scholarly journals The Nexus of Service Quality, Student Satisfaction and Student Retention in Small Private Colleges in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 179
Author(s):  
Chukuakadibia Eresia-Eke ◽  
Nokulunga Ngcongo ◽  
Tumelo Ntsoane
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Student Retention ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Private Colleges ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Business Success ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Context Specific

Small private colleges provide an important service to society while operating in a dynamic and competitive environment. The inability to operate in a manner that delivers desirable levels of satisfaction to students can prove fatal, more so given the relatively small size of their student populations. So, for these colleges, student retention is a critical condiment of business success and so the pursuit of service quality becomes amplified. In acknowledgement of the subjective nature of service quality that makes service quality studies very context specific, this empirical study takes a quantitative research approach to investigate the extent of association, if any, between service quality dimensions, student satisfaction and student retention in the specific context of small private colleges in South Africa. Study findings indicate the existence of statistically-significant positive (though moderate) associations between dimensions of service quality and student satisfaction as well as between student satisfaction and student retention. Though results ought not to be generalized, the study’s findings nonetheless, bode useful lessons for small private colleges, if the quest for improved business performance, based on student retention, is to be realized.

Factors affecting agricultural students’ loyalty: a study at Nong Lam University Ho Chi Minh City

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-87
Author(s):  
Viet Vo Van ◽  
Thu Le Anh
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Plant Protection ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Ho Chi Minh City ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Agricultural Students ◽  
Students Satisfaction

This study was conducted with the objective of identifying the influence of service quality, university image on agricultural students’ satisfaction and loyalty. The quantitative research approach was applied. Data were collected using questionnaires with a sample size of 313 students who majored in Veterinary Medicine, Animal Husbandry, Agronomy and Plant Protection at Nong Lam University Ho Chi Minh City. The sample has been selected by convenient method. The research results show that agricultural students’ satisfactions and loyalty are affected by service quality and school image. In which, the school image has the stronger impact on student satisfaction and loyalty. From the findings, the researcher has made conclusions and some suggestions to contribute to improving student loyalty.

Evolution of top management’s understanding of product quality in Eastern Europe since the end of communism

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-100
Author(s):  
Svetoslav Georgiev ◽  
Emil Georgiev
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Product Quality ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Doing Business ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the evolution of top management’s understanding of product quality in Bulgaria since the end of communism. The study examines three specific areas: top management’s understanding of the term “quality”; top management’s understanding of the relationship between quality and business performance; and top management’s understanding of the impact of job position on quality. Design/methodology/approach The paper relies on a quantitative research approach by using data from a survey of 186 companies in Bulgaria. Findings The paper suggests that senior managers in Bulgaria continue to base their understanding of “quality” on a single approach (*a characteristic of the communist era), with the product-based and the user-based approaches currently being the two most common ones. At the same time, surprisingly enough, this study claims that senior management in Bulgaria is currently well aware of the importance of quality as a dimension of firm’s competitiveness, and is also highly conscious of its roles’ impact on product quality. Research limitations/implications The results of this study are exclusively based on the case of Bulgaria and must be treated with caution in the case of other former communist states from the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region. Practical implications This paper has relevance for both managers and companies doing business in Eastern Europe. Originality/value This is the first paper to provide detailed analysis of the evolution of the understanding of “product quality” in CEE since the end of communism. Moreover, this paper applies, for the first time, Garvin’s five approaches to defining quality within a practical context.

scholarly journals The Quality Of Leader/Employee Relationship

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
F. J. Carstens ◽  
Neil Barnes
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Business Leaders ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Sufficient Condition ◽  
Employee Relationship ◽  
The Relationship

This study set out to investigate what role the quality of the relationship between business leaders and their employees played in the performance of their business. The study compared the business performance of forty-five area managers in one of the major listed banks in South Africa with their specific leader/employee relationship profiles. The research approach was quantitative and of a correlational nature. The results indicate that although certain elements within the relationship between business leaders and employees indeed have an influence on business performance this alone was not a sufficient condition. The study suggested that the dimensions relating to vision, trust, accountability and decision- making have the strongest influence on business performance. Further research in this area is suggested.

