Dissertation Sample

UNIVERSITY CENTER “CESAR RITZ”

Customer’s Satisfaction with service at Nora Beach Resort and Spa, Koh Samui:

A qualitative study

By:

Wannapa Rattanarak

172001

Submitted to:

Dr. Michael ViereggeDecS 401 Business Research

In partial fulfillment for the requirements of the Degree of the Bachelor in International Business Degree

Customer’s Satisfaction with service at Nora Beach Resort and Spa, Koh Samui

Declaration

This is declared that this is original work which the author of this paper has produced on

the subject. Further, this paper is produced for the fulfillment of the degree requirement of

the Bachelor in International Business. Hence, it is not produced for any other

qualification, institution and journal.

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Abstract

Customers’ satisfaction has been the main focus of business industry as it is believed that

higher level of customer satisfaction may result in higher levels of repurchase. In order to

analyze the customers’ satisfaction and the factors contributing customers loyalty to the

resort or hotel, this study has taken up Nora Beach Resort and Spa, Samui Island as case

study. The resort is located in Koh-Samui Island, which has approximately 87% of

tourists’ turnover. The study examines the level of customer satisfaction in the light of

Seven Ps of Marketing Mix. In order to study certain level for each service product, a self

administered questionnaire was placed in the hotel lobby to record the comments of the

customers. The study concludes that quality of service is the most important factor for the

customers’ satisfaction.

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Acknowledgement

I heartedly acknowledge and thank my supervisor Dr. Michael Vieregge for his valuable

guidance and console. I also appreciate the co-operation of administration and staff of

Nora Beach Resort, Koh Samui, Thailand for facilitating my research study.

This piece of work wouldn’t have conclusive and informative without valuable

customers’ feedback. Therefore, I am very thankful for their interest and fulfilling the

questionnaire provided.

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Table of Contents

ABSTRACT III

Chapter I: Introduction 1

1.1 Background 1 1.2 Purpose of Study 2 1.3 Objectives of Study 3 1.4 Study Structure 3

Chapter II: Literature Review 5

2.1 Introduction 5 2.2 Service 5

2.2.1 Service Theories 6 2.2.2 Elements of Service 8 2.2.3 Impact of service on Customer Satisfaction 9 2.2.4 Quality in Customer Service 11

2.3 Customer satisfaction 12 2.3.1 Customer Satisfaction Theories 14 2.3.2 Functionalities of Customer Satisfaction 14 2.3.3 Customer vs. Employee Satisfaction Modeling 15

2.4 Hotel Categories 15 2.4.1 Types of hotel 16

2.5 Nora Beach Resort and Spa 16 2.5.1 Information of the hotel 16 2.5.2 Type of customers 17

2.6 Conclusion 17

Chapter III: Methodology 19 3.1 Introduction 19 3.2 Research framework 19 3.3 Sampling 20 3.4 The data collection tool 20 3.5 Data collection 21 3.6 Data analysis 21 3.7 Conclusion 21

Chapter IV: Results 22 4.1 Introduction 22 4.2 Demographics 22 4.3 Level of customer satisfaction 25 4.4 General information analysis 25 4.5 Conclusion 27

Chapter V: Conclusion and Recommendation 28 5.1 Introduction 28 5.2 Conclusion 30 5.3 Reflections 31 5.4 Limitation encountered 31

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4.5 Recommendations to the industry 32

References 33 Appendices 37

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Chapter I: Introduction

1.1 Background

In recent times, customer’s satisfaction is the main concern for every hotel and resort.

Customers are now more valued and every effort is being made to keep them loyal to the

resort and make them permanent visitors. The hotel industry believes that higher level of

customer satisfaction may result in higher levels of repurchase. Repeat purchasing is

essential to a continued stream of profitability through achieving higher levels of

customer satisfaction (Oliver, 1997). The customers’ satisfaction can be defined as “the

fulfillment response” which they feel towards given service. It has been a judgment that a

product or service feature, or the product or service itself, provides (or is providing) a

pleasurable level of consumption-related fulfillment, including levels of underfulfilment

or overfulfilment” (Oliver, 1996, p. 14). The concept of consumer satisfaction occupies a

central position in marketing thought and practice. Conceptually, satisfaction is an

outcome of purchase and use results from the buyer’s comparison of the rewards and

costs of the purchase in relation to the anticipated consequences. Operationally,

satisfaction is similar to attitude in that it can be assessed as the sum of the satisfactions

with the various attributes of the product or service.

With due consideration of this marketing approach, every effort is being made to provide

the customers with better services in order to keep them loyal and make them a repeat

visitor. The customer’ behaviour is considered as the ultimate success scale within the

industry. The hotel industry is also among those sectors which have been trying to attract

customers as long term visits. For this purpose, the hotel industry consistently implies

different approaches to assess the customers’ satisfaction level in order to introduce new

methods to attract them and make them their repeat visitors.

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The Samui Island has many attractions for the tourists and visitors from all around the

world and a great number of visitors come to the island in order to enjoy tranquil and

naturally beautiful beaches, hospitality of the local population and the unique services

like spa offered by the hotel industry. There are a lot of visiting places on the island like

the Big Buddah, Namuang Waterfall, Hin Ta – Hin Ya, Sawadee Shrine, Hin Lad

Waterfall, Scuba Diving, Dinning and restaurant and Samui nightlife etc. These

attractions have attracted visitors tremendously and have contributed significantly to

enhance the business opportunity for the local hotels and resorts.

Nora Beach is one of the most famous resorts of the Samui Island. It is a luxurious retreat

in Thailand, situated in a strategic place of Koh Samaui, the 3 rd largest island. The resort

offers its customers a break from the hassles of the real world. The resort enjoys a

spectacular hillside setting, overlooking a seclude bay just north of the world famous

Chaweng Beach. It is located a few minutes from the airport and a short drive from the

city centre (Nora Beach and Spa, 2007). Nora Beach Resort and Spa has strived to offer

its customers excellent service over the years.

1.2 Purpose of Study

The purpose of this study is to analyse the level of customers’ satisfaction at Nora Beach

Resort, Koh Samui, Thailand. This analysis would be made by assessing customers’

opinion through a well designed questionnaire. Considering the results of this analysis,

the study will try to suggest the strategy for achieving a desirable customers’ satisfaction

in the light of new marketing approaches.

1.1 Objectives of Study

The objectives of the study are:

To understand the level of customers’ satisfaction by conducting a survey.

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To analyse the characteristics of the customers’ satisfaction which contribute their

loyalty for the particular resort or hotel. This will be done by analysing purpose of

visit, gender, age, education and other characteristics.

To suggest a strategy to retain customer loyalty by adopting an effective

marketing strategy.

1.4 Study Structure

In order to analyse customers’ satisfaction with the service at Nora Beach Resort and Spa

at Koh Samui, this study will review the current literature in the context of customers’

satisfaction and the services provided by the hotel industry. It will also examine the

customers’ satisfaction in relation with the services provided at Nora Beach Resort and

Spa through the primary data. For this purpose, in the literature review chapter, different

theories relating to service, customers’ satisfaction and different categories of hotels will

be reviewed. The methodology chapter will present philosophy and methods of research

undertaken for this study. It will also describe the sampling, data collection tools and the

method for data analysis. The fourth chapter will present the results of the research in

relation with demographic analysis of the respondents and their satisfaction level at the

Hotel. In the fifth chapter, conclusions will be made resulting from the data analysis. This

researcher will offer recommendation to the industry with due consideration to the results

of the primary data and the review of the literature.

