5 - The Exploration of Service Quality Leadership for Private Higher Education Institutions in South Africa
Corresponding Author(s) : Rigard J Steenkamp
Journal of Higher Education in Africa,
Vol. 14 No. 2 (2016): Journal of Higher Education in Africa
Abstract
This is a first study to explore service quality leadership within the South African private higher education (PHE) domain that emphasised the need for the development of a total quality service (TQS) framework for private higher education institutions (PHEIs) in South Africa. To address the problem, the explorative study was based on a qualitative and quantitative research approach in terms of four measuring instruments, namely (1) a literature review on general PHEI leadership perspectives related to service quality; (2) leadership perspectives by means of the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) assessment instrument; (3) an empirical study of service quality measured (by means of SERVQUAL) at a prominent South African PHEI; and (4) semi-structured interviews conducted with the leadership of PHEIs (fifteen principals – CEOs or top managers) from South African PHEIs. Besides the need for a TQS framework, the results indicated that service quality is a strategic performance indicator and a bigger priority for PHEIs than for public institutions. The leadership indicated a commitment to measure, manage and improve service quality on a holistic basis.
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- Braun, V., and Clarke, V., 2006, ‘Using thematic analysis in psychology’, Qualitative Research in Psychology, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 77–101.
- Caceres, R. C., and Paparoidamis, N. G., 2007, ‘Service quality, relationship satisfaction, trust commitment and business-to-business loyalty’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 41, No.7/8, pp. 836–867.
- Carrillat, F. A., Jaramillo, F. and Mulki P. J., 2007, ‘The validity of the SERVQUAL and SERVPERF scales: a meta-analytic view of 17 years of research across five continents’, International Journal of Service Industry Management, Vol. 18, No.5,pp. 472–490.
- De Jager, J. and Gbadamosi, G., 2010, ‘Specific remedy for specific problem: measuring service quality in South African higher education’, Higher Education,Vol. 60, pp. 251–267.
- Dimitriadis, S., and Stevens, E., 2008, ‘Integrated customer relationship management for service activities: an internal/external gap model’, Managing Service Quality, Vol. 18, No. 5, pp. 496–511.
- Dirkse van Schalkwyk, R., 2011, The impact of leadership practices on service quality in private higher education in South Africa (Unpublished master’s thesis), University of South Africa: Pretoria.
- Ferreira, E., and Steenkamp, R. J., 2015, ‘The exploration of the triple helix concept interms of entrepreneurial universities and corporate innovation’, Corporate Ownership and Control Journal, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 491–511.
- Foster, S. T., 2013, Managing quality: integrating the supply chain (5th ed.), Edinburgh Gate: Pearson Education.
- Gržinić, J., 2007, ‘Concepts of service quality measurement in the hotel industry’. Available online at http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Concepts-Of-Service- Quality-Measurement-In/417991. Accessed on 21 January 2014.
- Hefley, B., and Murphy, W., 2008, Service science: research and innovations in the service economy, Dordrecht: Springer.
- Hofmeyer, J., and Lee, S., 2002, ‘Demand for private education in South Africa: schooling and higher education’, Perspectives in Education, Vol. 20, No. 4, pp. 77–85.
- Howitt, D., and Cramer, D., 2014, Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology,Edinburgh Gate: Pearson Education Limited.
- International Education Association of South Africa, 2007, South Africa in Africa: defining the landscape of higher education, Durban: International Education Association of South Africa.
- Jain, R., Sinha, G., and Sahney, S., 2011, ‘Conceptualizing service quality in higher education’, Asian Journal on Quality, Vol. 12, No. 6, pp. 296–314.
- Khan, M. M., Ahmed, I., and Nawaz, M. M., 2011, ‘Student’s perspective of service quality in higher learning institutions: an evidence based approach’, International Journal of Business and Social Science, Vol. 2, No. 11, pp. 159–164.
- Macgregor, K., 2009, ‘Southern Africa: study identifies 20 HE challenges’. Available online at http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20090802095036735. Accessed on 20 January 2015.
- Mouton, N., Louw, G. P. and Strydom, G. L., 2013, ‘Present-day dilemmas and challenges of the South African tertiary system’, International Business and Economics Research Journal, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 285–300.
- Oliveira-Brochado, A., 2009, ‘Comparing alternative instruments to measure service quality in higher education’, Quality Assurance in Education, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 174–190.
- Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., and Berry, L. L., 1988, ‘SERVQUAL: a multiple- item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality’, Journal of Retailing, Vol. 64, No. 1, pp. 12–40.
- Persell, C. H., and Wenglinsky, H., 2004, ‘For-profit post-secondary education and civic engagement’, Higher Education, Vol. 47, pp. 337–359.
- Ramachandran, S. D., Chong, S. C., and Ismail, H., 2011, ‘Organisational culture: An exploratory study comparing faculties’ perspectives within public and private universities in Malaysia’, International Journal of Educational Management,Vol. 25, No. 6, pp. 615–634.
- Ruth, J., 2002, ‘Higher education and the public good: clearing some of the ground’,Perspectives in Education Vol. 20, No. 4, pp. 89–97.
- Saunders, M., Lewis, P., and Thornhill, A., 2007, Research methods for business students, 4th ed., Edinburgh Gate, Harlow, UK: Pearson Education.
- Slack, N., Chamber, S., and Johnston, R., 2010, Operations management, 6th ed., Cape Town: Pearson Education.
- South Africa, SAQA., 2013, ‘Register of Private Higher Education Institutions’. Available online at www.saqa.org.za/docs/misc/phei/lphei.pdf. Accessed on 19 May 2014 South Africa. Government Gazette, 2014, ‘Policy for the Provision of Distance Education in South
- African Universities’. Available online at www.gpwonline. co.za. Accessed on 15 July 2014.
- Stoltz-Urban, C., 2015, Registrar and Client Engagement Manager, Da Vinci Institute, personal interview, 26 October, Kempton Park.
- Svensson, G., 2006, ‘New aspects of research into service encounters and service quality’, International Journal of Service Industry Management Vol. 17, No. 3,pp. 245–257.
- Visagie, R., and Maritz, J., 2013, Data analysis and write up manual, Emonyeni research Collaborations.
- Waks. L. J., 2002, ‘In the shadow of the ruins: globalization and the rise of corporate universities’, Policy Futures in Education, Vol. 2, No. 2, p. 278.
- Yee, R. W. Y., Yeung, A. C., and Cheng, T. E., 2008, ‘The impact of employee satisfaction on quality and profitability in high-contact service industries’, Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 25, pp. 651– 668.
- Yielder, J., and Codling, A., 2004, ‘Management and leadership in the contemporary university’, Journal of Higher education Policy and Management, Vol. 26.pp. 315–328.
- Zeithaml, V. A., 2011, ‘Effective customer service’. Available online at http://www. degromoboy.com/cs/rater.htm. Accessed on 23/02/2015.
- Zenger, T., 2013, ‘What is the theory of your firm?’, Harvard Business Review,Vol. 91, No. 6, pp. 73–78.
References
Braun, V., and Clarke, V., 2006, ‘Using thematic analysis in psychology’, Qualitative Research in Psychology, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 77–101.
Caceres, R. C., and Paparoidamis, N. G., 2007, ‘Service quality, relationship satisfaction, trust commitment and business-to-business loyalty’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 41, No.7/8, pp. 836–867.
Carrillat, F. A., Jaramillo, F. and Mulki P. J., 2007, ‘The validity of the SERVQUAL and SERVPERF scales: a meta-analytic view of 17 years of research across five continents’, International Journal of Service Industry Management, Vol. 18, No.5,pp. 472–490.
De Jager, J. and Gbadamosi, G., 2010, ‘Specific remedy for specific problem: measuring service quality in South African higher education’, Higher Education,Vol. 60, pp. 251–267.
Dimitriadis, S., and Stevens, E., 2008, ‘Integrated customer relationship management for service activities: an internal/external gap model’, Managing Service Quality, Vol. 18, No. 5, pp. 496–511.
Dirkse van Schalkwyk, R., 2011, The impact of leadership practices on service quality in private higher education in South Africa (Unpublished master’s thesis), University of South Africa: Pretoria.
Ferreira, E., and Steenkamp, R. J., 2015, ‘The exploration of the triple helix concept interms of entrepreneurial universities and corporate innovation’, Corporate Ownership and Control Journal, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 491–511.
Foster, S. T., 2013, Managing quality: integrating the supply chain (5th ed.), Edinburgh Gate: Pearson Education.
