Customer satisfaction in Hospitality

La presente tesis doctoral tiene como objetivo principal analizar la satisfacción del cliente en tres hoteles de diferente categoría, desde tres a cinco estrellas, situados en la ciudad de San Petersburgo en Rusia. La estructura de la tesis doctoral se presenta en tres partes bien diferenciadas: (1) Se realiza una profunda revisión sistemática de la literatura sobre la satisfacción del cliente centrándose particularmente en las ciencias sociales y la economía, analizando también las diferencias observadas por regiones geográficas comparando los resultados de la literatura internacional con los obtenidos en revistas científicas rusas; (2) se analiza después las peculiaridades que presenta esta literatura en un contexto más adecuado al objeto de estudio de esta investigación cómo es el turismo donde se presenta un análisis bibliométrico así como un estudio de los principales determinantes y consecuencias de la satisfacción en el campo del turismo; y (3) se presentan dos aplicaciones empíricas utilizando los resultados obtenidos mediante la aplicación de un modelo híbrido multicriterio basado en la lógica borrosa y en la técnica de comportamiento global obtenida por la comparación existente con las soluciones ideales observadas en el conjunto de la muestra analizada. De esta forma, la parte empírica presenta dos trabajos que analizan el papel que juega el género y la edad en la satisfacción experimentada en los hoteles analizando de forma global el conjunto de los hoteles incluidos en la muestra, así como los resultados obtenidos para los hoteles de tres y cuatro estrellas. Los resultados obtenidos permiten concluir que la edad y el género influyen de manera decisiva en la satisfacción del cliente discutiéndose importantes implicaciones de gestión que tienen que considerarse por los agentes económicos implicados.La present tesi doctoral té com a objectiu principal analitzar la satisfacció del client en tres hotels de diferent categoria, des de tres a cinc estrelles, situats a la ciutat de Sant Petersburg a Rússia. L'estructura de la tesi doctoral es presenta en tres parts ben diferenciades: (1) Es realitza una profunda revisió sistemàtica de la literatura sobre la satisfacció del client centrant-se particularment en les ciències socials i l'economia, analitzant també les diferències observades per regions geogràfiques comparant els resultats de la literatura internacional amb els obtinguts en revistes russes; (2) s'analitza després les peculiaritats que presenta aquesta literatura en un context més adequat a l'objecte d'estudi d'aquesta investigació com és el turisme on es presenta una anàlisi bibliomètrica així com un estudi dels principals determinants i conseqüències de la satisfacció en el camp del turisme; i (3) es presenten dues aplicacions empíriques utilitzant els resultats obtinguts mitjançant l'aplicació d'un model híbrid multicriteri basat en la lògica borrosa i en la tècnica de comportament global obtinguda per la comparació existent amb les solucions ideals observades en el conjunt de la mostra analitzada . Així, la part empírica presenta dos treballs que analitzen el paper que juga el gènere i l'edat en la satisfacció experimentada en els hotels analitzant de manera global el conjunt dels hotels inclosos en la mostra, així com els resultats obtinguts per als hotels de tres i quatre estrelles. Els resultats obtinguts permeten concloure que l'edat i el gènere influeixen de manera decisiva en la satisfacció del client discutint importants implicacions de gestió que han de considerar-se pels agents econòmics implicats.The main objective of this dissertation is to analyze customer satisfaction in three different hotels, from three to five stars, located in the city of Saint Petersburg in Russia. The structure of the doctoral thesis is presented in three distinct parts: (1) A thorough systematic review of the literature on client satisfaction is carried out, focusing particularly on the social sciences and economics, also analyzing the differences observed by geographic regions by comparing the results of the international literature with those obtained in Russian scientific journals; (2) we analyze the peculiarities presented by this literature in a context more appropriate to the object of study of this research as is the tourism where a bibliometric analysis is presented as well as a study of the main determinants and consequences of satisfaction in the field of tourism; and (3) two empirical applications are presented using the results obtained through the application of a multicriteria hybrid model based on the fuzzy logic and on the global behavior technique obtained by the existing comparison with the ideal solutions observed in the analyzed sample. Two empirical exercises are presented that analyze the role of gender and age in the satisfaction experienced in hotels by analyzing overall the hotels included in the sample, as well as the results obtained for hotels of three and four stars. The results obtained allow us to conclude that age and gender decisively influence client satisfaction by discussing important management implications that have to be considered by the economic agents involved

A Study of the Sensory Characteristics of Food produced by the Sous Vide system: the measure of pleasure.

