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Faculty of Organisation and Management

BSc (Honours) Hospitality Business

Management

Title A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on

Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Name Kwong Pui Yee Denise

Student No 91203355

Month Year April 2009

1

Sheffield Hallam University

Faculty of Organisation and Management

Title A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on

Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Full Name Kwong Pui Yee Denise

Student No 91203355

Supervisor Ms Dorothy Tsui

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in

Hospitality Business Management

Month Year April 2009

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank my supervisor Ms Dorothy Tsui for encouraging and

supporting me throughout the dissertation progress She is willing to offer help when I

was confused on my research I would also like to say thank you to Prof Ray Pine for

helping me on concept building and making decisions on this dissertation Finally

special thanks go to my family for their great support and care in this academic year

ii

ABSTRACT

Nowadays the fast food industry is very competitive in Hong Kong There is fierce

competitive between different fast food restaurants Customer satisfaction is a goal

that every company aims to achieve for a successful business and future development

Service quality is the indicator in measuring the level of service provided for

customers This paper aims to analyze the customer satisfaction on the service quality

delivered by the fast food industry and to find out which dimensions of service quality

should be the main focus for future improvement This research investigates the

quality of service provided by a local chain fast food restaurant - Cafeacute de Coral This

research uses some concepts from Parasuraman et al (1988) and Zeithaml et al (1990)

as a main reference for this study The SERVQUAL model and five dimensions of

service quality are frequently used in this research The five service quality

dimensions are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy This

survey was conducted via face-to-face personal interview collecting customer

opinions of the importance and expectations and performance on perceptions towards

these five service quality dimensions From the results of surveys it was observed

that Tangibles is the most satisfactory followed by Responsiveness Assurance

Reliability and Empathy respectively Finally specific improvements should be given

to those less satisfactory attributes of service quality dimensions in discussion part

iii

CONTENTS

Page

Acknowledgements i

Abstract ii

Contents iii

List of figures vi

List of Tables vii

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Introduction 1

11 Reason for Choosing This Topic 1

12 Reason for Choosing Cafeacute de Coral 3

13 Aims and Objectives 4

14 Chapter Outline 5

Chapter 2 - Literature Review

Introduction 6

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211Definition of Fast Food 6

212 Trend of Fast Food Industry 7

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong 7

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction 9

222 Definition of Service Quality 11

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality 13

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality) 18

iv

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality

and Fast Food Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer

Satisfaction

21

242 Benefits of Service Quality 22

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction

Service Quality and Fast Food Industry

23

Chapter 3 Methodology

Introduction 25

31 Data Collection Method 25

32 Questionnaire Design 26

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research 29

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing 29

333 Limitations 30

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS 31

342 Importance and Performance Analysis 31

Chapter 4 - Results

Introduction 35

41 Primary Findings 36

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis 38

422 Importance and Performance Analysis 41

423 Overall Analysis 44

v

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality

Dimensions

49

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions 53

Chapter 5 Conclusions and Recommendations

Introduction 57

51 Conclusions 57

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions 58

53 Recommendations for Further Research 60

References 63

Appendices 67

vi

LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46) 18

Figure 2 Importance- Performance Analysis Grid Martilla and James

(1977 p78)

32

Figure 3

Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality

Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

42

vii

LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 1 Frequencies and Percentages of Demographic Aspects 36

Table 2

Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in

Dimensions of Service Quality

39

Table 3

Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis 42

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance

and Performance Analysis (IPA)

46

Table 5

Significant Value of One-way ANOVA

(Only Value of Sig lt005 are Shown)

54

1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Four main parts will be covered in this chapter starting with the reason for choosing

this topic customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Next the

reason for choosing Cafeacute de Coral as a target of this case study will be mentioned

The uniqueness and success of this company in running fast food business will be

presented Afterwards aims and objectives of this research will be presented with

individual purpose on this study and research findings Chapter outlines for each

chapter will be mentioned in the last part of this chapter

11 Reason for Choosing This Topic

The rapid growth of the fast food industry shows the demand for fast-service

restaurants Due to the increase in demand local chains fast food restaurants started

their business in Hong Kong since the late 1970s (Lan and Khan 1995) Local fast

food restaurants play an important role in providing timely service to customers

Wetzel (1999) stated that the fast food industry was growing rapidly during the past

two decades There are many different fast food sectors which developed and

established their business in Hong Kong Jones (1988) mentions that due to changes

2

in working patterns short meal periods and economic change the fast service and

food products are becoming more important to consumers This is the main reason

why the fast food market is still growing in Hong Kong with heavy competition

Lan and Khan (1995) mentions that with rapid economic growth the lifestyle of Hong

Kong residents has changed It also changed their dining out habits Nowadays

customers are not only looking for food to fulfill their physiological needs but also

looking for a place with good service for their meal A restaurantrsquos service became an

important part of the dining experience In order to retain existing customers and

attract new customers fast food restaurant should focus on customer expectation of

service aspects

SERVQUAL this is a model of service quality which helps to measure the level of

service present by Zeithaml et al (1990) As different people have different needs and

expectations on service quality it is not easy to satisfy all customers There is a need

in finding the customerrsquos point of view on different dimensions on service quality in

the fast food industry After the study and investigation those important dimensions

of service quality should be improved upon for future development of fast food

restaurants

3

12 Reason for Choosing Cafeacute de Coral

There are many different styles of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong local chains

and international brands International brands include burgers fried chicken and pizza

sectors Cafeacute de Coral (2009) states that Cafeacute de Coral was established in 1968 This

company being one of the publicly listed Chinese fast food restaurant groups in 1986

Over forty years there are more than one hundred and twenty fast food restaurants

distributed in all areas of Hong Kong This company established a high coverage of

areas in the market

Furthermore in the report of Wetzel (1999) Cafeacute de Coral has the highest percentage

of market share amongst local chain fast food restaurants Cafeacute de Coral is the

representative of the local chain fast food industry Customers are familiar with the

service provided by Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant Kwong (2007) shows the pace

of future development in this companyrsquos business They are careful to reach

customersrsquo needs and achieve customer satisfaction Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

mentions the motto of achieving ldquoA Hundred Points of Excellencerdquo in Cafeacute de Coral

This is the commitment in providing excellent service to customers It shows that

Cafeacute de Coral spend a lot of effort on achieving a high service quality dining

4

experience Usually Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) presents the Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral

rewards repeated customer by provides more values to them

This research focuses on the same aspects as Cafeacute de Coral- service quality In

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality provided by Cafeacute de Coral the

findings will be a representative result for whole fast food industry

13 Aims and Objectives

Aim

To analyze the customersrsquo satisfaction on the service quality delivered by the fast food

industry and find out which dimensions should be focus for future improvement

Objectives

(1) To study the importance on achieving customer satisfaction in the fast food

industry

(2) To develop a research and investigate customer point of view on different

dimensions of service quality delivered by the fast food industry

(3) To determine which dimensions of service quality should be improved to achieve

customer satisfaction

5

14 Chapter Outline

Chapter 2 is a Literature Review with theory concepts published by the reporter and

specialist Background trends definitions methods in measuring and relationships

related to fast food industry customer satisfaction and service quality will be

discussed

Chapter 3 is Methodology It includes the methods and tools used in conducting the

research Data collection methods limitations and the questionnaire design will be

presented in this chapter

Chapter 4 is Results This chapter presents the findings of this research followed by

an analysis using different methods Lastly possible recommendations for specific

dimensions will be suggested in discussion part

Chapter 5 is Conclusions and Recommendations In this chapter the main idea of this

research will be carried out comprehensively Recommendations for future research

will also be provided

6

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

There are four main parts in this Literature Review They include the background and

trends of the fast food industry definitions of customerrsquos satisfaction and service

quality methods of measuring customer satisfaction on service quality and the

relationships between customer satisfaction service quality and the fast food industry

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211 Definition of Fast Food

Fast Food is serving food and beverage in a short period of time Jones (1988 p65)

states the basic concept of fast food is ldquocheap food and products that can be cooked

quickly and a demand for takeawaysrdquo It shows that fast food has a main feature

convenience Convenience involves reducing the customersrsquo waiting time for food

This means that most of the food items are already prepared in advance Food items

are simple and can be cooked quickly Usually customers can enjoy the meal easily

anywhere they like because fast food restaurants offer takeaways services

7

212 Trends of the Fast Food Industry

Nowadays dining in fast food restaurants is more popular than formal dinning

experiences Jones (1988) believes the change in eating habits growth of the teenage

market and working population is linked to the growth in fast food industries around

the world Eating habits changed in that the culture is affected by fast food culture

Growth of teenage market increases the demand of simple and convenient meals

Working pattern of the population affects the need of fast service during meal periods

All of these factors lead to the increase of fast food restaurants

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong

Wetzel (1999) mentions that fast food industry in Hong Kong started in the 1970s

with Western and local operators After nearly forty years the fast food restaurants are

still playing an important role and growing in service In researches of Wetzel (1999)

Lan and Khan (1995) they presented a growth number of fast food restaurants in

Hong Kong from not more than four hundred in 1980 to nearly one thousand five

hundred in 1997 It shows a rapid growth rate in the fast food industry and it becomes

an intensive market Furthermore Lan and Khan (1995) present a figure showing

quick service restaurants in Hong Kong contributing to thirteen percent of the

restaurant market in 1993 Fast food industry is one of the fastest growing business

8

sectors The fast growth of the market is due to the demand of convenience products

among Hong Kong residents

Wetzel (1999) mentions the style of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong is divided into

international chains and local chains International chains included hamburger

restaurants chicken restaurants and pizza stores Local chains are run by Hong Kong

company which offer Chinese and Western cuisine They are in keen competition with

each other Different restaurants compete with each other to get the market share of

being a market leader in their segment Fast food restaurants put a lot of effort on

running a successful business to gain more revenue

In this research Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food Restaurant is chosen as the study target of

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food

Restaurant is a local chain fast food under the group of Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral

Fast Food (2009) provides information of their history This company started

operation in 1968 With a long history of over forty years there are more than one

hundred and twenty fast food restaurants distributed in all areas of Hong Kong

In local Chinese chains fast food sector Wetzel (1999) presents a figure of Cafeacute de

9

Coral with the highest market share when compared with other competitors Maximrsquos

and Fairwood Lo (2007) presents that the improvement of operation and enhancing

customer dining experience have been done in Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral put their

efforts on improving the dining environment as well as the quality of food and

services Their focus is to meet customer needs and achieving customer satisfaction

by their commitment to customers ldquoto achieve 100 complete servicerdquo

After the study of the background and trends of evolution in fast food industry we can

see the potential of continuous growth and development of fast service style

restaurants Fast food restaurants in catering service will become more important in

the future This research about fast food restaurant in analyzing how to maintain the

service to be more competitive and differentiated from others is worthwhile to carry

out

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is determined by the customer It is a set of feeling and beliefs

from the customer Oliver (1993 citied in Rust and Oliver 1994 p3-4) states ldquothe

word ldquosatisfactionrdquo is derived from Latin ldquosatisrdquo (enough) and ldquofacererdquo (to do or

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

1

Sheffield Hallam University

Faculty of Organisation and Management

Title A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on

Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Full Name Kwong Pui Yee Denise

Student No 91203355

Supervisor Ms Dorothy Tsui

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in

Hospitality Business Management

Month Year April 2009

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank my supervisor Ms Dorothy Tsui for encouraging and

supporting me throughout the dissertation progress She is willing to offer help when I

was confused on my research I would also like to say thank you to Prof Ray Pine for

helping me on concept building and making decisions on this dissertation Finally

special thanks go to my family for their great support and care in this academic year

ii

ABSTRACT

Nowadays the fast food industry is very competitive in Hong Kong There is fierce

competitive between different fast food restaurants Customer satisfaction is a goal

that every company aims to achieve for a successful business and future development

Service quality is the indicator in measuring the level of service provided for

customers This paper aims to analyze the customer satisfaction on the service quality

delivered by the fast food industry and to find out which dimensions of service quality

should be the main focus for future improvement This research investigates the

quality of service provided by a local chain fast food restaurant - Cafeacute de Coral This

research uses some concepts from Parasuraman et al (1988) and Zeithaml et al (1990)

as a main reference for this study The SERVQUAL model and five dimensions of

service quality are frequently used in this research The five service quality

dimensions are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy This

survey was conducted via face-to-face personal interview collecting customer

opinions of the importance and expectations and performance on perceptions towards

these five service quality dimensions From the results of surveys it was observed

that Tangibles is the most satisfactory followed by Responsiveness Assurance

Reliability and Empathy respectively Finally specific improvements should be given

to those less satisfactory attributes of service quality dimensions in discussion part

iii

CONTENTS

Page

Acknowledgements i

Abstract ii

Contents iii

List of figures vi

List of Tables vii

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Introduction 1

11 Reason for Choosing This Topic 1

12 Reason for Choosing Cafeacute de Coral 3

13 Aims and Objectives 4

14 Chapter Outline 5

Chapter 2 - Literature Review

Introduction 6

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211Definition of Fast Food 6

212 Trend of Fast Food Industry 7

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong 7

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction 9

222 Definition of Service Quality 11

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality 13

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality) 18

iv

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality

and Fast Food Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer

Satisfaction

21

242 Benefits of Service Quality 22

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction

Service Quality and Fast Food Industry

23

Chapter 3 Methodology

Introduction 25

31 Data Collection Method 25

32 Questionnaire Design 26

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research 29

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing 29

333 Limitations 30

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS 31

342 Importance and Performance Analysis 31

Chapter 4 - Results

Introduction 35

41 Primary Findings 36

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis 38

422 Importance and Performance Analysis 41

423 Overall Analysis 44

v

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality

Dimensions

49

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions 53

Chapter 5 Conclusions and Recommendations

Introduction 57

51 Conclusions 57

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions 58

53 Recommendations for Further Research 60

References 63

Appendices 67

vi

LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46) 18

Figure 2 Importance- Performance Analysis Grid Martilla and James

(1977 p78)

32

Figure 3

Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality

Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

42

vii

LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 1 Frequencies and Percentages of Demographic Aspects 36

Table 2

Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in

Dimensions of Service Quality

39

Table 3

Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis 42

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance

and Performance Analysis (IPA)

46

Table 5

Significant Value of One-way ANOVA

(Only Value of Sig lt005 are Shown)

54

1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Four main parts will be covered in this chapter starting with the reason for choosing

this topic customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Next the

reason for choosing Cafeacute de Coral as a target of this case study will be mentioned

The uniqueness and success of this company in running fast food business will be

presented Afterwards aims and objectives of this research will be presented with

individual purpose on this study and research findings Chapter outlines for each

chapter will be mentioned in the last part of this chapter

11 Reason for Choosing This Topic

The rapid growth of the fast food industry shows the demand for fast-service

restaurants Due to the increase in demand local chains fast food restaurants started

their business in Hong Kong since the late 1970s (Lan and Khan 1995) Local fast

food restaurants play an important role in providing timely service to customers

Wetzel (1999) stated that the fast food industry was growing rapidly during the past

two decades There are many different fast food sectors which developed and

established their business in Hong Kong Jones (1988) mentions that due to changes

2

in working patterns short meal periods and economic change the fast service and

food products are becoming more important to consumers This is the main reason

why the fast food market is still growing in Hong Kong with heavy competition

Lan and Khan (1995) mentions that with rapid economic growth the lifestyle of Hong

Kong residents has changed It also changed their dining out habits Nowadays

customers are not only looking for food to fulfill their physiological needs but also

looking for a place with good service for their meal A restaurantrsquos service became an

important part of the dining experience In order to retain existing customers and

attract new customers fast food restaurant should focus on customer expectation of

service aspects

SERVQUAL this is a model of service quality which helps to measure the level of

service present by Zeithaml et al (1990) As different people have different needs and

expectations on service quality it is not easy to satisfy all customers There is a need

in finding the customerrsquos point of view on different dimensions on service quality in

the fast food industry After the study and investigation those important dimensions

of service quality should be improved upon for future development of fast food

restaurants

3

12 Reason for Choosing Cafeacute de Coral

There are many different styles of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong local chains

and international brands International brands include burgers fried chicken and pizza

sectors Cafeacute de Coral (2009) states that Cafeacute de Coral was established in 1968 This

company being one of the publicly listed Chinese fast food restaurant groups in 1986

Over forty years there are more than one hundred and twenty fast food restaurants

distributed in all areas of Hong Kong This company established a high coverage of

areas in the market

Furthermore in the report of Wetzel (1999) Cafeacute de Coral has the highest percentage

of market share amongst local chain fast food restaurants Cafeacute de Coral is the

representative of the local chain fast food industry Customers are familiar with the

service provided by Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant Kwong (2007) shows the pace

of future development in this companyrsquos business They are careful to reach

customersrsquo needs and achieve customer satisfaction Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

mentions the motto of achieving ldquoA Hundred Points of Excellencerdquo in Cafeacute de Coral

This is the commitment in providing excellent service to customers It shows that

Cafeacute de Coral spend a lot of effort on achieving a high service quality dining

4

experience Usually Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) presents the Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral

rewards repeated customer by provides more values to them

This research focuses on the same aspects as Cafeacute de Coral- service quality In

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality provided by Cafeacute de Coral the

findings will be a representative result for whole fast food industry

13 Aims and Objectives

Aim

To analyze the customersrsquo satisfaction on the service quality delivered by the fast food

industry and find out which dimensions should be focus for future improvement

Objectives

(1) To study the importance on achieving customer satisfaction in the fast food

industry

(2) To develop a research and investigate customer point of view on different

dimensions of service quality delivered by the fast food industry

(3) To determine which dimensions of service quality should be improved to achieve

customer satisfaction

5

14 Chapter Outline

Chapter 2 is a Literature Review with theory concepts published by the reporter and

specialist Background trends definitions methods in measuring and relationships

related to fast food industry customer satisfaction and service quality will be

discussed

Chapter 3 is Methodology It includes the methods and tools used in conducting the

research Data collection methods limitations and the questionnaire design will be

presented in this chapter

Chapter 4 is Results This chapter presents the findings of this research followed by

an analysis using different methods Lastly possible recommendations for specific

dimensions will be suggested in discussion part

Chapter 5 is Conclusions and Recommendations In this chapter the main idea of this

research will be carried out comprehensively Recommendations for future research

will also be provided

6

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

There are four main parts in this Literature Review They include the background and

trends of the fast food industry definitions of customerrsquos satisfaction and service

quality methods of measuring customer satisfaction on service quality and the

relationships between customer satisfaction service quality and the fast food industry

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211 Definition of Fast Food

Fast Food is serving food and beverage in a short period of time Jones (1988 p65)

states the basic concept of fast food is ldquocheap food and products that can be cooked

quickly and a demand for takeawaysrdquo It shows that fast food has a main feature

convenience Convenience involves reducing the customersrsquo waiting time for food

This means that most of the food items are already prepared in advance Food items

are simple and can be cooked quickly Usually customers can enjoy the meal easily

anywhere they like because fast food restaurants offer takeaways services

7

212 Trends of the Fast Food Industry

Nowadays dining in fast food restaurants is more popular than formal dinning

experiences Jones (1988) believes the change in eating habits growth of the teenage

market and working population is linked to the growth in fast food industries around

the world Eating habits changed in that the culture is affected by fast food culture

Growth of teenage market increases the demand of simple and convenient meals

Working pattern of the population affects the need of fast service during meal periods

All of these factors lead to the increase of fast food restaurants

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong

Wetzel (1999) mentions that fast food industry in Hong Kong started in the 1970s

with Western and local operators After nearly forty years the fast food restaurants are

still playing an important role and growing in service In researches of Wetzel (1999)

Lan and Khan (1995) they presented a growth number of fast food restaurants in

Hong Kong from not more than four hundred in 1980 to nearly one thousand five

hundred in 1997 It shows a rapid growth rate in the fast food industry and it becomes

an intensive market Furthermore Lan and Khan (1995) present a figure showing

quick service restaurants in Hong Kong contributing to thirteen percent of the

restaurant market in 1993 Fast food industry is one of the fastest growing business

8

sectors The fast growth of the market is due to the demand of convenience products

among Hong Kong residents

Wetzel (1999) mentions the style of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong is divided into

international chains and local chains International chains included hamburger

restaurants chicken restaurants and pizza stores Local chains are run by Hong Kong

company which offer Chinese and Western cuisine They are in keen competition with

each other Different restaurants compete with each other to get the market share of

being a market leader in their segment Fast food restaurants put a lot of effort on

running a successful business to gain more revenue

In this research Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food Restaurant is chosen as the study target of

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food

Restaurant is a local chain fast food under the group of Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral

Fast Food (2009) provides information of their history This company started

operation in 1968 With a long history of over forty years there are more than one

hundred and twenty fast food restaurants distributed in all areas of Hong Kong

In local Chinese chains fast food sector Wetzel (1999) presents a figure of Cafeacute de

9

Coral with the highest market share when compared with other competitors Maximrsquos

and Fairwood Lo (2007) presents that the improvement of operation and enhancing

customer dining experience have been done in Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral put their

efforts on improving the dining environment as well as the quality of food and

services Their focus is to meet customer needs and achieving customer satisfaction

by their commitment to customers ldquoto achieve 100 complete servicerdquo

After the study of the background and trends of evolution in fast food industry we can

see the potential of continuous growth and development of fast service style

restaurants Fast food restaurants in catering service will become more important in

the future This research about fast food restaurant in analyzing how to maintain the

service to be more competitive and differentiated from others is worthwhile to carry

out

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is determined by the customer It is a set of feeling and beliefs

from the customer Oliver (1993 citied in Rust and Oliver 1994 p3-4) states ldquothe

word ldquosatisfactionrdquo is derived from Latin ldquosatisrdquo (enough) and ldquofacererdquo (to do or

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

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httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

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HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

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IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

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JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

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JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

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KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

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LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

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NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

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PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

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Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

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QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

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WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank my supervisor Ms Dorothy Tsui for encouraging and

supporting me throughout the dissertation progress She is willing to offer help when I

was confused on my research I would also like to say thank you to Prof Ray Pine for

helping me on concept building and making decisions on this dissertation Finally

special thanks go to my family for their great support and care in this academic year

ii

ABSTRACT

Nowadays the fast food industry is very competitive in Hong Kong There is fierce

competitive between different fast food restaurants Customer satisfaction is a goal

that every company aims to achieve for a successful business and future development

