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International Journal of Science and Entrepreneurship Vol. 1, Issue 2, 2013

http://www.ijsse.org ISSN 2307-6305 Page | 1

THE INFLUENCE OF SERVICE QUALITY ON CONSUMER PREFERENCE IN

PETROLEUM RETAILING IN THIKA DISTRICT

Augustus P. Malonza

Department of Commerce Economic Studies

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and

Technology, Kenya

Dr. Patrick Karanja Ngugi

Department of Entrepreneurship and Procurement

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and

Technology, Kenya

CITATION: Malonza, P. A. & Ngugi, P. K. (2013). The Influence of Service Quality on

Consumer Preference in Petroleum Retailing in Thika District. International Journal of Social

Sciences and Entrepreneurship, 1 (2), 186-213.

Abstract

Service quality is a viable strategy for marketers aiming to differentiate their service offerings,

establishing customer value and ultimately satisfying consumer needs. Service quality has been

used increasingly by marketers to leverage customer loyalty to confront the challenges of

competition and ultimately deliver on organization profitability. From the investigations by the

study, there is evidence that no study had so far been done to investigate the influence of service

quality on consumer preference in petroleum retailing. The aim of this study was to determine

the indicators of service quality to consumers in petroleum retail outlets, to establish the extent

to which service quality influenced consumer preference in petroleum retail outlets and finally to

identify any other factor that may also play a role in influencing consumer choice. The study

used a conceptual model drawn using the service quality dimension attributes of Reliability,

Responsiveness, Assurance and Tangibles. The nature of this research is a descriptive research.

A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The survey instrument was subjected to

overall reliability and validity tests using Cronbach alpha. Data analysis was done using SPSS



Version 21 to generate quantitative reports which were presented in the form of tabulations,

percentages, mean and standard deviation. ANOVA data analysis method was applied to analyze

the data that was obtained from open ended questions. The study concludes that reliability

affected the choice of consumer choice of petroleum retailing and that reliability was a

component of trust in automated systems and that reliability was an important component of

technology expectations, performance, and disconfirmation. The study recommends that the

personnel in the retailing department should attend various training sessions to be competent

enough to handle the present challenges like in the business world; this needs a lot of

improvement in order to increase service delivery in petroleum industries.

Key words: Customer, Tangibles, Quality, Service, Service Quality, Responsiveness,

Assurance

Background of the study

The most marked change in the structure of developed economies in the 20th century, particularly

in the latter half has been the transformation from an emphasis on the manufacture of physical

goods to the production of intangibles services. This radical shift is for example witnessed in the

US, where workers employed in the service sector rose from a mere 30% to an estimated 80% by

1995 (Collins, Keiningham, Zahonik & Rust,1996).

One of the major ways a service firm can differentiate itself is by delivering consistently higher

service quality than its competitors. Many companies are finding that outstanding service quality

can give them a potent competitive advantage that leads to superior sales and profit performance.

Indeed, some organizations are increasingly focusing their energy in building customer loyalty

through offering superior quality services than their competitors. The delivery of high service

quality is one of the most difficult tasks that any service organization faces today. The issue of



service quality is of tantamount importance to all service providers. In a recent study, more than

40% of all customers surveyed, listed poor service as the number one reason for switching to

competition, while only 8% listed price as a reason for switching (Donnelly & Peter, 1992).

Statement of the Problem

Service quality has been underscored as a viable strategy for marketers endeavouring to

differentiate their service offerings, establishing customer value and ultimately satisfying

consumer needs. By pursuing a service quality strategy, marketers are able to leverage customer

support for their service offerings to both retain and build a loyal customer base. It has been

established that as a result of liberalization, globally the market has witnessed severe competition

in the various industry sectors. Service Quality has become a key component of confronting the

new challenges alongside other factors such as price, product innovations and diversification of

products and services.

Statistics available from the table given in the background, Shell/Bp 23.7 %, Caltex 15.36%,

Mobil (Oilibya) 10.75%, Total 13.32%, Kobil/Kenol 19.14%, NOCK 10.46%, and Independents

7.27%. All the oil companies represented by the various petrol service stations in the given area

of the study market have a core product that is largely homogenous and undifferentiated.