Consumers now demand higher quality in all aspects of life. This has had a particular effect on the food industry where the need for quality encompasses both food safety and sensory characteristics. The sous vide process was developed to produce food on a large scale but with superior sensory qualities compared to the products of cook-chill and cook-freeze systems. This research aimed to determine whether the sous vide process could produce meals with superior sensory properties as claimed. A literature survey indicated that craft-based assessors (chefs) claimed improved qualities in sous vide products which were not consistently supported by sensory analysts (scientists). Empirical studies were conducted to test whether sous vide and conventionally processed dishes could be distinguished by untrained assessors in a controlled laboratory environment and with assessors in an ecologically valid environment, a restaurant. In the laboratory, the sous vide meals were easily distinguishable from and less acceptable than the conventionally produced dish. In the restaurant, few significant differences were found. Thus the ecologically valid environment of the restaurant where the many extrinsic factors affect consumers' perceptions, effectively masked differences between the sous vide and conventionally prepared meals. To explore the reasons for this, a survey (n188) was conducted to determine the relative importance of the intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting the acceptability of foods when eating out. Results included a factor analysis which clearly showed components of 'customer care' had the greatest influence on the pleasure of eating out, followed by 'drink', and the absence of 'entertainment'. The factor which included 'enjoyment of food' was eleventh in the level of influence. Two scales were also devised to assess consumers' attitudes towards complaining about problems with meals and towards the technology used to produce them. This work has demonstrated that although consumers assume that the intrinsic qualities of food are the most important facator giving them pleasure when eating out, many extrinsic factors will have a much greater influence on affecting their overall pleasure from the experience

Facing The Challenge of Industrial Revolution 4.0 By Taking a Preliminary Phase Concerning With Management Issues

For this book, we particularly highlight the issue of collaborative innovation in the era of Industrial Revolution 4.0: Accounting and Finance Review. The book is resulted from The International Seminar on Business, Economics, Social Sciences and Technology (ISBEST) 2018 hosted by The Faculty of Economics Universitas Terbuka. The theme is an adaptation of the technology disruption that has shifted as a result of the Industrial Revolution 4.0. The era is characterized by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres, which then affects almost every industry globally. The disruption heralds a transformation of the entire systems of production, management, and governance, hence, forcing the economic society to reexamine the way they do business that leads up to continuous innovations. Disruptive innovation refers to an innovation that creates a new market and value network and eventually disrupts an existing market and value network, displacing established market leaders. Across all industries, there is clear evidence that technologies that underpin Industry 4.0 have a major impact on businesses, customer expectations, product enhancement, and collaborative innovations. In other words, it is all about how new technologies are transforming products and services and increase their value. Based on these reasons, this book aims to share ideas in the area of management business, particularly on how facing the challenge of industrial revolution 4.0 in the economic society could be strengthened to sustain the competitive advantage in the era of the Industrial Revolution 4.0. Through this book, we would like to encourage collaborative innovation in the area of management business

Strategic Steps Towards The Open University Graduates Development Of The Competitiveness Of A Solution To Face Industrial Revolution 4.0 Era

Demanding needs of today's workforce and the future has begun to see the changes as a result of the industrial revolution to four (i4.0). The industrial revolution to 4 have the characteristics that blend technology with society and the human body, robotics, quantum computing, biotechnology, 3D printing, vehicle automation, internet, virtual and physical systems cooperate globally. Currently, UT intensify the use of information technology (IT) to improve the academic quality of support services mainly in the study and evaluation of learning outcomes. It also carried out an increase in the accessibility of students to UT teaching materials online through a digital library and ebookstore. Therefore, in 2008, UT to improve service by offering face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, e-book store to all students and provide free catalogs to all students who register with an online exam at UPBJJ-UT. From UT diverse range of services and has been based IT are expected to be directly proportional to the competitiveness that has been generated mainly located in this i4.0 era, but in fact the competitiveness of some of the alumni still not optimally adapted to the development of science and technology, especially alumni UPBJJ corners. These challenges must be anticipated quickly is by taking a strategic step towards the construction of an open university graduates competitiveness, namely: 1. Revise the curriculum to understand the needs of people in the digital era, 2. Stay focused on innovation in teaching and learning, 3. Keywords: strategic, competitiveness, industrial revolutio

A content analysis of user-generated content of the seven original equipment manufacturer brands in South Africa

Increased consumer expectations and diverse consumer needs have led to consumers turning to the internet as a communication medium to share their positive and negative experiences, feelings, and level of satisfaction with others. The primary objective of this study was to explore the nature of user-generated content, in terms of consumer complaint and compliment behaviour related to the seven OEM brands in South Africa. The study focused on the South African automotive industry, and the consumer behaviour associated with post-purchase responses on an online consumer advocacy platform, called Hellopeter.com. A qualitative research design, making use of a content analysis, was employed. In total, 185 user-generated content items were collected from Hellopeter.com for the data-collection period, and 176 complaints and 9 compliments were analysed. The results of this study indicated that the nature of user-generated content related to the seven OEM brands in South Africa could be categorised according to eight broad themes: seven themes were specifically related to consumer complaint behaviour, while one theme was associated with consumer compliment behaviour. The top consumer complaints and compliments related to the OEM brands on Hellopeter.com were also determined. The nature of the user-generated content showed various similarities to that of the general services industry but proved to be unique to the automotive industry. Specific recommendations were made and included that open communication channels and proper feedback systems should be put in place to satisfy consumer needs, and that the findings of the study should be used as a benchmark to monitor and improve consumer complaint and compliment behaviour, as a means to create loyal consumersBusiness ManagementM. Com (Business Management

