Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Customer services Management : Service industries Marketing : Service industries Management'

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.

This thesis presents the results of two field studies: a preliminary qualitative ethnographic study and an empirical field survey. The research investigated the strategies used by customer-contact workers in service industries when they experience role stress. Four strategies emerged: effort, negotiation, preempting, and avoiding. Negotiation was positively related to role conflict and role ambiguity. Job satisfaction was positively related to effort and negatively related to avoiding. Implications of the findings for service industry managers and researchers are discussed.

This paper focuses on methods for financial institutions to perform precise customer level analysis to anticipate customers' evolving financial needs and maximize the lifetime value of each customer relationship. The paper proposes software packages that analyze customer relationship management from a financial perspective.

This paper is to evaluate the sales program at Arrowhead Credit Union, and make recommendations for enhancing and improving it. This paper provide guidance and direction to assist the Arrowhead Credit Unions transition to a sales focused organization.

Purpose

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate to what extent Rolls Royce in Kristinehamn manages to fulfil their customer needings. By identifying gaps between offerings and needings, the authors will give recommendations on how Rolls Royce can increase their customers' satisfaction by providing them with what they need.

 

Method

A qualitative research is used in the form of in-depth face-to-face- and telephone interviews. Eight such interviews have been conducted in this thesis; three interviews with representatives from Rolls Royce and five interviews with representatives from three of their customers.

 

Findings

Many gaps have been found in the analysis of the empirical study. The most frequently discovered gaps are that; Rolls Royce should have better control over their sub-suppliers and Rolls Royce should agree on higher penalty fees for delay or poor quality. Further gaps have been found in which activities the customer wants to be relieved or enabled of.

 

Recommendations

A figure of customer specific recommendations have been compiled through the findings. From this figure, general recommendations have been discovered that can, to some extent, represent all of Rolls Royce's customers.

 

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Customers procure solutions and services to streamline and improve their business functions. For services to be viable to a customer, it is required that the service provide more value to their business than the actual cost of procuring the service. This report aims to understand what the value is that the customers place in the services they require. From this understanding, a framework is produced that drives value in delivering site-based support services. The framework is built on four objectives that will deliver value to the customer. The objectives of a service are as follows: to be customer focused, to have effective resource management, to be proactive in nature and to be sustainable over the life of the service. The framework also defines a set of processes that conforms to, and drives the stated objectives. Although there are many such frameworks in existence, their focus is general in nature. This report will focus specifically on the delivery of site-based support services for automation solutions in a manufacturing industry. Site-based support services are expensive in nature because the solution provider provides dedicated and knowledge specific resources to customers. For this reason, the value expected by a customer is much higher than other forms of support services. This problem is investigated and a framework is produced through research of established Service Management frameworks.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Kliente bekom oplossings en dienste om hul besigheidsfunksies te stroomlyn en te verbeter. Vir dienste om aantreklik vir 'n klient te wees, word dit vereis dat die voorsiende diens meer waarde tot hul besigheid toevoeg as wat die koste van die diens is. Hierdie verslag mik om te verstaan wat die waarde is wat kliente heg aan die dienste wat hulle vereis. 'n Raamwerk word gebou wat waarde toevoeg in op-perseel gelewerde dienste. Die raamwerk is gegrond op vier doelwitte wat vir kliente waarde lewer. Die doelwitte van 'n diens is om gefokus op die klient te wees, om hulpbronne effektief te kan hanteer, om proaktief van natuur te wees en om ondersteunbaar oor die lewe van die dienste wees. Die raamwerk beskryf 'n stel prosesse wat by diens doelwitte pas en die doelwitte dryf. Alhoewel daar baie ooreenstemmende raamwerke in bestaan is, is die fokus van die bestaande raamwerke algemeen van natuur. Hierdie verslag ondersoek spesifiek die lewering van op-perseel diens ondersteuning vir geoutomatiseerde oplossings in 'n vervaardigings nywerheid. Op-perseel gelewerde ondersteuningsdienste is duur van natuur omdat die diensverskaffer kliente voorsien van toegewyde, kennisryke hulpbronne. Om hierdie rede, vereis die klient meer waarde van op-perseel gelewerde dienste, as van ander diens forums. Deur navorsing van bekende diens besturings raamwerke is 'n nuwe raamwerk gebou wat fokus op die lewering van op-perseel dienste.

This research specifically addresses the issue of construct validity as it applies to past research in the study of services. Existing empirical research efforts examining the services sector have largely produced mixed results and have consistently failed to support a theoretical framework from which a greater understanding of service organizations could be developed. This has been the case in spite of the seemingly correctness and strong theoretical support for existing models. Thus, this study did not undertake an attempt to develop a new model for understanding services, rather, the goal was to extend existing theory through operationalizing a construct valid definition of the service concept.
Ph. D.