Therefore, their pricing is similar with marginal variations wherever they exist. There is perfect

competition where largely they all work under the same market conditions. The core determinant

for differentiation between the various petrol stations is the quality of service offered and the

various different types of services on offer. As a result of activities by new entrants and

realignment through buyout and mergers, some players have lost market share and profitability

has shrunk for others. The need to focus on Quality service as a differentiation tool by petroleum

marketers has become imminent as a consequence of the cutthroat competition that has emerged

among players for the hearts and minds of customers in Kenya.



The endeavour to improve service quality has been seen through increased station staff training,

better profiling of service Station staff in terms of minimum academic and professional

qualifications, Mystery shopper programmes, service station designs, branding and lighting to

improve service delivery physical environment. The staff are also fitted with branded uniforms.

Service diversification is also developed in the service stations with the view to enhancing the

service quality for the station shopper. The competition waged around service quality between

the various oil marketing companies (Shell, BP, Total, Caltex, Oilibya, Kenol-Kobil and the

new entrants has largely been waged at the retail channel (service stations). This endeavour to

improve on service quality has preoccupied the key players to the extent that some of the

companies such as Total and Caltex have outsourced mystery shopper companies to assess on a

quarterly basis the level of quality service in their stations and also benchmark competition using

the same parameters (Total Top service report, 2001)

The studies on Quality service so far done includes, Mutuku (2006) on the Ministry of Finance,

Mwaura (2001) on service quality in the Matatu industry, Kandie (2002) an investigation of

customer perception and expectation of quality service-the case of selected banks in Kenya.

Muturi (2004) on Mobile phone services, Masinde (1986) the case of Kenya Airways,

Nyaoga (2003) on Kenya power services in Mt Kenya region. All these studies were mainly on

perception of service quality.

From the investigations by the study, there is evidence that no study had so far been done to

investigate the influence of service quality on consumer preference in petroleum retailing. This

study therefore will focus on the influence of service quality on consumer preference in

petroleum retailing in Thika district. In this respect, it will look at the quality of service as one of



the key attractions and determinant of choice by consumers in Petroleum retailing and attempt to

gauge the extent of this influence.

Objectives of the study

General Objective

The main objective of the study was to assess the influence of service quality on consumer

preference in petroleum retailing.

Specific Objectives

i. To determine the influence of reliability on consumer preference in petroleum retailing

ii. To establish the extent to which responsiveness influences consumer choice of petroleum

retailing.

iii. To identify the influence of assurance on consumer preference of petroleum retailing.

iv. To investigate the influence of tangibles on the choice of petroleum retailing.

Justification of the study

The study will be of benefit to researchers and scholars in the field of marketing with specific

reference to service quality in petroleum retailing, since it will form background to any further

research in this area. This study will also be useful to practitioners of marketing and particularly

those in petroleum retailing, since it shall enable them set programs in their retail channel aimed

at addressing quality service improvements if this is a key determinant to consumer choice.

The study will benefit investors in the petroleum retail channel who shall be able to gauge and

give priority to the level of investment and commitment they need to put in terms of attracting

consumers through service quality. Consumers will also benefit from the study since the results

shall enable the industry to come up with programmes that aim at giving value to consumers

through quality service. The current research may help petroleum retailers to understand

customer‘s preferences by measuring the service quality through its dimensions. The retailers



could use the study findings to collect data about their consumers’ perception in order to make

strategic decisions.

Limitations of the Study

The study was limited to the respondents who were selected from a target population of staff working at the

petroleum retailers in Thika. The researcher issued the data collection instruments which will be collected later. This

gave the respondents adequate time to fill the questionnaires. Some employees did not answer all the questions in

the questionnaire while others have not tried at all. Some feared that their responses may be accessed by their

supervisors hence failed to response honestly. The researcher mainly engaged the respondents in a brief interview

before issuing the questionnaires as a strategy to avoid lack of cooperation.

Literature review

This study analyzed literature related to service quality on consumer preference. It attempted to

identify the influence of service quality on consumer preference in petroleum retailing in Thika

district.

Theoretical literature review

Theory of Exchange Relation

Bagozzi (1974) formulated the theorem of the exchange relation stating that, market transactions

happen as soon as both customer and company expect to gain value by engaging in exchange.