scholarly journals Academics Perceptions of Electronic Resources at the University of Venda, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 424-428
Author(s):  
Alugumi Samuel Ndou ◽  
Wanyenda Leonard Chilimo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Plagiarism Detection ◽  
Electronic Resources ◽  
Federated Search ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
The University ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

This study examined the perceptions of academic researchers regarding electronic resources (e-resources) provided by the library at the University of Venda (UNIVEN), South Africa. The quantitative research approach and survey research design were adopted to conduct the investigation. Data was collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire randomly distributed to 45 UNIVEN academics. The findings of this study revealed that although academics at UNIVEN find e-resources easy to use, believe the resources improve academic performance, and frequently encouraged postgraduate students to use them, the majority of them had plagiarism concerns and were only moderately satisfied with available e-resources at UNIVEN. This study recommends that the university library should train academics on plagiarism detection. In addition, the library should adopt innovative ways of improving e-resource services, such as providing an Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) with advanced and federated search capabilities.

Doing More With Less

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Jonathan Mukwevho ◽  
Mpho Ngoepe ◽  
Patrick Ngulube
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Deep Insight ◽  
Eastern And Southern Africa ◽  
Public Archives

Providing access and usage are the reason for existence of memory institutions such as archive repositories. Despite the importance of the visibility and accessibility of public archive repositories, various scholars concur that these repositories in eastern and southern Africa are not known and are accessed by few people. This chapter utilises the concept of soft power as a framework to examine the visibility and accessibility of public archives repositories in South Africa. A quantitative research approach utilising questionnaires, interviews, content analysis and the observation of landmarks were employed as data collection tools. The findings revealed that collaboration, especially with civil societies, is a key for successful public programming at the lowest cost. It concludes that the concept of soft power can provide deep insight and better understanding on how to develop inexpensive visibility programme, yet capable of attracting a large number of people in a sustainable manner.

Impact of E-Services Quality on E-Loyalty in Paltel E-Satisfaction as a Mediating Variable

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-101
Author(s):  
Maan Ali Alkhateeb
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Services Quality ◽  
Customer Retention ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Structure ◽  
Structure Interaction ◽  
Independent Variable ◽  
Security And Reliability ◽  
The Impact

E-loyalty has received great interest from researchers as a key element for customer retention and the growth of firms as well as gaining new customers. This study aims to investigate the impact of the electronic website services quality on e-loyalty in the companies listed within Paltel using electronic satisfaction as a mediating variable. Seven dimensions of e-service quality are examined including content, structure, interaction, presentation, responsiveness, e-security, and reliability. The quantitative research approach is conducted on the returned 393 valid surveys. The findings revealed and emphasized the role played by e-satisfaction as a mediating variable between the independent variable's dimensions and the independent variable.

scholarly journals eThekwini Municipality’s intranet for augmenting knowledge–sharing in the organisation

2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Udo R. Averweg
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Maturity Level ◽  
Organisational Context ◽  
Metropolitan Municipalities

Background: The age of technology, where information and knowledge perform important roles in the organisational context, creates an opportunity for local government organisations (such as metropolitan municipalities) in South Africa to support knowledge–sharing. One such technology that supports knowledge–sharing is an intranet. If an intranet is not effectively managed, knowledge–sharing in an organisation shall not be augmented.Objective: To investigate whether or not an intranet augments knowledge–sharing in the selected organisation of eThekwini Municipality.Methods: In this study a quantitative research approach was adopted.Results: The results of this survey suggest that firstly the intranet appears to be at a medium maturity level; secondly, whilst there is information sharing, the intranet does not appear to be effective as a knowledge–sharing structure; and thirdly there appears to be scope for improvement of the content on the intranet. The implication thereof is that eThekwini Municipality’s recently formed Municipal Institute of Learning (MILE) may be ideally poised to address the identified shortcomings.Conclusion: Intranet technology plays an important role in an organisation by enabling the effective acquisition, sharing and presentation of knowledge. Because of this an intranet must be effectively managed to readily augment knowledge–sharing in the organisational context of local government organisations (such as metropolitan municipalities) in South Africa.