Thesis (PhD (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.
Since relationship marketing re-emerged as an approach to marketing, the concept was met with a great deal of interest. This interest resulted in relationship marketing being researched extensively, whilst businesses started to look for ways to build relationships with their clients. Relationships with clients can, however, only be managed if the dimensions contributing to the relationship are adequately identified. From an academic viewpoint, once all the relevant dimensions have been identified, these dimensions can be used to construct a model that can guide the management of long-term marketing relationships. The aim of this study was to identify the dimensions that are important when longterm marketing relationships in business-to-business (B2B) financial services are managed. The study started with a comprehensive review of the marketing literature. The literature review was followed by two empirical studies. The first empirical study was conducted among relationship managers, while the second empirical study focused on both the relationship managers and clients of a leading South African financial services provider. Both the relationship managers as well as the clients were part of the afore-mentioned financial services provider’s B2B domain. Phase 1 of the empirical research (the exploratory study) focused on an assessment of the perceptions of 75 relationship managers in respect of the importance of a number of pre-determined dimensions. A web-based approach was used and a questionnaire was developed according to the requirements of the Analytic Hierarchical Process (AHP) method. Based on the literature review and the results of the exploratory study, a set of 11 dimensions emerged as important for the management of long-term relationships in B2B financial services. The second phase of the empirical research focused on the perceptions of both relationship managers (the relationship manager sample) and B2B clients (the client sample). In the case of the relationship manager sample, a web-based questionnaire was sent to 300 relationship managers, while 400 clients participated in the client study. Relationship manager data were analysed by means of regression analysis whereas the client data were analysed with the aid of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The LISREL 8.80 software program was used to fit both the measurement model and the SEM model. The results of the study confirmed the important roles of especially trust and commitment on a person’s intention to stay in a relationship. Furthermore, the study found that relationship managers and clients appear to view the process of relationship management as an intricate process. Although relationship managers and clients differ on the importance of some of the further dimensions, agreement existed for the importance of especially satisfaction and communication. It was also found that relationship managers appear to over-estimate their performance levels on some of the identified dimensions. The uniqueness of the study lies in the simultaneous consideration of the perceptions of both relationship managers and clients. The most important contribution of the study is the construction of a model through which long-term marketing relationships in the B2B financial services industry can be managed.

If you do not own the latest technology today it is thought that you are left behind in this technology driven age. More businesses use Self- Service channels to accommodate the increasing demands of customers. It has been said that the use of self-service channels can reduce input costs, increase efficiency and improve customer service. Unfortunately, many customers are left unsatisfied because retail banks are moving away from the human interaction when visiting a branch or advise customers to use their self-service channels, sometimes without any assistance. This causes customers to move banks, complain and in so doing reduce profits and customer relationships with their banks.This research’s main objective was to determine the impact of customer relationship management on retail banks that make use of self-service channels. A theoretical overview of self-service channels and customer relationship management was given. Advantages and disadvantages of each option were explored. The researcher wanted to explore the relation between customers using self-service channels and the assistance and protection provided by retail banks. The customer experience questionnaire used in this research asked retail banking customers from the South African population to determine how customers perceive and experience their banks’ self-service channels and customer service. Many questions relating to their needs and wants with regards to banking have been explored. The results show that most customers are satisfied with their banks in general but do feel that the banks can improve their customer service and assistance with regards to using self-service channels like ATM’s, online and telephone banking and E-Wallet. It has concluded that most customers choose their banks based on advertisements and other media, not customer service, product range or word-of-mouth. The general perception is that customers say that their bank charges do justify the customer service received.

The overall purpose of this research was to add to existing theory of quality pertaining to the service provider's perception of quality. Quality in the service industry is difficult to assess because of the intangible, heterogeneous and labor intensive nature of services. In addition, personnel have varying perceptions of delivered quality based on their position within the organizational hierarchy. This study enhanced the Service Quality Model developed by Zeithaml, Berry, and Parasuraman (1988). An additional gap ("gap 6") was hypothesized and investigated. This gap describes the differences in perceived delivered quality by employees at different organizational levels (e.g., managerial, supervisory, and non-management employees) across different market segments. The researcher proposed that "gap 6" has a significant impact on total perceived delivered quality. The survey instrument addressed five dimensions of overall quality: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. The survey was administered to employees from hotels representing three market segments located within the same metropolitan area and managed by the same company. A 3 X 3 factorial design was used with three organizational levels (managers, supervisors, and hourly employees) and three lodging market segments (luxury, business-traveller, and long-term/suite). Data analyses included descriptive statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Tukey's Multiple Comparison Test.

Business Administration
Ph.D.
Extant literature identified the value of innovative firm behavior for organizational success for manufacturers and service providers (Christensen, 1998; Damanpour, 1991; de Brentani, 1993; Easingwood, 1986; Schumpeter, 1939; Senge, 1994). Increasing complexity of consumer markets, information technologies and an economic environment that forces organizations to rethink their business strategies are especially characteristic for service providers, making the development of new services an essential, but also risky task. A series of organizational conditions, such as a formalized new products/service development process, managerial support for innovation and a culture that encourages innovation were identified as critical for the successful development of innovations. Little research, however, has been done to understand the role of partners for the development of new service, and in particular to evaluate which aspects of new service development benefit the most from partner involvement. To understand the link between organizational settings for innovation and inter-organizational relationships in the new service development process, this study incorporates three areas of research: innovation, supply chain management and inter-organizational relationships. This study was framed within tourism destinations, especially destination marketing organizations (DMOs). They are responsible to market and develop a destination and, due to their role as information intermediaries, their need to collaborate with destination businesses to deliver a seamless tourism experience. This study consists of two major phases. First, a national study among the population of American DMOs was conducted to identify the extent of innovation, the drivers of partner integration in new service development as well as their impact on new services. Second, the value of organizational innovation settings on partnership integration was identified. Study results provide insight into the current status of innovation development and partner integration in the new service development process. The results also indicate that the nature of DMOs was changing from pure marketing organizations to management organizations that actively participate in destination development through innovation. In this study innovation was measured by three core elements: orientation towards demand, strategic and corporate fit as well as newness. DMOs do collaborate with partners to develop new tourism products and services. Partner integration was driven by top management support, as well as a strategic and long-term perspective towards partnerships. Furthermore, partner integration was found to have a positive effect on the strategic and corporate fit as well as market orientation. Lastly, DMOs that organize for the development of new services were found to achieve a more positive effect on innovation. This study concluded that organizations strategically need to engage in inter-organizational relationships with the goal to incorporate partners in the new service development process. Furthermore, organizational strategies towards innovation are critical as they enable the organization to achieve better results. Partnerships, thus, are critical for innovation, whereby innovation can be programmed given that it is supported through organizational settings.
Temple University--Theses

