Service Quality Improvement

BUS620 Business Research Method & Tools

Service Quality Improvement

Introduction

There is an important role that service quality improvement plays in the field of business. It provides an opportunity for the management of proper sequence of business activities that ensures free flow of such activities to keep businesses running. Every business organization puts focus in satisfying the demands of their potential customers in different ways with an aim of keeping their loyalty. These different ways are generated by the help of service quality improvement programs that are mostly conducted and managed by the marketing department as well as Public Relations. Therefore, for any business organization, meeting the set objectives and goals, either long-term or short term, has to go hand in hand with business performance that is directly impacted by consumer’s taste and preference. This will ensure that whatever is supplied to the market will meet equal force of demand with sustainability that can only be achieved by involving service quality improvement program. This research paper provides detailed analysis on the various ways through which service quality management can be implemented by other business enterprises.

Background Information

Many business organizations have policies related to quality service provision that leads to business culture that is quality oriented. Such business organizations believe that there is importance in putting quality first before any other attribute of a good business. In the current era, consumers are more concerned about what levels of different ingredients or other components are in the final product they are about to consume. They do this to confirm whether the product meets the standards they expect such that there health will not be compromised in any way. The notion has been 100% healthy consumption. This does not only involve food products alone but also other products such as electronic devices like cell phones among others. The consumption trend has been focusing in the management of human health first before what the product can do (Goetsch & Davis , 2014).

The above trend of consumption that has emerged in the current era has changed the way in which business organizations manage their production. This means that most of them have been able to portray the fundamental importance of service quality management. Therefore, many organization managers are seeking the most appropriate ways through which a service quality management program can be implemented in their business organizations. This is what this research project focuses on to be able to provide various business organizations in different industries a universal solution to this implementation. According to Goetsch & Davis, 2014, formation of processes for successful quality improvement in an enterprise is focused ensuring that there is continuous improvement, proper management plan, satisfaction of customers, proper quality determination means, and organizational support.

The Management Dilemma

Even though there is the determination of the fact that the quality of services is a key determinant of the success of a business organization, there is a reality that many business managers still way quality with resultant costs that will be incurred. Since many business organizations focus on maximization of profit, they tend to fix their way to the top of the management process by avoiding certain requirements that will cost them. This is the beginning of the vulnerability of any business organization in maintaining their pace towards achieving success in a stiff competitive Industry. This research paper focuses on the fact that there is need for different business organizations to prioritize their quality service provision not just to meet the legal standards but also to maintain as well as gain consumer loyalty.

It is important to understand that improvement of service quality is not only a duty for the manager but also equally the duty of their employees. In fact, quality service management should be incorporated as a means of prosperity to be able to understand the evaluation of different components that form a complete business environment. This is to say that quality service management should be an organization’s culture rather than objective or goal. This means that quality of services will start to be considered right from the beginning of a production process to the end of sales. This research will also put focus on the contribution of employees towards achieving a competitive quality service management programs for business organizations. A good example of quality management tool that will be employee oriented is the Shewhart model of quality assurance; PDCA which means Plan, Do, Check, and Act. Ultimately, the research will address the different stages and phases in a company’s quality management system and propose on the best practice to enhance each of these stages (Vasconcellos, 2004).

Research Question

What appropriate quality measures can business organizations put in place to meet their customers’ taste and preferences?

Hypothesis

Null hypothesis: Monitoring of quality standards as well as customers’ taste and preference has no significant influence in quality service improvement.

Alternative hypothesis: Monitoring of quality standards as well as customers’ taste and preference has significant influence in quality service improvement.

Research Design and Sampling Data

From the approach of the hypotheses above, it is clear that this research project focuses on qualitative approach in analyzing and interpreting data. The data acquisition in this case is done through access to diary entries of potential sources as well as conducting of interviews. Therefore the data sourcing here is done from both primary data (interviews) as well as secondary data (diary). Both of these data sources have an integrative advantage to the consolidation of the findings and coming up with an appropriate solution to the research question. Qualitative research is important in this case because instead of being more of a proof of fact oriented like quantitative research, it focuses more on argumentative proof. Argumentative proof provides more reasoning why the null hypothesis will be rejected or fail to be rejected. This makes qualitative approach more important; there is determination and comparison of facts that allows the flow of information non-biased by just providing the final decision.