All relationships have a give and take, although the balance of this exchange is not always

equal. Social Exchange theory explains how we feel about a relationship with another person as

depending on our perceptions of the balance between what we put into the relationship and

what we get out of it, the kind of relationship deserved and the chances of having a better

relationship with someone else. In deciding what is fair, we develop a comparison level against

which we compare the give/take ratio. This level will vary between relationships, with some

http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=Article&Filename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0800210201.html#idb3



being more giving and others where we get more from the relationship. They will also vary

greatly in what is given and received.

To some extent, the Nordic schools draw on the same argument, as they perceive social or

economic networks as the fertile ground for the cultivation of economic value. We refer to these

streams of research as the context perspective of relationship marketing. The common

denominator of these different research traditions is that they perceive social, economic or

institutional networks as the relevant context for the creation of value. The decisive characteristic

of relationships, in this perspective, is that by investing in relationships, companies can improve

their position and establish favorable market exchanges. This theory instigates research question

one: Does reliability influence the choice of consumer choice of petroleum retailing?

Social Exchange Theory

Social exchange theory is a social psychological and sociological perspective that explains social

change and stability as a process of negotiated exchanges between parties. Social exchange

theory posits that all human relationships are formed by the use of a subjective cost-benefit

analysis and the comparison of alternatives. The theory has roots in economics, psychology and

sociology (Miller, 2005).

Social exchange theory is tied to rational choice theory and on the other hand to structuralism,

and features many of their main assumptions. American sociologist George Caspar Homans is

usually credited with the consolidation of the foundations of Social Exchange Theory. Homans’s

article entitled “Social Behavior as Exchange” (Knapp, 1978) is viewed as the seminal work on

this theory. Works by Richard Emerson, Peter M. Blau (Murstein, Cerreto, and MacDonald,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_psychology_%28psychology%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociological_perspective

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relationship

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rational_choice_theory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structuralism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Caspar_Homans

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_M._Blau



1977), are also important and often reference Homans, as do many other articles and books on

the subject

Attribution Theory

Attribution theory has a long and rich history in the field of psychology and social psychology. It

has made important contributions simply because it attempts to account for and explain everyday

explanations that bring order and predictability to a world that might not otherwise be orderly

and predictable (Heider, 1958). Attribution theory (which is actually a group of theories) is all

about explanations of “why.” “Why am I being ignored?” Attribution theory attempts to

understand how people explain and account for causality. It is based upon the premise that

individuals are seldom passive observers of events and behavior (Shaver & Scott, 1991). Rather,

they are active perceivers searching for the reasons accounting for what they observe. It

classifies attributions according to two fundamental types: External or situational attributions

that account for causality by assigning responsibility to external factors (e.g., the weather).

Internal or dispositional attributions answer the “why” question by assigning responsibility to the

person (Woolfolk, 2007). In practice, these two perspectives can produce different research

focuses. The first can produce research that addresses control, management, and environmental

issues. The second can produce examination of issues related to personality and self-worth. But,

this perspective can also produce keen insights related to control, e.g., self-control and behavior

change (Vockell and Edward, 2001).

Weiner (1974) focused his attribution theory on achievement. He identified ability, effort, task

difficulty, and luck as the most important factors affecting attributions for achievement.

Attributions are classified along three causal dimensions: locus of control, stability, and

controllability. The locus of control dimension has two poles: internal versus external locus of


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control. The stability dimension captures whether causes change over time or not. For instance,

ability can be classified as a stable, internal cause, and effort classified as unstable and internal.

Controllability contrasts causes one can control, such as skill/efficacy, from causes one cannot

control, such as aptitude, mood, others' actions, and luck. Sales promotion is a short term

incentives to encourage the purchase or sale of a product or services (Kotler & Armstrong,

2006). They state that sales promotion is found everywhere e.g. a free standing insert in the

Sunday newspaper contains offering, email offer free shipping on your text purchase. They argue

that sales promotion objectives vary widely, that is seller may use consumer promotion to

increase short-term sales. This theory instigates research question three: How does assurance

influence consumer choice in petroleum retailing?

Conceptual Framework

Independent Variables Dependent variable

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Tangibles

ISSN 2307-6305 Page | 9

rt (2012), found that there are numerous ways

improving the punctuality of service among

rt sector in Finland, a developed country. The

leum industry. This study therefore failed to



A study by Tsui, (2005) on reputational effectiveness found that responsiveness characterizes

one person's behavior during an interaction with a target person. However, the study was carried

out in Asia and thus the results cannot be duplicated to suit a developing country in Africa.

