SERVICE QUALITY OF SHANGRI-LA HOTEL IN CHINA

Service Quality of Shangri-La Hotel in China



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.

Signed __________________ Date _________________

ABSTRACT

Chinese hotel industry is making customer perceptions of service quality a priority, in order to retain customers and stay competitive. Service firms are subject to failures in service delivery because they depend on customer contact employees to deliver services to their customers. The purpose of the study was to find out whether differences existed among the independent variables of Shangri-La Hotel customer service quality. This study attempted to determine levels of self-efficacy of customer service employees of Shangri-La hotels. This research proposed that there would be a significant Pearson correlation between customer service contact employees' job satisfaction, and self-efficacy was supported by this study. This finding is supported by many studies using hotel industry, which reported significant correlations between service quality and subsequent task performance of Shangri-La Hotel.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTii

DECLARATIONiii

ABSTRACTiv

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION1

Background of the Problem1

Purpose of the Study2

Research Questions4

Justification of the Study4

Statement of the Problem6

Rationale of the Study6

Scope of the Study7

Limitations7

Standardized Assumptions8

Perceived Service Quality (PSQ)8

Customer Service Contact Employees8

Summary8

CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE RIVIEW10

Total Quality Management (TQM)10

Quality Specifications13

Customer Satisfaction14

Consumer Expectations In The Process Of Formation of Satisfaction16

Business after the Satisfaction and As Goal of Excellence17

Cost of Quality18

Continuous improvement:19

Tools and procedures for continuous improvement:19

ISO-900020

Quality Systems:21

Guidelines to Follow for Quality Systems:21

Theoretical Basis of the Quality of Service22

Strategic GAP (GAP 1)22

GAP Technical Design (GAP 2)23

Functional or Performance Gap (Gap 3)23

External Relations Gap (Gap 4)24

Global Gap (Gap 5)24

The SERVQUAL model25

CHAPTER 03: METHODOLOGY27

Research Design27

Research Design27

Population27

Study Sample28

Data Gathering Instruments the Questionnaire28

Self-Efficacy Scale29

Job Satisfaction29

Perceived Service quality of Shangri-La Hotel30

Demographic Data31

Data Collection Procedure31

Statistical Analysis32

Summary33

CHAPTER 04: ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS34

Customer-Related Measurements34

Complaints and Suggestions Systems35

Consumer Satisfaction Survey36

Descriptive Statistics37

Data Analysis41

Customer Employees' Job Satisfaction and Self-Efficacy42

Statistical Analysis42

CHAPTER 05: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS46

Discussion of the Findings46

Conclusions51

REFERENCES53

APPENDICES58

Appendix A58

Appendix B59

Appendix C60

Appendix D61

Appendix E62

Appendix F63

Appendix G (Questionnaire)64

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

Background of the Problem

The current business environment is one of increased international competition, slower growth rates and mature markets in China. The attitudes and behaviours of contact employees can influence customers' perceptions of service quality since the delivery of service occurs during the interaction between contact employees and customers. Employees are more likely to deliver excellent service to customers when the industry expects and rewards such behaviours and establishes practices that facilitate service delivery. A study in the banking industry found that employee attitudes were positively related to customer perceptions of quality service. Eliciting customer-oriented behaviours from employees is critical. Service industries continue to grow in importance to the China economy while at the same time, service quality is generally perceived to be declining (Jones 2005, ...