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Chapter II: Literature Review

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Service

The service is defined as a “prototype for service, covering the need of the customer and

the design of the service”. Edvardsson and Olsson (1996, p. 149). Goldstein et al. (2002)

suggest that the service concept integrates the “how” and “what” of service design while

keeping both the customers’ needs and strategic intent of the firm in mind. In other

words, the service concept gives a detailed description of what the customer needs and

how the organization will deliver the service.

The study of customers’ satisfaction in the field of general marketing has evolved into

important parameters that need to be identified and understood in order to satisfy the

needs and wants of customers. Since the success of a business has been linked to

providing high levels of customers’ satisfaction, a substantial amount of effort has been

focused on identifying how consumers perceive service quality in various settings.

Gronroos (1982) has defined service quality as “the outcome of an evaluation process

where the consumer compares his expectations with the service he perceived he has

received.” Hence we can say that perceived service is measured against expected service.

Service quality has been seen as the result of comparing a customer’s expectations prior

to receiving the service with the customer’s experiences with the service. Wyckoff (1984)

defined the concept of service quality from the company’s perspective. Service quality is

the degree of excellence for meeting the customer’s requirements, and control over the

variability in achieving that excellence.

2.2.1 Service Theories

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According to Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1988) the study of service in the field of

general marketing has evolved into important parameters that need to be identified and

understood in order to satisfy the needs and wants of customers. With growing

competition and emerging of hotel industry as a high profiting business, much preference

is made to deliver a quality service to the customers. The researchers have defined service

quality as the result of comparing the expectation of service quality and the perception of

feelings. That is, the service quality not only includes the evaluation of the service

performances, but also includes the process of service (Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and

Berry, 1985, 1988).

According to Sherden (1988), service quality is defined as a relationship between a

customer and the particular employee with whom the customer is dealing. Although the

actual level of service quality is developed in the employee-customer relationship,

management must ensure that customers’ experiences are in line with their expectations.

Lovelock (1991) has defined the characteristics of service quality. According to him,

service quality is that;

a) which is delivered in a performance,

b) in which the customer is involved in production

c) in which other customers are often similarly involved in production (e.g., a

theater)

d) in which quality control can only be performed during delivery

e) in which service cannot be inventoried,

f) deliver is “realtime”, and;

g) distribution channels are nonexistent or compressed.

Examining service quality and its relationship with relevant constructs not only requires

recognition of essential dimensions of service quality, but also identification of

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dimensions that are most meaningful to the customers in measuring the overall

satisfaction. Therefore, having a better understanding of service quality is associated with

considering various dimensions of service quality. Service quality dimensions or elements

are those attributes that contribute to the creation of consumer expectations and

perceptions of service quality.

Service Quality called “SERVQUAL” is an instrument for measuring the gap between the

services.” Therefore, what consumers think should be provided and what they think

actually has been provided. Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1985, 1988) initially

offered ten attributes, which they regard as essential to the quality of all services. These

ten dimensions were tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, communication, credibility,

security, competence, courtesy, understanding/knowing the customer, and access. These

ten dimensions and their descriptions served as the basic structure of the service quality

domain from which items were derived for the SERVQUAL scale (Table 1).

Table 1

Ten Dimensions of Service Quality

Dimensions DescriptionsTangibles: include the physical evidence of the service: physical facilities, appearance of

personnel, tools or equipment used to provide the service, physical representation of the service, other customers in the service facility.

Reliability: involves consistency of performance and dependability: accuracy in billing, keeping records correctly, performing the service at the designated time.

Responsiveness: concerns the willingness or readiness of employees to provide service. It involves timeliness of service: mailing a transaction slip immediately, calling the customer back quickly, and giving prompt service.

Communication: means keeping customers informed in language they can understand and listening to them. It involves explaining the service itself, explaining how much the service will cost, explaining the trade-offs between service and cost, assuring the consumer that a problem will be handled.

Credibility: involves trustworthiness, believability, honesty. It involves having the customer’s best interests at heart. Contributing to credibility are company name, company reputation, personal characteristics of the contact personal.

Security: is the freedom from danger, risk, or doubt. It involves physical safety, financial security, and confidentiality

Competence: means possession of the required skills and knowledge to perform the service. It involves knowledge and skill of the contact personnel, knowledge and skill of operational support personnel, research capability of the organization.

Courtesy: involves politeness, respect, consideration, and friendliness of contact personnel.

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It includes consideration for the consumer’s property, clean and neat appearance of public contact personnel.

UnderstandingKnowing the Customers:

involves making the effort to understand the customer’s needs. It involves learning the customer’s specific requirements, providing individualized attention, recognizing the regular customer.

Access: involves approachability and sense of contact. It means the service is easily accessible by telephone, waiting time to receive service, convenient hours of operation, and convenient location of service facility.

Resource: Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1985). A Conceptual Model of Service Quality and Its Implication for Future Research. Journal of Marketing, 49(3), 25-46.

2.2.2 Elements of Service

Researchers agree that it is hard to measure customer satisfaction and the service quality

as every customer perceives service from his or her own preferences (Gavin Eccles and

Philip Durand, 1997). To overcome this problem of defining the service level, hotels have

addressed it through star ratings, where guests can gain a perception of the quality on

offer through the number of stars attached to he hotel. However, as service quality

depends more on customer’s perception, there are different criteria used by different

customer groups to evaluate service.

The purpose of The SERVQUAL scale is to measure levels of service quality. In this

technique, it is assumed that the levels of service quality experienced by customers are

critically determined by the gap between general expectations of the service and the

customers’ perceptions of what they actually receive from a specific service provider. The

customers can evaluate the service quality from the following five factors:

1. tangibles;2. reliability;3. responsiveness;4. assurance;5. empathy.

The benefit of the SERVQUAL scale is that the management can assess and monitor the

service quality and design better strategies and policies to improve it. Furthermore,

understanding the customer’s satisfaction level and perception of service quality may

yield important information influencing the design and specification of this and other,

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related, services provided by the organization. Finally, it helps the hotel industry in better

developing future service improvements (Gavin and Durand, 1997).

2.3 Impact of Service on Customer Satisfaction

The improved service quality provided to the customers enhances their loyalty to the

service provider. Thus, attention has been paid to the concept of customer satisfaction as a

corporate goal among academics and business practitioners (Rust & Oliver, 1995).

Satisfaction is a major outcome of marketing processes that culminate in purchase, and

satisfaction is also thought to contribute to post-purchasing phenomena such as word-of-

mouth communication, repurchase intention, and brand loyalty.

Gronholdt, Martensen, and Kristensen (2000) administered a study on sixty companies

and found that customer satisfaction would have significant impacts on customer loyalty.

Bowen and Chen (2001) focused on the hotel industry to examine the relationship

between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. The results showed a slight increase

in customer satisfaction would highly improve customer loyalty. Hence, customer

satisfaction was inferred to have great impacts on customer loyalty. Moreover, Tam

(2004) established an integrated framework of service quality, customer satisfaction, and

perceived value, suggesting that customer satisfaction and perceived value have

significant influences on customers’ future purchase behaviors. Anderson and Sullivan

(1993) believed that customer satisfaction positively influenced repurchase intentions.

Repurchase intentions is considered a possible outcome of customer loyalty.

Jones and Sasser (1995) stated that customer loyalty is “a feeling of attachment to or

affection for a company’s people, products, or services.” Customer loyalty is often

referred to as a purchase behavior, unlike customer satisfaction, which is an attitude.

