[An investigation into the impact of service quality on customer satisfaction: A case study of Holland and Barrett]

by

Acknowledgement

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I, [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University (Christian, 2006,, 33).

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Abstract

The present study investigated the subject of service quality and its relationship to customer satisfaction in the context of industrial business-to-business technical field service. While the SERVQUAL instrument has been employed extensively to measure the gap between customer expectations and perceived service quality in many settings, numerous researchers have contended that it is not generically replicable across different service industries. A modified SERVQUAL scale was utilized to ascertain the functional dimensions of service quality specific to the industry and service context under study. Building on Gronroos's (1982; 1984) conceptualization of technical quality of the outcome, the study also incorporated this construct, which heretofore had received only limited empirical testing in service quality research, into the characterization of field service quality. Surveys were mailed to 1295 customers of a large industrial field service organization for which repair service work had recently been performed. Returned useable surveys resulted in 408 questionnaires from which data were factor analyzed and subsequently submitted to structural equation modeling to test the proposed model. Factor analysis was employed to determine the relevant functional quality dimensions as well as to establish the applicability of the outcome quality construct in field service. Structural equation modeling was utilized to evaluate the suitability of two alternative field service quality models. The results suggest that the outcome quality dimension should be included along with functional quality as factors of the higher order latent construct “Field Service Quality”. The study also examined the overall service quality and customer satisfaction relationship as part of a larger field service quality model. Analysis confirmed that these two variables are distinct, though highly correlated constructs.

Table of Content

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT2

DECLARATION3

ABSTRACT4

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION8

Introduction8

Enquiry overview8

Research aims and objectives9

Research Questions9

Background of the Study10

Rationale of the study11

Scope and Limitations12

Summary13

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW15

Introduction15

Conceptual Clarifications15

Definition of Service Quality15

Dimensions of Service Quality16

History Of Quality17

TQM And Service Quality18

Principles Of Total Quality Management19

Continuous Improvement Based on Self-Assessment for Learning and Innovating20

Characteristics Of Service Quality20

Behavioral Consequences of Service Quality20

Service Quality and Profitability20

The Direct Relationship between Service Quality and Profitability21

Service Quality And Service Industry22

Model Used For Service Quality22

The Gaps Model of Service Quality22

Provider Gap 1: Not Knowing What Customers Expect23

Provider Gap 2: Not Having the Right Service Quality Designs and Standards24

Provider Gap 3: Not Delivering to Service Standards24

Provider Gap 4: When Promises Do Not Match Performance25

SERVQUAL25

Potential Uses of SERVQUAL26

Illustrative Applications of SERVQUAL27

Consumer-Service Context28

The Gap Model Of Service Quality Customers' Satisfaction Customers' Expectation Disconfirmation Theory28

Summary29

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY30

Introduction30

Research aims and objectives30

Research philosophy30

Positivism31

Interpretivism31

Research Approach32

Data collection methods33

Pilot test34

Outcome ...