Service quality is the indicator in measuring the level of service provided for

customers This paper aims to analyze the customer satisfaction on the service quality

delivered by the fast food industry and to find out which dimensions of service quality

should be the main focus for future improvement This research investigates the

quality of service provided by a local chain fast food restaurant - Cafeacute de Coral This

research uses some concepts from Parasuraman et al (1988) and Zeithaml et al (1990)

as a main reference for this study The SERVQUAL model and five dimensions of

service quality are frequently used in this research The five service quality

dimensions are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy This

survey was conducted via face-to-face personal interview collecting customer

opinions of the importance and expectations and performance on perceptions towards

these five service quality dimensions From the results of surveys it was observed

that Tangibles is the most satisfactory followed by Responsiveness Assurance

Reliability and Empathy respectively Finally specific improvements should be given

to those less satisfactory attributes of service quality dimensions in discussion part

iii

CONTENTS

Page

Acknowledgements i

Abstract ii

Contents iii

List of figures vi

List of Tables vii

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Introduction 1

11 Reason for Choosing This Topic 1

12 Reason for Choosing Cafeacute de Coral 3

13 Aims and Objectives 4

14 Chapter Outline 5

Chapter 2 - Literature Review

Introduction 6

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211Definition of Fast Food 6

212 Trend of Fast Food Industry 7

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong 7

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction 9

222 Definition of Service Quality 11

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality 13

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality) 18

iv

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality

and Fast Food Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer

Satisfaction

21

242 Benefits of Service Quality 22

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction

Service Quality and Fast Food Industry

23

Chapter 3 Methodology

Introduction 25

31 Data Collection Method 25

32 Questionnaire Design 26

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research 29

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing 29

333 Limitations 30

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS 31

342 Importance and Performance Analysis 31

Chapter 4 - Results

Introduction 35

41 Primary Findings 36

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis 38

422 Importance and Performance Analysis 41

423 Overall Analysis 44

v

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality

Dimensions

49

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions 53

Chapter 5 Conclusions and Recommendations

Introduction 57

51 Conclusions 57

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions 58

53 Recommendations for Further Research 60

References 63

Appendices 67

vi

LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46) 18

Figure 2 Importance- Performance Analysis Grid Martilla and James

(1977 p78)

32

Figure 3

Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality

Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

42

vii

LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 1 Frequencies and Percentages of Demographic Aspects 36

Table 2

Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in

Dimensions of Service Quality

39

Table 3

Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis 42

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance

and Performance Analysis (IPA)

46

Table 5

Significant Value of One-way ANOVA

(Only Value of Sig lt005 are Shown)

54

1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Four main parts will be covered in this chapter starting with the reason for choosing

this topic customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Next the

reason for choosing Cafeacute de Coral as a target of this case study will be mentioned

The uniqueness and success of this company in running fast food business will be

presented Afterwards aims and objectives of this research will be presented with

individual purpose on this study and research findings Chapter outlines for each

chapter will be mentioned in the last part of this chapter

11 Reason for Choosing This Topic

The rapid growth of the fast food industry shows the demand for fast-service

restaurants Due to the increase in demand local chains fast food restaurants started

their business in Hong Kong since the late 1970s (Lan and Khan 1995) Local fast

food restaurants play an important role in providing timely service to customers

Wetzel (1999) stated that the fast food industry was growing rapidly during the past

two decades There are many different fast food sectors which developed and

established their business in Hong Kong Jones (1988) mentions that due to changes

2

in working patterns short meal periods and economic change the fast service and

food products are becoming more important to consumers This is the main reason

why the fast food market is still growing in Hong Kong with heavy competition

Lan and Khan (1995) mentions that with rapid economic growth the lifestyle of Hong

Kong residents has changed It also changed their dining out habits Nowadays

customers are not only looking for food to fulfill their physiological needs but also

looking for a place with good service for their meal A restaurantrsquos service became an

important part of the dining experience In order to retain existing customers and

attract new customers fast food restaurant should focus on customer expectation of

service aspects

SERVQUAL this is a model of service quality which helps to measure the level of

service present by Zeithaml et al (1990) As different people have different needs and

expectations on service quality it is not easy to satisfy all customers There is a need

in finding the customerrsquos point of view on different dimensions on service quality in

the fast food industry After the study and investigation those important dimensions

of service quality should be improved upon for future development of fast food

restaurants

3

12 Reason for Choosing Cafeacute de Coral

There are many different styles of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong local chains

and international brands International brands include burgers fried chicken and pizza

sectors Cafeacute de Coral (2009) states that Cafeacute de Coral was established in 1968 This

company being one of the publicly listed Chinese fast food restaurant groups in 1986

Over forty years there are more than one hundred and twenty fast food restaurants

distributed in all areas of Hong Kong This company established a high coverage of

areas in the market

Furthermore in the report of Wetzel (1999) Cafeacute de Coral has the highest percentage

of market share amongst local chain fast food restaurants Cafeacute de Coral is the

representative of the local chain fast food industry Customers are familiar with the

service provided by Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant Kwong (2007) shows the pace

of future development in this companyrsquos business They are careful to reach

customersrsquo needs and achieve customer satisfaction Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

mentions the motto of achieving ldquoA Hundred Points of Excellencerdquo in Cafeacute de Coral

This is the commitment in providing excellent service to customers It shows that

Cafeacute de Coral spend a lot of effort on achieving a high service quality dining

4

experience Usually Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) presents the Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral

rewards repeated customer by provides more values to them

This research focuses on the same aspects as Cafeacute de Coral- service quality In

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality provided by Cafeacute de Coral the

findings will be a representative result for whole fast food industry

13 Aims and Objectives

Aim

To analyze the customersrsquo satisfaction on the service quality delivered by the fast food

industry and find out which dimensions should be focus for future improvement

Objectives

(1) To study the importance on achieving customer satisfaction in the fast food

industry

(2) To develop a research and investigate customer point of view on different

dimensions of service quality delivered by the fast food industry

(3) To determine which dimensions of service quality should be improved to achieve

customer satisfaction

5

14 Chapter Outline

Chapter 2 is a Literature Review with theory concepts published by the reporter and

specialist Background trends definitions methods in measuring and relationships

related to fast food industry customer satisfaction and service quality will be

discussed

Chapter 3 is Methodology It includes the methods and tools used in conducting the

research Data collection methods limitations and the questionnaire design will be

presented in this chapter

Chapter 4 is Results This chapter presents the findings of this research followed by

an analysis using different methods Lastly possible recommendations for specific

dimensions will be suggested in discussion part

Chapter 5 is Conclusions and Recommendations In this chapter the main idea of this

research will be carried out comprehensively Recommendations for future research

will also be provided

6

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

There are four main parts in this Literature Review They include the background and

trends of the fast food industry definitions of customerrsquos satisfaction and service

quality methods of measuring customer satisfaction on service quality and the

relationships between customer satisfaction service quality and the fast food industry

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211 Definition of Fast Food

Fast Food is serving food and beverage in a short period of time Jones (1988 p65)

states the basic concept of fast food is ldquocheap food and products that can be cooked

quickly and a demand for takeawaysrdquo It shows that fast food has a main feature

convenience Convenience involves reducing the customersrsquo waiting time for food

This means that most of the food items are already prepared in advance Food items

are simple and can be cooked quickly Usually customers can enjoy the meal easily

anywhere they like because fast food restaurants offer takeaways services

7

212 Trends of the Fast Food Industry

Nowadays dining in fast food restaurants is more popular than formal dinning

experiences Jones (1988) believes the change in eating habits growth of the teenage

market and working population is linked to the growth in fast food industries around

the world Eating habits changed in that the culture is affected by fast food culture

Growth of teenage market increases the demand of simple and convenient meals

Working pattern of the population affects the need of fast service during meal periods

All of these factors lead to the increase of fast food restaurants

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong

Wetzel (1999) mentions that fast food industry in Hong Kong started in the 1970s

with Western and local operators After nearly forty years the fast food restaurants are

still playing an important role and growing in service In researches of Wetzel (1999)

Lan and Khan (1995) they presented a growth number of fast food restaurants in

Hong Kong from not more than four hundred in 1980 to nearly one thousand five

hundred in 1997 It shows a rapid growth rate in the fast food industry and it becomes

an intensive market Furthermore Lan and Khan (1995) present a figure showing

quick service restaurants in Hong Kong contributing to thirteen percent of the

restaurant market in 1993 Fast food industry is one of the fastest growing business

8

sectors The fast growth of the market is due to the demand of convenience products

among Hong Kong residents

Wetzel (1999) mentions the style of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong is divided into

international chains and local chains International chains included hamburger

restaurants chicken restaurants and pizza stores Local chains are run by Hong Kong

company which offer Chinese and Western cuisine They are in keen competition with

each other Different restaurants compete with each other to get the market share of

being a market leader in their segment Fast food restaurants put a lot of effort on

running a successful business to gain more revenue

In this research Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food Restaurant is chosen as the study target of

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food

Restaurant is a local chain fast food under the group of Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral

Fast Food (2009) provides information of their history This company started

operation in 1968 With a long history of over forty years there are more than one

hundred and twenty fast food restaurants distributed in all areas of Hong Kong

In local Chinese chains fast food sector Wetzel (1999) presents a figure of Cafeacute de

9

Coral with the highest market share when compared with other competitors Maximrsquos

and Fairwood Lo (2007) presents that the improvement of operation and enhancing

customer dining experience have been done in Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral put their

efforts on improving the dining environment as well as the quality of food and

services Their focus is to meet customer needs and achieving customer satisfaction

by their commitment to customers ldquoto achieve 100 complete servicerdquo

After the study of the background and trends of evolution in fast food industry we can

see the potential of continuous growth and development of fast service style

restaurants Fast food restaurants in catering service will become more important in

the future This research about fast food restaurant in analyzing how to maintain the

service to be more competitive and differentiated from others is worthwhile to carry

out

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is determined by the customer It is a set of feeling and beliefs

from the customer Oliver (1993 citied in Rust and Oliver 1994 p3-4) states ldquothe

word ldquosatisfactionrdquo is derived from Latin ldquosatisrdquo (enough) and ldquofacererdquo (to do or

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

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Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

ii

ABSTRACT

Nowadays the fast food industry is very competitive in Hong Kong There is fierce

competitive between different fast food restaurants Customer satisfaction is a goal

that every company aims to achieve for a successful business and future development

Service quality is the indicator in measuring the level of service provided for

customers This paper aims to analyze the customer satisfaction on the service quality

delivered by the fast food industry and to find out which dimensions of service quality

should be the main focus for future improvement This research investigates the

quality of service provided by a local chain fast food restaurant - Cafeacute de Coral This

research uses some concepts from Parasuraman et al (1988) and Zeithaml et al (1990)

as a main reference for this study The SERVQUAL model and five dimensions of

service quality are frequently used in this research The five service quality

dimensions are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy This

survey was conducted via face-to-face personal interview collecting customer

opinions of the importance and expectations and performance on perceptions towards

these five service quality dimensions From the results of surveys it was observed

that Tangibles is the most satisfactory followed by Responsiveness Assurance

Reliability and Empathy respectively Finally specific improvements should be given

to those less satisfactory attributes of service quality dimensions in discussion part

iii

CONTENTS

Page

Acknowledgements i

Abstract ii

Contents iii

List of figures vi

List of Tables vii

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Introduction 1

11 Reason for Choosing This Topic 1

12 Reason for Choosing Cafeacute de Coral 3

13 Aims and Objectives 4

14 Chapter Outline 5

Chapter 2 - Literature Review

Introduction 6

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211Definition of Fast Food 6

212 Trend of Fast Food Industry 7

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong 7

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction 9

222 Definition of Service Quality 11

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality 13

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality) 18

iv

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality

and Fast Food Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer

Satisfaction

21

242 Benefits of Service Quality 22

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction

Service Quality and Fast Food Industry

23

Chapter 3 Methodology

Introduction 25

31 Data Collection Method 25

32 Questionnaire Design 26

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research 29

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing 29

333 Limitations 30

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS 31

342 Importance and Performance Analysis 31

Chapter 4 - Results

Introduction 35

41 Primary Findings 36

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis 38

422 Importance and Performance Analysis 41

423 Overall Analysis 44

v

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality

Dimensions

49

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions 53

Chapter 5 Conclusions and Recommendations

Introduction 57

51 Conclusions 57

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions 58

53 Recommendations for Further Research 60

References 63

Appendices 67

vi

LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46) 18

Figure 2 Importance- Performance Analysis Grid Martilla and James

(1977 p78)

32

Figure 3

Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality

Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

42

vii

LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 1 Frequencies and Percentages of Demographic Aspects 36

Table 2

Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in

Dimensions of Service Quality

39

Table 3

Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis 42

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance

and Performance Analysis (IPA)

46

Table 5

Significant Value of One-way ANOVA

(Only Value of Sig lt005 are Shown)

54

1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Four main parts will be covered in this chapter starting with the reason for choosing

this topic customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Next the

reason for choosing Cafeacute de Coral as a target of this case study will be mentioned

The uniqueness and success of this company in running fast food business will be

presented Afterwards aims and objectives of this research will be presented with

individual purpose on this study and research findings Chapter outlines for each

chapter will be mentioned in the last part of this chapter

11 Reason for Choosing This Topic

The rapid growth of the fast food industry shows the demand for fast-service

restaurants Due to the increase in demand local chains fast food restaurants started

their business in Hong Kong since the late 1970s (Lan and Khan 1995) Local fast

food restaurants play an important role in providing timely service to customers

Wetzel (1999) stated that the fast food industry was growing rapidly during the past

two decades There are many different fast food sectors which developed and

established their business in Hong Kong Jones (1988) mentions that due to changes

2

in working patterns short meal periods and economic change the fast service and

food products are becoming more important to consumers This is the main reason

why the fast food market is still growing in Hong Kong with heavy competition

Lan and Khan (1995) mentions that with rapid economic growth the lifestyle of Hong

Kong residents has changed It also changed their dining out habits Nowadays

customers are not only looking for food to fulfill their physiological needs but also

looking for a place with good service for their meal A restaurantrsquos service became an

important part of the dining experience In order to retain existing customers and

attract new customers fast food restaurant should focus on customer expectation of

service aspects

SERVQUAL this is a model of service quality which helps to measure the level of

service present by Zeithaml et al (1990) As different people have different needs and

expectations on service quality it is not easy to satisfy all customers There is a need

in finding the customerrsquos point of view on different dimensions on service quality in

the fast food industry After the study and investigation those important dimensions

of service quality should be improved upon for future development of fast food

restaurants

3

12 Reason for Choosing Cafeacute de Coral

There are many different styles of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong local chains

and international brands International brands include burgers fried chicken and pizza

sectors Cafeacute de Coral (2009) states that Cafeacute de Coral was established in 1968 This

company being one of the publicly listed Chinese fast food restaurant groups in 1986

Over forty years there are more than one hundred and twenty fast food restaurants

distributed in all areas of Hong Kong This company established a high coverage of

areas in the market

Furthermore in the report of Wetzel (1999) Cafeacute de Coral has the highest percentage

of market share amongst local chain fast food restaurants Cafeacute de Coral is the

representative of the local chain fast food industry Customers are familiar with the

service provided by Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant Kwong (2007) shows the pace

of future development in this companyrsquos business They are careful to reach

customersrsquo needs and achieve customer satisfaction Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

mentions the motto of achieving ldquoA Hundred Points of Excellencerdquo in Cafeacute de Coral

This is the commitment in providing excellent service to customers It shows that

Cafeacute de Coral spend a lot of effort on achieving a high service quality dining

4

experience Usually Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) presents the Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral

rewards repeated customer by provides more values to them

This research focuses on the same aspects as Cafeacute de Coral- service quality In

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality provided by Cafeacute de Coral the

findings will be a representative result for whole fast food industry

13 Aims and Objectives

Aim

To analyze the customersrsquo satisfaction on the service quality delivered by the fast food

industry and find out which dimensions should be focus for future improvement

Objectives

(1) To study the importance on achieving customer satisfaction in the fast food

industry

(2) To develop a research and investigate customer point of view on different

dimensions of service quality delivered by the fast food industry

(3) To determine which dimensions of service quality should be improved to achieve

customer satisfaction

5

14 Chapter Outline

Chapter 2 is a Literature Review with theory concepts published by the reporter and

specialist Background trends definitions methods in measuring and relationships

related to fast food industry customer satisfaction and service quality will be

discussed

Chapter 3 is Methodology It includes the methods and tools used in conducting the

research Data collection methods limitations and the questionnaire design will be

presented in this chapter

Chapter 4 is Results This chapter presents the findings of this research followed by

an analysis using different methods Lastly possible recommendations for specific

dimensions will be suggested in discussion part

Chapter 5 is Conclusions and Recommendations In this chapter the main idea of this

research will be carried out comprehensively Recommendations for future research

will also be provided

6

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

There are four main parts in this Literature Review They include the background and

trends of the fast food industry definitions of customerrsquos satisfaction and service

quality methods of measuring customer satisfaction on service quality and the

relationships between customer satisfaction service quality and the fast food industry

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211 Definition of Fast Food

Fast Food is serving food and beverage in a short period of time Jones (1988 p65)

states the basic concept of fast food is ldquocheap food and products that can be cooked

quickly and a demand for takeawaysrdquo It shows that fast food has a main feature

convenience Convenience involves reducing the customersrsquo waiting time for food

This means that most of the food items are already prepared in advance Food items

are simple and can be cooked quickly Usually customers can enjoy the meal easily

anywhere they like because fast food restaurants offer takeaways services

7

212 Trends of the Fast Food Industry

Nowadays dining in fast food restaurants is more popular than formal dinning

experiences Jones (1988) believes the change in eating habits growth of the teenage

market and working population is linked to the growth in fast food industries around

the world Eating habits changed in that the culture is affected by fast food culture

Growth of teenage market increases the demand of simple and convenient meals

Working pattern of the population affects the need of fast service during meal periods

All of these factors lead to the increase of fast food restaurants

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong

Wetzel (1999) mentions that fast food industry in Hong Kong started in the 1970s

with Western and local operators After nearly forty years the fast food restaurants are

still playing an important role and growing in service In researches of Wetzel (1999)

Lan and Khan (1995) they presented a growth number of fast food restaurants in

Hong Kong from not more than four hundred in 1980 to nearly one thousand five

hundred in 1997 It shows a rapid growth rate in the fast food industry and it becomes

an intensive market Furthermore Lan and Khan (1995) present a figure showing

quick service restaurants in Hong Kong contributing to thirteen percent of the

restaurant market in 1993 Fast food industry is one of the fastest growing business

8

sectors The fast growth of the market is due to the demand of convenience products

among Hong Kong residents

Wetzel (1999) mentions the style of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong is divided into

international chains and local chains International chains included hamburger

restaurants chicken restaurants and pizza stores Local chains are run by Hong Kong

company which offer Chinese and Western cuisine They are in keen competition with

each other Different restaurants compete with each other to get the market share of

being a market leader in their segment Fast food restaurants put a lot of effort on

running a successful business to gain more revenue

In this research Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food Restaurant is chosen as the study target of

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food

Restaurant is a local chain fast food under the group of Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral

Fast Food (2009) provides information of their history This company started

operation in 1968 With a long history of over forty years there are more than one

hundred and twenty fast food restaurants distributed in all areas of Hong Kong

In local Chinese chains fast food sector Wetzel (1999) presents a figure of Cafeacute de

9

Coral with the highest market share when compared with other competitors Maximrsquos

and Fairwood Lo (2007) presents that the improvement of operation and enhancing

customer dining experience have been done in Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral put their

efforts on improving the dining environment as well as the quality of food and

services Their focus is to meet customer needs and achieving customer satisfaction

by their commitment to customers ldquoto achieve 100 complete servicerdquo

After the study of the background and trends of evolution in fast food industry we can

see the potential of continuous growth and development of fast service style

restaurants Fast food restaurants in catering service will become more important in

the future This research about fast food restaurant in analyzing how to maintain the

service to be more competitive and differentiated from others is worthwhile to carry

out

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is determined by the customer It is a set of feeling and beliefs

from the customer Oliver (1993 citied in Rust and Oliver 1994 p3-4) states ldquothe

word ldquosatisfactionrdquo is derived from Latin ldquosatisrdquo (enough) and ldquofacererdquo (to do or

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

iii

CONTENTS

Page

Acknowledgements i

Abstract ii

Contents iii

List of figures vi

List of Tables vii

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Introduction 1

11 Reason for Choosing This Topic 1

12 Reason for Choosing Cafeacute de Coral 3

13 Aims and Objectives 4

14 Chapter Outline 5

Chapter 2 - Literature Review

Introduction 6

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211Definition of Fast Food 6

212 Trend of Fast Food Industry 7

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong 7

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction 9

222 Definition of Service Quality 11

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality 13

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality) 18

iv

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality

and Fast Food Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer

Satisfaction

21

242 Benefits of Service Quality 22

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction

Service Quality and Fast Food Industry

23

Chapter 3 Methodology

Introduction 25

31 Data Collection Method 25

32 Questionnaire Design 26

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research 29

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing 29

333 Limitations 30

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS 31

342 Importance and Performance Analysis 31

Chapter 4 - Results

Introduction 35

41 Primary Findings 36

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis 38

422 Importance and Performance Analysis 41

423 Overall Analysis 44

v

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality

Dimensions

49

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions 53

Chapter 5 Conclusions and Recommendations

Introduction 57

51 Conclusions 57

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions 58

53 Recommendations for Further Research 60

References 63

Appendices 67

vi

LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46) 18

Figure 2 Importance- Performance Analysis Grid Martilla and James

(1977 p78)

32

Figure 3

Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality

Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

42

vii

LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 1 Frequencies and Percentages of Demographic Aspects 36

Table 2

Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in

Dimensions of Service Quality

39

Table 3

Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis 42

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance

and Performance Analysis (IPA)

46

Table 5

Significant Value of One-way ANOVA

(Only Value of Sig lt005 are Shown)

54

1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Four main parts will be covered in this chapter starting with the reason for choosing

this topic customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Next the

reason for choosing Cafeacute de Coral as a target of this case study will be mentioned

The uniqueness and success of this company in running fast food business will be

presented Afterwards aims and objectives of this research will be presented with

individual purpose on this study and research findings Chapter outlines for each

chapter will be mentioned in the last part of this chapter

11 Reason for Choosing This Topic

The rapid growth of the fast food industry shows the demand for fast-service

restaurants Due to the increase in demand local chains fast food restaurants started

their business in Hong Kong since the late 1970s (Lan and Khan 1995) Local fast

food restaurants play an important role in providing timely service to customers

Wetzel (1999) stated that the fast food industry was growing rapidly during the past

two decades There are many different fast food sectors which developed and

established their business in Hong Kong Jones (1988) mentions that due to changes

2

in working patterns short meal periods and economic change the fast service and

food products are becoming more important to consumers This is the main reason

why the fast food market is still growing in Hong Kong with heavy competition

Lan and Khan (1995) mentions that with rapid economic growth the lifestyle of Hong