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: An investigation of the servicisation phenomenon and its influence on the product life cycle of high technologically manufactured goods. Rising demand for services and ongoing commoditisation of goods has forced businesses to purse alternatives to differentiate themselves in the market place. This has renewed interest to reposition the unit of exchange from a goods dominant to a service dominant perspective. Although applicability of the product life cycle as a marketing tool has often been questioned, it continues to form a fundamental building block of marketing theory. The purpose of this research report was to determine whether the servicisation phenomenon can be utilised as part of corporate strategy to extend the product life cycle of high technological goods. The primary objective was to gain new insight into the interesting and profitable combination of goods and services within the goods manufacturing industry. The main focus was to test whether a service dominant business model can extend the product life cycle. A case study of the product life cycle of the Apple iPod versus Creative’s digital media player value offerings was analysed. The main finding was that the iPod as opposed to Creative’s media player, did show signs of a longer product life cycle in the role of a service delivery vehicle. The service dominant business model has created many alternative revenue streams for Apple.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Ondersoek oor die dienste verskynsel en die invloed daarvan op die produkleefsiklus van hoë tegnologiese goedere. ‘n Toename in die aanvraag na dienste, en voortdurende omskepping van verbruikersartikels in kommoditeite, forseer besighede om na alternatiewe te soek om hulself in die markplek te differensieer. Daar is dus nuwe belang om die eenheid van handel te herdefinieer vanuit ‘n diens perspektief teenoor die tradisionele goedere een. Alhoewel die toepaslikheid van die produkleefsiklus, as ‘n instrument vir bemarkingsbesluitneming, talle keer bevraagteken is, bly dit ‘n hoeksteen van bemarkingsteorie. Die doel van hierdie navorsingsprojek was om te bepaal of die dienste verskynsel gebruik kan word in korporatiewe strategie om die produkleefsiklus te verleng. Die hoof doelwit was om nuwe insig te kry oor hoe ‘n produk en dienste gekombineer kan word om winste van vervaardigers te verbeter. Die hoof fokus was om te toets of ‘n diensgesentreerde besigheidsmodel die produkleefsiklus kan verleng. ‘n Studie van die produkleefsiklus van Apple se iPod is gedoen teenoor dié van Creative se digitale mediaspeler. Daar is bepaal dat die iPod, teenoor Creative se mediaspeler, wel tekens van ‘n langer produkleefsiklus toon, in die rol van ‘n diensleweringsinstrument. Dié diens gesentreerde besigheidsmodel voorsien Apple van vele alternatiewe bronne van inkomste.

The New Zealand hospitality sector has become increasingly competitive in the past decade. The increase in competition has prompted motel management to focus on generating favourable customers’ perceptions of their service as favourable perceptions encourage repeat purchase. Strategically, retaining existing customers and attracting new customers will be critical if motels are going to remain profitable in New Zealand’s competitive accommodation market. There is a conceptual gap in the marketing literature as there has been very limited published research on service quality, value, customer satisfaction or behavioural intentions on the motel industry. This study seeks to fill this conceptual gap in the motel industry by identifying the dimensions of service quality, and empirically examining the interrelationships among the service quality dimensions, service quality, value, customer satisfaction, and behavioural intentions. The findings of this study are based on the analysis of a sample of 349 respondents who stayed at a full service New Zealand motel on Riccarton Road in Christchurch. Of the 600 questionnaires distributed, a total of 349 useable responses were returned resulting in a 58.2% useable response rate. Support was found for use of the primary dimensions: Interaction Quality, Physical Environment Quality, and Outcome Quality as broad dimensions of service quality in a hierarchical factor structure for motels. Ten sub-dimensions of service quality, as perceived by motel customers, were determined using focus group interviews and exploratory factor analysis. These ten sub-dimensions were: (1) Staff Professionalism, (2) Accuracy of Reservation, (3) Tangibles, (4) Cleanliness and Comfort, (5) Noise Level, (5) Parking, (7) Security, (8) Accuracy of Billing, (9) Location, and (10) Pleasant Stay. Support for the hypothesised paths between Service Quality, Value (price), Satisfaction, and Favourable Behavioural Intentions was confirmed. The results of the regression analysis make a contribution to the service marketing theory by providing an empirically based insight into the Service Quality construct in the motel industry. The study also provides a framework for understanding the effects of the three primary dimensions on Service Quality and how Service Quality affects Value (price), Satisfaction, and Favourable Behavioural Intentions. Value (price) was also empirically supported as an important predictor variable that has a moderating effect on the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction.

