Research Proposal

Group Members: S. Mudaser Abbas

Shazia Naheed
Saad Babar
Agenda
• Introduction
• Problem Statement
• Quality at HEC
• Research Objective
• Research Questions
• Literature Review
• Importance of study
• Research Design
• References
 Introduction
• This research focuses on measuring only
Gap 5 of SERVQUAL model i.e. not
knowing what the customer expects from
its deliverer.
• This is the difference between customer
expectations of service and the company
understanding of those expectations
(Ziethaml and Bitner, 2003).
• This gap occurs when management does
not interact directly with customers, or has
not taken proper measures to understand
what its customers want. Management in
university may not understand what their
students’ expectations are?
 Problem Statement

• An analysis of the Gap between

quality of services and students
satisfaction.
 Quality at HEC
• Quality is the means through which an
institution can guarantee with confidence and
certainty that the standards of its educational
provision are being maintained and enhanced
(Quality Assurance Agency UK)
• Quality in higher education is a dynamic entity
which is the outcome of interaction among
many factors including leadership, quality of
faculty and students, infrastructure facilities,
research and learning environment,
governance, strategic planning, assessment
procedures, and market force. 

Source HEC QA Division

 Research Objectives
• Following are the objectives of this study:
• To calculate and measure the score of the five
SERVQUAL dimensions
• To identify students’ expectations of service quality
provided by universities
• To measure the gap between students’ expectations
and management’s perceptions of student’s
expectations
• To create a benchmark framework for future
institutions on how to measure Quality
 Research Questions?
• Determine the relationship between
service quality dimensions and satisfaction
among students at higher education
institutions?
• What are the critical factors that contribute
most to the satisfaction of students?
 Literature Review
Rad & defines student satisfaction as the will
Yarmohamm accomplishment which results in one’s
adian (2006) contetment. Students will be more motivated,
loyal and good performers if their institution
holds essential educational facilities with
affective staff of teaching and training.
Jager et al, The authors came to the conclusion that that
2008 are various factors in addition to the factors
identified by Berry et al (1988). There is a
need for effective management in Higher
Education sector.
Hassan. A, Suggest that there is a positive relationship
Ilias. A 2008 between quality of service and student
satisfaction. Improving quality service will
improve student satisfaction. Institutes need to
earn interest by the students in order to
compete in the industry
SERVIQUAL Model

Source: Berry at al (1988)

Dimensions of SERVIQUAL to be
measured
• Tangibility
• Assurance
• Reliability
• Responsiveness
• Empathy
Proposed Framework
Importance of Study
• This study is important as it will examine
the level of quality service and level of
satisfaction among students
• Another aspect is to create a future
framework for universities who are willing
to measure quality of service at there
institute and for future institutes who want
to deliver quality education
 Research Design
• Type of Study: It will be a field study and
it will be done in a natural environment
• Purpose of Study: It is a descriptive study
because we will be testing the relationship
of variables
• Unit of analysis: Students of Business
Schools in Pakistan
• Time Horizon: This study is cross-
sectional as it will be done only once
• Technique: Questionnaires will be used to
collect data and this questionnaire will be
tested for reliability and validity
• Population/Sample: Students of business
school are the population and we will use
stratified sampling technique to collect
data as it will be region wise
 References
• Ehsan, M., Qaiser, R., Usman, A. (2010). The impact of service
quality od students satisfaction in higher education institutes of
Punjab. Journal of Management Research, Vol 2, No 2, E10
• Hasan, A., IIias, A., (2008). Service quality and student satisfaction:
A case study at private higher education institutions. International
Business Research, Vol 1, No 3
• Higher Education Quality Assurance Division:
http://www.hec.gov.pk/InsideHEC/Divisions/QALI/QualityAssurance/
QADivision/Pages/Default.aspx
• (Accessed on 21st October 2010)
• Zeithaml, V.A & Bitner M.J. (2003). Services Marketing: Integrating
customer focus across the firm. Third Edition. New York: Mcgraw-
Hill.
• Parasuraman. A., Berry L. and Zeithmal V. ,1988, “SERVQUAL: A
Multi-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of SQ”,
Journal of Retailing, 64(2). pp. 12-40
• Parasuraman. A., Berry L. and Zeithmal V. ,1985. “A Conceptual
Model of SQ and Its Implications for Future Research”, Journal of
Marketing. 49(3). pp. 41-50.