Kong residents has changed It also changed their dining out habits Nowadays

customers are not only looking for food to fulfill their physiological needs but also

looking for a place with good service for their meal A restaurantrsquos service became an

important part of the dining experience In order to retain existing customers and

attract new customers fast food restaurant should focus on customer expectation of

service aspects

SERVQUAL this is a model of service quality which helps to measure the level of

service present by Zeithaml et al (1990) As different people have different needs and

expectations on service quality it is not easy to satisfy all customers There is a need

in finding the customerrsquos point of view on different dimensions on service quality in

the fast food industry After the study and investigation those important dimensions

of service quality should be improved upon for future development of fast food

restaurants

3

12 Reason for Choosing Cafeacute de Coral

There are many different styles of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong local chains

and international brands International brands include burgers fried chicken and pizza

sectors Cafeacute de Coral (2009) states that Cafeacute de Coral was established in 1968 This

company being one of the publicly listed Chinese fast food restaurant groups in 1986

Over forty years there are more than one hundred and twenty fast food restaurants

distributed in all areas of Hong Kong This company established a high coverage of

areas in the market

Furthermore in the report of Wetzel (1999) Cafeacute de Coral has the highest percentage

of market share amongst local chain fast food restaurants Cafeacute de Coral is the

representative of the local chain fast food industry Customers are familiar with the

service provided by Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant Kwong (2007) shows the pace

of future development in this companyrsquos business They are careful to reach

customersrsquo needs and achieve customer satisfaction Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

mentions the motto of achieving ldquoA Hundred Points of Excellencerdquo in Cafeacute de Coral

This is the commitment in providing excellent service to customers It shows that

Cafeacute de Coral spend a lot of effort on achieving a high service quality dining

4

experience Usually Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) presents the Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral

rewards repeated customer by provides more values to them

This research focuses on the same aspects as Cafeacute de Coral- service quality In

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality provided by Cafeacute de Coral the

findings will be a representative result for whole fast food industry

13 Aims and Objectives

Aim

To analyze the customersrsquo satisfaction on the service quality delivered by the fast food

industry and find out which dimensions should be focus for future improvement

Objectives

(1) To study the importance on achieving customer satisfaction in the fast food

industry

(2) To develop a research and investigate customer point of view on different

dimensions of service quality delivered by the fast food industry

(3) To determine which dimensions of service quality should be improved to achieve

customer satisfaction

5

14 Chapter Outline

Chapter 2 is a Literature Review with theory concepts published by the reporter and

specialist Background trends definitions methods in measuring and relationships

related to fast food industry customer satisfaction and service quality will be

discussed

Chapter 3 is Methodology It includes the methods and tools used in conducting the

research Data collection methods limitations and the questionnaire design will be

presented in this chapter

Chapter 4 is Results This chapter presents the findings of this research followed by

an analysis using different methods Lastly possible recommendations for specific

dimensions will be suggested in discussion part

Chapter 5 is Conclusions and Recommendations In this chapter the main idea of this

research will be carried out comprehensively Recommendations for future research

will also be provided

6

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

There are four main parts in this Literature Review They include the background and

trends of the fast food industry definitions of customerrsquos satisfaction and service

quality methods of measuring customer satisfaction on service quality and the

relationships between customer satisfaction service quality and the fast food industry

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211 Definition of Fast Food

Fast Food is serving food and beverage in a short period of time Jones (1988 p65)

states the basic concept of fast food is ldquocheap food and products that can be cooked

quickly and a demand for takeawaysrdquo It shows that fast food has a main feature

convenience Convenience involves reducing the customersrsquo waiting time for food

This means that most of the food items are already prepared in advance Food items

are simple and can be cooked quickly Usually customers can enjoy the meal easily

anywhere they like because fast food restaurants offer takeaways services

7

212 Trends of the Fast Food Industry

Nowadays dining in fast food restaurants is more popular than formal dinning

experiences Jones (1988) believes the change in eating habits growth of the teenage

market and working population is linked to the growth in fast food industries around

the world Eating habits changed in that the culture is affected by fast food culture

Growth of teenage market increases the demand of simple and convenient meals

Working pattern of the population affects the need of fast service during meal periods

All of these factors lead to the increase of fast food restaurants

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong

Wetzel (1999) mentions that fast food industry in Hong Kong started in the 1970s

with Western and local operators After nearly forty years the fast food restaurants are

still playing an important role and growing in service In researches of Wetzel (1999)

Lan and Khan (1995) they presented a growth number of fast food restaurants in

Hong Kong from not more than four hundred in 1980 to nearly one thousand five

hundred in 1997 It shows a rapid growth rate in the fast food industry and it becomes

an intensive market Furthermore Lan and Khan (1995) present a figure showing

quick service restaurants in Hong Kong contributing to thirteen percent of the

restaurant market in 1993 Fast food industry is one of the fastest growing business

8

sectors The fast growth of the market is due to the demand of convenience products

among Hong Kong residents

Wetzel (1999) mentions the style of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong is divided into

international chains and local chains International chains included hamburger

restaurants chicken restaurants and pizza stores Local chains are run by Hong Kong

company which offer Chinese and Western cuisine They are in keen competition with

each other Different restaurants compete with each other to get the market share of

being a market leader in their segment Fast food restaurants put a lot of effort on

running a successful business to gain more revenue

In this research Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food Restaurant is chosen as the study target of

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food

Restaurant is a local chain fast food under the group of Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral

Fast Food (2009) provides information of their history This company started

operation in 1968 With a long history of over forty years there are more than one

hundred and twenty fast food restaurants distributed in all areas of Hong Kong

In local Chinese chains fast food sector Wetzel (1999) presents a figure of Cafeacute de

9

Coral with the highest market share when compared with other competitors Maximrsquos

and Fairwood Lo (2007) presents that the improvement of operation and enhancing

customer dining experience have been done in Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral put their

efforts on improving the dining environment as well as the quality of food and

services Their focus is to meet customer needs and achieving customer satisfaction

by their commitment to customers ldquoto achieve 100 complete servicerdquo

After the study of the background and trends of evolution in fast food industry we can

see the potential of continuous growth and development of fast service style

restaurants Fast food restaurants in catering service will become more important in

the future This research about fast food restaurant in analyzing how to maintain the

service to be more competitive and differentiated from others is worthwhile to carry

out

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is determined by the customer It is a set of feeling and beliefs

from the customer Oliver (1993 citied in Rust and Oliver 1994 p3-4) states ldquothe

word ldquosatisfactionrdquo is derived from Latin ldquosatisrdquo (enough) and ldquofacererdquo (to do or

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

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Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

iv

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality

and Fast Food Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer

Satisfaction

21

242 Benefits of Service Quality 22

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction

Service Quality and Fast Food Industry

23

Chapter 3 Methodology

Introduction 25

31 Data Collection Method 25

32 Questionnaire Design 26

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research 29

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing 29

333 Limitations 30

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS 31

342 Importance and Performance Analysis 31

Chapter 4 - Results

Introduction 35

41 Primary Findings 36

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis 38

422 Importance and Performance Analysis 41

423 Overall Analysis 44

v

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality

Dimensions

49

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions 53

Chapter 5 Conclusions and Recommendations

Introduction 57

51 Conclusions 57

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions 58

53 Recommendations for Further Research 60

References 63

Appendices 67

vi

LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46) 18

Figure 2 Importance- Performance Analysis Grid Martilla and James

(1977 p78)

32

Figure 3

Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality

Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

42

vii

LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 1 Frequencies and Percentages of Demographic Aspects 36

Table 2

Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in

Dimensions of Service Quality

39

Table 3

Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis 42

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance

and Performance Analysis (IPA)

46

Table 5

Significant Value of One-way ANOVA

(Only Value of Sig lt005 are Shown)

54

1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Four main parts will be covered in this chapter starting with the reason for choosing

this topic customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Next the

reason for choosing Cafeacute de Coral as a target of this case study will be mentioned

The uniqueness and success of this company in running fast food business will be

presented Afterwards aims and objectives of this research will be presented with

individual purpose on this study and research findings Chapter outlines for each

chapter will be mentioned in the last part of this chapter

11 Reason for Choosing This Topic

The rapid growth of the fast food industry shows the demand for fast-service

restaurants Due to the increase in demand local chains fast food restaurants started

their business in Hong Kong since the late 1970s (Lan and Khan 1995) Local fast

food restaurants play an important role in providing timely service to customers

Wetzel (1999) stated that the fast food industry was growing rapidly during the past

two decades There are many different fast food sectors which developed and

established their business in Hong Kong Jones (1988) mentions that due to changes

2

in working patterns short meal periods and economic change the fast service and

food products are becoming more important to consumers This is the main reason

why the fast food market is still growing in Hong Kong with heavy competition

Lan and Khan (1995) mentions that with rapid economic growth the lifestyle of Hong

Kong residents has changed It also changed their dining out habits Nowadays

customers are not only looking for food to fulfill their physiological needs but also

looking for a place with good service for their meal A restaurantrsquos service became an

important part of the dining experience In order to retain existing customers and

attract new customers fast food restaurant should focus on customer expectation of

service aspects

SERVQUAL this is a model of service quality which helps to measure the level of

service present by Zeithaml et al (1990) As different people have different needs and

expectations on service quality it is not easy to satisfy all customers There is a need

in finding the customerrsquos point of view on different dimensions on service quality in

the fast food industry After the study and investigation those important dimensions

of service quality should be improved upon for future development of fast food

restaurants

3

12 Reason for Choosing Cafeacute de Coral

There are many different styles of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong local chains

and international brands International brands include burgers fried chicken and pizza

sectors Cafeacute de Coral (2009) states that Cafeacute de Coral was established in 1968 This

company being one of the publicly listed Chinese fast food restaurant groups in 1986

Over forty years there are more than one hundred and twenty fast food restaurants

distributed in all areas of Hong Kong This company established a high coverage of

areas in the market

Furthermore in the report of Wetzel (1999) Cafeacute de Coral has the highest percentage

of market share amongst local chain fast food restaurants Cafeacute de Coral is the

representative of the local chain fast food industry Customers are familiar with the

service provided by Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant Kwong (2007) shows the pace

of future development in this companyrsquos business They are careful to reach

customersrsquo needs and achieve customer satisfaction Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

mentions the motto of achieving ldquoA Hundred Points of Excellencerdquo in Cafeacute de Coral

This is the commitment in providing excellent service to customers It shows that

Cafeacute de Coral spend a lot of effort on achieving a high service quality dining

4

experience Usually Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) presents the Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral

rewards repeated customer by provides more values to them

This research focuses on the same aspects as Cafeacute de Coral- service quality In

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality provided by Cafeacute de Coral the

findings will be a representative result for whole fast food industry

13 Aims and Objectives

Aim

To analyze the customersrsquo satisfaction on the service quality delivered by the fast food

industry and find out which dimensions should be focus for future improvement

Objectives

(1) To study the importance on achieving customer satisfaction in the fast food

industry

(2) To develop a research and investigate customer point of view on different

dimensions of service quality delivered by the fast food industry

(3) To determine which dimensions of service quality should be improved to achieve

customer satisfaction

5

14 Chapter Outline

Chapter 2 is a Literature Review with theory concepts published by the reporter and

specialist Background trends definitions methods in measuring and relationships

related to fast food industry customer satisfaction and service quality will be

discussed

Chapter 3 is Methodology It includes the methods and tools used in conducting the

research Data collection methods limitations and the questionnaire design will be

presented in this chapter

Chapter 4 is Results This chapter presents the findings of this research followed by

an analysis using different methods Lastly possible recommendations for specific

dimensions will be suggested in discussion part

Chapter 5 is Conclusions and Recommendations In this chapter the main idea of this

research will be carried out comprehensively Recommendations for future research

will also be provided

6

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

There are four main parts in this Literature Review They include the background and

trends of the fast food industry definitions of customerrsquos satisfaction and service

quality methods of measuring customer satisfaction on service quality and the

relationships between customer satisfaction service quality and the fast food industry

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211 Definition of Fast Food

Fast Food is serving food and beverage in a short period of time Jones (1988 p65)

states the basic concept of fast food is ldquocheap food and products that can be cooked

quickly and a demand for takeawaysrdquo It shows that fast food has a main feature

convenience Convenience involves reducing the customersrsquo waiting time for food

This means that most of the food items are already prepared in advance Food items

are simple and can be cooked quickly Usually customers can enjoy the meal easily

anywhere they like because fast food restaurants offer takeaways services

7

212 Trends of the Fast Food Industry

Nowadays dining in fast food restaurants is more popular than formal dinning

experiences Jones (1988) believes the change in eating habits growth of the teenage

market and working population is linked to the growth in fast food industries around

the world Eating habits changed in that the culture is affected by fast food culture

Growth of teenage market increases the demand of simple and convenient meals

Working pattern of the population affects the need of fast service during meal periods

All of these factors lead to the increase of fast food restaurants

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong

Wetzel (1999) mentions that fast food industry in Hong Kong started in the 1970s

with Western and local operators After nearly forty years the fast food restaurants are

still playing an important role and growing in service In researches of Wetzel (1999)

Lan and Khan (1995) they presented a growth number of fast food restaurants in

Hong Kong from not more than four hundred in 1980 to nearly one thousand five

hundred in 1997 It shows a rapid growth rate in the fast food industry and it becomes

an intensive market Furthermore Lan and Khan (1995) present a figure showing

quick service restaurants in Hong Kong contributing to thirteen percent of the

restaurant market in 1993 Fast food industry is one of the fastest growing business

8

sectors The fast growth of the market is due to the demand of convenience products

among Hong Kong residents

Wetzel (1999) mentions the style of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong is divided into

international chains and local chains International chains included hamburger

restaurants chicken restaurants and pizza stores Local chains are run by Hong Kong

company which offer Chinese and Western cuisine They are in keen competition with

each other Different restaurants compete with each other to get the market share of

being a market leader in their segment Fast food restaurants put a lot of effort on

running a successful business to gain more revenue

In this research Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food Restaurant is chosen as the study target of

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food

Restaurant is a local chain fast food under the group of Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral

Fast Food (2009) provides information of their history This company started

operation in 1968 With a long history of over forty years there are more than one

hundred and twenty fast food restaurants distributed in all areas of Hong Kong

In local Chinese chains fast food sector Wetzel (1999) presents a figure of Cafeacute de

9

Coral with the highest market share when compared with other competitors Maximrsquos

and Fairwood Lo (2007) presents that the improvement of operation and enhancing

customer dining experience have been done in Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral put their

efforts on improving the dining environment as well as the quality of food and

services Their focus is to meet customer needs and achieving customer satisfaction

by their commitment to customers ldquoto achieve 100 complete servicerdquo

After the study of the background and trends of evolution in fast food industry we can

see the potential of continuous growth and development of fast service style

restaurants Fast food restaurants in catering service will become more important in

the future This research about fast food restaurant in analyzing how to maintain the

service to be more competitive and differentiated from others is worthwhile to carry

out

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is determined by the customer It is a set of feeling and beliefs

from the customer Oliver (1993 citied in Rust and Oliver 1994 p3-4) states ldquothe

word ldquosatisfactionrdquo is derived from Latin ldquosatisrdquo (enough) and ldquofacererdquo (to do or

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

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Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

v

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality

Dimensions

49

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions 53

Chapter 5 Conclusions and Recommendations

Introduction 57

51 Conclusions 57

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions 58

53 Recommendations for Further Research 60

References 63

Appendices 67

vi

LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46) 18

Figure 2 Importance- Performance Analysis Grid Martilla and James

(1977 p78)

32

Figure 3

Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality

Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

42

vii

LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 1 Frequencies and Percentages of Demographic Aspects 36

Table 2

Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in

Dimensions of Service Quality

39

Table 3

Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis 42

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance

and Performance Analysis (IPA)

46

Table 5

Significant Value of One-way ANOVA

(Only Value of Sig lt005 are Shown)

54

1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Four main parts will be covered in this chapter starting with the reason for choosing

this topic customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Next the

reason for choosing Cafeacute de Coral as a target of this case study will be mentioned

The uniqueness and success of this company in running fast food business will be

presented Afterwards aims and objectives of this research will be presented with

individual purpose on this study and research findings Chapter outlines for each

chapter will be mentioned in the last part of this chapter

11 Reason for Choosing This Topic

The rapid growth of the fast food industry shows the demand for fast-service

restaurants Due to the increase in demand local chains fast food restaurants started

their business in Hong Kong since the late 1970s (Lan and Khan 1995) Local fast

food restaurants play an important role in providing timely service to customers

Wetzel (1999) stated that the fast food industry was growing rapidly during the past

two decades There are many different fast food sectors which developed and

established their business in Hong Kong Jones (1988) mentions that due to changes

2

in working patterns short meal periods and economic change the fast service and

food products are becoming more important to consumers This is the main reason

why the fast food market is still growing in Hong Kong with heavy competition

Lan and Khan (1995) mentions that with rapid economic growth the lifestyle of Hong

Kong residents has changed It also changed their dining out habits Nowadays

customers are not only looking for food to fulfill their physiological needs but also

looking for a place with good service for their meal A restaurantrsquos service became an

important part of the dining experience In order to retain existing customers and

attract new customers fast food restaurant should focus on customer expectation of

service aspects

SERVQUAL this is a model of service quality which helps to measure the level of

service present by Zeithaml et al (1990) As different people have different needs and

expectations on service quality it is not easy to satisfy all customers There is a need

in finding the customerrsquos point of view on different dimensions on service quality in

the fast food industry After the study and investigation those important dimensions

of service quality should be improved upon for future development of fast food

restaurants

3

12 Reason for Choosing Cafeacute de Coral

There are many different styles of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong local chains

and international brands International brands include burgers fried chicken and pizza

sectors Cafeacute de Coral (2009) states that Cafeacute de Coral was established in 1968 This

company being one of the publicly listed Chinese fast food restaurant groups in 1986

Over forty years there are more than one hundred and twenty fast food restaurants

distributed in all areas of Hong Kong This company established a high coverage of

areas in the market

Furthermore in the report of Wetzel (1999) Cafeacute de Coral has the highest percentage

of market share amongst local chain fast food restaurants Cafeacute de Coral is the

representative of the local chain fast food industry Customers are familiar with the

service provided by Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant Kwong (2007) shows the pace

of future development in this companyrsquos business They are careful to reach

customersrsquo needs and achieve customer satisfaction Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

mentions the motto of achieving ldquoA Hundred Points of Excellencerdquo in Cafeacute de Coral

This is the commitment in providing excellent service to customers It shows that

Cafeacute de Coral spend a lot of effort on achieving a high service quality dining

4

experience Usually Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) presents the Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral

rewards repeated customer by provides more values to them

This research focuses on the same aspects as Cafeacute de Coral- service quality In

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality provided by Cafeacute de Coral the

findings will be a representative result for whole fast food industry

13 Aims and Objectives

Aim

To analyze the customersrsquo satisfaction on the service quality delivered by the fast food

industry and find out which dimensions should be focus for future improvement

Objectives

(1) To study the importance on achieving customer satisfaction in the fast food

industry

(2) To develop a research and investigate customer point of view on different

dimensions of service quality delivered by the fast food industry

(3) To determine which dimensions of service quality should be improved to achieve

customer satisfaction

5

14 Chapter Outline

Chapter 2 is a Literature Review with theory concepts published by the reporter and

specialist Background trends definitions methods in measuring and relationships

related to fast food industry customer satisfaction and service quality will be

discussed

Chapter 3 is Methodology It includes the methods and tools used in conducting the

research Data collection methods limitations and the questionnaire design will be

presented in this chapter

Chapter 4 is Results This chapter presents the findings of this research followed by

an analysis using different methods Lastly possible recommendations for specific

dimensions will be suggested in discussion part

Chapter 5 is Conclusions and Recommendations In this chapter the main idea of this

research will be carried out comprehensively Recommendations for future research

will also be provided

6

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

There are four main parts in this Literature Review They include the background and

trends of the fast food industry definitions of customerrsquos satisfaction and service

quality methods of measuring customer satisfaction on service quality and the

relationships between customer satisfaction service quality and the fast food industry

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211 Definition of Fast Food

Fast Food is serving food and beverage in a short period of time Jones (1988 p65)

states the basic concept of fast food is ldquocheap food and products that can be cooked

quickly and a demand for takeawaysrdquo It shows that fast food has a main feature

convenience Convenience involves reducing the customersrsquo waiting time for food

This means that most of the food items are already prepared in advance Food items

are simple and can be cooked quickly Usually customers can enjoy the meal easily

anywhere they like because fast food restaurants offer takeaways services

7

212 Trends of the Fast Food Industry

Nowadays dining in fast food restaurants is more popular than formal dinning

experiences Jones (1988) believes the change in eating habits growth of the teenage

market and working population is linked to the growth in fast food industries around

the world Eating habits changed in that the culture is affected by fast food culture

Growth of teenage market increases the demand of simple and convenient meals

Working pattern of the population affects the need of fast service during meal periods

All of these factors lead to the increase of fast food restaurants

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong

Wetzel (1999) mentions that fast food industry in Hong Kong started in the 1970s

with Western and local operators After nearly forty years the fast food restaurants are

still playing an important role and growing in service In researches of Wetzel (1999)

Lan and Khan (1995) they presented a growth number of fast food restaurants in

Hong Kong from not more than four hundred in 1980 to nearly one thousand five

hundred in 1997 It shows a rapid growth rate in the fast food industry and it becomes

an intensive market Furthermore Lan and Khan (1995) present a figure showing

quick service restaurants in Hong Kong contributing to thirteen percent of the

restaurant market in 1993 Fast food industry is one of the fastest growing business

8

sectors The fast growth of the market is due to the demand of convenience products

among Hong Kong residents

Wetzel (1999) mentions the style of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong is divided into

international chains and local chains International chains included hamburger

restaurants chicken restaurants and pizza stores Local chains are run by Hong Kong

company which offer Chinese and Western cuisine They are in keen competition with

each other Different restaurants compete with each other to get the market share of

being a market leader in their segment Fast food restaurants put a lot of effort on

running a successful business to gain more revenue

In this research Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food Restaurant is chosen as the study target of

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food

Restaurant is a local chain fast food under the group of Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral

Fast Food (2009) provides information of their history This company started

operation in 1968 With a long history of over forty years there are more than one

hundred and twenty fast food restaurants distributed in all areas of Hong Kong

In local Chinese chains fast food sector Wetzel (1999) presents a figure of Cafeacute de