In the new economy customers are becoming more demanding, therefore organizations should embrace services as excellent opportunities to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Internal marketing is a tool that service organizations can utilize to ensure that they build a sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. Organizations who successfully want to improve and implement internal marketing need to identify employees’ perceptions and expectations on the concepts of services, organizational capital, and communication within the organization. The internal marketing challenge is not an easy one. It is an ongoing process through which organizations have to change operational procedures and convince management and employees to alter their behaviour and beliefs. Organizations which succeed internally will excel externally.
Prof. C.J. Jooste

The contact lens market in the United States is a multi-billion dollar market and data indicates that almost 13% of all Americans wear contact lenses (Beales, 2003:paragraph 3). Beales (2003: paragraph 3) states that there are four major manufacturers of contact lenses (e.g., Johnson & Johnson, Bausch & Lomb, CIBA Vision and Cooper Vision) and their channel of distribution is through eye care practitioners (optometrists). Since contact lens companies offer similar products their differentiating characteristic is their service element, service quality in the contact lens industry is important as Wong (2001: paragraph 3) mentions that the contact lens market is about a $2.8 billion industry, with an annual growth of about 6%. Wong (2001: paragraph 4) further states that there is a large international opportunity for contact lens companies and that penetration into this market is much less overseas than it is in the U.S. It is estimated that about one in 5 vision-corrected Americans are wearing contact lenses, in Japan it is about one in 8, in Europe it is roughly one in 15 and in developing countries it is estimated to be one in 100 (Wong, 2001: paragraph 8). Coo ley (2001 paragraph 3) claims that the eye-care industry offers a significant market opportunity as roughly 60% of the American population (164.2 million people) requires vision correction at present and it is estimated that in the longer term virtually everyone will require some form of vision care. The key in this market would be to provide the appropriate product that creates value and addresses the consumer's needs. Weinstein and Johnson (1999:4) mention that "great" companies do not just satisfy the needs of their customers but instead strive to delight and "wow" them by continually creating business experiences that exceed customer expectations. Hence contact lens companies need to find ways to adequately assess customer service perceptions and expectations in order to be competitive. This research sets out to measure service expectations of optometrists with regards to the service that they receive from contact lens suppliers as well as measure service perceptions of optometrists with regards to Ciba Vision. The study also set out to establish the SERVQUAL gap, which causes unsuccessful service delivery (Gap 5) and examine the dimensions i.e. the tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy which contribute to Gap 5. The study found that on average customers have their high expectations in the responsiveness dimension and their highest perceptions in the assurance dimension. The study also found that gaps resulted in all five of the SERVQUAL dimensions with reliability contributing the most to gap 5.
Thesis (M.B.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
Indianapolis is considered by many a competitive, large population city with incredible resources for business conferences and event tourism. The city’s flagship event, The Indianapolis 500, has paved the way for the city’s success. With initiative, planning, construction, and implementation the city’s tourism prowess has grown over the past three decades. Indianapolis has become host to a plethora of mid-size and large conferences every year, a regular on the host circuit for the NCAA Final Four, host of the annual Big Ten basketball tournament and most recently the host of the 2012 Super Bowl. Indianapolis continuously attempts to bring in more events every year. Not many residents get to see, or are even aware of, the associates busy at work attempting to fill hotel rooms, conference centers and stadiums. The Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) of the city are constantly working and tweaking strategies to increase exposure and get tourists excited about visiting Indianapolis. However, it is difficult to identify what truly separates Indianapolis as a tourist destination from any other competitive, second-tier population, landlocked city. Centrality within the country and the tourism infrastructure may be argued, but a representative from nearly any city in competition with Indianapolis may make a counterpoint to most resources. Instead of running in circles with this argument, this thesis looks to probe into a resource for Indianapolis that could be turned into a strong marketing tool for tourism: its employees. The overall purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of resident contact employees in the food service and lodging industries concerning Indianapolis’ tourism attributes, and their relation to Indianapolis’ destination marketing and managerial strategies.