O'Neill and Palmer (2004) in their study revealed that providing product warranties enhances

consumers’ perception of unobservable service quality. The study also revealed that consumers

reason that since the firm is willing to stand behind its product, it must be of a higher quality.

The study however, dwelt on issuing warranties (i.e. for electronic appliances) for assurance

purposes while the current study seeks to review assurance from a petroleum retailer.

A study by Zeithaml et al. (2006) found that physical evidence is used as a cue due to the

intangibility of services. The cues show the consumer an external image or tangible aspect of the

service. Rust, Zahorik and Keinigham (1995) reveal that first impression occurs when the

customer comes into the facility to conduct business. The facility must be seen from the

customer's point of view, and all staff should be alert to avoid or remove customer-perceived

blemishes (Rust et al, 1994). However relevant these studies are to the current study, they were

carried in developed countries thus leaving room for a similar study to be carried in Kenya

Summary and Research Gaps

A lot of research had not been done on service quality on consumer preference; however, many

organizations suffered from customer defection because they fail to implement the very basic

services and customer satisfaction to ensure long term customer loyalty. Hence the literature had

reviewed the influence of service quality on consumer preference in petroleum retailing in Thika

District.

Based on the research findings and the literature review the researcher asserts that none of the

information available resembles the research work on influence of service quality on consumer



preference in petroleum retailing in Thika district.The researcher determined the variables such

as reliability, responsiveness, assurance and found out that all those areas have been determined

only that the earlier researchers did not assess how such factors influence service quality on

consumer preference in petroleum retailing in Thika district. Therefore out of all the research

information obtained, none of the researchers had studied the influence of service quality on

consumer preference in petroleum retailing in Thika district. It’s therefore important to analyze,

find out, and recommend how the service quality on consumer preference can be improved and

give suggestion for further studies.

Methodology

The nature of this research was a descriptive survey. Descriptive research is suitable for this

study since it is ideal in situations where some key aspects of the subject are known and hence it

helps to generate more detailed information regarding the key aspects of the subject (Saunders,

Lewis & Thornhill, 2000).

The area of study had a total population of twenty seven (27) petrol service stations from both

the multinationals and the independent dealers type (17 multinational branded stations and 10

various independent dealer stations). These stations were spread across the area of study with the

majority in the urban centres of Thika, Ruiru, Juja and Gatundu. From each petroleum retailer,

the study selected 2 top level managers, 3 middle level managers and 4 low level management

staff.

Respondents were drawn from all the petroleum retailing stations composed of 17 multinational

stations and 10 independent dealer stations. Sampling method was employed because the stations

are situated in distant and diverse locations within the area of study. The reason for a greater

percentage for the multinational stations was based on the heavy patronage of the multinational



stations compared to the independent dealer stations. In each of the stations, the sample size was

further stratified into three stratums of the management levels so as to get a complete picture

from the petroleum retailers. The researcher categorized the management staff into top, middle

and low level management staff. The sample size was presented in table 3.2 below.

The study collected both primary and secondary data for the purpose of assessing the influence

of service quality on consumer preference in petroleum retailing.

Primary data was collected using a questionnaire. Data collection involved a self-administered

questionnaire. The researcher dropped the questionnaires physically at the respondents’ place of

work to be collected at a later date. Each questionnaire was coded and only the researcher knew

which person responded. The coding technique was used for the purpose of matching the

completed and returned questionnaires with those delivered to the respondents. Secondary data

was obtained from journals, e-resources, books and other past published scholarly articles

relevant to the study.

Findings and Discussions

Reliability

The study found out that majority of the respondents indicated that reliability affected the choice

of consumer choice of petroleum retailing and that they rated the extent to which reliability

affected choice of consumer choice of petroleum retailing as very high.

The respondents strongly agreed that reliability was a component of trust in automated systems

and that reliability was an important component of technology expectations, performance, and

disconfirmation. The respondents agreed that reliability was the most important service quality

attribute. They agreed that there must be incentives for operators to encourage them to improve



the reliability of services. Finally, the respondents indicated that in the program to improve the

reliability only the key factors were presented.

These findings are in line with the literature review where Metters et al (2006) argue that service

processes have different performance requirements than those of production processes because

of their characteristics.