9

Coral with the highest market share when compared with other competitors Maximrsquos

and Fairwood Lo (2007) presents that the improvement of operation and enhancing

customer dining experience have been done in Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral put their

efforts on improving the dining environment as well as the quality of food and

services Their focus is to meet customer needs and achieving customer satisfaction

by their commitment to customers ldquoto achieve 100 complete servicerdquo

After the study of the background and trends of evolution in fast food industry we can

see the potential of continuous growth and development of fast service style

restaurants Fast food restaurants in catering service will become more important in

the future This research about fast food restaurant in analyzing how to maintain the

service to be more competitive and differentiated from others is worthwhile to carry

out

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is determined by the customer It is a set of feeling and beliefs

from the customer Oliver (1993 citied in Rust and Oliver 1994 p3-4) states ldquothe

word ldquosatisfactionrdquo is derived from Latin ldquosatisrdquo (enough) and ldquofacererdquo (to do or

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

vi

LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46) 18

Figure 2 Importance- Performance Analysis Grid Martilla and James

(1977 p78)

32

Figure 3

Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality

Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

42

vii

LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 1 Frequencies and Percentages of Demographic Aspects 36

Table 2

Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in

Dimensions of Service Quality

39

Table 3

Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis 42

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance

and Performance Analysis (IPA)

46

Table 5

Significant Value of One-way ANOVA

(Only Value of Sig lt005 are Shown)

54

1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Four main parts will be covered in this chapter starting with the reason for choosing

this topic customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Next the

reason for choosing Cafeacute de Coral as a target of this case study will be mentioned

The uniqueness and success of this company in running fast food business will be

presented Afterwards aims and objectives of this research will be presented with

individual purpose on this study and research findings Chapter outlines for each

chapter will be mentioned in the last part of this chapter

11 Reason for Choosing This Topic

The rapid growth of the fast food industry shows the demand for fast-service

restaurants Due to the increase in demand local chains fast food restaurants started

their business in Hong Kong since the late 1970s (Lan and Khan 1995) Local fast

food restaurants play an important role in providing timely service to customers

Wetzel (1999) stated that the fast food industry was growing rapidly during the past

two decades There are many different fast food sectors which developed and

established their business in Hong Kong Jones (1988) mentions that due to changes

2

in working patterns short meal periods and economic change the fast service and

food products are becoming more important to consumers This is the main reason

why the fast food market is still growing in Hong Kong with heavy competition

Lan and Khan (1995) mentions that with rapid economic growth the lifestyle of Hong

Kong residents has changed It also changed their dining out habits Nowadays

customers are not only looking for food to fulfill their physiological needs but also

looking for a place with good service for their meal A restaurantrsquos service became an

important part of the dining experience In order to retain existing customers and

attract new customers fast food restaurant should focus on customer expectation of

service aspects

SERVQUAL this is a model of service quality which helps to measure the level of

service present by Zeithaml et al (1990) As different people have different needs and

expectations on service quality it is not easy to satisfy all customers There is a need

in finding the customerrsquos point of view on different dimensions on service quality in

the fast food industry After the study and investigation those important dimensions

of service quality should be improved upon for future development of fast food

restaurants

3

12 Reason for Choosing Cafeacute de Coral

There are many different styles of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong local chains

and international brands International brands include burgers fried chicken and pizza

sectors Cafeacute de Coral (2009) states that Cafeacute de Coral was established in 1968 This

company being one of the publicly listed Chinese fast food restaurant groups in 1986

Over forty years there are more than one hundred and twenty fast food restaurants

distributed in all areas of Hong Kong This company established a high coverage of

areas in the market

Furthermore in the report of Wetzel (1999) Cafeacute de Coral has the highest percentage

of market share amongst local chain fast food restaurants Cafeacute de Coral is the

representative of the local chain fast food industry Customers are familiar with the

service provided by Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant Kwong (2007) shows the pace

of future development in this companyrsquos business They are careful to reach

customersrsquo needs and achieve customer satisfaction Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

mentions the motto of achieving ldquoA Hundred Points of Excellencerdquo in Cafeacute de Coral

This is the commitment in providing excellent service to customers It shows that

Cafeacute de Coral spend a lot of effort on achieving a high service quality dining

4

experience Usually Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) presents the Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral

rewards repeated customer by provides more values to them

This research focuses on the same aspects as Cafeacute de Coral- service quality In

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality provided by Cafeacute de Coral the

findings will be a representative result for whole fast food industry

13 Aims and Objectives

Aim

To analyze the customersrsquo satisfaction on the service quality delivered by the fast food

industry and find out which dimensions should be focus for future improvement

Objectives

(1) To study the importance on achieving customer satisfaction in the fast food

industry

(2) To develop a research and investigate customer point of view on different

dimensions of service quality delivered by the fast food industry

(3) To determine which dimensions of service quality should be improved to achieve

customer satisfaction

5

14 Chapter Outline

Chapter 2 is a Literature Review with theory concepts published by the reporter and

specialist Background trends definitions methods in measuring and relationships

related to fast food industry customer satisfaction and service quality will be

discussed

Chapter 3 is Methodology It includes the methods and tools used in conducting the

research Data collection methods limitations and the questionnaire design will be

presented in this chapter

Chapter 4 is Results This chapter presents the findings of this research followed by

an analysis using different methods Lastly possible recommendations for specific

dimensions will be suggested in discussion part

Chapter 5 is Conclusions and Recommendations In this chapter the main idea of this

research will be carried out comprehensively Recommendations for future research

will also be provided

6

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

There are four main parts in this Literature Review They include the background and

trends of the fast food industry definitions of customerrsquos satisfaction and service

quality methods of measuring customer satisfaction on service quality and the

relationships between customer satisfaction service quality and the fast food industry

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211 Definition of Fast Food

Fast Food is serving food and beverage in a short period of time Jones (1988 p65)

states the basic concept of fast food is ldquocheap food and products that can be cooked

quickly and a demand for takeawaysrdquo It shows that fast food has a main feature

convenience Convenience involves reducing the customersrsquo waiting time for food

This means that most of the food items are already prepared in advance Food items

are simple and can be cooked quickly Usually customers can enjoy the meal easily

anywhere they like because fast food restaurants offer takeaways services

7

212 Trends of the Fast Food Industry

Nowadays dining in fast food restaurants is more popular than formal dinning

experiences Jones (1988) believes the change in eating habits growth of the teenage

market and working population is linked to the growth in fast food industries around

the world Eating habits changed in that the culture is affected by fast food culture

Growth of teenage market increases the demand of simple and convenient meals

Working pattern of the population affects the need of fast service during meal periods

All of these factors lead to the increase of fast food restaurants

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong

Wetzel (1999) mentions that fast food industry in Hong Kong started in the 1970s

with Western and local operators After nearly forty years the fast food restaurants are

still playing an important role and growing in service In researches of Wetzel (1999)

Lan and Khan (1995) they presented a growth number of fast food restaurants in

Hong Kong from not more than four hundred in 1980 to nearly one thousand five

hundred in 1997 It shows a rapid growth rate in the fast food industry and it becomes

an intensive market Furthermore Lan and Khan (1995) present a figure showing

quick service restaurants in Hong Kong contributing to thirteen percent of the

restaurant market in 1993 Fast food industry is one of the fastest growing business

8

sectors The fast growth of the market is due to the demand of convenience products

among Hong Kong residents

Wetzel (1999) mentions the style of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong is divided into

international chains and local chains International chains included hamburger

restaurants chicken restaurants and pizza stores Local chains are run by Hong Kong

company which offer Chinese and Western cuisine They are in keen competition with

each other Different restaurants compete with each other to get the market share of

being a market leader in their segment Fast food restaurants put a lot of effort on

running a successful business to gain more revenue

In this research Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food Restaurant is chosen as the study target of

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food

Restaurant is a local chain fast food under the group of Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral

Fast Food (2009) provides information of their history This company started

operation in 1968 With a long history of over forty years there are more than one

hundred and twenty fast food restaurants distributed in all areas of Hong Kong

In local Chinese chains fast food sector Wetzel (1999) presents a figure of Cafeacute de

9

Coral with the highest market share when compared with other competitors Maximrsquos

and Fairwood Lo (2007) presents that the improvement of operation and enhancing

customer dining experience have been done in Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral put their

efforts on improving the dining environment as well as the quality of food and

services Their focus is to meet customer needs and achieving customer satisfaction

by their commitment to customers ldquoto achieve 100 complete servicerdquo

After the study of the background and trends of evolution in fast food industry we can

see the potential of continuous growth and development of fast service style

restaurants Fast food restaurants in catering service will become more important in

the future This research about fast food restaurant in analyzing how to maintain the

service to be more competitive and differentiated from others is worthwhile to carry

out

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is determined by the customer It is a set of feeling and beliefs

from the customer Oliver (1993 citied in Rust and Oliver 1994 p3-4) states ldquothe

word ldquosatisfactionrdquo is derived from Latin ldquosatisrdquo (enough) and ldquofacererdquo (to do or

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

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Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

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BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

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httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

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IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

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MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

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NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

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Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

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SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

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SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

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66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

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67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

vii

LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 1 Frequencies and Percentages of Demographic Aspects 36

Table 2

Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in

Dimensions of Service Quality

39

Table 3

Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis 42

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance

and Performance Analysis (IPA)

46

Table 5

Significant Value of One-way ANOVA

(Only Value of Sig lt005 are Shown)

54

1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Four main parts will be covered in this chapter starting with the reason for choosing

this topic customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Next the

reason for choosing Cafeacute de Coral as a target of this case study will be mentioned

The uniqueness and success of this company in running fast food business will be

presented Afterwards aims and objectives of this research will be presented with

individual purpose on this study and research findings Chapter outlines for each

chapter will be mentioned in the last part of this chapter

11 Reason for Choosing This Topic

The rapid growth of the fast food industry shows the demand for fast-service

restaurants Due to the increase in demand local chains fast food restaurants started

their business in Hong Kong since the late 1970s (Lan and Khan 1995) Local fast

food restaurants play an important role in providing timely service to customers

Wetzel (1999) stated that the fast food industry was growing rapidly during the past

two decades There are many different fast food sectors which developed and

established their business in Hong Kong Jones (1988) mentions that due to changes

2

in working patterns short meal periods and economic change the fast service and

food products are becoming more important to consumers This is the main reason

why the fast food market is still growing in Hong Kong with heavy competition

Lan and Khan (1995) mentions that with rapid economic growth the lifestyle of Hong

Kong residents has changed It also changed their dining out habits Nowadays

customers are not only looking for food to fulfill their physiological needs but also

looking for a place with good service for their meal A restaurantrsquos service became an

important part of the dining experience In order to retain existing customers and

attract new customers fast food restaurant should focus on customer expectation of

service aspects

SERVQUAL this is a model of service quality which helps to measure the level of

service present by Zeithaml et al (1990) As different people have different needs and

expectations on service quality it is not easy to satisfy all customers There is a need

in finding the customerrsquos point of view on different dimensions on service quality in

the fast food industry After the study and investigation those important dimensions

of service quality should be improved upon for future development of fast food

restaurants

3

12 Reason for Choosing Cafeacute de Coral

There are many different styles of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong local chains

and international brands International brands include burgers fried chicken and pizza

sectors Cafeacute de Coral (2009) states that Cafeacute de Coral was established in 1968 This

company being one of the publicly listed Chinese fast food restaurant groups in 1986

Over forty years there are more than one hundred and twenty fast food restaurants

distributed in all areas of Hong Kong This company established a high coverage of

areas in the market

Furthermore in the report of Wetzel (1999) Cafeacute de Coral has the highest percentage

of market share amongst local chain fast food restaurants Cafeacute de Coral is the

representative of the local chain fast food industry Customers are familiar with the

service provided by Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant Kwong (2007) shows the pace

of future development in this companyrsquos business They are careful to reach

customersrsquo needs and achieve customer satisfaction Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

mentions the motto of achieving ldquoA Hundred Points of Excellencerdquo in Cafeacute de Coral

This is the commitment in providing excellent service to customers It shows that

Cafeacute de Coral spend a lot of effort on achieving a high service quality dining

4

experience Usually Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) presents the Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral

rewards repeated customer by provides more values to them

This research focuses on the same aspects as Cafeacute de Coral- service quality In

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality provided by Cafeacute de Coral the

findings will be a representative result for whole fast food industry

13 Aims and Objectives

Aim

To analyze the customersrsquo satisfaction on the service quality delivered by the fast food

industry and find out which dimensions should be focus for future improvement

Objectives

(1) To study the importance on achieving customer satisfaction in the fast food

industry

(2) To develop a research and investigate customer point of view on different

dimensions of service quality delivered by the fast food industry

(3) To determine which dimensions of service quality should be improved to achieve

customer satisfaction

5

14 Chapter Outline

Chapter 2 is a Literature Review with theory concepts published by the reporter and

specialist Background trends definitions methods in measuring and relationships

related to fast food industry customer satisfaction and service quality will be

discussed

Chapter 3 is Methodology It includes the methods and tools used in conducting the

research Data collection methods limitations and the questionnaire design will be

presented in this chapter

Chapter 4 is Results This chapter presents the findings of this research followed by

an analysis using different methods Lastly possible recommendations for specific

dimensions will be suggested in discussion part

Chapter 5 is Conclusions and Recommendations In this chapter the main idea of this

research will be carried out comprehensively Recommendations for future research

will also be provided

6

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

There are four main parts in this Literature Review They include the background and

trends of the fast food industry definitions of customerrsquos satisfaction and service

quality methods of measuring customer satisfaction on service quality and the

relationships between customer satisfaction service quality and the fast food industry

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211 Definition of Fast Food

Fast Food is serving food and beverage in a short period of time Jones (1988 p65)

states the basic concept of fast food is ldquocheap food and products that can be cooked

quickly and a demand for takeawaysrdquo It shows that fast food has a main feature

convenience Convenience involves reducing the customersrsquo waiting time for food

This means that most of the food items are already prepared in advance Food items

are simple and can be cooked quickly Usually customers can enjoy the meal easily

anywhere they like because fast food restaurants offer takeaways services

7

212 Trends of the Fast Food Industry

Nowadays dining in fast food restaurants is more popular than formal dinning

experiences Jones (1988) believes the change in eating habits growth of the teenage

market and working population is linked to the growth in fast food industries around

the world Eating habits changed in that the culture is affected by fast food culture

Growth of teenage market increases the demand of simple and convenient meals

Working pattern of the population affects the need of fast service during meal periods

All of these factors lead to the increase of fast food restaurants

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong

Wetzel (1999) mentions that fast food industry in Hong Kong started in the 1970s

with Western and local operators After nearly forty years the fast food restaurants are

still playing an important role and growing in service In researches of Wetzel (1999)

Lan and Khan (1995) they presented a growth number of fast food restaurants in

Hong Kong from not more than four hundred in 1980 to nearly one thousand five

hundred in 1997 It shows a rapid growth rate in the fast food industry and it becomes

an intensive market Furthermore Lan and Khan (1995) present a figure showing

quick service restaurants in Hong Kong contributing to thirteen percent of the

restaurant market in 1993 Fast food industry is one of the fastest growing business

8

sectors The fast growth of the market is due to the demand of convenience products

among Hong Kong residents

Wetzel (1999) mentions the style of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong is divided into

international chains and local chains International chains included hamburger

restaurants chicken restaurants and pizza stores Local chains are run by Hong Kong

company which offer Chinese and Western cuisine They are in keen competition with

each other Different restaurants compete with each other to get the market share of

being a market leader in their segment Fast food restaurants put a lot of effort on

running a successful business to gain more revenue

In this research Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food Restaurant is chosen as the study target of

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food

Restaurant is a local chain fast food under the group of Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral

Fast Food (2009) provides information of their history This company started

operation in 1968 With a long history of over forty years there are more than one

hundred and twenty fast food restaurants distributed in all areas of Hong Kong

In local Chinese chains fast food sector Wetzel (1999) presents a figure of Cafeacute de

9

Coral with the highest market share when compared with other competitors Maximrsquos

and Fairwood Lo (2007) presents that the improvement of operation and enhancing

customer dining experience have been done in Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral put their

efforts on improving the dining environment as well as the quality of food and

services Their focus is to meet customer needs and achieving customer satisfaction

by their commitment to customers ldquoto achieve 100 complete servicerdquo

After the study of the background and trends of evolution in fast food industry we can

see the potential of continuous growth and development of fast service style

restaurants Fast food restaurants in catering service will become more important in

the future This research about fast food restaurant in analyzing how to maintain the

service to be more competitive and differentiated from others is worthwhile to carry

out

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is determined by the customer It is a set of feeling and beliefs

from the customer Oliver (1993 citied in Rust and Oliver 1994 p3-4) states ldquothe

word ldquosatisfactionrdquo is derived from Latin ldquosatisrdquo (enough) and ldquofacererdquo (to do or

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Four main parts will be covered in this chapter starting with the reason for choosing

this topic customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Next the

reason for choosing Cafeacute de Coral as a target of this case study will be mentioned

The uniqueness and success of this company in running fast food business will be

presented Afterwards aims and objectives of this research will be presented with

individual purpose on this study and research findings Chapter outlines for each

chapter will be mentioned in the last part of this chapter

11 Reason for Choosing This Topic

The rapid growth of the fast food industry shows the demand for fast-service

restaurants Due to the increase in demand local chains fast food restaurants started

their business in Hong Kong since the late 1970s (Lan and Khan 1995) Local fast

food restaurants play an important role in providing timely service to customers

Wetzel (1999) stated that the fast food industry was growing rapidly during the past

two decades There are many different fast food sectors which developed and

established their business in Hong Kong Jones (1988) mentions that due to changes

2

in working patterns short meal periods and economic change the fast service and

food products are becoming more important to consumers This is the main reason

why the fast food market is still growing in Hong Kong with heavy competition

Lan and Khan (1995) mentions that with rapid economic growth the lifestyle of Hong

Kong residents has changed It also changed their dining out habits Nowadays

customers are not only looking for food to fulfill their physiological needs but also

looking for a place with good service for their meal A restaurantrsquos service became an

important part of the dining experience In order to retain existing customers and

attract new customers fast food restaurant should focus on customer expectation of

service aspects

SERVQUAL this is a model of service quality which helps to measure the level of

service present by Zeithaml et al (1990) As different people have different needs and

expectations on service quality it is not easy to satisfy all customers There is a need

in finding the customerrsquos point of view on different dimensions on service quality in

the fast food industry After the study and investigation those important dimensions

of service quality should be improved upon for future development of fast food

restaurants

3

12 Reason for Choosing Cafeacute de Coral

There are many different styles of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong local chains

and international brands International brands include burgers fried chicken and pizza

sectors Cafeacute de Coral (2009) states that Cafeacute de Coral was established in 1968 This

company being one of the publicly listed Chinese fast food restaurant groups in 1986

Over forty years there are more than one hundred and twenty fast food restaurants

distributed in all areas of Hong Kong This company established a high coverage of

areas in the market

Furthermore in the report of Wetzel (1999) Cafeacute de Coral has the highest percentage

of market share amongst local chain fast food restaurants Cafeacute de Coral is the

representative of the local chain fast food industry Customers are familiar with the

service provided by Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant Kwong (2007) shows the pace

of future development in this companyrsquos business They are careful to reach

customersrsquo needs and achieve customer satisfaction Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

mentions the motto of achieving ldquoA Hundred Points of Excellencerdquo in Cafeacute de Coral

This is the commitment in providing excellent service to customers It shows that

Cafeacute de Coral spend a lot of effort on achieving a high service quality dining

4

experience Usually Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) presents the Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral

rewards repeated customer by provides more values to them

This research focuses on the same aspects as Cafeacute de Coral- service quality In

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality provided by Cafeacute de Coral the

findings will be a representative result for whole fast food industry

13 Aims and Objectives

Aim

To analyze the customersrsquo satisfaction on the service quality delivered by the fast food

industry and find out which dimensions should be focus for future improvement

Objectives

(1) To study the importance on achieving customer satisfaction in the fast food

industry

(2) To develop a research and investigate customer point of view on different

dimensions of service quality delivered by the fast food industry

(3) To determine which dimensions of service quality should be improved to achieve

customer satisfaction

5

14 Chapter Outline

Chapter 2 is a Literature Review with theory concepts published by the reporter and

specialist Background trends definitions methods in measuring and relationships

related to fast food industry customer satisfaction and service quality will be

discussed

Chapter 3 is Methodology It includes the methods and tools used in conducting the

research Data collection methods limitations and the questionnaire design will be

presented in this chapter

Chapter 4 is Results This chapter presents the findings of this research followed by

an analysis using different methods Lastly possible recommendations for specific

dimensions will be suggested in discussion part

Chapter 5 is Conclusions and Recommendations In this chapter the main idea of this

research will be carried out comprehensively Recommendations for future research

will also be provided

6

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

There are four main parts in this Literature Review They include the background and

trends of the fast food industry definitions of customerrsquos satisfaction and service

quality methods of measuring customer satisfaction on service quality and the

relationships between customer satisfaction service quality and the fast food industry

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211 Definition of Fast Food

Fast Food is serving food and beverage in a short period of time Jones (1988 p65)

states the basic concept of fast food is ldquocheap food and products that can be cooked

quickly and a demand for takeawaysrdquo It shows that fast food has a main feature

convenience Convenience involves reducing the customersrsquo waiting time for food

This means that most of the food items are already prepared in advance Food items

are simple and can be cooked quickly Usually customers can enjoy the meal easily

anywhere they like because fast food restaurants offer takeaways services

7

212 Trends of the Fast Food Industry

Nowadays dining in fast food restaurants is more popular than formal dinning

experiences Jones (1988) believes the change in eating habits growth of the teenage

market and working population is linked to the growth in fast food industries around

the world Eating habits changed in that the culture is affected by fast food culture

Growth of teenage market increases the demand of simple and convenient meals

Working pattern of the population affects the need of fast service during meal periods

All of these factors lead to the increase of fast food restaurants

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong

Wetzel (1999) mentions that fast food industry in Hong Kong started in the 1970s

with Western and local operators After nearly forty years the fast food restaurants are

still playing an important role and growing in service In researches of Wetzel (1999)

Lan and Khan (1995) they presented a growth number of fast food restaurants in

Hong Kong from not more than four hundred in 1980 to nearly one thousand five

hundred in 1997 It shows a rapid growth rate in the fast food industry and it becomes

an intensive market Furthermore Lan and Khan (1995) present a figure showing

quick service restaurants in Hong Kong contributing to thirteen percent of the

restaurant market in 1993 Fast food industry is one of the fastest growing business

8

sectors The fast growth of the market is due to the demand of convenience products

among Hong Kong residents

Wetzel (1999) mentions the style of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong is divided into

international chains and local chains International chains included hamburger

restaurants chicken restaurants and pizza stores Local chains are run by Hong Kong

company which offer Chinese and Western cuisine They are in keen competition with

each other Different restaurants compete with each other to get the market share of

being a market leader in their segment Fast food restaurants put a lot of effort on

running a successful business to gain more revenue

In this research Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food Restaurant is chosen as the study target of