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Repurchase behavior is a form of loyalty. Customer loyalty, a key mediating variable in

explaining customer retention is concerned with the likelihood of a customer returning,

making business referrals, providing strong word-of-mouth, as well as providing

references and publicity (Bowen and Showemaker, 1998). Although most research on

loyalty has focused on frequently purchased package goods (brand loyalty), the loyalty

concept is also important for industrial goods (vendor loyalty), services (service loyalty),

and retail establishment (store loyalty)

Prior research has shown that one’s emotions have an influence on behavior, and that one

responds to an event in certain ways to maintain positive emotions (i.e. happiness) and to

avoid negative emotions (i.e. depression) (Strauss and Neuhaus, 1997). Oliver, Rust, and

Varki (1997) found that positive emotion led to higher levels of customer satisfaction and

increased repurchase intentions. On the other hand, Andreasen (1999) found that initial

negative emotion caused by a service failure results in customer exit behavior. Dick and

Basu (1994) posited that true loyalty only exists when repeat patronage coexists with a

high relative positive attitude. In addition to attitude, it has been argued that loyalty may

also be based on cognition (Lee and Zeiss, 1980; Oliver, 1980).

2.2.4 Quality in Customer Service

The quality of service provided to the customers matters a lot more not only for the

customers but it is a matter of great concern for the service provider as well. Common

dimensions of satisfaction with a service include service quality, product quality, price,

and location. The theory suggest that the “people factor” (i.e., service quality), in terms of

tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy, may be the most salient in

determining overall satisfaction and repeated purchasing in service industries.

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Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1988) conceptualized perceived service quality as a

long-run overall evaluation about a service, whereas satisfaction was a transaction-

specific evaluation. Based on these conceptualizations, they posited that incidents of

satisfaction over time result in perceptions of service quality. Other researchers supported

the argument that customer satisfaction leads to service quality. For example, Bitner

(1990) developed a model of service encounter evaluation and empirically supported the

effect of satisfaction on service quality. Bolton and Drew (1991b) also proposed that

satisfaction leads to service quality.

Cronin and Taylor (1992) reported that in their structural analysis for the causal relations

among satisfaction, overall service quality, and purchase intention, the coefficients of

path for service quality, satisfaction, and purchase intention appeared to be all significant

while the coefficients of path for satisfaction, service quality, purchase intention were

insignificant.

Spreng and MacKoy (1996) also studied the relationship between service quality and

satisfaction based on their modified Oliver’s (1993) satisfaction/service quality model.

Their modified model fitted the data well where service quality was hypothesized to

influence satisfaction. In their study, the path coefficient between two constructs appeared

to be significant (t = 9.4). Woodside, Frey, and Daly (1989) supported the causal relation

of service quality and satisfaction with data collected in area of health care. Several

researchers stated that overall service quality is determined only by the customer’s

perception of a service, rather than the difference between the customer’s expectation and

actual service performance.

2.3 Customer Satisfaction

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The service literature has been contributed to the confusion over the relationship between

consumer satisfaction and service quality. The most important that service providers need

to know are how their objectives meet or exceed the customers’ satisfaction with their

performance. The importance of this issue has been led to several recent efforts to clarify

the relationship between satisfaction and service quality. The SERVQUAL measurement

tool suggests that a consumer’s perception of service quality involves the difference

between his or her expectations about the performance of a general class of service

providers and his or her assessment of the actual performance of a specific firm within

that class. SERVQUAL confounds customer satisfaction and customer attitude. In

contrast, the SERVPERF version of the original SERVQUAL scale only concerns

performance.

Common dimensions of satisfaction with a service include service quality, product

quality, price, and location. The theory suggest that the “people factor” (i.e., service

quality), in terms of tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy, may

be the most salient in determining overall satisfaction and repeated purchasing in service

industries.

Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1988) conceptualized perceived service quality as a

long-run overall evaluation about a service, whereas satisfaction was a transaction-

specific evaluation. Based on these conceptualizations, they posited that incidents of

satisfaction over time result in perceptions of service quality. Other researchers supported

the argument that customer satisfaction leads to service quality. For example, Bitner

(1990) developed a model of service encounter evaluation and empirically supported the

effect of satisfaction on service quality. Bolton and Drew (1991b) also proposed that

satisfaction leads to service quality.

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Cronin and Taylor (1992) reported that in their structural analysis for the causal relations

among satisfaction, overall service quality, and purchase intention, the coefficients of

path for service quality, satisfaction, and purchase intention appeared to be all significant

while the coefficients of path for satisfaction, service quality, purchase intention were

insignificant.

2.3.1 Customer Satisfaction Theories

The customer satisfaction theories stress that quality of service is more important than the

goods provided. Customers get satisfied mainly because of the quality and it is a

psychological effect on their choice when they choose a particular hotel or resort to visit

and stay. That is why one of the fastest growing segments in marketing research is the

study of customer satisfaction (Dutka, 1994). When customers get satisfied with a

particular service, they become loyal for it and in this way, the business have more repeat

visitors. Customers’ satisfaction is directly linked with his or her expectancy level. The

perception of customers are always different and there is no hard and fast rule to

determine what kind of service satisfy more. As the satisfaction expectancies consistently

change, so, there are three stages which the customers pass through before rendering

satisfaction. At the first level, expectations are simple and take the form of assumptions.

In the next level the expectation level become complex and the customer has higher

expectations. At the third level customers’ expectorations are even higher and he or she

years for something which may attract him or her and have some delightful effects rather

than the normal routine services. (Service Marketing, 2007). When a customer achieves

this kind of highly attracting service, he becomes a loyal and repeat customer and remains

loyal until the service quality begin deteriorating.

2.3.2 Functionalities of Customer Satisfaction

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The functionality of customer satisfaction in the business world is that how effectively the

services/goods meet the customers’ expectations. Therefore we can see across marketing

world that each businesses success story relies on “Customer Satisfaction”. Thus the

customer satisfaction has become the key element of business strategy in today’s market

place (Buchanan, Gilles, 1990). Although the customer satisfaction varies from an

individual to individual, however certain recommend standards can be opted in-order to

mitigate positively the popular perception.

The common tool to opt the level of customer satisfaction is survey or collection of

primary data where customer is asked to evaluate the open ended and close ended

statements in accordance with the customers own perception. Thence the performance of

the service/goods becomes contingent of that certain level of Customer Satisfaction.

2.3.3 Customer vs. Employee Satisfaction

Satisfaction can be seen from two different perspectives. Customers satisfaction implies

that they should get satisfied with the quality of service they receive while the employees’

satisfaction means how satisfied they are in the workplace and how they are able to serve

the customers’ with commitment. As the satisfaction on both sides is imperative the hotel

industry has not only to ensure the satisfaction of its customers but also those of their

employees because without satisfaction of employees there is no justification to expect

commitment of employees.

Employees’ satisfaction may be achieved through incentives and rewards,

acknowledgment of their performance and motivating them for achievement of further

goals. Similarly, customers’ satisfaction can be achieved through offering them unique

and high standard services and fostering better public relations with them.

2.4 Hotel Categories

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Hotels can be categorised according to the services they provide, i.e., location, facilities

and services offered and clientele served. Restaurants mostly provide the customers with

eating stuff but do not offer accommodation. However, hotels mainly have

accommodation facilities as well as provide the customers different menus for breakfast,

lunch and dinner. Some hotels offer accommodation but does not have their own chef so

customers have to have their meals outside. Furthermore, the services of hotels further

differ according to their location. In Thailand, usually hotels have begun to offer spa and

other health facilities besides providing them normal accommodation and meals facilities.