服務業的重要性在過去的三十年間變得越來越為突出，因為服務幾乎佔據了多數發達經濟體國內生產總值的絶大部分，而傳統上以製造業為主的國家現在也開始在服務行業有突飛猛進的增長。與此同時，服務創新被看作是“下一個重大事件“，但是目前關於創新的研究卻仍集中于製造業的創新，而缺乏對比服務創新和製造業創新並且聚焦于服務創新和新服務開發活動的實證研究。本篇論文致力於消減這樣的不足，以實證的方式通過三個不同的研究探討了若干關於服務創新的研究問題，其資料來源於組織層面686家服務企業及1646家製造企業的資料、專案層面從一個大型多部門的中國服務企業獲得的關於多個新服務開發專案的資料。
研究1從服務主導邏輯和資源基礎觀出發，以實證研究方式探討並比較了顧客導向對於服務創新和製造業創新的不同影響。該研究主要涉及兩個研究問題：1）顧客導向是否正向影響服務創新性和產品創新性，而這樣的影響在服務企業和製造企業中有何不同表現？2）供應商合作和技術能力是否作為仲介變數影響了顧客導向和服務/產品創新性之間的關係，而這種影響是否在服務企業和製造企業中表現的不同？通過對於這兩個問題的實證研究，本文對服務創新對比製造業創新、以及服務主導邏輯方面的文獻和理論做出了貢獻，並且也為製造企業和服務企業的決策者提供了一些管理啟示。
研究2通過分析來自於中國一家大型移動電訊運營商的70個新服務開發專案，借鑒並擴展了現有服務創新研究。該研究首先試圖證實一個現有的關於服務創新的分類法，接著又通過實證研究的結果延伸了該分類法，最後提出了一些關於不同種類服務創新的假設並初步驗證了這些假設。該研究的結果對於服務創新分類有理論貢獻，也對如何在網路環境下管理新服務開發活動有著啟示。
研究3 是建立在研究2基礎上的跟進研究。通過使用多案例研究方法，探討了服務創新如何在大型組織中進行推廣。該研究關注三個問題：1）哪些組織因素影響了服務創新的成功推廣？2）服務創新的種類如何影響其推廣，而不同種類的服務創新又該如何相應地推廣？3）開發和推廣團隊的轉變如何影響服務創新的推廣？本研究從研究2涉及的70個服務創新專案中挑選了10個作為案例，每個均採取了有時間跨度的縱向案例研究。本研究對服務創新推廣相關文獻和理論做出了貢獻，亦為服務企業尤其是具有多個業務部門及分公司的大型服務企業的經理人們提供了管理啟示。
The importance of service sector has grown significantly over the past three decades as services dominate the majority of GDP in most advanced economies and even countries that historically focused on manufacturing are now growing rapidly in services. Meanwhile, service innovation has been regarded as “the next big thing, but the majority of innovation research still focuses on innovation in manufacturing. There is a scarcity of empirical studies to address the differences between service innovation and manufacturing innovation and to focus on service innovation and new service development activities. This thesis is an effort to remedy that deficiency by empirically addressing several major issues about service innovation with three studies, based on organizational-level data collected from 686 service companies and 1646 manufacturing companies and project-level data of new service development projects collected from a large multi-units service company in China.
In Study 1, the impact of customer orientation on service innovation and manufacturing innovation has been empirically investigated and compared through the theoretical lens of service-dominant logic and resource-based view. This study mainly addresses two research questions: 1) Does customer orientation positively relate to both service and product innovativeness and how does this effect differ between service and manufacturing firms? 2) Do supplier collaboration and technological capability mediate the relationship between customer orientation and service/product innovativeness differently in service firms and manufacturing firms? By empirically addressing these two research questions, this study contributes to the literature on service versus manufacturing innovation and service-dominant logic, and provides some managerial implications for decision makers in both manufacturing firms and service firms.
Study 2 builds on and extends extant service innovation research by investigating 70 new service development (NSD) projects of a large mobile telecom firm in China. This study first seeks to validate an existing taxonomy of service innovation, and then seeks to extend the taxonomy, grounded on the empirical research findings. Finally this study develops propositions concerning service innovation types and provides preliminary empirical investigation. Results from the analyses contribute to the literature on the taxonomy of service innovation and provide insightful implications as how to manage the NSD activities in the network environment.
Study 3 is a follow-up study of the second study. This study uses a multiple-cases research design to study the deployment of service innovations in a large organization. Three important research questions are addressed: 1) what are the organizational factors leading to successful deployment of innovations? 2) How does the type of service innovation influence the deployment and how should different types of innovation be deployed accordingly? 3) How does the change of development and/or deployment team influence the deployment of innovations? 10 cases out of the 70 service innovations covered in Study 2 are selected and a longitudinal case-study approach is employed. This study contributes to literature of service innovation deployment and provides managerial implications for managers in service firms, especially those large service firms with multiple units or subsidiaries.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Wang, Qiang.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-128).
Abstract also in Chinese.
ABSTRACT --- p.I
ABSTRACT (CHINESE) --- p.IV
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.VI
TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.VIII
LIST OF FIGURES --- p.XI
LIST OF TABLES --- p.XII
Chapter CHAPTER 1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1
Chapter 1.1 --- The Definition and Characteristics of Service --- p.2
Chapter 1.2 --- Service Innovation and New Service Development --- p.3
Chapter 1.3 --- Structure of the Thesis --- p.4
Chapter CHAPTER 2 --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.7
Chapter 2.1 --- Service Innovation versus Manufacturing Innovation --- p.7
Chapter 2.2 --- The Taxonomy of Service Innovation --- p.10
Chapter 2.3 --- Mainstream Theories Being Used in Service Innovation --- p.15
Chapter 2.3.1 --- Service-dominant logic (SDL) --- p.15
Chapter 2.3.2 --- Resource-based view (RBV) --- p.17
Chapter 2.3.3 --- Dynamic capabilities view (DCV) --- p.18
Chapter 2.3.4 --- Other theories or perspectives --- p.19
Chapter CHAPTER 3 --- THE EFFECTS OF CUSTOMER ORIENTATION ON PRODUCT/SERVICE INNOVATIVENESS AND FIRM PERFORMANCE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MANUFACTURING AND SERVICE FIRMS --- p.24
Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.24
Chapter 3.2 --- Theoretical Background and Literature Review --- p.27
Chapter 3.2.1 --- Service versus manufacturing innovation --- p.27
Chapter 3.2.2 --- Customer orientation --- p.31
Chapter 3.2.3 --- Service-dominant logic --- p.34
Chapter 3.3 --- Research Framework and Hypotheses --- p.35
Chapter 3.3.1 --- The effect of customer orientation on innovation performance --- p.36
Chapter 3.3.2 --- A customer-centric model of firm resources --- p.32
Chapter 3.3.3 --- A comparison of the model in service versus manufacturing firms --- p.42
Chapter 3.4 --- Research Methodology --- p.45
Chapter 3.4.1 --- Measures --- p.45
Chapter 3.4.2 --- Sampling and data collection --- p.49
Chapter 3.4.3 --- Respondent profile --- p.50
Chapter 3.5 --- Analysis and Results --- p.52
Chapter 3.5.1 --- Non-response bias and common method bias --- p.52
Chapter 3.5.2 --- Reliability and validity --- p.53
Chapter 3.5.3 --- Hypotheses testing results --- p.55
Chapter 3.6 --- Discussion and implications --- p.57
Chapter 3.6.1 --- Theoretical implications --- p.57
Chapter 3.6.2 --- Managerial implications --- p.60
Chapter 3.6.3 --- Limitations and avenues for future research --- p.61
Chapter CHAPTER 4 --- A TAXONOMY OF SERVICE INNOVATION BASED ON ANALYSES OF NEW SERVICE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN A MOBILE TELECOM FIRM --- p.63
Chapter 4.1 --- Introduction --- p.63
Chapter 4.2 --- Theoretical Background and Research Propositions --- p.65
Chapter 4.2.1 --- Service innovation and its typology --- p.65
Chapter 4.2.2 --- The relationship between different service innovation types --- p.68
Chapter 4.2.3 --- Service innovation type and collaboration --- p.69
Chapter 4.3 --- Methodology --- p.70
Chapter 4.3.1 --- Research design and level of analysis --- p.70
Chapter 4.3.2 --- Data collection --- p.72
Chapter 4.3.3 --- Data analysis method --- p.74
Chapter 4.4 --- Results --- p.77
Chapter 4.4.1 --- The taxonomy of service innovation --- p.77
Chapter 4.4.2 --- A refined taxonomy of service innovation --- p.79
Chapter 4.4.3 --- External collaborations and duration of projects --- p.81
Chapter 4.5 --- Discussion and Conclusion --- p.83
Chapter 4.6 --- Limitations and Future Research --- p.86
Chapter CHAPTER 5 --- THE DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF SERVICE INNOVATIONS: A LONGITUDINAL CASE STUDY --- p.89
Chapter 5.1 --- Introduction --- p.89
Chapter 5.2 --- The Deployment of Service Innovation --- p.90
Chapter 5.2.1 --- The locus of service innovation --- p.93
Chapter 5.2.2 --- The deployment of different types of service innovation --- p.94
Chapter 5.2.3 --- The organization for deployment --- p.96
Chapter 5.3 --- Research Method --- p.98
Chapter 5.3.1 --- Empirical case research --- p.98
Chapter 5.3.2 --- The deployment of service innovations studied --- p.100
Chapter 5.4 --- Results --- p.102
Chapter 5.4.1 --- An overview of the deployment outcomes --- p.102
Chapter 5.4.2 --- The locus of the service innovations --- p.103
Chapter 5.4.3 --- The three types of service innovation --- p.105
Chapter 5.4.4 --- The organization for the deployments --- p.106
Chapter 5.5 --- Discussion and Conclusion --- p.110
Chapter 5.6 --- Limitations and Future Research --- p.113
Chapter CHAPTER 6 --- CONCLUSION --- p.115
Chapter REFERENCES --- p.118
Chapter APPENDIX A. --- MEASUREMENT ITEMS FOR STUDY 1 --- p.129
Chapter APPENDIX B. --- THE CASE RESEARCH PROTOCOL FOR STUDY 3 --- p.131