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food

Restaurant is a local chain fast food under the group of Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral

Fast Food (2009) provides information of their history This company started

operation in 1968 With a long history of over forty years there are more than one

hundred and twenty fast food restaurants distributed in all areas of Hong Kong

In local Chinese chains fast food sector Wetzel (1999) presents a figure of Cafeacute de

9

Coral with the highest market share when compared with other competitors Maximrsquos

and Fairwood Lo (2007) presents that the improvement of operation and enhancing

customer dining experience have been done in Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral put their

efforts on improving the dining environment as well as the quality of food and

services Their focus is to meet customer needs and achieving customer satisfaction

by their commitment to customers ldquoto achieve 100 complete servicerdquo

After the study of the background and trends of evolution in fast food industry we can

see the potential of continuous growth and development of fast service style

restaurants Fast food restaurants in catering service will become more important in

the future This research about fast food restaurant in analyzing how to maintain the

service to be more competitive and differentiated from others is worthwhile to carry

out

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is determined by the customer It is a set of feeling and beliefs

from the customer Oliver (1993 citied in Rust and Oliver 1994 p3-4) states ldquothe

word ldquosatisfactionrdquo is derived from Latin ldquosatisrdquo (enough) and ldquofacererdquo (to do or

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

2

in working patterns short meal periods and economic change the fast service and

food products are becoming more important to consumers This is the main reason

why the fast food market is still growing in Hong Kong with heavy competition

Lan and Khan (1995) mentions that with rapid economic growth the lifestyle of Hong

Kong residents has changed It also changed their dining out habits Nowadays

customers are not only looking for food to fulfill their physiological needs but also

looking for a place with good service for their meal A restaurantrsquos service became an

important part of the dining experience In order to retain existing customers and

attract new customers fast food restaurant should focus on customer expectation of

service aspects

SERVQUAL this is a model of service quality which helps to measure the level of

service present by Zeithaml et al (1990) As different people have different needs and

expectations on service quality it is not easy to satisfy all customers There is a need

in finding the customerrsquos point of view on different dimensions on service quality in

the fast food industry After the study and investigation those important dimensions

of service quality should be improved upon for future development of fast food

restaurants

3

12 Reason for Choosing Cafeacute de Coral

There are many different styles of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong local chains

and international brands International brands include burgers fried chicken and pizza

sectors Cafeacute de Coral (2009) states that Cafeacute de Coral was established in 1968 This

company being one of the publicly listed Chinese fast food restaurant groups in 1986

Over forty years there are more than one hundred and twenty fast food restaurants

distributed in all areas of Hong Kong This company established a high coverage of

areas in the market

Furthermore in the report of Wetzel (1999) Cafeacute de Coral has the highest percentage

of market share amongst local chain fast food restaurants Cafeacute de Coral is the

representative of the local chain fast food industry Customers are familiar with the

service provided by Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant Kwong (2007) shows the pace

of future development in this companyrsquos business They are careful to reach

customersrsquo needs and achieve customer satisfaction Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

mentions the motto of achieving ldquoA Hundred Points of Excellencerdquo in Cafeacute de Coral

This is the commitment in providing excellent service to customers It shows that

Cafeacute de Coral spend a lot of effort on achieving a high service quality dining

4

experience Usually Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) presents the Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral

rewards repeated customer by provides more values to them

This research focuses on the same aspects as Cafeacute de Coral- service quality In

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality provided by Cafeacute de Coral the

findings will be a representative result for whole fast food industry

13 Aims and Objectives

Aim

To analyze the customersrsquo satisfaction on the service quality delivered by the fast food

industry and find out which dimensions should be focus for future improvement

Objectives

(1) To study the importance on achieving customer satisfaction in the fast food

industry

(2) To develop a research and investigate customer point of view on different

dimensions of service quality delivered by the fast food industry

(3) To determine which dimensions of service quality should be improved to achieve

customer satisfaction

5

14 Chapter Outline

Chapter 2 is a Literature Review with theory concepts published by the reporter and

specialist Background trends definitions methods in measuring and relationships

related to fast food industry customer satisfaction and service quality will be

discussed

Chapter 3 is Methodology It includes the methods and tools used in conducting the

research Data collection methods limitations and the questionnaire design will be

presented in this chapter

Chapter 4 is Results This chapter presents the findings of this research followed by

an analysis using different methods Lastly possible recommendations for specific

dimensions will be suggested in discussion part

Chapter 5 is Conclusions and Recommendations In this chapter the main idea of this

research will be carried out comprehensively Recommendations for future research

will also be provided

6

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

There are four main parts in this Literature Review They include the background and

trends of the fast food industry definitions of customerrsquos satisfaction and service

quality methods of measuring customer satisfaction on service quality and the

relationships between customer satisfaction service quality and the fast food industry

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211 Definition of Fast Food

Fast Food is serving food and beverage in a short period of time Jones (1988 p65)

states the basic concept of fast food is ldquocheap food and products that can be cooked

quickly and a demand for takeawaysrdquo It shows that fast food has a main feature

convenience Convenience involves reducing the customersrsquo waiting time for food

This means that most of the food items are already prepared in advance Food items

are simple and can be cooked quickly Usually customers can enjoy the meal easily

anywhere they like because fast food restaurants offer takeaways services

7

212 Trends of the Fast Food Industry

Nowadays dining in fast food restaurants is more popular than formal dinning

experiences Jones (1988) believes the change in eating habits growth of the teenage

market and working population is linked to the growth in fast food industries around

the world Eating habits changed in that the culture is affected by fast food culture

Growth of teenage market increases the demand of simple and convenient meals

Working pattern of the population affects the need of fast service during meal periods

All of these factors lead to the increase of fast food restaurants

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong

Wetzel (1999) mentions that fast food industry in Hong Kong started in the 1970s

with Western and local operators After nearly forty years the fast food restaurants are

still playing an important role and growing in service In researches of Wetzel (1999)

Lan and Khan (1995) they presented a growth number of fast food restaurants in

Hong Kong from not more than four hundred in 1980 to nearly one thousand five

hundred in 1997 It shows a rapid growth rate in the fast food industry and it becomes

an intensive market Furthermore Lan and Khan (1995) present a figure showing

quick service restaurants in Hong Kong contributing to thirteen percent of the

restaurant market in 1993 Fast food industry is one of the fastest growing business

8

sectors The fast growth of the market is due to the demand of convenience products

among Hong Kong residents

Wetzel (1999) mentions the style of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong is divided into

international chains and local chains International chains included hamburger

restaurants chicken restaurants and pizza stores Local chains are run by Hong Kong

company which offer Chinese and Western cuisine They are in keen competition with

each other Different restaurants compete with each other to get the market share of

being a market leader in their segment Fast food restaurants put a lot of effort on

running a successful business to gain more revenue

In this research Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food Restaurant is chosen as the study target of

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food

Restaurant is a local chain fast food under the group of Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral

Fast Food (2009) provides information of their history This company started

operation in 1968 With a long history of over forty years there are more than one

hundred and twenty fast food restaurants distributed in all areas of Hong Kong

In local Chinese chains fast food sector Wetzel (1999) presents a figure of Cafeacute de

9

Coral with the highest market share when compared with other competitors Maximrsquos

and Fairwood Lo (2007) presents that the improvement of operation and enhancing

customer dining experience have been done in Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral put their

efforts on improving the dining environment as well as the quality of food and

services Their focus is to meet customer needs and achieving customer satisfaction

by their commitment to customers ldquoto achieve 100 complete servicerdquo

After the study of the background and trends of evolution in fast food industry we can

see the potential of continuous growth and development of fast service style

restaurants Fast food restaurants in catering service will become more important in

the future This research about fast food restaurant in analyzing how to maintain the

service to be more competitive and differentiated from others is worthwhile to carry

out

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is determined by the customer It is a set of feeling and beliefs

from the customer Oliver (1993 citied in Rust and Oliver 1994 p3-4) states ldquothe

word ldquosatisfactionrdquo is derived from Latin ldquosatisrdquo (enough) and ldquofacererdquo (to do or

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

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Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

3

12 Reason for Choosing Cafeacute de Coral

There are many different styles of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong local chains

and international brands International brands include burgers fried chicken and pizza

sectors Cafeacute de Coral (2009) states that Cafeacute de Coral was established in 1968 This

company being one of the publicly listed Chinese fast food restaurant groups in 1986

Over forty years there are more than one hundred and twenty fast food restaurants

distributed in all areas of Hong Kong This company established a high coverage of

areas in the market

Furthermore in the report of Wetzel (1999) Cafeacute de Coral has the highest percentage

of market share amongst local chain fast food restaurants Cafeacute de Coral is the

representative of the local chain fast food industry Customers are familiar with the

service provided by Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant Kwong (2007) shows the pace

of future development in this companyrsquos business They are careful to reach

customersrsquo needs and achieve customer satisfaction Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

mentions the motto of achieving ldquoA Hundred Points of Excellencerdquo in Cafeacute de Coral

This is the commitment in providing excellent service to customers It shows that

Cafeacute de Coral spend a lot of effort on achieving a high service quality dining

4

experience Usually Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) presents the Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral

rewards repeated customer by provides more values to them

This research focuses on the same aspects as Cafeacute de Coral- service quality In

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality provided by Cafeacute de Coral the

findings will be a representative result for whole fast food industry

13 Aims and Objectives

Aim

To analyze the customersrsquo satisfaction on the service quality delivered by the fast food

industry and find out which dimensions should be focus for future improvement

Objectives

(1) To study the importance on achieving customer satisfaction in the fast food

industry

(2) To develop a research and investigate customer point of view on different

dimensions of service quality delivered by the fast food industry

(3) To determine which dimensions of service quality should be improved to achieve

customer satisfaction

5

14 Chapter Outline

Chapter 2 is a Literature Review with theory concepts published by the reporter and

specialist Background trends definitions methods in measuring and relationships

related to fast food industry customer satisfaction and service quality will be

discussed

Chapter 3 is Methodology It includes the methods and tools used in conducting the

research Data collection methods limitations and the questionnaire design will be

presented in this chapter

Chapter 4 is Results This chapter presents the findings of this research followed by

an analysis using different methods Lastly possible recommendations for specific

dimensions will be suggested in discussion part

Chapter 5 is Conclusions and Recommendations In this chapter the main idea of this

research will be carried out comprehensively Recommendations for future research

will also be provided

6

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

There are four main parts in this Literature Review They include the background and

trends of the fast food industry definitions of customerrsquos satisfaction and service

quality methods of measuring customer satisfaction on service quality and the

relationships between customer satisfaction service quality and the fast food industry

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211 Definition of Fast Food

Fast Food is serving food and beverage in a short period of time Jones (1988 p65)

states the basic concept of fast food is ldquocheap food and products that can be cooked

quickly and a demand for takeawaysrdquo It shows that fast food has a main feature

convenience Convenience involves reducing the customersrsquo waiting time for food

This means that most of the food items are already prepared in advance Food items

are simple and can be cooked quickly Usually customers can enjoy the meal easily

anywhere they like because fast food restaurants offer takeaways services

7

212 Trends of the Fast Food Industry

Nowadays dining in fast food restaurants is more popular than formal dinning

experiences Jones (1988) believes the change in eating habits growth of the teenage

market and working population is linked to the growth in fast food industries around

the world Eating habits changed in that the culture is affected by fast food culture

Growth of teenage market increases the demand of simple and convenient meals

Working pattern of the population affects the need of fast service during meal periods

All of these factors lead to the increase of fast food restaurants

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong

Wetzel (1999) mentions that fast food industry in Hong Kong started in the 1970s

with Western and local operators After nearly forty years the fast food restaurants are

still playing an important role and growing in service In researches of Wetzel (1999)

Lan and Khan (1995) they presented a growth number of fast food restaurants in

Hong Kong from not more than four hundred in 1980 to nearly one thousand five

hundred in 1997 It shows a rapid growth rate in the fast food industry and it becomes

an intensive market Furthermore Lan and Khan (1995) present a figure showing

quick service restaurants in Hong Kong contributing to thirteen percent of the

restaurant market in 1993 Fast food industry is one of the fastest growing business

8

sectors The fast growth of the market is due to the demand of convenience products

among Hong Kong residents

Wetzel (1999) mentions the style of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong is divided into

international chains and local chains International chains included hamburger

restaurants chicken restaurants and pizza stores Local chains are run by Hong Kong

company which offer Chinese and Western cuisine They are in keen competition with

each other Different restaurants compete with each other to get the market share of

being a market leader in their segment Fast food restaurants put a lot of effort on

running a successful business to gain more revenue

In this research Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food Restaurant is chosen as the study target of

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food

Restaurant is a local chain fast food under the group of Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral

Fast Food (2009) provides information of their history This company started

operation in 1968 With a long history of over forty years there are more than one

hundred and twenty fast food restaurants distributed in all areas of Hong Kong

In local Chinese chains fast food sector Wetzel (1999) presents a figure of Cafeacute de

9

Coral with the highest market share when compared with other competitors Maximrsquos

and Fairwood Lo (2007) presents that the improvement of operation and enhancing

customer dining experience have been done in Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral put their

efforts on improving the dining environment as well as the quality of food and

services Their focus is to meet customer needs and achieving customer satisfaction

by their commitment to customers ldquoto achieve 100 complete servicerdquo

After the study of the background and trends of evolution in fast food industry we can

see the potential of continuous growth and development of fast service style

restaurants Fast food restaurants in catering service will become more important in

the future This research about fast food restaurant in analyzing how to maintain the

service to be more competitive and differentiated from others is worthwhile to carry

out

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is determined by the customer It is a set of feeling and beliefs

from the customer Oliver (1993 citied in Rust and Oliver 1994 p3-4) states ldquothe

word ldquosatisfactionrdquo is derived from Latin ldquosatisrdquo (enough) and ldquofacererdquo (to do or

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

4

experience Usually Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) presents the Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral

rewards repeated customer by provides more values to them

This research focuses on the same aspects as Cafeacute de Coral- service quality In

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality provided by Cafeacute de Coral the

findings will be a representative result for whole fast food industry

13 Aims and Objectives

Aim

To analyze the customersrsquo satisfaction on the service quality delivered by the fast food

industry and find out which dimensions should be focus for future improvement

Objectives

(1) To study the importance on achieving customer satisfaction in the fast food

industry

(2) To develop a research and investigate customer point of view on different

dimensions of service quality delivered by the fast food industry

(3) To determine which dimensions of service quality should be improved to achieve

customer satisfaction

5

14 Chapter Outline

Chapter 2 is a Literature Review with theory concepts published by the reporter and

specialist Background trends definitions methods in measuring and relationships

related to fast food industry customer satisfaction and service quality will be

discussed

Chapter 3 is Methodology It includes the methods and tools used in conducting the

research Data collection methods limitations and the questionnaire design will be

presented in this chapter

Chapter 4 is Results This chapter presents the findings of this research followed by

an analysis using different methods Lastly possible recommendations for specific

dimensions will be suggested in discussion part

Chapter 5 is Conclusions and Recommendations In this chapter the main idea of this

research will be carried out comprehensively Recommendations for future research

will also be provided

6

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

There are four main parts in this Literature Review They include the background and

trends of the fast food industry definitions of customerrsquos satisfaction and service

quality methods of measuring customer satisfaction on service quality and the

relationships between customer satisfaction service quality and the fast food industry

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211 Definition of Fast Food

Fast Food is serving food and beverage in a short period of time Jones (1988 p65)

states the basic concept of fast food is ldquocheap food and products that can be cooked

quickly and a demand for takeawaysrdquo It shows that fast food has a main feature

convenience Convenience involves reducing the customersrsquo waiting time for food

This means that most of the food items are already prepared in advance Food items

are simple and can be cooked quickly Usually customers can enjoy the meal easily

anywhere they like because fast food restaurants offer takeaways services

7

212 Trends of the Fast Food Industry

Nowadays dining in fast food restaurants is more popular than formal dinning

experiences Jones (1988) believes the change in eating habits growth of the teenage

market and working population is linked to the growth in fast food industries around

the world Eating habits changed in that the culture is affected by fast food culture

Growth of teenage market increases the demand of simple and convenient meals

Working pattern of the population affects the need of fast service during meal periods

All of these factors lead to the increase of fast food restaurants

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong

Wetzel (1999) mentions that fast food industry in Hong Kong started in the 1970s

with Western and local operators After nearly forty years the fast food restaurants are

still playing an important role and growing in service In researches of Wetzel (1999)

Lan and Khan (1995) they presented a growth number of fast food restaurants in

Hong Kong from not more than four hundred in 1980 to nearly one thousand five

hundred in 1997 It shows a rapid growth rate in the fast food industry and it becomes

an intensive market Furthermore Lan and Khan (1995) present a figure showing

quick service restaurants in Hong Kong contributing to thirteen percent of the

restaurant market in 1993 Fast food industry is one of the fastest growing business

8

sectors The fast growth of the market is due to the demand of convenience products

among Hong Kong residents

Wetzel (1999) mentions the style of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong is divided into

international chains and local chains International chains included hamburger

restaurants chicken restaurants and pizza stores Local chains are run by Hong Kong

company which offer Chinese and Western cuisine They are in keen competition with

each other Different restaurants compete with each other to get the market share of

being a market leader in their segment Fast food restaurants put a lot of effort on

running a successful business to gain more revenue

In this research Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food Restaurant is chosen as the study target of

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food

Restaurant is a local chain fast food under the group of Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral

Fast Food (2009) provides information of their history This company started

operation in 1968 With a long history of over forty years there are more than one

hundred and twenty fast food restaurants distributed in all areas of Hong Kong

In local Chinese chains fast food sector Wetzel (1999) presents a figure of Cafeacute de

9

Coral with the highest market share when compared with other competitors Maximrsquos

and Fairwood Lo (2007) presents that the improvement of operation and enhancing

customer dining experience have been done in Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral put their

efforts on improving the dining environment as well as the quality of food and

services Their focus is to meet customer needs and achieving customer satisfaction

by their commitment to customers ldquoto achieve 100 complete servicerdquo

After the study of the background and trends of evolution in fast food industry we can

see the potential of continuous growth and development of fast service style

restaurants Fast food restaurants in catering service will become more important in

the future This research about fast food restaurant in analyzing how to maintain the

service to be more competitive and differentiated from others is worthwhile to carry

out

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is determined by the customer It is a set of feeling and beliefs

from the customer Oliver (1993 citied in Rust and Oliver 1994 p3-4) states ldquothe

word ldquosatisfactionrdquo is derived from Latin ldquosatisrdquo (enough) and ldquofacererdquo (to do or

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

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Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

5

14 Chapter Outline

Chapter 2 is a Literature Review with theory concepts published by the reporter and

specialist Background trends definitions methods in measuring and relationships

related to fast food industry customer satisfaction and service quality will be

discussed

Chapter 3 is Methodology It includes the methods and tools used in conducting the

research Data collection methods limitations and the questionnaire design will be

presented in this chapter

Chapter 4 is Results This chapter presents the findings of this research followed by

an analysis using different methods Lastly possible recommendations for specific

dimensions will be suggested in discussion part

Chapter 5 is Conclusions and Recommendations In this chapter the main idea of this

research will be carried out comprehensively Recommendations for future research

will also be provided

6

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

There are four main parts in this Literature Review They include the background and

trends of the fast food industry definitions of customerrsquos satisfaction and service

quality methods of measuring customer satisfaction on service quality and the

relationships between customer satisfaction service quality and the fast food industry

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211 Definition of Fast Food

Fast Food is serving food and beverage in a short period of time Jones (1988 p65)

states the basic concept of fast food is ldquocheap food and products that can be cooked

quickly and a demand for takeawaysrdquo It shows that fast food has a main feature

convenience Convenience involves reducing the customersrsquo waiting time for food

This means that most of the food items are already prepared in advance Food items

are simple and can be cooked quickly Usually customers can enjoy the meal easily

anywhere they like because fast food restaurants offer takeaways services

7

212 Trends of the Fast Food Industry

Nowadays dining in fast food restaurants is more popular than formal dinning

experiences Jones (1988) believes the change in eating habits growth of the teenage

market and working population is linked to the growth in fast food industries around

the world Eating habits changed in that the culture is affected by fast food culture

Growth of teenage market increases the demand of simple and convenient meals

Working pattern of the population affects the need of fast service during meal periods

All of these factors lead to the increase of fast food restaurants

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong

Wetzel (1999) mentions that fast food industry in Hong Kong started in the 1970s

with Western and local operators After nearly forty years the fast food restaurants are

still playing an important role and growing in service In researches of Wetzel (1999)

Lan and Khan (1995) they presented a growth number of fast food restaurants in

Hong Kong from not more than four hundred in 1980 to nearly one thousand five

hundred in 1997 It shows a rapid growth rate in the fast food industry and it becomes

an intensive market Furthermore Lan and Khan (1995) present a figure showing

quick service restaurants in Hong Kong contributing to thirteen percent of the

restaurant market in 1993 Fast food industry is one of the fastest growing business

8

sectors The fast growth of the market is due to the demand of convenience products

among Hong Kong residents

Wetzel (1999) mentions the style of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong is divided into

international chains and local chains International chains included hamburger

restaurants chicken restaurants and pizza stores Local chains are run by Hong Kong

company which offer Chinese and Western cuisine They are in keen competition with

each other Different restaurants compete with each other to get the market share of

being a market leader in their segment Fast food restaurants put a lot of effort on

running a successful business to gain more revenue

In this research Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food Restaurant is chosen as the study target of

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food

Restaurant is a local chain fast food under the group of Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral

Fast Food (2009) provides information of their history This company started

operation in 1968 With a long history of over forty years there are more than one

hundred and twenty fast food restaurants distributed in all areas of Hong Kong

In local Chinese chains fast food sector Wetzel (1999) presents a figure of Cafeacute de

9

Coral with the highest market share when compared with other competitors Maximrsquos

and Fairwood Lo (2007) presents that the improvement of operation and enhancing

customer dining experience have been done in Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral put their

efforts on improving the dining environment as well as the quality of food and

services Their focus is to meet customer needs and achieving customer satisfaction

by their commitment to customers ldquoto achieve 100 complete servicerdquo

After the study of the background and trends of evolution in fast food industry we can

see the potential of continuous growth and development of fast service style

restaurants Fast food restaurants in catering service will become more important in

the future This research about fast food restaurant in analyzing how to maintain the

service to be more competitive and differentiated from others is worthwhile to carry

out

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is determined by the customer It is a set of feeling and beliefs

from the customer Oliver (1993 citied in Rust and Oliver 1994 p3-4) states ldquothe

word ldquosatisfactionrdquo is derived from Latin ldquosatisrdquo (enough) and ldquofacererdquo (to do or

