Service Quality Assessment Basis for Improvement: A Case study of Seńor

De Pacencia

A Case Study Paper Presented to

The Faculty Committee of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management

Arellano University Pasig

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements of

The Degree of Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management

By:

Cruz, Louis Eagan M.

Gonzales, Ivan Paul L.

Date
 ABSTRACT

Title: Service Quality Assessment Basis for Improvement: A Case study of Seńor De

Pacencia

No. of Pages:

Researcher: Louis Eagan M. Cruz, Ivan Paul L. Gonzales

Adviser: Prof. Annie Herbolario

Degree Conferred:

School: Arellano University Andres Bonifacio Campus

Year: 3rd year

INTRODUCTION
 Seńoe De Pacencia Enterprises is own by a married couple name Bing Cruz and

Lina Cruz, this business is establish in the year of 2005 until today. The business is doing

good because the catering in this time is really popular in our generation.

The problem of some catering business is that some are not providing the good

quality of service towards their customers and also to the employees as well. This study

will let the others know if the catering business is doing a good quality of service and

also to know let others know why to they need to have a good quality of service in their

business.

Once we have conduct this study to senor de pacencia about the service quality,

they will have an advantage towards other competitors because they are providing a good

quality of service to their customers and employees. Service quality is basically is one of

the important aspect in a certain business,and also catering business should provide a

better service quality to get more customers or to have a loyal customers.

Service quality in the hospitality industry becomes one of the most important

factors for gaining a sustainable competitive advantage and customers’ confidence in the

highly competitive marketplace, and therefore service quality can give the hospitality

industry a great chance to create competitive differentiation for organizations(Al-Ababneh

MM 2017).

RELATED LITERATURE
 Service quality reflects the extent to which the delivered level of service matches

Customer expectations [Lewis and Booms, 1983].

[Parasuraman et al 1985] claims that quality cannot be defined using a product-

based approach when dealing with service sectors and hence came forward with the term

‘Service Quality’.

[Garvin 1987], the common attributes of service quality are Performance, features,

conformance, aesthetics, reliability, durability, serviceability and perceived quality.

Service quality is considered as an important driving customer satisfaction in the

service environment [Andaleeb & Conway, 2006]. The service is supposed to elicit an

emotional reaction, without which we can't entirely understand the customers' satisfaction

process [Ladhari, Morales et al, 2005]. However, the customer opinion of service quality

is change overtime [Palmer and O’Neill, 1999].

Service quality is considered as an important factor when it comes to deciding

where to eat [Waters, 1998].

Service quality reflects the extent to which the delivered level of service matches

Customer expectations [Lewis and Booms, 1983].

[Kivela et al. 1999, 2000 & 2009] stated that in the restaurant industry, customers

not only evaluate the quality of food but also the quality of service they encounter during

their dining experience.

 The quality of service can bring customer intention to use the service again. These

will bring the loyalty of the customer to the business. Service quality came as a superior

quality to customer and brings the customer loyalty [Zeithaml, Berry & Pasuraman 1996].

The good quality of service will convincingly client to repeat the demand of service.

It show customer behavioral towards service provider. The quality of service that fulfills

customer expectation will gain the customer loyalty. This intention will make customers'

favorable inclination a service relative to other firms offering the same service [Kaura,

Prasad & Sharma 2015].

[Zeithaml 1996] suggested that satisfaction with service quality has been

determined to have a positive effect on customer loyalty to the organization, which leads

to increased organizational profits [Young, 2000]. [Barsky & Nash 2003] shared the same

opinion as [Young 2000], satisfaction with service quality has been directly influenced

customer intent to return and customer willingness to recommend.

[Zeithaml 1998] defined service quality as the judgment of a customer about a

product’s overall excellence. Many researchers perceived service quality as critical issue

in the hospitality industry. Researcher also agreed that high level of satisfaction increases

repeat patronage and improves service provider market reputation as mentioned by [Yuksel

& Yuksel, 2002]. [Cronin & Taylor 1992] also agreed that service quality has a significant

impact on the customer purchase intentions . [Lee 1998] concluded that the perceived

product and service quality had an effect on customer satisfaction and directly influenced

customer loyalty.
 [Galloway & Ho10 1996] have described a model of service quality based

upon operational issues which are directly relevant to staff training & skills which are

developed on three important dimensions of hard/soft, outcome/process and

objective/subjective. It mentions that the benefits to the organization by matching

customer expectations with staff skills has resulted in increased level of job satisfaction for

staff.

[Redman & Mathews24 1998] have examined a variety of management practices

including human resource management (HRM), used in service sector. On assessment of

their potential impact on service quality and total quality management (TQM), most of the

techniques are identified as being potentially supportive of quality improvement but few

in particular to those closely associated with minimization of cost and the less subtle forms

of managerial control posed danger to the improvement process.

It is a known fact that profits are directly linked to service quality and productivity

especially in service operations where customer has active role to play in delivery of

services and has direct impact not only on the service provider but on the entire network.

This highlights the assessment of returns on relationships in relationship marketing, the

concept introduced by [Gummesson251998].

Service processes have different performance requirements than those of

production processes because of their characteristics. [Gunes & Deveci44 2002] have
found that reliability of service processes is taken into consideration in a verbal sense and

regarded that “reliability is satisfied by delivering service to customers on time.”