M.Comm.
Previously the engine components industry relied on being in the game by competing on product availability, product quality and pricing. The cost of not having customer driven strategic plans created certain drawbacks. These include: the use of crisis management (companies being reactive rather than proactive), diverse directions being taken and redundancy, loss of competitive edge and openness to outside influences. Local component manufacturers have to reduce their dependence on OEM manufacturing alone. This means that they will have to move into the after market, locally and overseas, and export more to foreign OEMs and component producers. Those who do not make the transition will have to diversify or close their doors. The result is that South African engine component companies do not only have to adapt to the reality of pricing pressure of intense competition, but also have to adapt to the increased service expectations of customers on all levels. Service quality can be defined as the extent of discrepancy between customers' expectations and their perceptions (Zeithaml, et al, 1990: 19). The question arises whether engine component companies in the current climate are basing their competitive advantage on a customer-orientated culture with an inner driving force. Service quality is an abstract and elusive concept, because it is intangible, heterogeneous and inseparable from production and consumption. In the process of growing towards customer retention and moving away from the initial concept of just providing customer satisfaction through product availability, product quality, basic service and pricing, superior service quality must be obtained. The measurement of perceived service quality within the engine component industry has not received much attention up till now. This dissertation addresses the problem of measuring the current quality of service (in the engine component industry), and provides guidelines on closing existing gaps. The objectives of the study can be summarised as follows: To assess the service expectations of engine component suppliers' customers. To assess customer perceptions of the performance of the engine component suppliers. To assess which customer - orientated strategies are perceived to be employed by engine component suppliers. To assess how engine component suppliers can narrow or eliminate the customerprovider gaps that exist.

This study has empirically analyzed the significance of emotional satisfaction in the financial service encounters. The specific focus of this study is around finding out if the relationship between emotional satisfaction and the following important concepts exists i.e. service quality, customer loyalty and relationship quality. Furthermore, the study seeks to clarify the role of emotional satisfaction in predicting customer loyalty and relationship quality. The relationship between emotional satisfaction, service quality, customer loyalty, and relationship quality as a context, was utilized, as well as data from a sample survey of 1,261 Inland West First National Retail Bank customers. The aim of this study is to establish using probable sampling technique if there are merits in support of customer experience strategic choice within retail banking sector. A survey approach has considerable ability in generating answers to business questions such as the what? why? and how? through use of questionnaires. Interviews will also be conducted as part of the greater FNB survey. The results showed that service quality is positively associated with emotional satisfaction, which is positively associated with both customer loyalty and relationship quality. In addition, customer's feelings of enjoyment proved a best predictor of customer loyalty, while feelings of happiness served as the best predictor of relationship quality. The findings of the survey imply the need for a FNB to strategically leverage of the key antecedents of customer loyalty and relationship quality in its pursuit of customer retention and long-term profitability
Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2006.