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

6

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

There are four main parts in this Literature Review They include the background and

trends of the fast food industry definitions of customerrsquos satisfaction and service

quality methods of measuring customer satisfaction on service quality and the

relationships between customer satisfaction service quality and the fast food industry

21 Background of Fast Food Industry

211 Definition of Fast Food

Fast Food is serving food and beverage in a short period of time Jones (1988 p65)

states the basic concept of fast food is ldquocheap food and products that can be cooked

quickly and a demand for takeawaysrdquo It shows that fast food has a main feature

convenience Convenience involves reducing the customersrsquo waiting time for food

This means that most of the food items are already prepared in advance Food items

are simple and can be cooked quickly Usually customers can enjoy the meal easily

anywhere they like because fast food restaurants offer takeaways services

7

212 Trends of the Fast Food Industry

Nowadays dining in fast food restaurants is more popular than formal dinning

experiences Jones (1988) believes the change in eating habits growth of the teenage

market and working population is linked to the growth in fast food industries around

the world Eating habits changed in that the culture is affected by fast food culture

Growth of teenage market increases the demand of simple and convenient meals

Working pattern of the population affects the need of fast service during meal periods

All of these factors lead to the increase of fast food restaurants

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong

Wetzel (1999) mentions that fast food industry in Hong Kong started in the 1970s

with Western and local operators After nearly forty years the fast food restaurants are

still playing an important role and growing in service In researches of Wetzel (1999)

Lan and Khan (1995) they presented a growth number of fast food restaurants in

Hong Kong from not more than four hundred in 1980 to nearly one thousand five

hundred in 1997 It shows a rapid growth rate in the fast food industry and it becomes

an intensive market Furthermore Lan and Khan (1995) present a figure showing

quick service restaurants in Hong Kong contributing to thirteen percent of the

restaurant market in 1993 Fast food industry is one of the fastest growing business

8

sectors The fast growth of the market is due to the demand of convenience products

among Hong Kong residents

Wetzel (1999) mentions the style of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong is divided into

international chains and local chains International chains included hamburger

restaurants chicken restaurants and pizza stores Local chains are run by Hong Kong

company which offer Chinese and Western cuisine They are in keen competition with

each other Different restaurants compete with each other to get the market share of

being a market leader in their segment Fast food restaurants put a lot of effort on

running a successful business to gain more revenue

In this research Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food Restaurant is chosen as the study target of

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food

Restaurant is a local chain fast food under the group of Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral

Fast Food (2009) provides information of their history This company started

operation in 1968 With a long history of over forty years there are more than one

hundred and twenty fast food restaurants distributed in all areas of Hong Kong

In local Chinese chains fast food sector Wetzel (1999) presents a figure of Cafeacute de

9

Coral with the highest market share when compared with other competitors Maximrsquos

and Fairwood Lo (2007) presents that the improvement of operation and enhancing

customer dining experience have been done in Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral put their

efforts on improving the dining environment as well as the quality of food and

services Their focus is to meet customer needs and achieving customer satisfaction

by their commitment to customers ldquoto achieve 100 complete servicerdquo

After the study of the background and trends of evolution in fast food industry we can

see the potential of continuous growth and development of fast service style

restaurants Fast food restaurants in catering service will become more important in

the future This research about fast food restaurant in analyzing how to maintain the

service to be more competitive and differentiated from others is worthwhile to carry

out

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is determined by the customer It is a set of feeling and beliefs

from the customer Oliver (1993 citied in Rust and Oliver 1994 p3-4) states ldquothe

word ldquosatisfactionrdquo is derived from Latin ldquosatisrdquo (enough) and ldquofacererdquo (to do or

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

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Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

7

212 Trends of the Fast Food Industry

Nowadays dining in fast food restaurants is more popular than formal dinning

experiences Jones (1988) believes the change in eating habits growth of the teenage

market and working population is linked to the growth in fast food industries around

the world Eating habits changed in that the culture is affected by fast food culture

Growth of teenage market increases the demand of simple and convenient meals

Working pattern of the population affects the need of fast service during meal periods

All of these factors lead to the increase of fast food restaurants

213 Fast Food in Hong Kong

Wetzel (1999) mentions that fast food industry in Hong Kong started in the 1970s

with Western and local operators After nearly forty years the fast food restaurants are

still playing an important role and growing in service In researches of Wetzel (1999)

Lan and Khan (1995) they presented a growth number of fast food restaurants in

Hong Kong from not more than four hundred in 1980 to nearly one thousand five

hundred in 1997 It shows a rapid growth rate in the fast food industry and it becomes

an intensive market Furthermore Lan and Khan (1995) present a figure showing

quick service restaurants in Hong Kong contributing to thirteen percent of the

restaurant market in 1993 Fast food industry is one of the fastest growing business

8

sectors The fast growth of the market is due to the demand of convenience products

among Hong Kong residents

Wetzel (1999) mentions the style of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong is divided into

international chains and local chains International chains included hamburger

restaurants chicken restaurants and pizza stores Local chains are run by Hong Kong

company which offer Chinese and Western cuisine They are in keen competition with

each other Different restaurants compete with each other to get the market share of

being a market leader in their segment Fast food restaurants put a lot of effort on

running a successful business to gain more revenue

In this research Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food Restaurant is chosen as the study target of

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food

Restaurant is a local chain fast food under the group of Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral

Fast Food (2009) provides information of their history This company started

operation in 1968 With a long history of over forty years there are more than one

hundred and twenty fast food restaurants distributed in all areas of Hong Kong

In local Chinese chains fast food sector Wetzel (1999) presents a figure of Cafeacute de

9

Coral with the highest market share when compared with other competitors Maximrsquos

and Fairwood Lo (2007) presents that the improvement of operation and enhancing

customer dining experience have been done in Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral put their

efforts on improving the dining environment as well as the quality of food and

services Their focus is to meet customer needs and achieving customer satisfaction

by their commitment to customers ldquoto achieve 100 complete servicerdquo

After the study of the background and trends of evolution in fast food industry we can

see the potential of continuous growth and development of fast service style

restaurants Fast food restaurants in catering service will become more important in

the future This research about fast food restaurant in analyzing how to maintain the

service to be more competitive and differentiated from others is worthwhile to carry

out

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is determined by the customer It is a set of feeling and beliefs

from the customer Oliver (1993 citied in Rust and Oliver 1994 p3-4) states ldquothe

word ldquosatisfactionrdquo is derived from Latin ldquosatisrdquo (enough) and ldquofacererdquo (to do or

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

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BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

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Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

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httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

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httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

8

sectors The fast growth of the market is due to the demand of convenience products

among Hong Kong residents

Wetzel (1999) mentions the style of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong is divided into

international chains and local chains International chains included hamburger

restaurants chicken restaurants and pizza stores Local chains are run by Hong Kong

company which offer Chinese and Western cuisine They are in keen competition with

each other Different restaurants compete with each other to get the market share of

being a market leader in their segment Fast food restaurants put a lot of effort on

running a successful business to gain more revenue

In this research Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food Restaurant is chosen as the study target of

analyzing customer satisfaction on service quality Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food

Restaurant is a local chain fast food under the group of Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral

Fast Food (2009) provides information of their history This company started

operation in 1968 With a long history of over forty years there are more than one

hundred and twenty fast food restaurants distributed in all areas of Hong Kong

In local Chinese chains fast food sector Wetzel (1999) presents a figure of Cafeacute de

9

Coral with the highest market share when compared with other competitors Maximrsquos

and Fairwood Lo (2007) presents that the improvement of operation and enhancing

customer dining experience have been done in Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral put their

efforts on improving the dining environment as well as the quality of food and

services Their focus is to meet customer needs and achieving customer satisfaction

by their commitment to customers ldquoto achieve 100 complete servicerdquo

After the study of the background and trends of evolution in fast food industry we can

see the potential of continuous growth and development of fast service style

restaurants Fast food restaurants in catering service will become more important in

the future This research about fast food restaurant in analyzing how to maintain the

service to be more competitive and differentiated from others is worthwhile to carry

out

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is determined by the customer It is a set of feeling and beliefs

from the customer Oliver (1993 citied in Rust and Oliver 1994 p3-4) states ldquothe

word ldquosatisfactionrdquo is derived from Latin ldquosatisrdquo (enough) and ldquofacererdquo (to do or

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

9

Coral with the highest market share when compared with other competitors Maximrsquos

and Fairwood Lo (2007) presents that the improvement of operation and enhancing

customer dining experience have been done in Cafeacute de Coral Cafeacute de Coral put their

efforts on improving the dining environment as well as the quality of food and

services Their focus is to meet customer needs and achieving customer satisfaction

by their commitment to customers ldquoto achieve 100 complete servicerdquo

After the study of the background and trends of evolution in fast food industry we can

see the potential of continuous growth and development of fast service style

restaurants Fast food restaurants in catering service will become more important in

the future This research about fast food restaurant in analyzing how to maintain the

service to be more competitive and differentiated from others is worthwhile to carry

out

22 Definition of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

221 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is determined by the customer It is a set of feeling and beliefs

from the customer Oliver (1993 citied in Rust and Oliver 1994 p3-4) states ldquothe

word ldquosatisfactionrdquo is derived from Latin ldquosatisrdquo (enough) and ldquofacererdquo (to do or

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

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Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

10

make)hellipillustrates the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfillmentrdquo

Customer satisfaction is the level of customerrsquos fulfillment of response By

understanding the customersrsquo satisfaction the way of fulfilling the customer can be

determined Bitner and Hubbert (1994 p77) also states that the definition of overall

service satisfaction is ldquoIt is the consumerrsquos overall dissatisfaction or satisfaction with

organisation which based on all encounters and experiences with specific

organisationrdquo Satisfaction of service is a long term evaluation of experiences given

by a company Customer satisfaction is not a thing which happens at once when

customer uses the service or product It is a series of enjoyment provided by a

company or people It reflects the customer feelings in each interaction with the

company Finally it becomes the attitude and behavior of customer towards the

organisation

Smith (1994) has a similar view on continuous concept regarding customer

satisfaction He mentions that satisfaction is a continuous process from before service

using the service to after the service There are different expectations of customer

within the interactions of these three phases

In the hospitality industry service is to deal with people This is a reason why

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

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Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

11

customer satisfaction is not easy to be achieved Different people have different

thoughts and beliefs Level of satisfaction is dependant on the level of expectation

There are many factors which affect the expectation level Therefore it causes

difficulties in meeting customer satisfactions

The aims of customer satisfaction is meeting and exceeding customerrsquos expectations

Zeithaml et al (1990) present the model of five service gaps It clearly defines the

reasons behind the difference between customer expectations and perceived value in

service delivery The details of this model will be explained in part three of this

chapter Service Gaps on Service Quality

222 Definition of Service Quality

Johns (1996) mentions the concept of ldquoqualityrdquo is ldquoexcellencerdquo It represents good

performance and conditions which has no defects or errors In service aspect quality

is the excellence of performance in a good standard and value When customers look

for service they consider quality of service as achieving better perceived values

Service quality is the ldquoconsumerrsquos overall impression of the relative inferiority or

superiority of the organisation and its servicesrdquo (Bitner and Hubbert 1994 p77) It is

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

12

a natural value in the point of view from customers in measuring service level towards

a company On the other hand it is the values which need to be created by companies

to retain and attract customers

Rust and Oliver (1994 p5) state that ldquoservice quality is the approach to entertain

customer expectations of performance in the service dimension observe performance

and later form performance perceptionsrdquo They mention that service quality is for

measuring customer expectations on service according to the performance of

organisations Quality is an invisible aspect which cannot be felt and touched It can

be quantified through indicators and measurements only

Parasuraman et al (1988) defines the five dimensions of service quality in measuring

level of service SERVQUAL It presents the concept of some indicators in measuring

service standard Customers and companies can define the quality of service through

these aspects when considering the level of service The five dimensions are Tangibles

Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy The details of SERVQUAL will

be discussed deeply in part three of this chapter SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

13

23 Measuring Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality

231 Service Gaps on Service Quality

The service gap model of Zeithaml et al (1990) show the potential causes of service

quality shortfalls It is a model which integrates the views between service providers

and service receivers companies and customers It clearly shows all the possible

reasons in causing the difference between customerrsquos expectation and perceived

service If companies want to achieve customer total satisfaction a balanced level

between customer perceptions and expectations should be met

The model of service quality clearly defines the differences in service gaps between

each stage Following are the details explanation of each gap in service gap model

from Zeithaml et al (1990)

In figure 1 Gap 1 is ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and management perceptions gaprdquo

(Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is between the expected service of customer and

management thought of customer expectations from service provider It happens

because service providers do not really know what their customers expect The

possible reasons causing this gap are marketing failure and inadequate market

research lack of upward communication and insufficient relationship focus In the

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

14

fast food industry if the company does not understand the customerrsquos expectations it

raises the possibility in serving a wrong service or product to them Zeithaml et al

(1990) suggest that if we want to reduce gap 1 research in finding customerrsquos

expectations is a good way to reach customerrsquos mind It is the reason why they need

to conduct research to find out what their customers expected from their service

Gap 2 is ldquomanagementrsquos perceptions and service quality specifications gaprdquo (Zeithaml

et al 1990 p39) This is a distance between management perceptions on customer

expectations and service quality specifications of service provider It is the wrong

service quality standards identified by the management Sometimes the management

can predict the customerrsquos expectations correctly However due to inadequate service

leadership and the ability of the service staff it is not easy for management to commit

the service design or setup the service standard specifications of service delivery

Zeithaml et al (1990) mentions delivering quality service involvement of leadership

and commitment from management are needed If aims in reducing gap 2 it can be

achieved by committing quality and making service tasks become standardized

Management should provide service which committed with customer and set the level

and details on service to make the staff easier to follow

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

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BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

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Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

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httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

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httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

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IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

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MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

15

Gap 3 is ldquoservice quality specifications and service delivery gaprdquo (Zeithaml et al

1990 p42) It is a service performance gap where the service providers lack the

ability to deliver the service at the quality set by the management Zeithaml et al

(1990) analyzes that this gap exists because of role ambiguity role conflicts and lack

of perceived control In the fast food industry frontline service staff needs to interact

with customers often It is not an easy task As the management they can monitor the

level of service and put effort in maintaining the work force of the staff It is a way of

keeping the service staff motivated to deliver and perform the service

Zeithaml et al (1990 p43) state that Gap 4 is ldquoservice delivery and external

communications gaprdquo External communication includes all the messages delivered

by promotional channels or promises made by the service provider This gap happens

when promises made is not consistent service delivered Ineffective management of

customer expectations over-promising from service staff and inadequate

communication between companies and customer are the possible reasons causing

this gap (Zeithaml et al 1990)

Gap 5 is created because of all of these differences and gaps It is between

ldquocustomerrsquos expectations and perceived servicerdquo (Zeithaml et al 1990 p37) It is the

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

16

differences in expected service and perceived service of customers This is the

distance which management of company wants to minimize when delivering service

to customer Zeithaml et al (1990) discussed expected service is influenced by word

of mouth communication personal needs and past experience Word of mouth

communication is words spread from customer to customer They love to share their

experience with their friends Personal needs are different from people to people it

varies according to demographic socio-cultural and background Past experience is

their own feelings of the last visit and dining experience

Perception and expectation gap shows the essential of good marketing quality of

business leadership and training and decision in employing staff by human resources

group (Zeithaml et al 1990) This model is good for finding reasons and factors

which influence the level of satisfaction by expectations and perceptions It is

popularly used in many researches For example research of Nagel and Cilliers (2007)

and Bloemer et al (1999) As a service provider the company can find out possible

reasons affecting the customerrsquos satisfaction

However Seth et al (2005 p935) state the limitations and weaknesses of this service

gap model It is for ldquoexploratory study and this model does not explain the clear

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

17

measurement procedure for the measurement of gaps at different levelsrdquo There are

different limitations on different service quality model Service gap model is an

analytical tool of service for the management to use in identifying the factors related

to delivery of service quality

Difference in service satisfaction is the distance between customer expectations and

perceptions Usually if the perceptions are closer to expectations the satisfaction

level will be higher Level of customer satisfaction on service in fast food industry

will be measure by conduct a survey to Hong Kong residents It will be discuss in

chapter 3 Methodology

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

18

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Service Quality Zeithaml et al (1990 p46)

232 SERVQUAL (Service Quality)

Service quality can be measured in some aspects during the service delivery process

In the very beginning Parasuraman et al (1985) developed ten service quality

dimensions They are tangibles reliability responsiveness competence courtesy

credibility security access communication and understanding the customer After a

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery

Management

perceptions of

consumer expectations

External

communications

to customer

Word of mouth

communications

Personal Needs Past Experience

Gap Model of Service Quality

Service Standards

Consumer

Company

Gap 1

Gap 5

Gap 3

Gap 2

Gap 4

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

19

while the five dimensions of service quality are introduced by Parasuraman et al

(1988) They are Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and Empathy

These five dimensions of service quality are well known and used often by

researchers Johns (1996) Edvardsson (1998) and Wuest (2001) also use Parasurman

et al findings in their research

In this research five dimensions of service quality will be focused deeply In order to

find out which dimensions of service quality are more important to customers in the

fast food industry all questions in the survey are set according to these five

dimensions of service quality

Tangibles includes the ldquoappearance of physical facilities equipment personnel and

communications materialsrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It is the physical

environment of companies that can be observed easily They are hygiene and

cleanliness decoration of the dining area menu presentation and staff appearance and

uniforms of the restaurant This dimension is easier to be observed and achieved

because some of the elements can be prepared before operations and created by

company

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

20

Reliability can be shown by that service provider Parsuraman et al (1988 p23)

states it is the ldquoability to perform service dependably and accuratelyrdquo It is the

competence to perform promised service to customer in an accurate way The

agreements and conditions of service are included in this aspect Reliability is provide

service right in first time insist and error-free record provide service at the time

promised and the trustworthiness of the service in the fast food restaurant The

determination of reliability is according to the service provider It is a human issue

which difficult to control

Responsiveness refers to the ldquowillingness to help customers and provide prompt

service to customerrdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It can be reflected by interests

from service provider to help customers and assisting them in a quick way In the fast

food industry responsiveness is related to prompt service from staff willingness in

response response effectiveness and accuracy in response

Assurance refers to the ldquoknowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

inspire trust and confidencerdquo (Parsuraman et al 1988 p23) It consists of

competence ability and skill of service staff to perform and provide service The

product knowledge of staff their ability to maintain a safe dining environment their

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

21

courtesy towards customers and ability to achieve customer confidence are related to

assurance

Empathy is care and attention from the service provider to customers Parsuraman et

al (1988 p23) state that they are ldquocaring individualized attention the firm provides

its customerrdquo Service provider should provide service from the point of view of

customer It is related to the communication skills understands specific needs takes

customerrsquos best interests at heart and gives individual attention to customer from

service providers Empathy is directly related to the service provider it is also the

most difficult to achieve and control

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality in an industry

It is used in measuring service quality in fast food industry in this research The

questionnaire which set for this survey is according to these five dimensions of

service quality

24 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast Food

Industry

241 Importance of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

22

Nowadays reaching customer satisfaction becomes the primary role of service

delivery Companies want to achieve customer satisfaction to maintain their business

If customers are satisfied with their service and products they will return and

repurchase in that company It brings revenue to company Imrie et al (2002) gives

a view that if companies want to establish their competitive advantages for a

successful business the way is to provide excellent service quality to customer It

shows that quality of service becomes more and more important in dining experience

of hospitality industry

Soutar (2001 p104) states that ldquocustomer service is a key operational variable if

service quality is improved customer satisfactionhellipprofitability will be improvedrdquo It

means that customer service is very important to a business operation especially to

the customer-oriented business service industry which deals with customers It has a

similar view with Imrie et al (2002) that if good quality of service is achieved it can

bring benefit to the company

242 Benefits of Service Quality

Roberts (2001) suggests that service quality can be viewed as a competitive advantage

to companies Those organisations which provide better and all-rounded service to

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

23

satisfy customers are in better competitive advantages Management of the company

can find out their own advantages in service to take this as opportunities for success

In the same way they can review their disadvantages and counter them for

improvement to be their advantages It shows the benefits of research in improving

service quality of a company It helps the organisation to understand their advantages

and turns their weaknesses into strengths

SERVQUAL provides reliable dimensions in measuring service quality tangibles

reliability responsiveness assurance and empathy Expectation of service quality in

customer depends on their own experience of certain service aspect In the same way

customer can determine service quality of a company by their perception on

experience

243 Close Relation between Customer Satisfaction Service Quality and Fast

Food Industry

ldquoCustomerrsquos expectations of service influence their resulting level of satisfactionrdquo

(Wuest 2001 p51) It shows that if customer has lower expectations it is easier to

fulfill their satisfaction This factor affects the level of customer satisfaction on

service quality Therefore it is needed to find out customer expectation before

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

24

delivering the service Surveys and interviews can help to understand customer needs

In analyzing customersrsquo mind on service quality the satisfaction can be achieved

easily

Qin and Prybutok (2008) present the relationship of customer perceived service

quality and customer satisfaction in fast food restaurants It directly affects the

companiesrsquo competencies and performance The relationships between customer

satisfaction service quality and fast food industry are important McDougall and

Levesque (2000) show that customer satisfaction will be directly related to the service

quality and perceived value It is important for service provider to achieve customer

satisfaction through the understanding of customer value and delivering of service

There are different sides in measuring customer satisfaction in the catering industry It

can be divided into food products and service sides In this research it will be mainly

focus on service quality Fast food restaurants in this industry are in constant

competitions with many competitors In order to be differentiated from others in

providing better service to customer Organisations should focus on creating better

service quality to customer

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

25

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this research of finding customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral is the target company in this study The target markets in Cafeacute

de Coral are teenagers adults and family The populations aged eighteen or above

were set as the target of this research Those people who had dining experience at

Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant in Hong Kong were targeted

The location of Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school campus Chai Wan of

researcher were chosen to conduct the survey in collecting different opinions of

different groups of people In Victoria Park the survey was conduct on weekends and

Sunday mornings which more families will go for family gathering In school Campus

it was conduct in afternoon of school day A structured questionnaire was used in this

survey with twenty statements asking intervieweesrsquo expectations and perceptions

31 Data Collection Method

Knutson (2001) suggests that survey can be one of the methods in measuring service

quality It states that survey is the most common tool for management to measure

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

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Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