2.4.1 Types of Hotel

Most of the hotels have their own star rating. But the interesting thing is that there is no

unified system to determine the service quality of the hotels. Throughout Europe, rating

of hotels is determined either by government or by the private organisation according to

the service they provide (Martin, 2007). There are 1 to 5 star hotels across the globe and

the cost of their services differ according to their rating. For example, a four star hotel is

much costly than a 1 star hotel. Similarly, four star hotel is expected to have more

facilities than a 1 star hotel. A four to five star hotel may have more services and

amenities, including meeting space for conferences

2.5 Nora Beach Resort and Spa

2.5.1 Information of the Hotel

The Nora Beach Resort is a luxurious retreat in Thailand, situated in a strategic place of

Koh Samui, the 3rd largest island, which offers its customers a break from the hassles of

the real world. The resort enjoys a spectacular hillside setting, overlooking a secluded bay

just north of the world-famous Chaweng Beach. It is located a few minutes from the

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airport and a short drive from the city centre (Nora Beach Resort and Spa, 2007). The

profound services of Nora Beach Resort and Spa are as follow:

Bars and Restaurants.

Recreation

Anodas Spa

Rooms

The additional supportive services of the Resort are as follow:

Travel and Tours Desk.

Taxi/Limousine Service.

Swimming pools

Laundry and Dry Cleaning.

Gymnasium/Fitness Room.

Baby Sitting Facilities.

2.5.2 Type of Customers

The type of customers visit Nora Beach Resort and Spa are holiday makers, however the

professionals on travel also frequently visit the resort. According to a study by Thailand

Tourism Statistics that 87% of tourists are holiday makers at Koh Samui Island; where

the Nora Beach Resort is jewel of the attraction for the holiday makers at Koh Samui

Islands. These categories of visitors consist of male, female and children with age

diversity from 13 to 55 years on average. They prefer Nora Beach for the reason that

major attractions of Island are nearby the resort.

2.5 Conclusion

In this chapter, different theories of customers’ satisfaction have been evaluated and

reviewed. Further, the importance of service quality on customers’ loyalty has been

discussed. Besides, the review of literature from customers’ perspective, different

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categories of hotels and the system of rating has also been discussed. The review of

literature shows that with the competition in hotel industry, customers’ perception and

expectation of service has increased to a great extent and now the hotel industry has to

enhance, improve and add up more services for the customers to make them loyal to the

services.

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Chapter III: Methodology

3.1 Introduction

This chapter presents details about the methodology adopted and elaborates the chosen

research philosophy, approach and strategy used and the reasons for their selection.

Further, this chapter describes the sample population and how the primary data was

collected and processed. It also describes the secondary data collection for the literature

review. This chapter further explains the data collection tool and highlights validity,

authenticity and reliability of the data collected.

3.2 Research Framework

Saunders et al. (2007) define an exploratory study as a valuable means of finding out

‘what is happening; to seek new insights; to ask questions and to assess phenomena in a

new light study. Further, they define interpretivism as a theory of knowledge that depicts

the methods, validity and scope of the research. This theory advocates that it is necessary

for the researcher to understand difference between humans as social actors (Saunders,

Lewis & Thornhil, 2007). ). Hence, the study was conducted in the interpretivism

philosophy, because the aim of the researcher was to know the difference of human

behavior in relation with satisfaction in the service quality provided by the Nora Beach

Resort and Spa. The researcher aimed to know how customers get satisfied with the

service provided by the Resort and how they perceive service quality. The research

strategy utilized was case study. The case study strategy has considerable ability to

generate answers to the question ‘why?’ as well as the ‘what?’ and ‘how?’ questions

(Saunders et al., 2007). In addition, a case study strategy can be very worthwhile way of

exploring existing theory or to challenge an existing theory (Saunders et al., 2007). The

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study also sought answers to what the customer’s satisfaction level and how customers

can be attracted to revisit the Nora Beach Resort and Spa.

3.3 Sampling

The population of this research were customers who stayed in Nora Beach Resort and

Spa; a total of n= 113 customers completed the survey. The sampling technique needed

for the case study was non- probability sampling which are purposive and convenience.

3.4 Data Collection tool

The data collection tool for this study is a well designed questionnaire consisting of three

parts as questionnaires are one of the most widely used data collection techniques in the

survey strategy (Saunders et al. 2007). The first part is related to the customers

satisfaction consisting 15 questions based on five likert scale ranging from very satisfied,

satisfied, neutral, dissatisfied and very dissatisfied. The purpose of this part is to assess

the perception of customers about the quality of the Resort in relation with menu variety,

room service, cleanliness etc. The second part consists general type of questions like

accessibility of the Resort and the reason to choose it. The third part of the questionnaire

is demographic one assessing customers’ gender, age occupation and the purpose of their

visit. In all, there were twenty two questions asked to analyze the customers’ assessment

and expectations regarding the facilities and services as provided at Nora Beach Resort

and Spa, Thailand.

3.4 Data Collection

The research was based on positivism principles with deductive approach.

The questionnaire developed was placed in the guest rooms, as well as in the lobby and

was collected by Ms.Napaphon Rattanarak, a proctor who was trained according to the

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guidelines established. Permission was granted by the resort manager to conduct this

study following highest ethical standards and principles.

3.6 Data Analysis

As this study aims at providing recommendations on improving service quality of Nora

Beach Resort and Spa, the dully filled and returned questionnaire was analysed using

SPSS, the software having good analytical capabilities. The analysis of the questionnaire

offers insight about the conception of customers with regard to their perception of service

quality at Nora Beach Resort and Spa. The results of this analysis will be discussed in

the preceding chapter.

3.7 Conclusion

This chapter has highlighted the research philosophy, techniques and methods used for

this study. The study has relied over Likert Technique because in-order to assess the level

of customer satisfaction the best available method was to conduct survey. The

respondents were visitors to the resort staying at the Nora Beach Resort and Spa.

Although the responses of the customers may be biased as their opinion may be

influenced by the service provided at that very moment, yet, this research provides a lot

of interesting information regarding their perception of the service quality.

Chapter IV: Results

4.1 Introduction

In this chapter, the researcher will show the results of the data collected from the

questionnaire which were gathered from the customers/visitors of Nora Beach Resort and

Spa at Koh Samui. In this section, the researcher will present the demographic

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information from the respondents, and will also discuss the customers’ response towards

the questions asked about the services provided. Further, the researcher will discuss the

general information analysis of the customers as to how they found the resort, why did

they choose to stay at the Nora Beach Resort and Spa and whether it was their first visit

or they are a repeat visitors.

4.2 Demographics

There were total 113 questionnaire placed in the guest room and the lobby of the resort

which the customer staying at the resort had to fill up which, in return, were collected and

returned to the researcher by Ms. Napaphon, a protector trained for the purpose. All the

113 questionnaires were duly filled up and retuned y the customers. Of these 113

respondents, 56 were male (49.56 per cent) and 57 female (50.44 per cent)

Table 2: Gender

Frequency Percent Valid PercentCumulative

PercentValid Male 56 49.6 49.6 49.6

Female 57 50.4 50.4 100.0Total 113 100.0 100.0

The age of the respondents was divided into five categories (from 20 to 29, 30 to 39, 40

to 49, 50 to 59 and 60 and above) the most representative group was the range of

individuals between 40 to 49 (43.36 per cent) and 30 to 39 years (34.51 per cent)

Table 3: Age


PercentValid 20 -29 1 .9 .9 .9

30-39 39 34.5 34.5 35.440-49 49 43.4 43.4 78.850-59 19 16.8 16.8 95.660 and above 5 4.4 4.4 100.0Total 113 100.0 100.0

20


The respondents were asked in question 3 of the part 3 to state their job position, which

was divided into five categories. The results to this question show that there were 7

students (6.19 percent), 77 employed visitors (68.14 per cent), 17 self-employed (15.04

per cent), 7 unemployed (6.19 per cent), and 5 retired persons (4.42 per cent)

Table 4: Occupation of the Customers


PercentValid Student 7 6.2 6.2 6.2

Employed 77 68.1 68.1 74.3Self-employed 17 15.0 15.0 89.4Unemployed 7 6.2 6.2 95.6Retired 5 4.4 4.4 100.0Total 113 100.0 100.0

Different nationalities were found in the collected data, the majority being Australian

citizens which account to be 34 respondents (30.09 per cent), South African were 4 (3.54

per cent), Asian (e.g. South Korea and China) were 31 (27.43 per cent) Eastern European

(e.g. Russia and Estonia) were 9 respondents (7.96 per cent), Western European (e.g.