Consumers’ perceptions and experiences of food quality in purchasing fresh food from retail outlets in Malaysia

Malaysia, like many other developing countries, is experiencing major change within its retail food industry. A number of pull factors including an increase in personal disposable income, greater urbanisation, changes in lifestyle and an increasing interest in food safety have contributed to the emergence of modern supermarkets and hypermarkets in Malaysia. Previous studies into the impact of modern food retailing suggest that many consumers will shift their food purchasing behaviour from the traditional retail outlets to modern retail formats which offer better quality products, lower prices, a more comfortable environment and the convenience of one-stop shopping.A shopping-mall intercept survey of more than 500 food shoppers in the Klang Valley revealed that despite the expansion of modern retail formats in Kuala Lumpur, most consumers still purchase the majority of their fresh/chilled meat and fresh fruit and vegetables from traditional retail outlets. Although modern retail outlets and traditional markets share many of the same variables which influence respondents’ choices of retail stores, the traditional markets for fresh/chilled meat are anticipated to remain strong as many consumers perceive that the food available from these markets is guaranteed Halal and safe to eat. Furthermore, consumers still appreciate the personalised service offered by trusted and knowledgeable vendors, which is seldom offered when purchasing fresh food from a modern retail outlet. Among the main drivers for consumers to purchase their fresh fruit and vegetables from a traditional market were the ability to bargain on price, the lower price offered and the wider range of fresh produce available.In the attempt to identify the relationship between the perceived quality cues and quality attributes in respondents’ decisions to purchase fresh food, the findings from this study reveal that a number of variables were utilised by respondents to evaluate a multiple number of desired values. The freshness of both fresh/chilled meat and fresh fruit and vegetables signifies that the food will have a good taste, a good texture/mouth feel, be healthy and nutritious and represent good value for money. Fresh/chilled meat that is free from growth promotants and fresh produce that is free from chemical residues indicates that the food is safe to eat, healthy and nutritious and has been produced in a manner that was not harmful for the environment or worker welfare. The findings of the study have practical implications for producers, food marketers and the government

The impact of customer satisfaction on purchase intention in Malaysian takaful industry

To date the study of customer satisfaction and purchase intention have dominated the services literature. This study is aimed to investigate the impact of customer satisfaction on purchase intention among Takaful participants in Malaysia. A self-administered questionnaire is distributed to eight Takaful companies in Malaysia as a study setting for this study. Out of the total 600 distributed questionnaires 390 were finally selected for data analyses. It is expected that findings from this study will contribute to the existing literature to both theoretical and managerial approaches in order to better understand the pattern of customer satisfaction and purchase intention in Takaful industry settings

The impact of utilitarian and hedonic needs satisfaction on brand trust, brand affect and brand loyalty for selected fast moving consumer goods in South Africa

Magister Commercii - MComThe concept of brand loyalty highlights the importance of brands in marketing strategy development because it leads to a stream of benefits for the company (lower marketing costs, less price sensitivity, greater market share and greater profits). Questions thus arise about how brand loyalty is achieved, especially for low involvement product categories classified as fast moving consumer goods (FMCGs). Models of how brand loyalty is built have been tested and most agree that brand loyalty is linked to satisfying customer needs. Knowledge about the type of needs (utilitarian and hedonic) is however, not usually determined. How the different types of needs first influence brand trust and brand affect, before affecting consumer satisfaction, also requires investigation. This study therefore tested how brand building efforts for some selected FMCG brands in South Africa impact on brand loyalty, as well as the extent to which utilitarian and hedonic need satisfaction leads to brand trust and brand affect for these low involvement products. The study also examined the extent to which brand trust and affect influence consumer satisfaction, examined as drivers of attitudinal and behavioural brand loyalty. Quantitative research methods were used to collect and analyse the data, appropriate because of the nature of the research (testing relationships between multi-variables), and the fact that standardised instruments were available to test the proven and valid variables. Data was collected from 272 White, Indian, Coloured and Black South Africans living in Cape Town. The respondents were sampled from malls in Nyanga (targeting Black consumers, most of whom represent lower income consumers), Mitchell's Plain (targeting middle income Coloured and Black consumers), and Canal Walk (targeting high income White, Coloured, Indian and Black consumers), all of which either have SPAR, Pick n Pay or Shoprite/Checkers retailers that sell FMCGs. Structural equation modelling was the main data analysis method for this multivariate investigation

Relationship dissolution in UK supermarket supply chains

Imperial Users onl