G. Ronald Gilbert

Measuring customer satisfaction in the fast food industry: a cross‐national approach

In todays ever‐increasing globalization of services and brands, service‐oriented businesses need to attend to the satisfaction of their customers both domestically and abroad while transcending unique cultural differences from country to country. This study provides a cross‐cultural comparison of service satisfaction of fast food establishments in four English‐speaking countries. It is based on data collected from customers of five globally‐franchised fast‐food chains, using a previously developed service satisfaction instrument. The study reveals two empirically derived, cross‐cultural fast‐food customer satisfaction dimensions: satisfaction with the personal service and satisfaction with the service setting. Should future research support this studys findings, the measurement of cross‐cultural service satisfaction among franchised brands and services could aid business managers’ efforts to assess the quality of the services they provide across national boundaries and on a more real time, practical basis.

A cross‐industry comparison of customer satisfaction

Purpose – This paper seeks to identify service satisfaction measures that can be used across industries.Design/methodology/approach – The paper attempts to identify empirically core characteristics of customer satisfaction ratings across six industries based on the ratings of 10,835 respondents within the USA. The industries included are banking and finance, retail, government, grocery stores, hospitality/sports, and restaurants.Findings – The paper finds that banking and finance and hospitality/sports entertainment were rated highest by their patrons. Those dealing with government, general retail and moderately priced fast food restaurants received lower service satisfaction ratings. Differences were also found among respondent characteristics (i.e. age, gender, education and ethnicity/race).Research limitations/implications – The study sample was selected from organizations readily available to the research team. Future studies based on systematic random samples would enhance the generalizability of the...

Measuring transaction-specific satisfaction in services: are the measures transferable across cultures?

Purpose – This study examines the equivalence of the use of a customer satisfaction survey in four culturally divergent contexts.Design/methodology/approach – It is based on 6,776 responses collected from fast food customers in Greece, Jamaica, the UK and the USA.Findings – The results reveal that the similarities in the measurement of satisfaction in these contexts are more than the differences, and suggest that the development of measures to examine and compare consumer satisfaction across cultures and languages is, indeed, feasible.Research limitations/implications – The data reveal considerable promise that rather simple, cross‐cultural measures can be identified and used to gain valuable insight about the viability of business products and services. This implies that researchers might be able to use the same instruments for measurement in different contexts. However, additional research is necessary to firmly support the suitability of the consumer‐related measures across cultures that were the focus...

Parsimonious measurement of customer satisfaction with personal service and the service setting

This paper develops a concise customer satisfaction survey instrument to help organizations measure satisfaction with their services. A seven‐stage process was used to develop the instrument. Following pilot studies, a preliminary instrument of 24 items was administered to consumers of a variety of business firms and government agencies providing service to customers or clients. After further analysis, a revised instrument was developed consisting of 18 statements. Additional analysis and further purification led to an even more parsimonious final version of the customer satisfaction survey, employing nine statements in two factors; satisfaction with the personal service (SatPers) and satisfaction with the service setting (SatSett). Organizations could use the scale internally to identify their strengths and weaknesses, as well as measuring their customer satisfaction.

Measuring internal customer satisfaction

Identifies two empirically derived measures of internal customer support used to assess team effectiveness from the perspective of the team’s internal customers. The measures, personal service and technical competence, are based on analysis of the responses of 465 individuals representing 150 internal customer teams. When compared, the expected (self) ratings of the members of internal intact work teams were more positive than those ratings actually attributed to them by their internal customers. The findings reveal members of work teams tend to over estimate the effectiveness of their team’s performance when compared with the ratings the same teams receive from their internal customers. The measurement of internal customer satisfaction is a tool that can be a useful aid for managers of service quality and their work teams to help them more accurately measure the effectiveness of their units.

Organizational effectiveness indicators to support service quality

To survive in increasingly competitive markets, customer focused organizations are challenged to create and sustain long term loyal and supportive customers. To ensure long term service quality, organizations need to have quality focused internal structures and processes in place to support those on the front line who make or break the organization’s reputation with their customers. This paper introduces nine scientifically developed measures of internal structures and processes that are associated with service quality. These measures are applicable to organizations in a variety of industries in both the public and private sectors and can serve to benchmark “best in class” practices. They were developed from ratings obtained from 8,924 employees from over 100 organizations. When organizations provide supportive structures and processes for their front line employees, these employees are better able to provide top quality products and services to their external customers.

End-User Satisfaction and Design Features of Public Agencies

This study relates end-user satisfaction to three design features of public agencies that provide services. The research connects the discussion on public participation in administrative processes with a core consideration of public administration: the design features of public organizations. The study seeks to move from the descriptive literature to an empirically grounded survey methodology that examines end-user satisfaction across varied levels of government. Based on a sample of 2,816 end users of 17 public sector organizations, the study tests for associations between organizational performance features and service satisfaction. The findings correlate user satisfaction with three design characteristics of public agencies: agency dependence on user satisfaction for future funding, a clearly identifiable end-user focus by the agency, and the ability of the user to exercise choice in her or his future use of the agency’s services. These findings provide a methodology for survey of public preferences that connects agency performance with public agency design.

The Psychological Work Preferences of Business Students

This study examines work preferences of 984 students across 6 disciplines within a business school—accounting, finance, information technology/decision science, management and international business, marketing, and hospitality management. Differences are found on 11 of the 17 measures. As predicted, we found that (a) accounting, finance, and information technology/ decision sciences students have the strongest preferences for analyzing data, (b) information technology/decision sciences students have the strongest preferences for working with objects, (c) marketing students have the strongest preferences for interacting verbally, being liked by others, and working with ideas, and (d) hospitality management students have the strongest preferences for helping others. These findings shed light on differences that exist among business students. These differences have important implications for faculty, career counselors, practitioners, and leaders of interdisciplinary cross-functional teams. The potential for academic ethnocentrism as a result of the psychological differences found is also discussed.

The Pacer Share Demonstration Project: Implications for Organizational Management and Performance Evaluation

McClellan Air Force Base is engaged in a five year demonstration project aimed at both simplifying the current personnel management system and improving quality production and services in a logistics setting. The fundamental purpose of the demonstration is the design and test of a management system exportable to the entire federal sector that will accomplish the goal of better management, improved product and service quality, and correct the various deficiencies associated with traditional efficiency models. This article discusses the Pacer Share Project which offers a prototype model, using changed personnel policies, practices, and procedures to improve overall mission accomplishment performance and quality work life at the McClellan Air Force Base. This article represents the opinions of the authors and should not be construed as in any way representing official or unofficial viewpoints of the U.S. Air Force or the Office of Personnel Management.

Relational Behavior of Leaders A Comparison by Vocational Context

Organizational researchers widely acknowledge that positive relational behavior is associated with leadership effectiveness. In this exploratory study, we seek to extend previous research examining contextual factors that influence leadership style based on the characteristics of person–vocation fit. Using information derived from a 360° assessment that included one’s top managers, peers, and subordinates (N = 934), we find that leaders working in settings that attract Holland’s Social (S) types demonstrate more positive relational behavior than those who work in Realistic (R) type work settings. Our research also indicates that the relationship between leadership style and perceived effectiveness varies based on the work interests shared by individuals who are attracted to different vocational settings. One style of leadership does not fit all work contexts, and the person–vocation fit framework can help explain what comprises effective leadership style in different contexts.