Germany and England) were 27 respondents (23.89 per cent), North American (e.g.

United States of American and Canada) were 8 respondents (7.08 per cent)

Table 5: Nationality of the customers


PercentValid ออสเตรเลีย 34 30.1 30.1 30.1

แอฟรกิาใต้ 4 3.5 3.5 33.6

เอเชยี (อาทิ เกาหลีใต้ และจนี) 31 27.4 27.4 61.1

ยุโรปตะวนัออก (อาทิ รสัเซยี และเอสโทเนีย)

9 8.0 8.0 69.0

ยุโรปตะวนัตก (อาทิ เยอรมนั และอังกฤษ)

27 23.9 23.9 92.9

อเมรกิาเหนือ (สหรฐัอเมรกิา และแคนาดา) 8 7.1 7.1 100.0

Total 113 100.0 100.0

21


From the 113 respondents, 5 respondents visited the Nora Beach Resort and Spa for

business purpose (4.42 per cent), 91 respondents for leisure purpose (80.53 per cent), 4

respondents for Convention purpose (3.54 per cent), and 13 respondents came there for

the purpose of celebrating their honey moon (11.50 per cent)

Table 6: Purpose of visit


PercentValid Business 5 4.4 4.4 4.4

Leisure 91 80.5 80.5 85.0Convention 4 3.5 3.5 88.5อ่ืนๆ (Hone Moon) 13 11.5 11.5 100.0Total 113 100.0 100.0

4.3 Level of customer satisfaction

The first part of the questionnaire was designed to assess the customers’ perception of the

service quality provided by the Nora Beach Resort and Spa. There were total 15

responses to be selected from the range of very satisfied to very dissatisfied. The first

question was related to check in process to which 4.57 respondents stated as very

satisfied. 4.37 per cent respondents were very satisfied with cleanliness, 4.46 per cent

respondents were very satisfied with décor and ambience of the guest area, 4.32 per cent

of the respondents were very satisfied with furnishing of the room, 4.31 per cent were

very satisfied with the quality of food and beverage, 4.29 per cent respondents were very

satisfied with the promptness of service, 4.20 per cent were satisfied with the

housekeeping service, 4.16 per cent were satisfied with the service of staff in spa and

fitness facilities, 4.04 per cent were satisfied with the menu variety, 4.04 per cent were

satisfied with spa and fitness facilities and 3.83 percent were satisfied with business

centre.

22


With regard to the marketing mix of price, 4.22 per cent of the respondents were very

satisfied with the value for the money. 4.28 per cent of the respondents were very

satisfied with the guest areas. 4.25 per cent were very satisfied with regard to the

advertising materials (brochures, advertising, websites etc).

4.4 General information analysis

In the general information analysis part, 3 questions were asked in order to assess how the

customers found Nora Beach Resort and Spa, why did they choose to stay at the Nora

Beach Resort and Spa, and whether it was their first visit. In this regard, 4 respondents

(3.54 per cent) referred to the advertisement (magazine, newspaper), 42 respondents

(37.17 per cent) referred to internet (website, Google, Yahoo), 63 respondents (55.75 per

cent) referred to travel agencies, 2 respondents (1.77 per cent) referred to the word of

mouth, and 2 respondents (1.77 per cent) referred to the other sources (family’s

recommendation)

Table 7: Accessibility


PercentValid Advertisement

( Magazine, Newspaper) 4 3.5 3.5 3.5

Internet (Website, Google, Yahoo) 42 37.2 37.2 40.7

Travel Agency 63 55.8 55.8 96.5Word of mouth 2 1.8 1.8 98.2อ่ืนๆ (คนในครอบครวแนะนำา) 2 1.8 1.8 100.0Total 113 100.0 100.0

With regard to the customers’ choice of Nora Beach Resort and Spa for staying at, 31

respondents indicated room rate as the reason to choose the resort (27.43 per cent), 39

respondents indicated location (34.51 per cent), 11 respondents indicated Amenities and

facilities (9.73 per cent), 25 respondents indicated special package (22.12 per cent), 7

23


respondents (6.19 per cent) indicated other reasons for choosing to stay at Nora Beach

Resort and Spa (had visited the hotel before and recommended by friends)

Table 8: Choice of Nora Beach Resort and Spa


PercentValid Room rate 31 27.4 27.4 27.4

Location 39 34.5 34.5 61.9Amenities and facilities 11 9.7 9.7 71.7Special package 25 22.1 22.1 93.8 อ่ืนๆ (เคยมาพกัก่อนน้ีแล้ว, เพื่อน)

7 6.2 6.2 100.0

Total 113 100.0 100.0

With regard to the visit of the Nora Beach Resort and Spa, 105 respondents made it clear

that it was their first visit (92.92 per cent) while 8 respondents were as repeat visitor.

Table 9: Frequency of visit


PercentValid Yes 105 92.9 92.9 92.9

No 8 7.1 7.1 100.0Total 113 100.0 100.0

4.5 Conclusion

In this chapter, results of the customers’ response to the service provided by the Nora

Beach Resort and Spa have been discussed which were collected through the

questionnaire placed at the hotel guest room and lobby of it. The results of this

questionnaire show an overall satisfaction of the customers with regard to the service

provided to them. Especially, the results relating to the part of customers’ satisfaction

with the quality of cleanliness, décor and ambience of the guest area, furnishing of rooms,

and the promptness of service, the customer were very satisfied which indicate the quality

of service provided by the Nora Beach Resort and Spa.

24


Chapter V: Conclusion and Recommendations

5.1 Introduction

This chapter will present and discuss the findings found in the previous chapters. It will

include the recommendations to the hotel industry and its academia and show limitations

encountered in the process of the study. It will also draw and discuss conclusions.

As stated in the introductory chapter, the objectives of this study were:

To understand the level of customers’ satisfaction by conducting a survey.

To analyse the characteristics of the customers’ satisfaction which contribute their

loyalty for the particular resort or hotel. This will be done by analysing purpose of

visit, gender, age, education and other characteristics.

To suggest a strategy to retain customer loyalty by adopting an effective

marketing strategy

For this purpose, the researcher explored and reviewed the literature on customers’

satisfaction which shows that although it is hard to measure customer satisfaction and the

service quality as every customer perceives service from his or her own preferences

(Gavin Eccles and Philip Durand, 1997) some researchers like Parasuraman, Zeithaml,

and Berry (1988) have devised some tools to measure the service quality of an industry

from the perspectives of customers perception. This model is called SERVQUAL. The

purpose of The SERVQUAL scale is to measure levels of service quality. In this

technique, it is assumed that the levels of service quality experienced by customers are

critically determined by the gap between general expectations of the service and the

customers’ perceptions of what they actually receive from a specific service provider. The

customers can evaluate the service quality from the following five factors:

6. tangibles;7. reliability;8. responsiveness;

25


9. assurance;10. empathy.