To be able to compile a reasonable solution of this research project, there is need to analyze the tests of hypotheses statistically. This statistical analysis will relay the development of the various relationships that are brought about among the different parameters. This will justify the final value obtained from the statistical analysis that will confirm whether the comparison between the critical value and the tabulated value of‘t’ in the t-table allows us to pick either null hypothesis or alternative hypothesis. According to Kim, et al, 2012, the Kart’s scale is best suitable for quantifying the response from the study subjects.

Ethical Issues

Privacy and protecting respondents’ right is the most important thing to consider before conducting a field research (Goetsch & Davis , 2014). Since this research study requires both primary and secondary data sources, ethical challenges are inevitable. In the case of obtaining primary data through conducting interviews, there will be need to acquire IRB approval. Another concern is protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the respondents who agree to participate in the interview. There is critical information such as age, name, and working designation among others that has to be kept and never disclosed during and after the survey. This is assured by the researcher just before the actual study begins. A final concern for this research is the fact that selection and involvement of respondents in the study will be done solely based on the willingness and ability of the respondents to take part in the survey and respond to the research questions provided in the interview session.

Secondary Data Plan

In the event, the research would not have managed to cover most of the data collection that is required for the work to kick a secondary data plan would come into use. The data plan would help us to come to conclusions quickly from the data that we would have collected. The plan consists of using data from that has already been used. The information that has been collected by the organization during its yearly review can be used to come up with the same conclusions if interpreted well.

Measurements Scale

They are several measurements scales that are always used in the data analysis and collections. The scales are ordinal, nominal, ratio and interval. With the type of data that we are expecting to collect it would be hard for us to be able to utilize nominal, ratio and interval data type. The kind of measurement scale that would be used in this research would, therefore, be the ordinal scale.

The ordinal scale fits well with the type of data that would be collected. Since we would be collecting data based on the satisfaction of clients. The data would be mostly open-ended and can not be classified as either ratio or interval. The ordinal scale would help in getting the accurate results that we would be looking for giving us the most important answers for data interpretation. It has a higher range of significance, and it does not limit the collection of data since open-ended questions can be used.

Data Analysis.

After collection of data, the data would be analyzed through the use of a statistical software program SPSS. This would help us in coming up with a suitable interpretation of the data. Several statistical tests would be implemented to be thorough and make sure that everything is running smoothly as it is supposed to be.

Pearson correlation and regression are the methods that will be used to work out the data. The correlation would be testing on how the data is related and to what extent with the research topic (Norušis, 2006). It would be a basis for the interpretation of the data. It would be able to identify how the quality of goods and services are related to what happens in the organization, such as unsatisfied and under-motivated employees.

Regression, on the other hand, would help in coming up with meaningful ways to improve the quality of service. It shows variations when different type of variables are changed (Beck, 1995). Thus, we would know what variations we could change to be able to have a variation in the quality of goods and services. We would also be able to know which type of variations are needed. It helps in testing theories in the paper which when applied give out the required results.

To be able to come up with an optimal solution and maximize profits correlation and regression would be the tool at use. Maximizing profits would mean that the operating costs would be minimized. Also, some process and stages would be changed for the better. The management would also be able to know what to do in case of a different situation if it arises in future.

Data representation

After analysis of data, the data must be represented in a way which would be easier to read and comprehend what it means. Data well represented is a data well interpreted. It is a crucial step in every research process. It gives an individual a clue of what is going on. Data representation takes the mind away from the hard work of interpreting data all by itself and figuring out the conclusions.

Data would be represented in the form of graphs and charts that are easy to read and interpret. The graphs and chart would be followed up by the required keys, and different colors and representation would also be used.

Summary

Any business organization has to generate the key concern for the variability and development of quality service management issues. As already outlined above, there are specific ways through which any business organization can implement quality service management programs. This research project focuses on finding ‘universal’ measures through which all business organizations can incorporate to sustain quality service management programs. ISO 9000:2000 is a quality management system that benefits a company in improving the quality of products as well as boost employee performance. This is a basic tool for any company which wishes to develop its quality management system. There is belief that by using this tool (among others suggested in this research paper), a company can adequately examine the different processes and incorporate some of the ISO 9000 approaches to correct the different management and quality challenges.

References

Beck, M. (1995). Data analysis : an introduction. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.

Goetsch, L. D., & Davis , B. S. (2014). Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Kim, Y. D., Kumar, V., & Kumar, U. (2012). Relationship between quality management practices and innovation. Journal of operations management, 30(4), 295-315.

Norušis, M. J. (2006). SPSS 14.0 guide to data analysis. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Vasconcellos, J. (2004). Quality assurance for the food industry: a practical approach. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.