Call Centres employ frontline staff commonly known as service consultants who interact with customers within the service oganisation.In order for organizations to ensure that they derive satisfaction from interactions with frontline employees as part of their main objectives, they make use of a human resource practice widely known as performance appraisals or assessments in order to determine if employees’ performance during their interactions with customers produce organization’s desired outcomes i.e. satisfied customers. Organizations use performance appraisals for multiple purposes chiefly amongst them being developmental and administrative. This study sought to investigate perceptions held by employees towards the purposes or objectives of the system employed in their organization to assess their service interactions with customers, their perceptions of fairness of the system, and how such fairness relates to their satisfaction with the assessment outcomes. A survey approach was used to collect data and the instrument used was a self-administered questionnaire. There were 410 questionnaires distributed via email to employees working within service assurance call centres situated in Bloemfontein, Cape Town and Gauteng. A total of 117 questionnaires were returned by the respondents. Data collected was managed and analysed using the SPSS program. The findings of the study indicated that employees perceive the uses of assessing their service interactions with customers as both developmental and administrative, perceive fair outcomes and procedures used in determining the outcomes, they are satisfied with assessment outcomes, view the system used to assess their interactions as effective and trustworthy. The fairness of outcomes and procedural fairness variables were found to be strongly and positively related to satisfaction with assessment outcomes. Both fairness variables were found to have a unique contribution towards the prediction of the satisfaction with assessment outcomes variable. The main recommendation of the study is that management need to consider increasing fairness in the decisions involving employees’ performance as it has been found that such increase results in a positive increase on the employees’ satisfaction with outcomes generated from the assessment or evaluation of their service interactions with customers.
Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

A survey was undertaken for a contract cleaning company in Durban. In order to preserve the confidentiality of the information contained in this dissertation, a fictitious name, Kleen Co, has been used. The aim of the survey was to find further similarities within the existing segments. At present, the traditional geographic and industry-type bases of segmentation (namely healthcare, hospitality, offices and shopping centres in various regions) are used. Recent literature suggests that similarities can be sought in three areas: 1. expectations of service; 2. perceptions of service; 3. unique benefits of the service. In the survey, clients were asked to rate their expectations and perceptions for six attributes (price of the cleaning service, customer service, quality of cleaning, innovativeness of cleaning methods, assessment of cleaning requirements, and consistency of the cleaning service) . They were also asked to rate the relevance of four reasons for outsourcing (cheaper to outsource, need for specialised cleaning, company policy to outsource, and labour problems). The results indicate that price and innovation can be used as further bases for segmentation for the following segments: • offices and healthcare have the same high expectation for price; healthcare and hospitality have the same high expectation for innovation; • shopping centres and hospitality have the same low expectation for price; • offices and shopping centres have the same low expectation for innovativeness; • healthcare and hospitality have the same high perceptions for price and innovation; • offices and shopping centres have the same low perceptions for price and innovation. For outsourcing are concerned, the following reasons were found: • offices: all reasons are relevant except for price of service. • healthcare: need for specialised cleaning and labour problems are relevant; price of service and company policy are irrelevant; • shopping centres: price of service and company policy are relevant; need for specialised cleaning and labour problems are irrelevant. • hospitals: all reasons are relevant except company policy to outsource. Although the main aim of the survey was to identify new segments, client satisfaction was also measured. Clients were asked whether they had raised a complaint with the company and, if so, how satisfied they were with the outcome. This was done in order to test the loyalty of clients, the hypothesis being that the longer the client had been with Kleen Co, the more satisfied they would be with the outcome of their complaints - and more loyal. However, the data reflect that clients who have been with the company for more than four years are no more satisfied in this regard than clients who have been with the company for shorter periods of time.
Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

Due to the growth of our economy and our rising standards of living, customers of today have a larger variety of products to choose from than in the past. This causes an increase in competition which has raised customer expectations on the quality of goods and services they receive (Palmer, 2001 p26). Along with this, the modern customer has become sophisticated, educated, confident and well informed. Hence, they have raised their expectations of the service they intend on receiving. This has placed enormous pressure on service organization's to improve the way they do business with these customers. This "customer transformation" has placed an increasing emphasis on customer service as a means of gaining a competitive advantage. As a consequence of competition becoming global and more intense, many organizations have come to the realization that they cannot compete on price alone. Hence, the level of customer service has a direct impact on an organization's market share, as it determines not only whether consumers will become customers but also whether existing customers will become loyal ones. If service quality is to become the cornerstone of an organisation's marketing strategy, marketers should have the means to measure it. Although research in this field exists, the researcher proposed the need for further research specifically in the area of customer perceptions toward the quality of service they receive. The issues addressed in this study will be of importance to both service managers and future researchers as a customer's evaluation of service quality and, the resulting level of satisfaction is thought to determine the likelihood of a repurchase and ultimately the success of the business. This dissertation is based on the perceptions of customers of Ola Milky Lane and the level of quality customer service they receive. Looking at the business from the customer's viewpoint will help the researcher investigate how current customers feel about the organization as well as their attitude toward the business. The expectations of these customers together with their levels of satisfaction, which shape their perceptions of the customer service, serve as the foundation on which service quality will be evaluated. Moreover, the research study hopes to assist the participating organisation establish whether gaps in service delivery exist, the reasons for their presence and identify possible solutions which can be implemented to close or prevent those gaps from further widening. This will benefit the organization as it can be used as a tool to understand customer perceptions, which can equip them to gauge the effectiveness and efficiency of their relationship programmes. With this motivation in mind, the research study takes a strategic look at the importance of customer service as perceived by customers by means of determining whether the organisation is or is not meeting their expectations.
Thesis (M.Comm.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for a Degree of Master of Technology: Human Resource Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016.
While research has been conducted, with regard to motivational factors impacting service delivery performance globally, not many studies have focused on public sector employees’ motivational factors and how they are perceived by the public, with specific reference to the South African public sector. Therefore, the understanding of these factors are clearly explained and clarified, in order to assist the South African public sector to improve service delivery performance across the board and to attract and retain a motivated, professional workforce. Motivational factors that influence the service delivery performance of employees include, salaries and benefits, training and development, and promotional opportunities, as well as employee recognition, job security and so on. The research sample was selected randomly, using a stratified sampling method and consisted of 100 participants, required to complete a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire in the presence of the researcher, who was present to assist in providing clarity where needed. A combined method of both quantitative and qualitative techniques was employed, while the analysis of data was done using the statistics package SPSS, version 21.0, with the results presented by figures developed in Microsoft Excel and gross tabulation tables. The findings of the study revealed that a lack of employee training and development negatively compromises quality of service delivery performance in the public sector. The study results further discovered that the absence of career development opportunities hinders the improvement of service delivery performance, as employees perceive this as an obstacle to their earning abilities in the long-term. Leadership was identified as a major factor that contributes considerably in influencing employees’ performance in the public sector. Moreover, the study’s results and literature show that the South African government has policies regulating motivational factors, for example the Performance Management System (performance appraisals), as well as the Skills Development Act 97 of 1998 (training and development). Nonetheless, public servants still exhibit signs of poor motivation. Therefore, the findings from this study can assist the public sector to enhance the motivational levels of employees, while improving public service delivery performance, as a whole.
M