Responsiveness

The study further found out that majority of the respondents indicated that responsiveness

affected the choice of consumer choice of petroleum retailing and that they rated the extent to

which responsiveness affected the choice of consumer choice of petroleum retailing as very high.

The respondents strongly agreed that the maxims of relevance and manner were useful for the

study of responsiveness in service interactions. The respondents strongly agreed that when

customers enter into a service interaction with an organization, they usually require

responsiveness and that responsive service interactions include the consistency between talk and

behavior. The respondents agreed that to ensure timely access to easy-to-understand service

information, organizations strived to enhance responsiveness. Finally, the respondents agreed

that responsiveness characterized a person's behavior during an interaction with a target person.

These findings are in line with the literature review where Kikuchi (2001), found that listeners

who adapted their rate of back channeling (minor, supportive responses such as uh huh and head

nodding) to the speaker were rated more positively than those who did not. Based on these

findings, a customer should respond favorably to a service representative who adapted the form

and content of his speech to that of the customer. This favorable response will influence service

quality. Based on the general preference for coordinated interactions, the service representatives

have a positive reaction to the coordinated interaction.



Assurance

Additionally, the study found out that majority of the respondents indicated that assurance

affected the choice of consumer choice of petroleum retailing and that they rated the extent to

which assurance affected the choice of consumer choice of petroleum retailing as very high.

The respondents strongly agreed that providing product warranties enhanced consumers’

perception of unobservable service quality assurance. The respondents strongly agreed that

consumers judged a service provider based on cues that they encountered as they shop, that

consumers reasoned that since the firm was willing to stand behind its product, it must be of a

higher quality and that service assurance involved a solution that contained tools to obtain

accurate, detailed and timely data. Finally the respondents agreed that gaining the customer’s

trust was important for a service provider in order to reduce the customer’s perceived level of

risk ex ante.

These findings are in line with the literature review where Parasuraman et al. (1998) postulates

that assurance is the ability to convey trust and confidence.

Tangibles

Finally, the study found out that majority of the respondents indicated that tangibles affected the

choice of consumer choice of petroleum retailing and that they rated the extent to which

tangibles affected the choice of consumer choice of petroleum retailing as very high. The

respondents strongly agreed that physical evidence was used as a cue due to the intangibility of

services and that the cues showed the consumer an external image or tangible aspect of the

service. The respondents agreed that a first impression situation that was difficult to control

occurred when the customer comes into the facility to conduct business. The respondents agreed



that physical evidence was the environment that enabled the organization to provide the service

and communicate to consumers. Finally, the respondents indicated that the facility must be seen

from the customer's point of view, and all staff should be alert to avoid customer-perceived

blemishes.

These findings collate with the literature review where Reimer and Kuehn (2005) argue that

physical evidence thus includes all aspects of the service provider’s physical facilities, as well as

other forms of communication with the patient, including facility exterior, facility interior and

other tangibles.

Regression analysis

This section presents a discussion of the results of inferential statistics. The researcher conducted

a multiple regression analysis so as to investigate the influence of service quality on consumer

preference in petroleum retailing in Thika District. The researcher applied the statistical package

SPSS to code, enter and compute the measurements of the multiple regressions for the study.

Findings are presented in the following tables;

Table 1: Model Summary

Source: Research, 2012

a.Predictors: (Constant), Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, Tangibles

b. Dependent Variable: Service Quality

Coefficient of determination explains the extent to which changes in the dependent variable can

be explained by the change in the independent variables or the percentage of variation in the

Model R R Square Std. Error of the Estimate

1 . 746a .869 .494



dependent variable (Service Quality) that is explained by all the 4 independent variables

(Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, Tangibles).

The four independent variables that were studied, explain 86.9% of variance in service quality as

represented by the R2. This therefore means that other factors not studied in this research

contribute 13.1% of variance in the dependent variable. Therefore, further research should be

conducted to investigate into the other factors that influence service quality on consumer

preference in petroleum retailing in Thika District.

Table 2: ANOVA (Analysis of Variance)

Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

1 Regression 5.239 3 .197 16.0 .001a

Residual 50.345 70 .110

Total 55.584 73

Source: Research, 2012

a. Predictors: (Constant), Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, Tangibles

b. Dependent Variable: Service Quality

The F critical at 5% level of significance was 3.54. Since F calculated is greater than the F

critical (value = 16.0), this shows that the overall model was significant. The significance is less

than 0.05, thus indicating that the predictor variables, (Reliability, Responsiveness, assurance,

Tangibles). Explain the variation in the dependent variable which is service quality.