Organisational Culture and Environmental Performance of Hospitality Firms in South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olawale FATOKI
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Hospitality Sector ◽  
Sustainability Initiatives ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of organisational culture on firm environmental performance in the context of the hospitality sector. The study used the quantitative research approach with descriptive and causal research design. The Denison organisational culture questionnaire was used to measure organisational culture. The Denison questionnaire contains four traits namely involvement, consistency, adaptability and mission. The questionnaire was distributed among 500 owner/managers of formal hotels and guest accommodations in South Africa. Data gathered were analysed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling. The results of the study indicate that the four traits of organisational culture (involvement, consistency, adaptability and mission) have significant positive impacts on the environmental performance of firms in the hospitality sector. The findings of the study can assist firms in the hospitality sector to understand the significance of internal intangible factors such as the organisational culture in the implementation of environmental sustainability initiatives.

scholarly journals The bus rapid transit system: A service quality dimension of commuter uptake in Cape Town, South Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prince D. Ugo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Stated Preference ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Bus Rapid Transit ◽  
Rapid Transit ◽  
Transit System ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
The City

This study evaluated commuter uptake of the bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Cape Town,South Africa. As a stated preference survey was not carried out prior to the launch of the new BRT system in the City of Cape Town, it became difficult to assess commuters’ preferences,which would have provided City policymakers and planners with an understanding of customer satisfaction of the proposed bus service. The commuting trend of the BRT system in the City indicates that tickets sales and utilisation by commuters is gradually picking up, but one would have expected high commuter engagement in terms of the modernity profile of the BRT system. This study investigated commuters’ (n = 260) satisfaction levels with 30 service quality variables on a self-rated questionnaire, using quantitative research methodology.The study result showed that passengers were not satisfied with the transport fare and the availability or accessibility of ticket sales outlets. In the context of this study, this result implies that the ‘responsiveness and affordability’ variable of the service quality dimensions should be an area of interest and review to City of Cape Town policymakers and planners. Service quality trends in public transport were also highlighted.

scholarly journals Analysis of Educational Quality Based on Quality, ServQual and Retention of Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. p11
Author(s):  
Tegowati Tegowati ◽  
Dian Palupi ◽  
Yesa Cahayaning Ramadhani
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Student Retention ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Output Coefficient ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Parameter Coefficient

This study analyzed the influence of ServQual (service quality) on satisfaction and student retention. The sample used was 175 STIESIA Surabaya students using non probability sampling called, accidental sampling. Data analysis used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with AMOS 21 software. Based on the discussion of the hypotheses proposed in this study, the conclusions are as follows: 1). There is a positive influence between ServQual on satisfaction. This is based on the results of the parameter coefficient output. It is known that the relationship of the ServQual construct to satisfaction is significant at 0.001 (sign p = ***) with a standardized parameter coefficient of 0.735. Thus, if ServQual is good, students will be satisfied, and vice versa if ServQual is bad, students will not be satisfied. 2) There is a positive effect of satisfaction on student retention. This is based on the results of the output coefficient parameter construct relationship satisfaction to student retention significant at 0.001 (p = 0.001) and standardized parameter coefficient of 0.513. Thus if student satisfaction is high then student retention is also high, and vice versa if satisfaction is low then student retention is also low. 3) There is no influence between ServQual on student retention indicated by the output parameter coefficient at 0.001 (p = 0.132) This proves that loyalty cannot be created through service quality, but through satisfaction first. thus, it can be said that satisfaction has a mediating effect between ServQual and Student Retention.

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