South Africa's re-integration into the global economy and the international political arena has brought about an active growth of business locally and internationally. Local companies are expanding into new markets and regions which require them to follow internationally acceptable and approved waste disposal policies in their production of goods and services. To achieve compliance, it is necessary that companies have the appropriate support and backup from waste disposal companies. Also, increasing pressure from environmental groups and government agencies makes it a prerequisite that a company's waste is properly disposed of in the most efficient, lawful and economical way. This research dissertation is aimed at identifying the key factors that impact on the levels of service in the waste industry and an attempt at evaluating the effects of the service levels to determine what actions are necessary to improve the levels of service in the waste industry. As a result, this research was carried out amongst producers of waste in certain areas of KwaZulu-Natal. Various techniques were evaluated in researching how to measure service quality. The most reliable measuring instrument to gauge service quality was found to be the SERVQUAL system. This measuring instrument was evaluated and then modified to suit the particular needs of the waste industry. The SERVQUAL system is a multi-item scale for measuring consumers perceptions of service quality. A sample of 75 companies was selected and senior management was interviewed. Based on the statistical analysis, the discrepancy between service expectations and service delivery in the waste industry is wide. Urgent attention needs to be focused on service delivery, especially reliability, assurance and responsiveness by waste disposal companies.
Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

The objective of the master thesis is to understand what are the critical factors that help to implement SCRM successfully, the benefits and impact to the organisation. Being successful is crucial because failure, the consequences to the revenue, profit and customer satisfaction can be disastrous. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with C-level managers, who directly connected to Social CRM (SCRM) projects and have already implemented or are about to implement SCRM within their organisation. The subjects were known large companies (start-ups and established organisations) worldwide from most of the sectors. With higher competition, fewer differentiated products, lower control over the customer, problems that can escalate fast, there are only a few moments, where organisations can differentiate during the customer journey. That means it is no longer possible to ignore customer requests. Organisations need to be where their customers are and they need to interact to avoid problem escalation. The best way to do it would be in Social Media as this is where most of the customers are. However, considering that already CRM implementation failure rate is very high – up to 70 percent (Woodcock, Green et al., 2011), it is unclear how to guarantee the success of SCRM implementation and what are the actual benefits that a company can expect. Would it be enough for the organisation just to implement a new tool to have better results or do organisations themselves need to adapt to succeed? Those are the main questions that this master thesis tries to answer.
O objetivo desta Tese de Mestrado é o de entender quais são os fatores críticos que ajudam a implementar uma estratégia de social CRM (SCRM) com sucesso: Nomeadamente quais ã as vantagens e impacto para a organização. Ter êxito nesta implementação é fundamental dado que no caso de insucesso, as consequências para a receita e lucro da organização, bem como para a satisfação dos clientes, podem ser desastrosas. Foram levadas a cabo entrevistas semiestruturadas com gestores de topo, diretamente relacionados com projetos de SCRM e que já implementaram ou estão em vias de implementar SCRM na sua Organização. Os entrevistados são responsáveis de alto nível de grandes empresas internacionais de sectores diversificados ("startups" e organizações bem estabelecidas). Com concorrência crescente, menos produtos diferenciados, menos controle sobre o cliente e problemas que podem escalar rapidamente, há apenas alguns momentos onde as Organizações podem conseguir ser diferenciadoras durante a "viagem do cliente". Isso significa que já não é possível ignorar os pedidos e expectativas dos clientes. As Organizações precisam de interagir com os seus clientes onde eles estão para evitar a escalada dos. A melhor forma de o fazer é através do "Social Media", dado que é onde a maior parte dos clientes está. No entanto, considerando que a taxa de insucesso do CRM é bastante alta - até 70% (Woodcock, Green et al., 2011), acaba por ser pouco claro saber qual a melhor forma de garantir o sucesso da implementação do SCRM e quais são as vantagens reais que uma Empresa pode esperar. Seria suficiente para a organização implementar apenas uma nova ferramenta para ter melhores resultados ou precisam as próprias Organizações de se adaptar elas mesmas, para terem sucesso? Estas são as questões de fundo a que esta Tese de Mestrado tenta responde.