Masters Thesis on Service Quality Delivery

1. The Copperbelt University
RESEARCH PRESENTATION:
ASSESSMENT OF SERVICE QUALITY DELIVERY IN RURAL DISTRICTS: THE CASE OF
SENANGA TOWN COUNCIL
Presentation
by
Yangailo Tryson(14327120)
MBA-General

2. STRUCTURE OF PRESENTATION
 BACKGROUND
 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
 LITERATURE REVIEW
 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
 HYPOTHESIS
 OPERATIONALISATION OF THE VARIABLES
 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
 RESEARCH FINDINGS
 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

3. BACKGROUND TO STUDY
• This study examined service quality delivery in Senanga District of Western Province.
• Inspired by available literature on service quality delivery by local authorities elsewhere .
• Service quality delivery enhances credibility and reputation of organizations.
• It is the responsibility of the government to provide quality services to people (Asgarkhani, 2005) .
• Councils, especially rural councils in Zambia has had a challenge of providing quality services to the
Zambian people, hence, the government in its effort to help local authorities to improve their operations
and provide high quality services to the Zambian people has been intervening to help solve the
problems councils faced.
• In Zambia, national support to the local authorities has been increased since 2014 through
establishment of Equalisation Fund. At least 5% of national budget is allocated to local authorities .

4. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
• The Government established Councils/municipals in order to provide service
quality delivery to people
• To help councils serve people better, Government introduced Local Government
Equalization fund (LGEF) in 2014 and re established the Local government
service commission in 2010.
• Despite interventions from government in trying to help councils improve
service provision, there have been some complaints in the Senanga District
regarding the quality of service the council provided. On the other hand, the
council insist that the service provision to the community had constantly been
improving after the introduction of Local government equalization fund (LGEF).

5. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM CONT’
• It therefore became important to check the validity of the claim
and assess the levels of service quality that Senanga Town
Council (STC) offered to the community. In addition, there had
never been any research done to assess the service quality delivery
in Senanga Town council. This is the first ever research that has
been done in Senanga Town Council.

6. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
• What are the levels of service quality delivery in senanga
Town council?
• Is there a relationship between service quality and customer
satisfaction?

7. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
GENERAL OBJECTIVE
• Assessment of service quality delivery in senanga Town council.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
• To assess the levels of service quality in Senanga Town Council.
• To find the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction.

8. SCOPE OF THE STUDY
• This research was limited to the focus on service quality delivery in
Senanga Town council .
• It was neither extended to other district councils nor to include other
issues that are not related to service quality delivery in its analysis.

9. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
• Being a first study in this area, it will help Senanga Town Council (and indeed
other councils across the country) to identify areas that need improvements
with regards to the quality of service delivery.
• The study brought out issues that will help local authorities appreciate the use
of service quality management systems.
• This study will also serve as a partial fulfillment of the requirements of the
award of the master’s degree in business administration for the researcher.

10. LITERATURE REVIEW
• Sheefeni and Mutingi,( 2016) conducted a research on selected local authorities in Namibia to
assess service quality delivery.The study revealed that Service delivery by Oshakati town
council was satisfactory though residents were concerned on working process component,while
on Ongwediva Town council the service delivery was above minimum acceptable service
quality level though the residents wanted the council to improve in other areas.
• A study by Zahari et.al (2008), on FM-SERVQUAl a new approach of service quality
measurement framework in local authorities revealed that FM-SERVQUAL instrument proved
to be contributing to improving quality service delivery system in Local Authorities and that
tehnological component in the council needed to be improved to provide quality services.
• A study done by Yasin(2012) on Local Development Planning and Management in Rural
District the case of Chongwe in relation to Service provision, found that majority of residents
were not satisfied with the services provided by the Council and some had no access to the
services

11. LITERATURE REVIEW CONTINUED
• A study done in Thailand using the SERVQUAL model on Municipal
Service Quality and Citizen Satisfaction by Mokhlis et al.,(2011) found that
service quality plays an important role in affecting customer satisfaction.
Therefore, there was a relationship between municipal services and customer
satisfaction.

12. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Facility Management Framework Theory
• Facility management encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure
functionality of the built environment by integrating people,
place, process and technology.
• From this theory FM-SERVQUAL MODEL was developed by Wan
Zahari et.al , 2008 based on original SERVQUAL of
parasuraman,1988,
• FM-SERVQUAL MODEL is a tool in measuring service quality levels
in Local Authorities.
• Modification include the use of integrated facilities management
framework, which involves the use of 40 elements of components
of human capital, premises management, technology and ICT and
working processes.

13. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Independent variable Dependent Variables
A B
CUSTOMER
SATISFACTION
Human Capital
Property
Management
Technology and
ICT
Working
Process
H5
H6
H8
H7
SERVICEQUALITY

14. HYPOTHESES
• HO1:Senanga Town Council does not meet the minimum service
quality levels with respect to Human Capital
• HA1: Senanga Town Council meets the minimum service quality levels
with respect to Human Capital
• HO2:Senanga Town Council does not meet the minimum service
quality levels with respect to Technology and ICT
• HA2: Senanga Town Council meets the minimum service quality levels
with respect to Technology and ICT
• HO3:Senanga Town Council does not meet the minimum service
quality levels with respect to Property Management
• HA3: Senanga Town Council meets the minimum service quality levels
with respect to Property Management
• HO4:Senanga Town Council does not meet the minimum service
quality levels with respect to working process
• HA4: Senanga Town Council meets the minimum service quality levels
with respect to working process

15. HYPOTHESES CONTINUED
• HO5: Human Capital is not related to Customer Satisfaction
• HA5: Human Capital is related to Customer Satisfaction
• HO6: Technology and ICT is not related to Customer Satisfaction
• HA6: Technology and ICT is related to Customer Satisfaction
• HO7: Property Management is not related to Customer Satisfaction
• HA7: Property Management is related to Customer Satisfaction
• HO8: Working Process is not related to Customer Satisfaction
• HA8: Working Process is related to Customer Satisfaction