26

service quality In the survey with consumers it was used to find out customerrsquos

perception on company performance

Hague and Jackson (1995) mention quantitative research is finding the result by data

analysis with a large sample size of questionnaire This quantitative research was

chosen to be the method of conducting this survey A formal structured questionnaire

was used as a tool in collecting customerrsquos expectations and perceptions on the fast

food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral

Hague and Jackson (1995 p65) state the definition of a questionnaire

ldquoQuestionnaire is a structured sequence of questions designed to draw out facts and

opinions form respondents and provide a vehicle for recording the datardquo In this

research questionnaires were used to collect the public opinions of level of

importance on expectations and level of performance on perceptions towards certain

aspects of service quality of Cafeacute de Coral

32 Questionnaire Design

There is a declaration of interviewee before taking a questionnaire It is to ensure the

interviewee is in aged eighteen or above and with the experience of dining in Cafeacute de

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

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Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

27

Coral Two sections are structured in this questionnaire section one is for collecting

the level of importance on expectation and the level of performance on perceptions

towards different statement in service quality dimensions It is used to identify the

differences between perception and expectation On the other hand it is prepared for

analyzing the importance and performance of service quality in intervieweersquos opinions

towards Cafeacute de Coral Section two is used to collect personal information of

interviewee It is for analyzing the demographic and social-cultural factors which

affect expectations and perceptions (Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 Questionnaire

Design ndash English and Chinese version)

This questionnaire is structured with a sequence of closed questions Hague and

Jackson (1995) mentions that structured questionnaires are set with precise wordings

and order It is good to be used in quantitative survey because it is easier to be

anticipated and recorded the response of interviewee for further analysis Closed

questions are questions with some specific answers for interviewee to choose It is

simple and easy to use

In the main part of questionnaire there are twenty statements mentioned in section

one in asking the level of importance on expectations and level of performance on

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

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Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

28

perceptions These statements are designed according to five dimensions of service

quality which mentioned in Literature Review part three ndash SERVQUAL Statements

of each dimension are taken and modified from Zeithaml et al (1990) The concept of

measuring customer expectations and perceptions is to evaluate customer satisfaction

Please refer to Literature Review part three ndash service gap model In the scoring of

questionnaire there are five scores in choosing the level of importance on

expectations and performance of perceptions ldquoOnerdquo represents the lower level and

ldquofiverdquo represents the higher level Odd number of scoring method is used in this

research to provide a middle point for interviewee to choose It prevents a

dramatically effect on any one side

Webb (2002) mentions questionnaires can be used in different contents of a survey It

can be used in surveys through mail telephone internet or face to face interview

Face to face interview method was chosen to be used in this research Personal

interviews allow the interviewer to respond for a clear explanation of statements and

wordings There are some advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews In

face to face situation of asking standardized questions the answers can be recorded in

proper manner It can reduce the variability of answers However personal interview

is time consuming and people may refuse to take the interview (Webb 2002)

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

29

33 Research Method

331 Primary Research

Webb (2002) shows that primary research is a research which designed by researcher

to find out specific answer for questions It is used for finding some information

which cannot be found or published by other means In this research primary research

is conducted to find out customer satisfaction on service quality of the fast food

industry Cafeacute de Coral

332 Survey Instrument- Pilot Testing

To design a good structured questionnaire it is essential to ensure that it meets the

research objectives and generate valid and reliable information In order to obtain

valid and reliable information the questionnaire should be user friendly and easy to

read In designing the questionnaire pilot testing can be carried out before official

launch of survey (Webb 2002) In this research pilot testing were conducted by

researcher with the help of different groups of people Student studying hospitality

related subjects the white collar works in unrelated aspects and customer service staff

were chosen According to their comments of pilot testing target the wordings of

questionnaire and format of answering were amended and modified After the pilot

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

30

testing the survey was started to collect customerrsquos opinions

333 Limitations

In personal interview of data collection method there are some limitations in primary

research Since the survey was conducted in Victoria Park Causeway Bay and school

campus Chai Wan only the people who pass through these two locations can provide

in formations to researcher In fact only 152 sets of questionnaires were collected It

was a small sample size which cannot accurately represent the opinions of whole

population in Hong Kong

For the data collection method Webb (2002) mentions some limitations on sampling

error and non-response error In this research limitations on sampling error are some

of the interviewees were unwilling to respond Because of courtesy respondents may

give the answer that they think interviewer wants It cannot reflect the real situation of

their feelings and opinions For non-response error it was the refusal to take part of

this survey Those incomplete questionnaires were taken as a mistake and error of data

which cannot be used in this research Methods to overcome limitations of this

research will be presented in Chapter 5 ndash Recommendations

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

31

34 Method of Analysis

341 SPSS

The software of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is used in analysis

of data Griffith (2007) mentions that SPSS is developed by Nie Hull and Bent of

Stanford University in 1960s It is used for analyzing a large volume of data Usually

this works for numbers with calculations

In analysis of this research SPSS was used in calculating the means of each statement

of expectations and perceptions The data of means in each statement were used for

plotting a graph of importance and performance analysis gird Usually SPSS was

applied for analyzing the relationship of expectations and perceptions between

different gender age educational background and professional With the help of

one-way ANOVA the relationship between them can be found out If the significance

value is equal or smaller than 005 then it shows that it is a significant figure with

relation Otherwise it is not a significant figure if the significant value is higher than

005

242 Importance and Performance Analysis

Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA) is a framework established by Martilla

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

32

and James (1977) (figure 2) It is to analyze customer satisfaction from importance on

expectation and performance of perceptions There are four sections in the model of

ldquoconcentrate hererdquo ldquokeep up the good workrdquo ldquolow priorityrdquo and ldquopossible overkillrdquo

with different level of importance and performance Prideaux et al (2006) mention

IPA is a procedure of showing relative importance of different attributes and the

performance of a company It is a good method of identifying the areas of service

quality for improvements

Figure 2 Importance-performance analysis gird Martilla and James (1977 p78)

In ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category it is with higher level of important and lower level of

performance It should be focus and changed to match with the importance as needed

A Concentrate Here B Keep Up the Good Work

C Low Priority D Possible Overkill

Importance and Performance Analysis

Lower

Level of Performance

Level of Importance

Higher

Higher

Lower

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

33

ldquoConcentrate hererdquo is the first priority to apply some strategies for improvement

In ldquokeep up the good workrdquo category it is with higher level of important and higher

level of performance It is an ideal situation which companies can provide better

performance to customer Companies can maintain their good performance to reach

the needs of customers

In category of ldquolow priorityrdquo both importance and performance are in lower levels In

order to provide excellent service to excess customer expectation those attributes in

this section are needed to be improved Therefore it is in the second priority to be

improved for achieving customer satisfaction in this study

In category of ldquopossible overkillrdquo it is in lower level of important and higher level of

performance Those attributes in this category are in better situation that customerrsquos

perception is good and lower expectation

Martilla and James (1977) mention the importance and performance analysis is easy

to be understood It is a useful tool for management to decide strategies according to

IPA Management can make decisions to improve their organisation

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

34

However IPA suggested by Martilla and James (1977) is only for a general level of all

attributes of importance and performance The different in importance of expectation

and performance of perception in one attribute is also important in considering the

strategies The greater difference of importance and performance it is in higher

priority of improvement for excellent service In this research both methods of

analysis will be used importance and performance analysis and difference of service

gap

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

35

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Introduction

In this part of results the useful data and information found in the research will be

mentioned and analyzed in detail

For the primary findings firstly frequencies of demographic profile of the research

were presented Level of expectation and perception of customer towards Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Restaurant were shown It is the difference of perception and

expectation is the service gap Also data in findings of importance of expectation and

performance of perception were used to create an importance and performance gird

for analysis

In the analysis section specific strategies were suggested for those dimensions in high

priority of difference between perceptions and expectations Also the attributes

separated in different category of importance and performance analysis model we

suggested in later parts

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

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Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

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MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

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Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

36

41 Primary findings

This survey collected with 152 questionnaires Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 81 533

Female 71 467

Age

18-24 48 316

25-34 51 336

35-44 28 184

45-54 11 72

55-64 9 59

65or above 5 33

Educational

Primary or below 5 33

Secondary school 46 303

Tertiary education 40 263

University or above 61 401

Professions

Student 43 283

Customer service 27 178

White collar 33 217

Blue collar 15 99

Professional 15 99

Self-employed 6 39

Housewife 6 39

Retired 7 46

Dining Frequency in

Fast Food Restaurant

Less than once a week 39 257

Once or twice a week 49 322

3-5 times a week 60 395

6 times or more per week 4 26

Dining Frequency in

Cafeacute de Coral

Less than once a week 123 809

Once or twice a week 23 151

3-5 times a week 6 39

6 times or more per week 0 0

Table1 Frequencies and percentages of demographic aspects

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

37

In this research questionnaires were conducted through face to face survey There

were 152 sets of useful data out of 160 questionnaires The useful percentage of data

was 95 Those 5 of invalid data came from respondents who did not have a dining

experience at Cafeacute de Coral

According to table 1 in these 152 sets of information collected in the survey there

were about 53 of male and 47 of female It is good to have similar percentage of

male and female because a balanced opinion from different genders can be achieved

For the age group segment most of the respondents were in first two age groups from

18-24 and 25-35 in 32 and 34 respectively It was noticed that the large majority

of people was from 18-35 a younger generation

For educational background there were about 40 of the respondents with university

or above qualifications Other categories were secondary school and tertiary education

in 30 and 26 respectively It clearly shows that more people were with higher

educational background

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

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BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

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httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

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httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

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GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

38

For professions of respondents students white collar and customer service related

were the majority in 28 22 and 18 correspondently In this research students

contributed a large majority of respondents It is related to the location of conducting

the survey in a school campus

There were about 40 of respondents who dine in fast food restaurants three to five

times a week it was considered a high percentage showing that fast food dining is

popular among this group of people However 81 of people dine in Cafeacute de Coral

less than once a week There was only 15 of respondents dine in CDC once or twice

a week There are many choices of fast food restaurants in spending for meals cause

the lower percentage of dining in Cafeacute de Coral in every week

42 Analysis

421 Service Gap Analysis

The data was analyzed by SPSS The function [descriptive statistics- descriptive] in

SPSS was used in calculating the mean of expectation and perception in each

statement of service quality The figure in service gap was come from ldquoperceptions

minus expectationrdquo The higher degree of service gap requires a higher priority for

improvement

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

39

ldquoPair samples testrdquo is a result from generated from paired-samples t-test [Analyze

compare means paired-samples t-test] It was an analysis between perception and

expectation of same statement And p-value is for finding the significant in P lt= 005

Statement

no

Dimension Expectations Perceptions Mean

Difference

Level of

difference

Pair samples test

(Per-Exp)

Mean SD Mean SD (Per-Exp) t-value P-value

1

Tangibles

41776 74900 34079 72880 (077) 7th -10270 000

2 40132 78521 33618 74573 (065) 13th -8043 000

3 41447 73214 37697 72247 (037) 20th -10392 000

4 38289 78276 33487 82008 (048) 19th -6151 000

5

Reliability

41118 83990 33487 73286 (076) 8th -9652 000

6 40592 71629 32632 70225 (080) 5th -10715 000

7 41250 74442 34539 73071 (067) 12th -8258 000

8 40855 76431 33421 73641 (074) 9th -9485 000

9

Responsiven

ess

40461 76974 34408 70325 (061) 17th -8576 000

10 39737 75833 32829 70895 (069) 11th -8707 000

11 39539 74069 33158 69376 (064) 14th -8934 000

12 40461 77177 32697 69376 (078) 6th -10221 000

13

Assurance

40461 82093 34605 83260 (059) 18th -7695 000

14 40066 72823 33026 71407 (070) 10th -9831 000

15 41447 74585 35000 75825 (064) 14th -8173 000

16 41908 80407 33750 76974 (082) 4th -10063 000

17

Empathy

38750 77832 32368 77470 (064) 14th -8139 000

18 41447 85164 31513 80073 (099) 1st -11443 000

19 41776 81761 32303 81462 (095) 2nd -10770 000

20 40921 80342 31908 85626 (090) 3rd -10614 000

Table 2 Comparisons between Expectations and Perceptions in Dimensions of Service Quality

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

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BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

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Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

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httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

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httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

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httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

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GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

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IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

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JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

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MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

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MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

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NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

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QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

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Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

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SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

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Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

40

From the result in table 2 the mean score of expectations in different statements were

from 383 to 419 Most of the mean were higher than 4 there were only 4 statements

with a mean lower than 4 It shown that people were in high expectations on service

quality For the perceptions the mean scores were from 315 to 377 all of them were

lower than 4 It is relatively low when compare with the values of expectations A

value of lower perceptions and higher expectations were presented

The t-values were negative because perceptions are lower than expectations It

showed a negative service gap of all dimensions Usually all p-values were smaller

than 005 (P lt= 005) suggesting that they are significant

In service gap analysis Responsiveness and Tangibles had smaller service gap in

reaching customer expectation They were the most satisfactory dimensions in service

quality They only had one statement in the top ten which are in sixth and seventh

priority in statement 12 and 1 respectively In comparison with other three dimensions

Responsiveness and Tangibles were in better performance in achieving customer

satisfaction

Assurance included two higher gap services in fourth and tenth priority It was in third

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

41

priority in giving certain suggestion for improvement It was in the lower satisfaction

than Responsiveness and Tangibles

There are three statements in the dimensions of ldquoEmpathyrdquo and ldquoReliabilityrdquo which

are in ten top of service gap priority And Empathy had larger service gap than other

this dimension is in highest needs for improvement are shown It is needed to meet the

customer expectation for achieving their satisfaction Some possible suggestions for

improvement were given in Discussion sections of this chapter

422 Importance and Performance Analysis

From the result gathered by SPSS mean values of importance on expectation and

performance on perception were used in plotting a graph of importance and

performance analysis The cross of vertical and horizontal axis was come from the

mean of twenty performances on perception and importance on expectation

respectively The value of the cross is (335 406) Four categories were divided by

the cross Category A is ldquoconcentrate hererdquo category B is ldquokeep up the good workrdquo

category C is ldquolow priorityrdquo and category D is ldquopossible overkillrdquo

The result of Importance and Performance Analysis is shown below

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

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Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

42

Importance and performance analysis

9 132

685

12

14

3157

116

20

18

19

1011

17

4

380

390

400

410

420

310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390

Performance on preception

Impo

rtan

ce o

n ex

pect

atio

nB Keep Up The Good

Work

D Possible Overkill

A Concentrate Here

C Low Priority

Figure 3 Importance and Performance Analysis Grid for Service Quality Dimensions of Cafeacute de Coral

Category No Statement Dimension

A Concentrate

Here

5 Provide service right in first time Reliability

6 Company insists an error-free record Reliability

8 Trustworthiness of service Reliability

18 Understand specific needs of customers Empathy

19 Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart Empathy

20 Gives individual attention to customer Empathy

B Keep Up The

Good Work

1 Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness Tangibles

3 Customer friendly menu presentation Tangibles

7 Provide service at the time company promised Reliability

15 Provide and maintain safe environment Assurance

16 Consistently courteous with customers Assurance

C Low Priority 4 Staffsrsquo appearance Tangibles

10 Staffrsquos willingness in response Responsiveness

11 Response effectiveness Responsiveness

12 Staffrsquos accuracy in response Responsiveness

14 Service achieves customerrsquos confidence Assurance

17 Communication skills Empathy

D Possible

Overkill

2 Comfort dining environment Tangibles

9 Staff provides prompt service Responsiveness

13 Staffrsquos product knowledge Assurance

Table 3 Distribution of Attributes in Importance and Performance Analysis

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

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BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

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Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

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httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

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httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

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GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

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IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

43

Those statements in category A are the most concerned people were in higher

expectation on these aspects of importance However performance was relatively

lower than general There are six statements place in this category They are statement

5 6 8 of Reliability and 18 19 20 of Empathy dimensions

Category B of higher performance and higher expectation is an ideal situation The

company should put their effort in keeping good standard of performance to match

with customer expectation on importance of different dimensions There are five

statements place in category B They are statement 1 and 3 of Tangibles statement 7

of Reliability and statement 15 16 of Assurance

Category C is in second priority of improvement These statements are in lower

importance and it performs also relatively lower than the general performance There

are six statements within this category They are statement 4 of Tangibles statement

10 11 12 of same dimension of Responsiveness statement 14 of Assurance and

statement 17 of Empathy dimension of service quality

Category D is with lower importance and higher performance than the general

standard It seems that performance is higher than importance The remaining 3

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

44

statement are in the category D They are statement 2 of Tangibles statement 9 of

Responsiveness and 13 of Assurance

423 Overall Analysis

Prideaux et al (2006) presents a comparable result of different method of analysis In

studying the same aspect different methods generate different result In these findings

from method of service gap and importance and performance analysis were not totally

match Sometimes one of the methods in analysis cannot reflect the truth of result in

all directions Sometimes there was huge difference in findings of two methods

For example statement 16 in assurance it is in 4th priority of larger difference between

perception and expectation in service gap analysis However it is in the category B of

ldquokeep up the good workrdquo in analysis of IPA which is in good situation In order to

have a more meaningful and all-round result for analysis an overall analysis was

introduced to combine the results of these two methods

It was a weighting method Both methods of service gap and IPA were rate 20 points

in maximum In service gap analysis the 1st level of difference gets 1 point 20th level

of difference gets 20 points correspondently The first level of difference is highest

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

45

service gap with highest need for improvement In importance an performance

analysis the attribute which placed in category A get 5 points C get 10 points

category B get 15 points and lastly category D get 20 points Category A and C are in

lower performance these two categories are in higher needs for improvement to get

customer satisfaction Category B and D are in higher performance in general they

are in lower priority for improvement

Certain points were given to attributes according to the conditions Total points of

statement are achieved by adding the points together After that an overall analysis

was conducted Statement with lower points presented the higher priority in changing

and improvement

In combining the service gap analysis and importance and performance analysis it

provided a clear direction for management in deciding strategies for improvement

Combining the result of service gap and importance and performance analysis

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

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Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

46

Dimensions

Service gap IPA

Overall

Statement Level of

difference Category Point Priority

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 7th B 22

(2) Comfort dining environment 13th D 33

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 20th B 35

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 19th C 29

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 8th A 13 5th

(6) Company insist an error-free record 5th A 10 4th

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 12th B 27

(8) Trustworthiness of service 9th A 14 6th

Responsiveness

(9) Staff provides prompt service 17th D 37

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 11th C 21 10th

(11) Response effectiveness 14th C 24

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 6th C 16 7th

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 18th D 38

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 10th C 20 9th

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 14th B 29

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 4th B 19 8th

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 14th C 24

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1st A 6 1st

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 2nd A 7 2nd

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 3rd A 8 3rd

Table 4 Combination of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) and Importance and Performance analysis

(IPA)

Key of point Service Gap level of difference- 1 point for 1st level of priority and 20 point for 20th level of

priority

IPA- 5 point for category A 10 point for C 15 point for B and 20

points for D

Key of priority Lower level of points is in higher priority for improvement

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

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QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

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ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

47

Empathy is in the highest priority for improvement (Statement 18-1st 19-2nd 20-3rd)

It is the least satisfied service quality dimension Empathy is care and attention from

the service provider to customers In the results customers felt that they couldnrsquot get

enough care when service is provided by company This part of empathy is the feeling

from customer towards the care from frontline staff of organisations As mentioned in

literature review SERVQUAL elements in Empathy are directly related to service

provider It is highly depends on the self motivation of service staff

The lower satisfactory variable is followed by dimension of Reliability It is in second

priority of improvement (Statement 6-4th 5-5th 8-6th) Reliability is also directly

related to the performance of service provider as provide correct and promised service

It is not easy for frontline staff to perform consistent performance in error-free service

It is clearly reflected on the second priority of this research

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in third priority for improvement

(Statement 12-7th) Another statement of this dimension also placed in the position of

ten top priorities for improvement (Statement 10-10th) Discussed in literature review

SERVQUAL Responsiveness is the elements of willing to response and provides

prompt service In fast food industry it is a demand of fast service and staffs are well

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

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WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

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to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

48

trained for prompt service mentions by Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) However

due to the large demand during specific periods of time there are peak business hours

during breakfast and lunch periods During these periods frontline staff may not have

enough time to respond for service immediately This is the reason of causing the third

priority of service quality dimensions

Assurance is in lower priority for deciding strategies two statements are within ten

top of priority (Statement 16-8th 14-9th) According to the Literature Review

SERVQUAL Assurance is related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff

In showing competence and skill Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral provides

customer-centered trainings for service staffs with updated skills for day-to-day

operations The lower priority for improvement of this dimension can reflect their

complement in enhancing the Assurance

Tangibles is in the lowest priority for improvement There is no statement place

within ten top of priority it is the most satisfied service quality dimension As

mentioned in the part of SERVQUAL in literature review Intangibles is relatively

easy to be observed and achieved Usually Lo (2007) mentions Cafeacute de Coral put

their efforts on upgrading the dining environment and providing a comfort

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

49

environment for customers The result is reflected in this survey of lowest priority of

tangibles

43 Discussion for Certain Attribute of Service Quality Dimensions

The first priority is the attribute 18 under Empathy dimension - Understand specific

need of customers It is understanding the customerrsquos personal desires when dining in

Cafe de Coral It should be improved with the lowest scores in performance when

compare with high customer expectation Specific needs are different from customer

to customer By observation in fast food business customer may need extra tableware

for sharing the food or a cup of hot water for drinking It will be highly appreciated if

service staffs notice their needs rather than having to ask In the point of view of

customer frontline staffs can try to ask the specific need of different customer to

enhance the convenience and satisfaction

The second priority is an attribute 19 - Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart

This is the desire of customer towards Cafeacute de Coral in thinking from their point of

view However this attribute was unable to meet customer expectation In order to

achieve customer satisfaction this organisation can provide more value to a customer

which means that they are not only concerned about making money from the

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

50

customers They also need to satisfy customer interests as well as company interests

Third priority is also in Empathy dimension It is attribute 20 - Gives individual

attention to customer It is the personal concern to different customers Cafeacute de Coral

covers a large market share in serving different age group of people This result shows

a desire in providing attention for customers By observation children and elderly

also dine in this fast food restaurants It is danger for them to carry hot dishes and

drinks in a service tray As the frontline staff they should pay more attention and offer

help to them Service staff is required to notice the needs of different customer

Fourth priority is in attribute 6 under Reliability - Company insists an error-free

record This is the commitment and effort from organisation in keeping accurate in

service It is related to the image of company in providing correct service for getting

trust from customer In order to enhance the performance in this aspect Cafeacute de Coral

can continue the strategy in promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo in

improving service to get the best as mentions in Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b)