Gržinić, J., 2007, ‘Concepts of service quality measurement in the hotel industry’. Available online at http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Concepts-Of-Service- Quality-Measurement-In/417991. Accessed on 21 January 2014.
Hefley, B., and Murphy, W., 2008, Service science: research and innovations in the service economy, Dordrecht: Springer.
Hofmeyer, J., and Lee, S., 2002, ‘Demand for private education in South Africa: schooling and higher education’, Perspectives in Education, Vol. 20, No. 4, pp. 77–85.
Howitt, D., and Cramer, D., 2014, Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology,Edinburgh Gate: Pearson Education Limited.
International Education Association of South Africa, 2007, South Africa in Africa: defining the landscape of higher education, Durban: International Education Association of South Africa.
Jain, R., Sinha, G., and Sahney, S., 2011, ‘Conceptualizing service quality in higher education’, Asian Journal on Quality, Vol. 12, No. 6, pp. 296–314.
Khan, M. M., Ahmed, I., and Nawaz, M. M., 2011, ‘Student’s perspective of service quality in higher learning institutions: an evidence based approach’, International Journal of Business and Social Science, Vol. 2, No. 11, pp. 159–164.
Macgregor, K., 2009, ‘Southern Africa: study identifies 20 HE challenges’. Available online at http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20090802095036735. Accessed on 20 January 2015.
Mouton, N., Louw, G. P. and Strydom, G. L., 2013, ‘Present-day dilemmas and challenges of the South African tertiary system’, International Business and Economics Research Journal, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 285–300.
Oliveira-Brochado, A., 2009, ‘Comparing alternative instruments to measure service quality in higher education’, Quality Assurance in Education, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 174–190.
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., and Berry, L. L., 1988, ‘SERVQUAL: a multiple- item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality’, Journal of Retailing, Vol. 64, No. 1, pp. 12–40.
Persell, C. H., and Wenglinsky, H., 2004, ‘For-profit post-secondary education and civic engagement’, Higher Education, Vol. 47, pp. 337–359.
Ramachandran, S. D., Chong, S. C., and Ismail, H., 2011, ‘Organisational culture: An exploratory study comparing faculties’ perspectives within public and private universities in Malaysia’, International Journal of Educational Management,Vol. 25, No. 6, pp. 615–634.
Ruth, J., 2002, ‘Higher education and the public good: clearing some of the ground’,Perspectives in Education Vol. 20, No. 4, pp. 89–97.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., and Thornhill, A., 2007, Research methods for business students, 4th ed., Edinburgh Gate, Harlow, UK: Pearson Education.
Slack, N., Chamber, S., and Johnston, R., 2010, Operations management, 6th ed., Cape Town: Pearson Education.
South Africa, SAQA., 2013, ‘Register of Private Higher Education Institutions’. Available online at www.saqa.org.za/docs/misc/phei/lphei.pdf. Accessed on 19 May 2014 South Africa. Government Gazette, 2014, ‘Policy for the Provision of Distance Education in South
African Universities’. Available online at www.gpwonline. co.za. Accessed on 15 July 2014.
Stoltz-Urban, C., 2015, Registrar and Client Engagement Manager, Da Vinci Institute, personal interview, 26 October, Kempton Park.
Svensson, G., 2006, ‘New aspects of research into service encounters and service quality’, International Journal of Service Industry Management Vol. 17, No. 3,pp. 245–257.
Visagie, R., and Maritz, J., 2013, Data analysis and write up manual, Emonyeni research Collaborations.
Waks. L. J., 2002, ‘In the shadow of the ruins: globalization and the rise of corporate universities’, Policy Futures in Education, Vol. 2, No. 2, p. 278.
Yee, R. W. Y., Yeung, A. C., and Cheng, T. E., 2008, ‘The impact of employee satisfaction on quality and profitability in high-contact service industries’, Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 25, pp. 651– 668.
Yielder, J., and Codling, A., 2004, ‘Management and leadership in the contemporary university’, Journal of Higher education Policy and Management, Vol. 26.pp. 315–328.
Zeithaml, V. A., 2011, ‘Effective customer service’. Available online at http://www. degromoboy.com/cs/rater.htm. Accessed on 23/02/2015.
Zenger, T., 2013, ‘What is the theory of your firm?’, Harvard Business Review,Vol. 91, No. 6, pp. 73–78.