The benefit of the SERVQUAL scale is that the management can assess and monitor the

service quality and design better strategies and policies to improve it. Furthermore,

understanding the customer’s satisfaction level and perception of service quality may

yield important information influencing the design and specification of this and other,

related, services provided by the organization. Finally, it helps the hotel industry in better

developing future service improvements (Gavin and Durand, 1997).

The research conducted through collecting data from questionnaire also supports the

findings of the review of the literature. The results discussed in chapter four reveal that

the perception of customers’ satisfaction about the service quality matters much for them

to become loyal to a resort or hotel. Their perception can be assessed through the

SERVQUAL model and this assessment tremendously helps the hotel management to

make better strategies in order to improve their service quality and retaining their

customers. The table 10 demonstrates why customers choose a Nora Beach Resort and

Spa. Although, the findings of this study cannot be implied explicitly for other resorts

with the same degree, it serves as an example to assess what characteristics contribute to

make the customers determine a particular resort among many others like this.

Table 10: Reason for choice of Nora Beach and Resort Spa


PercentValid Room rate 31 27.4 27.4 27.4

Location 39 34.5 34.5 61.9Amenities and facilities 11 9.7 9.7 71.7Special package 25 22.1 22.1 93.8 อ่ืนๆ (เคยมาพกัก่อนน้ีแล้ว, เพื่อน)

7 6.2 6.2 100.0

Total 113 100.0 100.0

5.2 Conclusions

26


The review of literature demonstrates clearly the interlink of customers’ satisfaction with

the service quality. It is only the service quality that attracts the customers and makes

them loyal to the industry and repeat visitors. As it has been discussed in the previous

chapter, the improved service quality provided to the customers enhances their loyalty to

the service provider. That is why the hotel industry has to improve the service quality

(Rust & Oliver, 1994). Mullin, Hardy, and Sutton (200) have endorsed the same opinion

that the satisfaction is a major outcome of marketing processes that culminate in

purchase, and satisfaction is also thought to contribute to post-purchasing phenomena

such as word-of-mouth communication, repurchase intention, and brand loyalty.

The results of this study reveal that there are also significant factors relating to age,

gender, occupation and purpose of visit which have to be kept in mind while considering

customers’ satisfaction. In this particular study, the results reveal that individuals ranging

from 40 to 49 have more tendencies to visit hotels and resort. It may be attributed to the

fact that it this stage, people are usually well established and have enough money and

time to go aboard to see places offering attraction to them. Further, at this stage, people

want to revitalize themselves and improve their physical health. That is why, many

people like to visit Thailand as in this region the hotel industry offers spa facilities to its

customers which have positive impact on physical health.

Further, the results of the study show that employed people opt to visit more than the

unemployed, retired or students. Naturally, it is because of the fact that they have enough

resources to meet expense of these travels. The purpose of visit as revealed from the

results of this study nightlight an important factor for traveling. According to the results,

individuals prefer visiting hotels and resort for the sole purpose of leisure as compared to

the business trips, conventions or honey moons. This factor is highlighted by the table 11

placed below.

27


Table 11: purpose of the visit


PercentValid Business 5 4.4 4.4 4.4

Leisure 91 80.5 80.5 85.0Convention 4 3.5 3.5 88.5อ่ืนๆ (Hone Moon) 13 11.5 11.5 100.0Total 113 100.0 100.0

5.3 Reflections

This research has identified the service quality as an important factor that retains the

customers loyal to the hotel industry and makes them repeat visitors. However, this study

concentrated only on Nora Beach Resort and Spa as a case study and the results derived

from this study cannot be generalized. Hence, conclusions could have been enhanced if

the study would have been performed in a wider perspective and included some other

hotels to assess how customers perceive the service quality.

5.4 Limitations encountered

This study concentrated on Nora Beach Resort and Spa as a case study. As it was the only

resort to which the researcher contacted, there were no significant limitation encountered.

The staff of this resort was cooperative and the respondent too readily filled up the

questionnaire sent to the resort. However, time factor was a significant limitation to

complete this study. If the researcher had more time, the study could have been more

valuable.

5.5 Recommendations to the industry

As is evident from the review of literature as well as from the results of this study, the

service quality is the main factor to attract, satisfy and retain customers for long term

purpose. With increasing competition and high expectations of customers, the hotel

28


industry has further to improve the service quality. This could be done through

innovations in introducing new services and attractions. There are three main factors to be

considered more profoundly. The first is the age factor of visitors which show that people

ranging from 40 to 49 are frequent visitors. Particular services should be introduced

considering this age factor. Further, the purpose of visit has to be considered with regard

to service innovation. Majority of people undertake visits for leisure purpose, so such

arrangements should be made which may fulfill this desire on the part of the visitors.

29


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Appendices “A”Questionnaire

PART 1 – Level of the customer satisfaction with service at Nora Beach Resort and SpaPlease state your level of satisfaction with our services and products:1= Very satisfied 2= Satisfied 3= Neutral 4= Dissatisfied 5= Very dissatisfied

1. The quality of food and beverage

1 2 3 4 5 2. The menu variety

1 2 3 4 5 3. The promptness of service

1 2 3 4 5 4. The value for price paid

1 2 3 4 5 5. Decor and ambience of the hotel

1 2 3 4 5 6. Cleanliness

1 2 3 4 5 7. Condition of room

1 2 3 4 5 8. Housekeeping services

1 2 3 4 5 9. Resorts public areas

1 2 3 4 5 10. Spa and fitness facilities

1 2 3 4 5 11. Business centre

1 2 3 4 5 12. Check in process

1 2 3 4 5 13. Overall satisfaction with the quality of service

1 2 3 4 5 14. Overall satisfaction with the quality of accommodation

1 2 3 4 5 15. The image and message conveyed though communication (Brochures, advertising,

website etc.)

1 2 3 4 5

33


PART 2: GeneralPlease tick three most important reasons why you selected Nora Beach Resort and Spa

1. How did you find us?

Advertisement ( Magazine, Newspaper)

Tradeshows

Internet( Website, Google, Yahoo )

Travel Agency

2. Why did you choose to stay at the Nora Beach Resort?

Room rate

Location

Amenities and facilities

Special package

3. Have you previously used our services?

Yes

No

PART 3 – Demographics1. Gender : Male

Female

2. Age: Under 20 20 -35 36-60 61 and older

3. Occupation : Student Employed Self-employedUnemployed Pensioner

4. Purpose of visit: Business Leisure Convention Other (Specify________________)

34


Appendix “B”Reliability ****** Method 2 (covariance matrix) will be used for this analysis ******_

R E L I A B I L I T Y A N A L Y S I S - S C A L E (A L P H A)

1. A1 The quality of food and beverage 2. A2 The menu variety 3. A3 The promptness of service 4. A5 Decor and ambience of the guest area 5. A6 Furnishing of the room 6. A7 Cleanliness 7. A8 Housekeeping services 8. A10 Spa and fitness facilities 9. A11 Service of staff in spa and fitness facilities 10. A12 Business centre 11. A13 Check in process 12. A4 The value for the money 13. A9 Guest areas 14. A14 Were you satisfied with the advertising materials (Brochures, advertising, website etc.) 15. A15 Did the resort meet your expectations? 16. A16 Overall satisfaction with the quality of 17. A17 Overall satisfaction with the quality of 18. A18 Would you return to this resort?19. A19 Would you recommend this resort to your friends or relatives?