Attribute 5 - Provide service right in first time is the fifth priority Providing the

correct services to customer at every service contact point Accurate and correct

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

51

service is important in fast food industry As mentioned in the Literature review trend

of fast food industry people do not have much time during meal period and they aim

for fast service It raises the need of customer in receiving an accurate service in first

time when they arrive Providing the correct service the first time round can be

achieved with careful mind and step For example in order taking counter service

staff should listens carefully and repeat order to reduce any discrepancy for a smooth

service flow

Attribute 8 - Trustworthiness of service is in sixth priority It is related to credible and

dependable of service Promotions of marketing always give concept of their service

to customers They are external communications to customer which mentioned in

Literature Review gap 4 of service gap model It affects customer expectations before

receiving the service If certain service is promised to customer company should

perform the same service Otherwise it is not a trustful service and it reduces

confidence when considering their service

Seventh priority for improvement is the attribute 12 of Responsiveness dimension -

Staffrsquos accuracy in response It is related to specific and correct reply for customer

request or questions appropriate action towards immediate situations Experience of

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

52

customers with service staff is closely related Staffrsquos accuracy in response is not easy

to be achieved In fact companies can provide certain training to service staff For

example offering proper feedback and response to customers according to different

scenarios It is essential for chain restaurant to achieve satisfy level of response

Eighth priority is the attribute 14 under Assurance - Consistent courtesy with

customers Courtesy is politeness and considerate from service staff This statement is

in the highest level of expectation It is clearly shows that customer look for a gentle

service in Cafeacute de Coral However there is a distance in achieving customer

satisfaction Simply courtesy includes greeting saying thank you and speak gently

with appropriate tone of voice To achieving courtesy management can encourage

their service staff in greeting and speak in proper tone of voice However sometimes

the staff are not energetic Organisation can motivate them by awarding good

performance staff

Attribute 14 - Service achieves customerrsquos confidence is in ninth priority it is also a

dimension of Assurance Customerrsquos confidence is faith and trust towards service of

organisation Customer will use service when they have confidence to it Confident is

not easy to be created in first time of dining experience it is an accumulated aspects

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

53

Service staff should perform well and provide correct service in gaining customerrsquos

confident

At last attribute 10 of responsiveness - Staffrsquos willingness in response It is the

incentive in replying and answering customerrsquos questions It is needed for frontline

staff in answering customer requests However it is rely on attitude and behavior of

service staff Cafeacute de Coral can encourage and motivate service staffs in respond to

customers

44 Factors Affecting the Expectations and Perceptions

Every people have their own beliefs and experiences it causes the difference in their

response towards importance on expectations and performance on perceptions With

the help of SPSS significant value affected by a factor to certain distribution of

scoring of expectations and perceptions can be found out

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

54

Table 5 Significant Value of One-way ANOVA (Only the Value of P lt= 005 are Shown Significant

Value)

Method [SPSS- Compare means One-way ANOVA (dependent list and factor

find out Sig]

P lt=

005

Gender Age Educational Professions Frequency

fast food

Frequency

Cafeacute de Coral

Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per Exp Per

1 0002 0004

2 0018 0001

3 0017 0028

4 0042 0020 0006 0001

5 0010

6 0007 0002

7 0030 0025 0000

8 0021 0014 0041

9 0019 0001

10 0028

11

12

13 0005

14 0017 0004

15 0019 0029 0009 0012

16 0050 0031

17 0049 0046

18 0000 0017 0001 0005

19 0008 0005 0015 0007 0028

20 0001 0013 0007 0001

Total

no of

sig

1 9 7 7 18 4

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

55

From the findings in table 5 these six factors have different level of affection on

perceptions and expectations According to the result of data conducted by SPSS

expectations and perceptions towards the factor of demographic the frequency of

dining fast food effect the most with 18 significant values (P lt=005) out of total 40 of

expectations and perceptions It is an important factor affecting customer point of

view The second more significant value is a factor of age group there are 9

significant values It also plays an important role in affecting customer opinion

Frequency of dining in fast food restaurant is number of times to have meal in there

The frequency of dining in fast food restaurant affects expectation in expectation 6 7

8 9 15 17 18 and 19 which P lt= 005 category in frequency of 6 times or more per

week has the highest expectations than other category of frequencies(expect exp 20)

It shows that this category of people expect more than the people not always having

fast food Because of their frequent come and visit they are more familiar with the

attributes and raise their expectations (Please refer to appendix 4)

In the same time attribute 5 6 7 8 9 13 16 17 and 19 of perceptions all of these

with significant value are 6 times or more per week it has the highest level of scoring

in perceptions than other categories of frequency (except perception 15) This is

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

56

because of their more experiences in dining in fast food restaurant They love to dine

in Cafeacute de Coral and they have a higher level of perceptions and perceived more value

There is another interesting finding attribute 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 and 19 of

perceptions with P lt= 005 (except perception 13) in category of 3 to 5 times a week

it shows the lowest score when compare with other category (Please refer to appendix

4) In order to increase the perceived value of customer a reward program for

repeated customer is recommended Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) shows the benefit for

members of Club 100 of Cafeacute de Coral can enhance the perceived value

For another factor it is age group Attribute of expectation 3 4 15 are in P lt= 005

age group of 45 -54 has the highest expectations than other age group It shows that in

this age group customer expected more in this attributes Usually in these three

attribute of expectation age group of 18-24 has the lowest expectations It is easier to

achieve the satisfaction (Please refer to appendix 3)

Usually attribute of perceptions 1 4 18 19 and 20 with P lt= 005 age group of 65 or

above has the highest level of perceptions than other It is clearly shows that people

form 45-54 is expected more and age of 65 or more is easier to get their satisfaction

(Please refer to appendix 3)

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

57

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The main ideas generated through this research are presented comprehensively in this

chapter Usually possible recommendation for future research is recommended to

overcome the limitations of study

51 Conclusions

Hong Kong is an international city with many global companies running their

business here Especially in fast food industry they are in keen competition It is

difficult be differentiated Level of service becomes an indicator in distinguish the

quality of a company Customer satisfaction on service quality plays an important role

in affecting successfulness of a company business in fast food industry As a chains

local fast food restaurant Cafeacute de Coral put their effort in achieving customer

satisfaction on service quality It is essential for this company to provide better quality

of service to be more competitive

This research identified five service quality dimensions towards Cafeacute de Coral of fast

food industry After the research conducted by a questionnaires survey with Hong

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

58

Kong citizen customer satisfaction on service quality is measured Different

dimensions of service quality are affecting the level of customer satisfaction

In review the findings of importance on expectation and performance on perception

the level of perception is lower than expectation It shows that the performance of

service quality in Cafeacute de Coral cannot reach customer expectation This result

indicates a difference of SERVQUAL gap and cause the distance in achieving the

customer satisfaction Together with the result of importance and performance

analysis it becomes a more meaningful research on combine with different methods

In overall result among five dimensions of service quality Empathy is the least

satisfied Reliability is the lower satisfied and follow by Responsiveness and

Assurance Tangibles is the most satisfied service quality dimension

52 Recommendations for Service Quality Dimensions

Empathy is in the lowest satisfaction in service quality because this dimension is

directly related to human factor of service staff Empathy is caring and attention it

depends on the motivation of frontline service staff Cafeacute de Coral should pay more

attention in this dimension To improve Empathy in order to increase the satisfaction

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

59

service staff should consider the customer by caring and paying attention to customer

Reliability is relatively low satisfaction in these five dimensions Same as Empathy it

is also related to performance of service staff Reliability is provides correct and

promised service Management of Cafeacute de Coral should continue external marketing

of promoting their motto of ldquohundred points of excellentrdquo In the same time perform

and provide same level of good service to customer

Besides Empathy and Reliability Responsiveness is in the middle level of satisfaction

on service quality It is the willingness to response and provides prompt service to

customers It is important in fast food industry of fast service Certain training on

speed of providing service and motivate the staff in response to customer can improve

customer satisfaction

Assurance is in higher level of satisfaction when compare with other dimensions It is

related to knowledge ability and courtesy of service staff Training is essential to

enhance the skills of service staff Cafeacute de Coral can put more efforts on enhancing

customer-centered trainings

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

60

Tangibles get the highest level of customer satisfaction This dimension is relatively

easier to be observed Cafeacute de Coral put there efforts in modify this dimension by

upgrading and providing a comfort dining environment to customer

Demographic of respondents play an important role in determining some expectations

and perceptions it is indicated by significant figure of different factor of demographic

towards service quality dimensions In the result of significant value factor of

frequency in dining in fast food restaurant and age group are more important towards

the service quality dimensions

Customers who dine six times or more per week in fast food restaurants have the

highest expectations It was suggested to enhance the service for repeated and

frequent customers Cafeacute de Coral can keep their effort on promoting their Club 100

program for rewarding repeated customer In the age group of 45-54 it has the highest

level of expectation and lower satisfaction In order to satisfy different age group of

people Cafeacute de Coral is suggested to put more effort on this age group market

53 Recommendations for Further Research

The data of this research was conducted by personal interview with questionnaire

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

61

There are some limitations in collecting different opinions from respondents

mentioned in Methodology In order to eliminate the location limitation future

research is recommended to include more locations for data collection It is also

suggested to monitor demographic characteristics of respondents to achieve a balance

in different opinion of people in different demographic factor Furthermore the

sample size was small which cannot represent a whole picture of opinion It is

suggested to increase sample size in future study to achieve a more meaningful figure

of a research

Besides the method of conducting the research management of the organisation is

recommended to collect the opinions and feedback from customer periodically It is

suggested to keep checking and know customer expectations and perceptions on

different dimensions of service quality

In the competitive business environment of service related industry - fast food

industry customer satisfaction is very important for a sustainable business in the

future Customer satisfaction becomes a factor in deciding the success of a business

Companies concentrate their work on providing better service to customers Service

quality dimensions are popular in measuring customer expectation and perception

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

62

For an organisation they need to understand their positioning on service quality It is

good for management to decide strategy to perform better and better To provide

better service quality for customer it brings opportunities for companies to achieve a

successful business

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

63

References

BITNER Mary Jo and HUBBERT Amy R (1994) Encounter Satisfaction Versus

Overal Satisfaction Versus Quality Service Quality New Directions in Theory and

Practice Sage Publications London 72-94

BLOEMER Josee RUYTER Ko de and WETZELS Martin (1999) Linking

perceived service quality and service loyalty a multi-dimensional perspective

European Journal of Marketing Bradford 33 (1112) 1082

Cafeacute de Coral (2009) Corporate Overview [online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute

de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate1html

Cafeacute de Coral (2009b) Club 100 [online] Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009

at httpwwwclub100hkClub100Defaultaspxlang=EN

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009) Company information [online] Cafeacute de Coral Fast

Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompanyjsp

Cafeacute de Coral Fast Food (2009b) Company Information ndash Services [online] Cafeacute de

Coral Fast Food Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralfastfoodcomengcompanycompany02jsp

EDVARDSSON Bo (1998) Research and Concepts Service quality improvement

Managing Service Quality 8 (2) 142-149

GRIFFITH Arthur (2007) SPSS For Dummies Wiley Publishing Inc Americia

HAGUE Paul and JACKSON Peter (1995)Do Your Own Market Research Kogan

Page London

IMRIE Brian C CADOGAN John W and MCNAUGHTON Rod (2002) The

service quality construct on a global stage Managing Service Quality 12 (1) 10-18

JOHNS Nick (1996) The development role of quality in the hospitality industry

Service Quality in Hospitality Organisations Cassell London 9-26

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

64

JONES Peter (1988) Food Service Operations 2nd ed Cassell Educational Ltd

KNUTSON Bonnie J (2001) Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth

Hospitality Press 143-158

KWONG Lo Hoi Sunny (2007) Latest management Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporate Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

LAN Li and KHAN Mahmood A (1995) Hong Kongrsquos Fast-food Industry An

Overview Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36 (3) 34-41

LO Hoi Kwong Sunny (2007) Latest Managing Directorrsquos Operational Review

[online] Corporation Information of Cafeacute de Coral Last Accessed 4 April 2009 at

httpwwwcafedecoralcomwebcicoporate8htm

MARTILLA John A and JAMES John C (1977) Importance- Performance

Analysis Journal of Marketing 77-79

MARTIN William B (2003) Providing Quality Service what every hospitality

service provider needs to know Prentice Hall Inc

MCDOUGALL Gordon HG and LEVESQUE Terrence (2000) Customer

satisfaction with services putting perceived value into the equation Journal of

Services Marketing 14 (5) 392-410

NAGEL Pieter JA and CILLIERS Willem W (2007) Customer Satisfaction A

Comprehensive Approach 1-46

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1985) A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research

Journal of Marketing 49 (Fall 1985) 41-50

PARASURAMAN A ZEITHAML Valarie A amp BERRY Leonard L (1988)

SERVQUAL A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service

Quality Journal of Retailing 64 (1) 12-40

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

65

PRIDEAUX Bruce MOSCARDO Gianna and LAWS Eric (2006) Managing

Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications CAB

International London

QIN Hong and PRYBUTOK Victor R (2008) Determinants of Customer-Perceived

Service Quality in Fast-Food Restaurants and Their Relationship to Customer

Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions The Quality Management Journal 15 (2) 35

-50

ROBERTS Chris (2001) Competitive Advantages of service Quality in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism

and Leisure Services The Haworth Hospitality Press New York 111-122

RUST Roland T and OLIVER Richard L (1994) Service Quality Insights and

Managerial Implications from the Frontier Service Quality New Directions in Theory

and Practice Sage Publications London 1-19

SETH Nitin DESHMUKH SG and VART Term (2005) Service Quality Models a

review International Journal of Quality amp Reliability Management 22 (9) 913-949

SMITH Ian (1994) Meeting Customer Needs Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Oxford

SOUTAR Geoffret N (2001) Service Quality Customer Satisfaction and Value An

Examination of Their Relationships Service Quality Management in Hospitality

Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 97-110

WEBB John R (2002) Understanding and Designing Marketing Research Thomson

Learning Great Britain

WETZEL Howard R (1999) Hong Kong Market Development Reports Hong Kong

Fast Food Market Brief 1999 Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report HK9086

WUEST Beth Schlagel (2001) Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent

to Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Services Service Quality Management in

Hospitality Tourism and Leisure The Haworth Hospitality Press 51-66

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

66

ZEITHAML Valarie A PARASURAMAN A and BERRY Leonard L (1990)

Delivering Quality Service Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations The

Free Press New York

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

67

Appendix 1 Questionnaire Design (English Version)

A Case Study of Cafeacute de Coral Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality in Fast Food Industry

Declaration

I am a student who studying BSc (Hons) Hospitality Business Management of Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) I am conducting a research

about the customer satisfaction on service quality in fast food industry Your opinion is very useful and valuable to this research All the

information will be kept confidential and used in research only Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

Declaration of interviewee

Interviewee aged 18 or above Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Interviewee has the experience to dine in Cafeacute de Coral Yes No (thank you for you help and survey completed)

Questionnaire - Section I This survey is collects your opinion on Cafeacute de Coral fast food restaurant (CDC) expectations and perceptions

Please show the extent to which your expectation on CDC that should posses in

the following features on left-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of importance in each statement 1

represents lower level of importance and 5 represents high level of importance

Please circle the number on left-hand side to show your level of importance on

expectations

Please show the extent to which your perceptions on CDCrsquos performance that

mentions in the following statement on right-hand side

There are five scores presents the level of performance in each statement 1

represents low level of performance and 5 represents high level of performance

Please circle the number on right-hand side to show your perceptions on level of

performance

Level of importance on expectations

Low High

Level of performance on perceptions

Low High

Tangibles

(1) Restaurantrsquos hygiene and cleanliness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) Comfort dining environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) Customer friendly menu presentation 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) Staffsrsquo appearance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Reliability

(5) Provide service right in first time 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) Company insist an error-free record 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

68

(7) Provide service at the time company promised 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) Trustworthiness of service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responsiveness Low High Low High

(9) Staff provides prompt service 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) Staffrsquos willingness in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) Response effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) Staffrsquos accuracy in response 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Assurance

(13) Staffrsquos product knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) Service achieves customerrsquos confidence 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) Provide and maintain safe environment 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) Consistently courteous with customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Empathy

(17) Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) Understand specific needs of customers 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) Staff takes customerrsquos best interests at heart 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) Gives individual attention to customer 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

69

Section II Personal Information

(1) Gender Male Female

(2) Age 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) Educational Background Primary school or below Secondary school Tertiary education University or above

(4) Profession Student Customer service White-collar Blue-collar

Professional Self-employed Housewife Retired

Other

(5) How often do you eat fast food Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

(6) How often do you dine in Cafeacute de Coral Less than once a week Once or twice a week 3 to 5 times a week 6 times or more per week

Survey completed Thank you so much for your valuable opinion

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

70

Appendix 2 Questionnaire Design (Chinese Version)

大家樂快餐店個案研究顧客在快餐業中服務品質之滿意程度

聲明

本人是英國雪菲爾哈倫大學款接業商業管理( 榮譽 )理學士學生現正進行有關顧客在快餐業中服務品質滿意程度的研究報告很需

要閣下寶貴的意見所有收集之資料將會保密並只作是次研究所用感謝閣下的寶貴時間和幫忙

受訪者之聲明

受訪者為十八歲或以上 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

受訪者曾到大家樂快餐店用餐 是 否(謝謝你的幫忙已完成問卷)

問卷調查

第一節這研究是為了收集閣下對大家樂快餐店(大家樂)的意見期望和感覺

請在左面表達閣下認為大家樂應該擁有之不同項目範圍的期望

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之重要程度1 代表

重要程度低5 代表重要程度高

請把左面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目期望的重要程度

請在右面表達閣下覺得大家樂在不同項目範圍的感覺

以下五個不同數目(1 至 5)是代表每項目之表現1 代表表現較差5 代

表表現較好

請把右面的數字圈上以表示閣下對該項目表現的感覺和看法

期望的重要程度

低 高

對表現的感覺和看法

有形的可觸可見的

(2) 餐館的衛生和潔淨 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(2) 用餐環境的舒適感 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(3) 清晰的餐牌內容 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(4) 員工的整體外觀 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

可靠程度可信賴性

(5) 即時服務準確無誤 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(6) 公司努力維繫服務的準確性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

71

(7) 在承諾的時間內完成服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(8) 服務的可信性 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

回應和應答 低 高 低 高

(9) 員工提供迅速的服務 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(10) 員工樂意回應顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(11) 回應效率 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(12) 回應提問的準確程度 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

保證

(13) 員工具備產品知識 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(14) 服務達到顧客信心 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(15) 提供並維持安全的環境 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(16) 待客殷勤有禮 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

明白和了解

(17) 溝通技巧 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(18) 明白顧客的需要 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(19) 以客為先 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

(20) 關心不同的顧客 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

72

第二節個人資料

(1) 性別 男 女

(2) 年齡 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54

56 - 64 65 or above

(3) 教育程度 小學或以下程度 中學程度 高等教育程度 大學或以上學歷

(4) 專業工作範圍 學生 顧客服務 白領人仕 藍領人仕

專業人仕 自僱人仕 家庭主婦 退休人仕

其他

(5) 閣下到快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

(6) 閣下到大家樂快餐店用餐的次數 每星期少於一次 每星期一至兩次 每星期三至五次 每星期六次或以上

問卷完結 謝謝閣下寶貴的意見

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

73

Appendix 3 Distribution of Age Group towards Mean of Attributes of Expectations and Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 3 18-24 48 38542 Per 1 18-24 48 33333 Per 18 18-24 48 32083

25-34 51 42157 25-34 51 32941 25-34 51 29412

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32500 35-44 28 28929

45-54 11 45455 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 35455

55-64 9 43333 55-64 9 36667 55-64 9 35556

65 or above 5 44000 65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 46000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 34079 Total 152 31513

Exp 4 18-24 48 35833 Per 2 18-24 48 33542 Per 19 18-24 48 32708

25-34 51 37647 25-34 51 31961 25-34 51 30196

35-44 28 40357 35-44 28 33214 35-44 28 31429

45-54 11 43636 45-54 11 40909 45-54 11 33636

55-64 9 42222 55-64 9 33333 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 38000 65 or above 5 42000

Total 152 38289 Total 152 33618 Total 152 32303

Exp 15 18-24 48 39583 Per 4 18-24 48 33333 Per 20 18-24 48 31875

25-34 51 40588 25-34 51 31373 25-34 51 30392

35-44 28 42500 35-44 28 32857 35-44 28 30357

45-54 11 47273 45-54 11 39091 45-54 11 32727

55-64 9 45556 55-64 9 37778 55-64 9 37778

65 or above 5 42000 65 or above 5 40000 65 or above 5 44000

Total 152 41447 Total 152 33487 Total 152 31908

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

74

Appendix 4 Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Expectations

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Exp 6 lt1 time 39 38462 Exp 15 lt1 time 39 42564

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 39592

3-5 times 60 42667 3-5 times 60 41667

gt= 6 times 4 45000 gt= 6 times 4 50000

Total 152 40592 Total 152 41447

Exp 7 lt1 time 39 41795 Exp 18 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 38980 1-2 times 49 40204

3-5 times 60 42333 3-5 times 60 44000

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 41250 Total 152 41447

Exp 8 lt1 time 39 39487 Exp 19 lt1 time 39 38718

1-2 times 49 39388 1-2 times 49 41020

3-5 times 60 42500 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 47500 gt= 6 times 4 45000

Total 152 40855 Total 152 41776

Exp 9 lt1 time 39 41026 Exp 20 lt1 time 39 37949

1-2 times 49 40816 1-2 times 49 39184

3-5 times 60 39167 3-5 times 60 44167

gt= 6 times 4 50000 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 40461 Total 152 40921

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750

75

Distribution of Frequency of Dining in Fast Food Restaurant towards Mean of Attribute of Perceptions

Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean Attribute Category Frequency Mean

Per 5 lt1 time 39 35897 Per 9 lt1 time 39 36923 Per 17 lt1 time 39 34872

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 35102 1-2 times 49 31429

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 31667 3-5 times 60 31167

gt= 6 times 4 40000 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 33487 Total 152 34408 Total 152 32368

Per 6 lt1 time 39 34359 Per 13 lt1 time 39 37692 Per 19 lt1 time 39 34103

1-2 times 49 34082 1-2 times 49 33061 1-2 times 49 33265

3-5 times 60 30000 3-5 times 60 33333 3-5 times 60 30000

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500 gt= 6 times 4 37500

Total 152 32632 Total 152 34605 Total 152 32303

Per 7 lt1 time 39 37179 Per 15 lt1 time 39 36667

1-2 times 49 36327 1-2 times 49 36735

3-5 times 60 31167 3-5 times 60 32500

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 35000

Total 152 34539 Total 152 35000

Per 8 lt1 time 39 35128 Per 16 lt1 time 39 34615

1-2 times 49 34694 1-2 times 49 34286

3-5 times 60 31000 3-5 times 60 32167

gt= 6 times 4 37500 gt= 6 times 4 42500

Total 152 33421 Total 152 33750