality is analyzed with Fuzzy Quality Function Deployment (QFD) in order to identify the critical determinants relating to customer satisfaction. After which, the corresponding TRIZ engineering parameters can be effectively applied in the TRIZ contradiction matrix to identify the inventive principles. A case study is illustrated to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach in an e-commerce company, and its results are presented to show the applicability of the TRIZ methodology in the e-service sector.     

Assessing the effectiveness of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award model with municipal government

This study examines the applicability of the MBNQA 2002 criteria to the government sector and contributes to the growing body of literature that addresses the need for performance metrics for government organizations. As the MBNQA is being proposed and pilot tested in government organizations, this work provides support for the transference and application of the model to government services in a municipal government.This study demonstrates the first structural model test using Partial Least Square (PLS) of an instrument that was based on a one-to-one item to criteria correspondence. We collected data from a city government and used PLS to analyze the survey data and tested the MBNQA model fit. The findings of this study show that the proposed Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) criteria-based instrument provides a viable set of measures for a municipal government to review and measure their business (organization) processes. These measures can enhance decision making about resource allocations because such measures allow evaluation of processes and a better understanding of the integration among these processes.     

The establishment of a quality management system for the higher education industry

This study is based on the SERVQUAL model and the Plan-Do-Check-Action (P-D-C-A) cycle of TQM to establish a higher education quality management system. In this system, it includes ‘Plan’ and ‘Do’ dimensions to execute ten factors, each dimension complements with each other. The ‘Check’ dimension has four factors and the ‘Action’ dimension has three factors. Each execution factors of the quality management system could reduce the occurrence of five gaps in the SERVQUAL model and facilitate education providers to provide a better service quality. Education providers strengthen an education system by carefully planning and implementation of quality auditing and continuous improvement. The desired result of this study is to possess a more explicit framework for high education industry and provide a proper service for students.     

Using integrated quality assessment for hotel service quality

In the age of growing foreign tourism, providing excellent quality service at hotels is increasingly more important. Service quality and customer satisfaction have gradually been recognized as key factors used to gain competitive advantage and customer retention. Most companies conducted satisfaction surveys of their customers, with a view of using analysed results to identify attributes of potential improvement. However, this kind improvement decisions on the attributes with a lower satisfaction level needs not to be appropriated. Thus, to achieve higher levels of overall satisfaction with the hotel experience, this study combined four simple methods, including Kano’s model, refined Kano’s model, Importance-Satisfaction model, and the Improvement index, to evaluate two types of hotels. The integrated approach of service quality measurement is based on the importance and satisfaction survey of the quality attributes. The survey, with 24 attributes and service items, were administrated to a random sample of 400 customers at one business hotel and one resort hotel in Taiwan. The strategies of these two kinds of hotels were compared and discussed in this study. On the basis of the key quality attributes identified by employing the integrated approach, which are significantly different from those identified on the basis of a simple satisfaction survey, hotels can make appropriate decisions on specific areas for improvement to further enhance the hotel service quality in Taiwan.     

基于顾客导向的物流服务质量评价研究

从客户角度出发,参照SERVQUAL质量评价体系,建立基于顾客导向的物流服务质量评价体系,运用动态模糊综合评价方法对物流服务质量进行综合评价,结果显示动态模糊综合评价方法能够准确地反映出第物流服务失误之所在,并用实例论证了该评价方法的可行性。