Mean Std Dev Cases

1. A1 4.6000 .6215 30.0 2. A2 4.1333 .8996 30.0 3. A3 4.5000 .7768 30.0 4. A5 4.6667 .6609 30.0 5. A6 4.4000 .7240 30.0 6. A7 4.6000 .6215 30.0 7. A8 4.4667 .7761 30.0 8. A10 4.0000 1.0171 30.0 9. A11 4.0000 .8710 30.0 10. A12 3.8667 .9371 30.0 11. A13 4.7667 .4302 30.0 12. A4 4.4667 .7303 30.0 13. A9 4.6000 .6215 30.0 14. A14 4.4667 .5074 30.0 15. A15 4.5667 .6261 30.0 16. A16 4.5667 .5683 30.0 17. A17 4.4667 .6288 30.0 18. A18 4.6333 .6687 30.0 19. A19 4.6333 .5561 30.0

* * * Warning * * * Determinant of matrix is close to zero: 8.893E-18

Statistics based on inverse matrix for scale ALPHA are meaningless and printed as ._

R E L I A B I L I T Y A N A L Y S I S - S C A L E (A L P H A)

35


N of Cases = 30.0

N ofStatistics for Mean Variance Std Dev Variables Scale 84.4000 94.8690 9.7401 19

Item Means Mean Minimum Maximum Range Max/Min Variance 4.4421 3.8667 4.7667 .9000 1.2328 .0644

Item Variances Mean Minimum Maximum Range Max/Min Variance .5078 .1851 1.0345 .8494 5.5901 .0504

Item-total Statistics

Scale Scale Corrected Mean Variance Item- Squared Alpha if Item if Item Total Multiple if Item Deleted Deleted Correlation Correlation Deleted

A1 79.8000 86.9241 .6523 . .9460A2 80.2667 83.7195 .6281 . .9470A3 79.9000 83.8172 .7346 . .9446A5 79.7333 85.8575 .7001 . .9452A6 80.0000 83.8621 .7906 . .9436A7 79.8000 85.6828 .7649 . .9444A8 79.9333 82.6161 .8258 . .9429A10 80.4000 83.8345 .5369 . .9500A11 80.4000 86.1793 .4904 . .9496A12 80.5333 82.8782 .6513 . .9468A13 79.6333 89.3437 .6567 . .9467A4 79.9333 84.2023 .7561 . .9442A9 79.8000 85.6828 .7649 . .9444A14 79.9333 88.3402 .6575 . .9463A15 79.8333 84.7644 .8425 . .9432A16 79.8333 87.1782 .6942 . .9456A17 79.9333 86.2713 .7022 . .9453A18 79.7667 85.4264 .7277 . .9448A19 79.7667 85.8402 .8463 . .9436

Reliability Coefficients 19 items

Alpha = .9482 Standardized item alpha = .9549

36


Appendix “C”Part 1: Demographic analysisPart 2: Analysing the level of customer satisfaction with service at Nora Beach Resort and Spa Part 3: General information analysisPart 4: Hypothesis testing

Symbolsn Population

MeanS.D. Standard Deviationdf Degree of freedomt t-distributionF F-distribution

LSD Least Significant Difference * Sig Level of Significance .05** Sig Level of significance .01

Part 1: Demographic analysis

Table 1: Demographics Frequency Percent

GenderMale 56 49.56Female 57 50.44Total 113 100.00

Age20 -29 1 0.8830-39 39 34.5140-49 49 43.3650-59 19 16.8160 and above 5 4.42Total 113 100.00

OccupationStudent 7 6.19Employed 77 68.14Self-employed 17 15.04Unemployed 7 6.19Retired 5 4.42Total 113 100.00

Purpose of visitBusiness 5 4.42Leisure 91 80.53Convention 4 3.54Hone Moon 13 11.50Total 113 100.00

NationalityAustralia 34 30.09South Africa 4 3.54

37


Asia (e.g. South Korea and China) 31 27.43

Eastern Europe (e.g. Russia and Estonia) 9 7.96

Western Europe (e.g. Germany and England)

27 23.89

North America (e.g. United States of America and Canada)

8 7.08

Total 113 100.00

Part2 : Analysing the level of customer satisfaction with service at Nora Beach Resort and Spa

Table 2 Level of customer satisfaction with service at Nora Beach Resort and SpaFactor n Mean Std. Deviation Level of

satisfactionproduct 113 4.23 0.527 Very satisfiedCheck in process 113 4.57 0.549 Very satisfiedCleanliness 113 4.37 0.734 Very satisfiedDecor and ambience of the guest area

113 4.36 0.745 Very satisfied

Furnishing of the room 113 4.32 0.698 Very satisfiedThe quality of food and beverage


The promptness of service 113 4.29 0.740 Very satisfiedHousekeeping services 113 4.20 0.857 SatisfiedService of staff in spa and fitness facilities

113 4.16 0.797 Satisfied

The menu variety 113 4.04 0.817 SatisfiedSpa and fitness facilities 113 4.04 0.834 SatisfiedBusiness centre 113 3.83 0.855 Satisfiedprice 113 4.22 0.691 Very satisfiedThe value for the money 113 4.22 0.691 Very satisfiedPlace 113 4.28 0.725 Very satisfiedGuest areas 113 4.28 0.725 Very satisfiedpromotion 113 4.25 0.701 Very satisfiedSatisfied with the advertising materials (Brochures, advertising, website etc.)


total 113 4.24 0.526 Very satisfied

Table 3 Level of customer satisfaction with the overall service and accommodation at Nora Beach Resort and Spa

n Mean Std. Deviation Level of satisfactionresort meet your expectations 113 4.31 0.642 Very satisfiedOverall satisfaction with the quality of service


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Overall satisfaction with the quality of accommodation


Table 4 Level of customer agreement with returning and recommending Nora Beach Resort and Spa

n Mean Std. Deviation Level of agreeyou return to this resort 113 4.35 0.719 Strongly agreeyou recommend this resort to your friends or relatives

113 4.45 0.597 Strongly agree

Part 3: General information analysis

Table 5 General General Frequency Percent

How did you find us? (Please select only one.)

Advertisement ( Magazine, Newspaper)

4 3.54Internet (Website, Google, Yahoo) 42 37.17Travel Agency 63 55.75Word of mouth 2 1.77Others (Family’s recommendation) 2 1.77Total 113 100.00

Why did you choose to stay at the Nora Beach Resort? (Please select only one.)

Room rate 31 27.43Location 39 34.51Amenities and facilities 11 9.73Special package 25 22.12Others (had visited the hotel before and recommended by friends)

7 6.19

Total 113 100.00

Is this your first visit to the Nora Beach Resort and Spa?

Yes 105 92.92No 8 7.08Total 113 100.00

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Part 4: Hypothesis testing

1. Comparing customer satisfaction with service focusing on the marketing mix across gender

Table 6 Analysing the level of customer satisfaction with service focusing on the marketing mix across gender

Factor Gender t-test for Equality of Means N Mean Std. Deviation t df Sig.

