Providing and maintaining customer satisfaction is one of the most important challenges facing business today. Although this is a relatively new concept, research into this area has grown since the ...early 1980s.One ongoing debate in consumer satisfaction circles is the extent to which it is a cognitive process or an emotional state. The two theories that best explain customer satisfaction are disconfirmation paradigm and expectancy-value concept. Disconfirmation theory postulates that customers compare a new service experience with a standard they have developed. Their belief about the service is determined by how well it measures up to this standard. According to expectancy-value theory customers often make some judgment about a product, its benefits, and the likely outcomes of using the product. People will learn to perform behavior that they expect will lead to positive outcomes.There remains a need to provide a direct link between satisfaction and purchase. Some models indicate a link between satisfaction and repeat purchase intention but not yet to actual purchase. The most widely used model to translate theories of customer satisfaction into management practice is that of SERVQUAL. In this model service quality is defined as the difference between customer expectations and customer perception of service received.It is proposed that, at this time, the SERVQUAL model presents the best mechanism to explain customer satisfaction in hospitality and tourism. A detailed examination of the model is provided together with suggested areas for further research to improve its applicability to hospitality and tourism.
It may be that business schools are not providing undergraduate business students with the competencies considered most important by company recruiters. Research from Bentley College and the ...University of Guelph indicates that graduates and managers find that non-technical skills such as creativity, oral and written communication, decision-making and leadership are least adequately developed in undergraduate business students. A study out of Wake Forest University indicates that recruiters consider the most important competencies for undergraduate business students to have are: Communication and interpersonal skills, Leadership skills and potential, Ability to work effectively within teams, Adaptability, including dealing with ambiguity, People and task management skills, Self-management skills. "Specific functional expertise" is listed as only of "medium" importance. Yet the overwhelming majority of undergraduate business courses cover the functional areas of accounting, finance, marketing, management, economics and information technology. A variety of delivery approaches from various undergraduate business programs are examined to determine the best way to cover these important topics.
Weighted application blanks, tests and interviews are 3 tools that will help restaurant operators hire employees who will deliver quality service. The weighted application blanks process compares the ...application blanks filled out by better employees with those employees who did not work out. By identifying the differences, a list of criteria can be developed by which to evaluate future applicants. Testing for certain qualities can be done with Reid Psychological Systems' Service Relations Scale, which tests the service potential of applicants. The most widely used employee selection device is the interview. Successful interviewers need to be aware of what they are looking for and to compare the verbal and nonverbal cues given off by applicants with the qualities being sought.
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