Subsequently, we reject the hypothesis that all the population values for the regression

coefficients are 0. Conversely, if the significance value of F was larger than 0.05 then the

independent variables would not explain the variation in the dependent variable.



Table 3: Multiple Regression Analysis

Model Unstandardized Coefficients Sig.

B Std. Error

(Constant) 3.631 .77 0.000

Reliability 3.253 0.251 0.001

Responsiveness 1.133 0.122 0.003

Assurance 2.867 0.547 0.002

Tangibles 1.354 0.566 0.004

Source: Researcher (2012)

From the regression findings, the substitution of the equation (Y = β0+ β1X1 + β2X2 + β3X3 +

β4X4) becomes:

Y= 3.631+ 3.253 X1+ 1.133X2+ 2.867X3+1.354X4.

Where Y is the dependent variable (service quality), X1 is reliability variable, X2 is

responsiveness variable, X3 is assurance variable and X4 is the tangibles variable.

According to the equation, taking all factors (Reliability, Responsiveness, assurance, Tangibles)

constant at zero, service quality will be 3.631. The data findings also show that a unit increase in

reliability variable will lead to a 3.253 increase in service quality; a unit increase in

responsiveness will lead to a 1.133 increase in service quality; a unit increase in assurance will

lead to a 2.867 increase in service quality and a unit increase in tangibles variable will lead to a

1.354 in service quality .This means that the most significant factor is reliability followed by

tangibles.



At 5% level of significance and 95% level of confidence, reliability had a 0.001 level of

significance; responsiveness had a 0.003, assurance had a 0.002 level of significance and

tangibles had a 0.004 level of significance, implying that the most significant factor is reliability

followed by assurance.

Regression Analysis

In addition, the researcher conducted a linear multiple regression analysis so as to test the

relationship among variables (independent) on the operational productivity of oil marketing

firms. The researcher applied the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) to code, enter and

compute the measurements of the multiple regressions for the study.

Conclusion

Reliability

The study concludes that reliability affected the choice of consumer choice of petroleum retailing

and that reliability was a component of trust in automated systems and that reliability is an

important component of technology expectations, performance, and disconfirmation. The study

concludes that reliability was the most important service quality attribute and that organizations

must grant incentives to operators to encourage them to improve the reliability of services.

Responsiveness

The study also concludes that that responsiveness affected the choice of consumer choice of

petroleum retailing and that the maxims of relevance and manner were useful for the study of

responsiveness in service interactions. The study concludes that when customers enter into a

service interaction with an organization, they usually require responsiveness and that responsive

service interactions include the consistency between talk and behavior.

Assurance

Additionally, the study concludes that assurance affected the choice of consumer choice of

petroleum retailing and that providing product warranties enhanced consumers’ perception of



unobservable service quality assurance. The study concludes that consumers judged a service

provider based on cues that they encountered as they shop, that consumers reasoned that since

the firm was willing to stand behind its product, it must be of a higher quality and that service

assurance involved a solution that contained tools to obtain accurate, detailed and timely data

Tangibles

Finally, the study concludes that tangibles affected the choice of consumer choice of petroleum

retailing and that physical evidence was used as a cue due to the intangibility of services and that

the cues showed the consumer an external image or tangible aspect of the service.The study

concludes that physical evidence is the environment that enables the organization to provide the

service and communicate to consumers.

Recommendations

Reliability

The study recommends that the personnel in the retailing department should attend various

training sessions to be competent enough to handle the present challenges like in the business

world; this needs a lot of improvement in order to increase service delivery in petroleum

industries.

Responsiveness

The study also recommends that an organization should take various steps to improve its

responsiveness and its customer service capabilities, These can be done through respecting

customers' viewpoints in striving to deliver product quality and customer service that exceed

their expectations.

Assurance



Additionally, the study recommends that cases of fraud and corruption which lead to inefficiency

in most of the operations (service delivery) in the petroleum industries should be eliminated.

Tangibles

Finally, the study recommends that petroleum retailers should invest in a strong strategic reward

management team so as to ensure that the staff is rewarded in accordance with their value to the

industry by giving them monetary incentives which are needed to encourage staff to put extra

effort so as to achieve fairness.

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