Theses and dissertations (Management Sciences)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/14
Browse
3 results
Search Results
Item Service quality at Rietvlei hospital(2021) Gcabashe, Skhumbuzo; Matsiliza, Noluthando S.The motive of this investigation is to evaluate the application of SERVQUAL at Rietvlei Hospital, with the intention to improve standards of service provision at Rietvlei Hospital. The health sector in South African is faced with major challenges that are associated with restructuring with the intent of addressing inadequacies which are a result of the fragmentation of healthcare services inherited from the apartheid era in South Africa. The legacy of apartheid government in South Africa and fragmentation of healthcare systems have resulted to the provision of poor public healthcare services to society. The most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of people living in rural areas are still facing challenges in accessing quality healthcare service delivery from public healthcare facilities. Health services post-apartheid in South Africa are plagued by gaps in providing healthcare services to the society. These gaps are created by the discrepancy between customer expectation and management perceptions about customer expectations. The management they do not understand how these customer expectations emanated from. Sometimes management is unable to set targets to meet the customer perceptions and ensure that those targets are achieved, in order to meet the customer expectations. South Africa national core standards were designed in order to enhance service delivery provided by public and private health sectors. These protocols exist to reinstate staff confidence and patient in South African about healthcare service delivery and healthcare system. This research project aim to determine patient responses about their satisfaction levels regarding health care services they received from South African hospitals especially in rural areas. The study also set out to establish how health sector can realise the provision of quality service delivery and quality healthcare services to the society, as enshrined in South African Constitution Act 108 of 1996. This study used qualitative research paradigm where data was collected using a mixed-methodology, using mainly questionnaires and interviews. The survey revealed that beneficiaries of the service provided by Rietvlei Hospital were dissatisfied about service standards at Rietvlei Hospital. It was found that there is a gap regarding management responsiveness, quality of services and communication between the management and the clients. Data revealed that issues such as an old infrastructure, a lack of management skills and financial management skills, as well as shortage of resources are among the main contributing factors which negatively affect the public healthcare system in South Africa. There is less compliance o the White paper on the NHI which outlines directives in the promotion of the provision of affordable healthcare services to all citizens. It was recommended that public healthcare institutions must implement SERVQUAL model to ensure the satisfaction of ever-changing customer desires are met. Today SERVQUAL has become more significant to developing countries as a Model that can be adopted as a ensure that organisations which provide similar services, product, compete to enhance customer satisfactions. This study recommends that the government must ensure that there is improvement in resource allocation to public healthcare institutions, to ensure that public institutions provide quality service delivery and quality healthcare services to customers. The National Health Department must ensure that all public institutions implement the National Core Standards (NCS), Batho Pele principles must be known as well by staff to ensure patients‘ right and to enhance service delivery and healthcare services provided to customers. If the South African National Department of Health can ensure the execution of these strategies combat the patients‘ negative perception about service delivery and healthcare services provided by public health institutions. These will also ensure patients‘ satisfaction and patients‘ retention to public healthcare institutions.Item Service quality of administrative staff for student satisfaction a KZN University of Technology(2021) Naidu, Lutchmee; Bayat, M. S.Customer satisfaction and service quality are essential concepts that industries and higher education institutions must consider to sustain a competitive edge. Berry, Zeithaml and Parasuraman (1985: 44) aptly cited, “Quality is essential when service is what is being sold”. Assessing the needs and wants and knowing how to measure these from a consumer/student’s point of view is just as important. Considering service quality may be an antecedent to student satisfaction, if the University is successful in attaining a high level of service quality, this can ultimately lead to satisfied students, the profitability of an institution, loyalty and retention. Globally, students’ satisfaction and overall experience within an institution is a highly debated and complex topic in literature, with diverse views presented by various authors on student satisfaction within higher education. Student support services, a division within higher education institutions, provide students with essential administrative support. Therefore, the primary objective of this empirical study is to assess the level of service quality by examining the gap between expectations and perceptions of support staff by gathering data from B-Tech full-time and part-time students registered at a University of technology in South Africa. The results of this study can provide management with reliable data, which can assist in placing intervention mechanisms to monitor, maintain and improve service quality. This study adopted the quantitative data collection method and utilised an adapted SERVQUAL questionnaire designed and distributed to respondents selected using a purposive sampling technique. The SERVQUAL survey instrument was used to measure the gap between students’ expectations of service quality and their perceptions of the actual services delivered by the support staff. Overall, the analysis of the data gathered found that the service quality perceived by students was dissatisfactory, meaning that students’ expectations exceeded their perceptions. The findings indicated that service quality performance dimensions (RATER) are significantly and positively integrated with overall student satisfaction. This study also provides results that the University can benchmark to prevent potential problems and improve results. It can also assist other higher education institutions on the corrective measures central to a University's significant growth. Identifying the gaps in the services offered by support staff can improve service quality delivery and result in a high level of student satisfaction while gaining the University a competitive edge.Item Factors in postgraduate supervision that impact on the quality of research at a selected department at a university of technology(2014) Jones, Bronwyn; Korporaal, Charmaine Maria; Singh, ShaliniSimilar to a production line, the development of a dissertation is a process within a research dyad that is affected by many factors. On completion, the customer / student is either satisfied or dissatisfied with the outcome of the research process. However, errors in the dissertation detract from its quality and this may leave students dissatisfied with the overall outcome of the marking and review process. To improve the product, it is critical that factors contributing to the production of a quality dissertation are understood. The aim of this study was to determine which components of the SERVQUAL model (namely, Responsiveness, Assurance, Tangibles, Empathy and Reliability) contributed to a lower quality dissertation, thereby gaining an understanding of, and implementing factors which enable the production of a good quality dissertation which meets all stakeholders’ expectations. This was achieved through a prospective, mixed-methods study which analyzed the quality of 30 dissertations by means of a Checklist, denoting the quality of the dissertations. Thereafter, the 30 students and 30 supervisors involved in these dyads were asked to each complete separate questionnaires. The questions covered their respective demographics, research knowledge, expectations and perceptions of the research process. The data was then descriptively analysed and presented by way of tables to demonstrate the quality of the dissertation, and the characteristics of the students and the supervisors. The Chi-Squared statistics and Fisher’s Exact tests were then computed to determine relationships between these characteristics. It was revealed that significant differences between the students and the supervisors existed regarding: the length of time to completion of their Master’s; the roles of facilitators in the research process; student and supervisor role ambiguity; the reason for and need to complete research and specific knowledge of the research process. It was noted that a lack of communication resulted in a significant impact on reliability of the university service, moderate impact on assurance and responsiveness, with the least impact on empathy. In contrast, both the student and the supervisor perceived the tangibles provided by the university as satisfactory. Then, through the process of triangulation, it was shown that the relationship within the dyad lacked clear communication and common understanding of the research processes which was likely to result in a lower quality dissertation. It is, therefore, recommended that all students and supervisors that enter into a dyadic relationship need to find mechanisms (for example: learning contract, weekly meetings) to ensure a consistent and common understanding of the research process throughout its development to allow for the effective production of a good quality dissertation.