16. OPERATIONALIZATION OF THE VARIABLES
1.
1. Human Capital
Staff are professional,well dressed,polite,respond effectively and efficiently to
customers’ problems and coordinate well among themselves.
2. Property Management
Offices accessible by the public,premises in good maintenance,facilities provided
are customer friendly,counter lay-out is attractive,Business area owned by the
council is managed properly,Public toilets for the council are clean.
3. Technology and ICT
Solid waste and toxic waste management is good,assured and secured.Physical
facilities management is good and attractive,ICT system secure confidential
documents for customers,good and attractive website,latest technology for
providing services to the customers
4. Working process
Enforce laws and procedures effectively,behave as facilitators to speed up
development process,implement the services as promise in client charter,plan
development according to the community needs,consult residents in development
planning

17. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
• Questionnaires in the form of survey form FM- SERVQUAL
instrument.
• Responses measured from poor to Excellent (1-5) five point Scale
format.
• Population was 14,321 households and sampled 250 using random
sampling.200 responded representing 80%.
• 202 respondents representing household were considered as the
minimum data set for this study using statistical formula from
Yamane’s (1967) procedure on sample size calculation assuming 95%
confidence level,7% level of precision and 0.5 maximum variability.
• Data was analysed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS)
and Mega stat Softwares.

18. Hypotheses Testing
Hypotheses t-value P-value Comment
H1. Senanga Town Council meets the minimum service quality levels with
respect to Human Capital
-5.91 1.0000 Not supported
H2. Senanga Town Council meets the minimum service quality levels with
respect to Technology and ICT
-17.42 1.0000 Not supported
H3. Senanga Town Council meets the minimum service quality levels with
respect to Property Management
-8.40 1.0000 Not supported
H4. Senanga Town Council meets the minimum service quality levels with
respect to working process
2.80 .0028 Supported

19. Hypotheses Testing Continued
Hypotheses t-value P-value Comment
H5. Human Capital is related to Customer Satisfaction
-0.326 0.745 Not supported
H6. Technology and ICT is related to Customer Satisfaction
2.621 0.009 Supported
H7. Property Management is related to Customer Satisfaction
0.473 0.637 Not supported
H8. Working Process is related to Customer Satisfaction
-0.747 0.456 Not supported

20. ANOVAa
Model Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig.
1
Regression 2.748 4 .687 1.950 .104b
Residual 68.720 195 .352
Total 71.469 199
a. Dependent Variable: CS
b. Predictors: (Constant), QSI_WP, QSI_TCnICT, QSI_HC, QSI_PM

21. Research Findings
Research Question One (1)
• The research question tried to assess the levels of quality service delivery in Senanga
Town Council.
• The study found empirical evidence indicating that out of four components of the FM-
SERVQUAL instrument only one component of working process met the minimum
required level of quality service standards. The components of human capital, technology
and ICT, property management were all below the required service standards. On overage
the council’s performance was below required service quality standards.

22. Research Findings Continued
Research Question Two (2)
• The research question tried to establish the relationship between Senanga Town Council
service quality and customers satisfaction.
• From multiple regression analysis, the study found empirical evidence indicating that
there was no relationship between Senanga Town Council service quality and customers
satisfaction.There was no relationship between service quality components and customer
satisfaction, though the results indicated that there was a significant relationship between
the technology and ICT component and customer satisfaction. This meant that technology
and ICT has an impact on customer satisfaction in Senanga district.

23. Conclusion
• All the research questions were answered and the research objectives were met.
• Out of four service quality components, only one component met the minimum required
service standards. The council meets the minimum required service standards with respect
to working process component only.
• There is no relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction and that all
service quality components as a set had no significant relationship with customer
satisfaction, however, this study has established that technology and ICT has an impact on
customer satisfaction.

24. Recommendations
• The study recommended to the Senanga Town Council ,Local Government Service Commission,
and the Government Republic of Zambia .
• The recommendations to Senanga Town Council aimed at ensuring that the council improves in all
components were it was not doing fine. The council should: conduct staff appraisal every quarter
of the year, use equalisation funds well by procuring equipments i.e. graders, trucks etc that will
help the council to provide service delivery to the people efficiently and effectively, train officers
by sponsoring them to upgrade their studies to cope with the changing environment; adopt modern
technology and continuous improvement, i.e. set up an attractive website were residents can
interact with council officers and do other transactions etc; set up substructures in all twelve wards
using part of local government equalisation fund to ensure that every resident of Senanga is
accessing the services from the council.

25. Recommendations Continued
• The recommendation to the commission aimed at ensuring that the
council is helped with the human capital component .The commission
should carry out staff audit every year to determine the profile of council
officers. This was attributed to the fact that the officers according to the
results are not professional etc.

26. Recommendations Continued
• The recommendation to the government aimed at ensuring that the council is helped with the
technology and ICT, property management and human capital. The government should ensure that
officers in rural districts are motivated with a good rural hardship allowance or other incentives.
This was attributed to the fact that the officers according to the results are not polite and are
frustrated as they perform their duties i.e. no coordination with the public, inefficient and
ineffective in handling customers’ complaints etc. The government is also urged to continue
supporting councils with equalisation funds as this will help councils do better in Technology and
ICT and Property management, i.e. implement preventative maintenance plans on roads, water
resource infrastructures, drainage systems, public toilets and all properties owned by the council
and help the council to adopt modern technology and continuous improvement. The government
should also quicken up decentralization process to help sort out human capital challenge in the
council.

27. End of Presentation
Thank you for Your Attention