The fundamental factors that contribute to customer satisfaction in restaurants

include food quality (hygiene, balance, and healthiness), service quality, physical provision

(layout, furnishing, and cleanliness), atmosphere (feeling and comfort), and service

received (speed, friendliness, and care) during the dining experience [Jones, 1983; Johns

& Pine, 2002].

[Ruben chumpitaz and Nicholas G. paparoidamis 2004]. In an Empirical study

focus to clarify the contradictory evidence with respect to relationships among the concepts

of service quality and to provide evidence of this mediating role of industrial satisfaction.

The result provides the direct effect of industrial satisfaction on loyalty, accessibility,

delivery and product reliability as antecedents of industrial satisfaction.

[Wan – I Lee and Chi-Lung July 2011], The purpose of the study is to explore the

relationship between service quality, customer value, customer satisfaction and purchase

intention in relation to chain drugstores. The results reveal that overall service quality is

not correlated with behavior intention, although reliability and personal interaction are

significantly related to behavior intention.

Prabha ramseook-munhurren,[Nov3-2012]. In this study focus the service quality

dimensions in restaurant services. The findings of this study are food quality; the

reliability dimension was the strongest Predictor of customer satisfaction as well as repeat

purchase intention and willingness to recommend. It concluded that improving service

quality will not only strengthen customer loyalty, but also improve the restaurant's

reputation and result in more sales and greater revenue in the long run.

[Dong kyoon yoo, jeong Ah park 2007], In an outstanding study examines

relationships among employees perceived service quality, customers and financial

performance. The findings of the study are that employee training has an influence on

perceived service quality. Finally concludes, management may keep the consistency and

reliability of perceived service quality by increasing the capability of employee through

training and a shared understanding.

[Bright leisen Pollack 2008], In this research study focus the relationship between

service quality attributes and customer satisfaction. The findings of the study are that

Satisfiers exhibit initially no relationship with satisfaction, but after the acceptable level

of quality (i.e. inflection point) has been reached, become positively related. Finally

concludes, for dissatisfies, the firm should increase the service quality.

In the hospitality and tourism industry, service quality is a very important element

that can determine the success of the organizations in the industry [Lockyer, 2003]. It has

been proved by numerous researches that when organization provide its customer with

high level of service quality, it follows that a high customer satisfaction would accrue to

customers, which then leads to increase loyalty and improved competitiveness of the

organizations [Lockyer, 2005], [Mack, Mueller, Crotts and Broderick, 2000].

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

 The problem of catering business is that some are not providing the good quality

of service and good quality of food towards their customers. In this study it will know

why does the catering services is lacking is food quality and service quality to their

customers and know how will they handle this kind of assessment toward their business.

So once this study is done it will let the others know if the catering business is doing a

good in service quality and food quality towards their customers.So researchers will

assess the service quality and food quality that is needed to improve by the Senor De

Pacencia Enterprises.

METHODOLOGY
 A qualitative research strategy is particularly applicable for the purposes of this

research, where the connection between several different variables had to be established

through interpretation. Also, the research makes use of triangulation because

triangulation gives the opportunity to approach the research objectives from different

viewpoints (Cohen and Manion, 2002; Altrichter et. al, 2008). Descriptive research

describes the present status of people, attitudes and progress. “It involves gathering of

data that describe events and then organizes tabulates, depicts and describes the data

collection” (Glass & Hopkins, 1984). The customers are informed regarding to the

objective of the study by presenting the letter to conduct an survey, rest assured that the

information that will be gathered shall not be held against them but shall be kept highly

confidential and use only for academic purposes and purpose of the research.Purposive

sampling (also known as judgment, selective or subjective sampling) is a sampling

technique in which researcher relies on his or her own judgment when choosing members

of population to participate in the study. The study used purposive "non-probability

sampling in which decisions concerning the individuals to be included in the sample are

taken by the researcher, based upon a variety of criteria which may include specialist

knowledge of the research issue" (Oliver, 2006). In this study, some selected participants

are interview to know what kind of service and food quality that being provided by of

senor de pacencia toward the customers. Some samples of questions are included in the

semi-structured open ended interview are the following:

Questions
1. How will you rate the service and food quality of Senor De Pacencia? Why?

2. Why did you choose Senor De Pacencia to cater you?

3. How will you improve its service quality?

4. How will you improve the food quality of Senor De Pacencia?

5. Is Senor De Pacencia having a awful service to their customer? How?

6. Is there any bad service that been provide by senior de pacencia?

7. What is the problem you encounter in this catering? Why do you think they have that

kind of problem?

8. The food being served has a good quality? How?

9. Do you thinks that quality of service is important in catering? Why?

10. Why do you think food quality is important in a catering?

11. How is the experience in the food that being served?

12. Do they satisfy you with their food and service that they provide? How?

13. What is think is the solution on improving the food quality and the service quality on

Senor De Pacencia?

14. Why do other catering business is having a problem to their food quality and service

quality they provide?

15. Will you recommend this catering to others? Why?

 Personal interview was conducted by the researcher to the past customers of senor

de pacencia. The interview was standardized, an open-ended interview which is a

questions is being asked to the participants in order to gather some information for this

study. The interview was documented by the researcher by using some recorder and

written answer.

This study will seek the problem about ”Service Quality Assessment Basis for

Improvement: A Case study of Seńor De Pacencia” that will lead to improvement the

service quality that being provide to the customers. This study will know the answer why

does the some catering is lacking in quality of service and how do they improve the

service quality that they provide to the customers.