(2-tailed)product Male 56 4.24 0.559 0.299 111 0.765

Female 57 4.21 0.497price Male 56 4.25 0.720 0.437 111 0.663

Female 57 4.19 0.667Place Male 56 4.32 0.716 0.554 111 0.581

Female 57 4.25 0.739promotion Male 56 4.25 0.720 0.033 111 0.974

Female 57 4.25 0.689total Male 56 4.27 0.538 0.420 111 0.675

Female 57 4.22 0.518

2. Comparing customer satisfaction with service focusing on the marketing mix across Age

Table 7 Analysing the level of customer satisfaction with service focusing on the marketing mix across Age

Factor Age N Mean Std. Deviation F df Sig.product 20-39 40 4.23 0.486 0.885 3 0.451

40-49 49 4.28 0.50550-59 19 4.06 0.65460 and above 5 4.36 0.542 1.488 3 0.222

price 20-39 40 4.10 0.70940-49 49 4.33 0.68950-59 19 4.11 0.65860 and above 5 4.60 0.548

Place 20-39 40 4.18 0.781 1.344 3 0.26440-49 49 4.35 0.66350-59 19 4.21 0.78760 and above 5 4.80 0.447

promotion 20-39 40 4.18 0.712 0.576 3 0.63240-49 49 4.35 0.66350-59 19 4.16 0.76560 and above 5 4.20 0.837

total 20-39 40 4.17 0.520 1.311 3 0.27440-49 49 4.32 0.49150-59 19 4.13 0.61560 and above 5 4.49 0.506

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3. Comparing customer satisfaction with service focusing on the marketing mix across Occupation

Table 8 Analysing the level of customer satisfaction with service focusing on the marketing mix across Occupation

Factor Occupation N Mean Std. Deviation

F df Sig.

product Student 7 4.09 0.755 1.417 4 0.233Employed 77 4.28 0.500Self-employed 17 4.28 0.523Unemployed 7 4.00 0.643Retired 5 3.82 0.232

price Student 7 4.00 1.000 1.229 4 0.303Employed 77 4.31 0.674Self-employed 17 4.12 0.697Unemployed 7 3.86 0.378Retired 5 4.00 0.707

Place Student 7 3.86 0.900 1.036 4 0.392Employed 77 4.34 0.681Self-employed 17 4.35 0.606Unemployed 7 4.00 0.816Retired 5 4.20 1.304

promotion Student 7 4.29 0.756 0.773 4 0.545Employed 77 4.29 0.723Self-employed 17 4.29 0.686Unemployed 7 3.86 0.378Retired 5 4.00 0.707

Total Student 7 4.06 0.792 1.366 4 0.251Employed 77 4.30 0.505Self-employed 17 4.26 0.504Unemployed 7 3.93 0.488Retired 5 4.00 0.469

4. Comparing customer satisfaction with service focusing on the marketing mix across purpose of visit

Table 9 Analysing the level of customer satisfaction with service focusing on the marketing mix across purpose of visit

Factor Purpose of visit N Mean Std. Deviation

F df Sig.

product Business 5 3.85 0.228 1.988 3 0.120Leisure 91 4.21 0.524Convention 4 4.57 0.351Honey Moon 13 4.41 0.586

price Business 5 4.00 0.707 0.727 3 0.538Leisure 91 4.20 0.703Convention 4 4.25 0.500Honey Moon 13 4.46 0.660

Place Business 5 4.20 0.447 1.749 3 0.161Leisure 91 4.22 0.742Convention 4 4.75 0.500Honey Moon 13 4.62 0.650

promotion Business 5 4.00 0.000 0.828 3 0.481

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Leisure 91 4.22 0.712Convention 4 4.50 0.577Honey Moon 13 4.46 0.776

total Business 5 4.01 0.262 1.749 3 0.161Leisure 91 4.21 0.538Convention 4 4.52 0.231Honey Moon 13 4.49 0.510

5. Comparing customer satisfaction with service focusing on the marketing mix across nationality

Table 10 Analysing the level of customer satisfaction with service focusing on the marketing mix across nationality

Factor Nationality N Mean Std. Deviation

F df Sig.

product Australia 34 4.49 0.455 4.988** 5 0.000South Africa 4 4.59 0.336Asia 31 4.03 0.583Eastern Europe 9 4.31 0.298Western Europe 27 4.18 0.461North America 8 3.77 0.474

price Australia 34 4.50 0.707 3.271** 5 0.009South Africa 4 4.75 0.500Asia 31 4.00 0.730Eastern Europe 9 4.22 0.441Western Europe 27 4.19 0.622North America 8 3.75 0.463

Place Australia 34 4.59 0.657 2.631* 5 0.028South Africa 4 4.75 0.500Asia 31 4.07 0.772Eastern Europe 9 4.22 0.667Western Europe 27 4.19 0.681North America 8 4.00 0.756

promotion Australia 34 4.53 0.706 3.227** 5 0.009South Africa 4 4.50 0.577Asia 31 3.94 0.727Eastern Europe 9 4.33 0.707Western Europe 27 4.30 0.542North America 8 3.88 0.641

total Australia 34 4.53 0.505 5.555** 5 0.000South Africa 4 4.65 0.426Asia 31 4.01 0.534Eastern Europe 9 4.27 0.342Western Europe 27 4.21 0.425North America 8 3.85 0.458

* Sig. ≤ 0.05** Sig. ≤ 0.01

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Table 11 Using LSD to compare the level of customer satisfaction with products across different nationalities

Nationality Australia South Africa

Asia Eastern Europe

West Europe

North America

4.49 4.59 4.03 4.31 4.18 3.77

Australia 4.49 - -0.10 0.46** 0.18 0.31* 0.72**

South Africa 4.59 - 0.56* 0.28 0.42 0.82**

Asia 4.03 - -0.28 -0.15 0.26

Eastern Europe 4.31 - 0.14 0.54*

Western Europe 4.18 - 0.40*

North America 3.77 -

* Sig. ≤ 0.05** Sig. ≤ 0.01

Table 12 Using LSD to compare the level of customer satisfaction with price across different nationalities


Asia Eastern Europe

West Europe

North America

4.50 4.75 4.00 4.22 4.19 3.75

South Africa 4.50 - -0.25 0.50** 0.28 0.31 0.75**Asia 4.75

- 0.75 0.53 0.56 1.00*Eastern Europe 4.00

- -0.22 -0.19 0.25Western Europe 4.22

- 0.04 0.47North America 4.19

- 0.44South Africa 3.75

-* Sig. ≤ 0.05** Sig. ≤ 0.01

Table 13 Using LSD to compare the level of customer satisfaction with Place across different nationalities


Asia Eastern Europe

West Europe

North America

4.59 4.75 4.07 4.22 4.19 4.00

South Africa 4.59 --0.16 0.52** 0.37 0.40* 0.59*

Asia 4.75- 0.69 0.53 0.56 0.75

Eastern Europe 4.07- -0.16 -0.12 0.06

Western Europe 4.22- 0.04 0.22

North America 4.19- 0.19

South Africa 4.00-

* Sig. ≤ 0.05

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** Sig. ≤ 0.01

Table 14 Using LSD to compare the level of customer satisfaction with promotion across different nationalities


Asia Eastern Europe

West Europe

North America

4.53 4.50 3.94 4.33 4.30 3.88

South Africa 4.53 -0.03 0.59** 0.20 0.23 0.65*

Asia 4.50- 0.56 0.17 0.20 0.63

Eastern Europe 3.94- -0.40 -0.36* 0.06

Western Europe 4.33- 0.04 0.46

North America 4.30- 0.42

South Africa 3.88-

* Sig. ≤ 0.05** Sig. ≤ 0.01

Table 15 Using LSD to compare the level of customer satisfaction with Marketing Mix across different nationalities


Asia Eastern Europe

West Europe

North America

4.53 4.65 4.01 4.27 4.21 3.85

South Africa 4.53 - -0.12 0.52** 0.25 0.32* 0.68**Asia 4.65 - 0.64* 0.38 0.44 0.80**Eastern Europe 4.01 - -0.27 -0.20 0.16Western Europe 4.27 - 0.06 0.42North America 4.21 - 0.36South Africa 3.85

-* Sig. ≤ 0.05** Sig. ≤ 0.01

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Dissertation Sample

Documents

customer service

customer satisfaction

service product

service theories

quality of service

impact of service

elements of service

service feature