Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction

Course: Research Methodology (BT21603) Lecturer: Dr. Zakariya Belkhamza Name of Members| Matrix Numbers| Signatures| Rachael Ubu| BB11110489| | Nurul Hidayah Binti Ariff| BB11110460| | Annie Thien Li Len| BB11110055| | Nicole Chow Soo Yee| BB11110372| | Surianti Binti Abidin| BB11110579| | Khuzaimah Binti Mohd Nurung| BB11110242| | Jazmiah Jamaluddin| BB11110209| | Mazlinah Binti Majid| BB11110310| | Siti Munirah Bte Abd Malik| BB11160816| | Wang Qin| BB11170684| | 1. 0 Research Topic Factors that affect customer satisfaction in the hotel industry. 2. 0 Research Background
The English word “hotel” derives from the French word hotel (coming from hote meaning host). It refers to a townhouse which is any building that is frequented by seeing visitors. A hotel is an establishment which provides lodging for a paid short term basis. Kotler (1996) defined customer satisfaction as “the level of a person’s felt state resulting from comparing a product’s perceived performance or outcome in violation to his/her own expectations. ” The importance of this study is to gain knowledge on customer satisfaction and the problems resulting in lack of customer satisfaction in the hotel industry.
According to Alex Hisaka (2011), the importance of customer satisfaction can have an impact on your business and if you don’t start paying attention you’ll lose an opportunity to make a customer happy. Customer satisfaction with hotel properties has been identified as one of the factors leading to the success of a tourist destination (Shih, 1986; Yau and Chan, 1990; Stevens, 1992; Mok et al. , 1995). Research into customer satisfaction in the service industry has increased dramatically in recent years (Peterson and Wilson, 1992). Customer satisfaction has long been an rea of interest in academic research. Hunt (1975) considers satisfaction an evaluation on which the customer have experienced with the services is at least as good as it supposed to be. For demographic characteristic, nearly 46 percent of the respondents had stay at Medium- Tariff hotels, 42 percent at High-Tariff “B” hotels and 12 percent at High-Tariff “A” hotels. The finding clearly demonstrates that the services encounter or customer-employee interaction is a major determinant affecting travels’ perceptions in relation to service quality, resulting in their likelihood of returning to the same hotel. . 0 Customer Satisfaction Customer Satisfaction * Service Quality * Room Quality * Service Quality * Room Quality Research Framework 4. 1 Research Problem Hotel industries nowadays are facing one of the most important challenge is to provide and maintain customer satisfaction. Kandampully (2000) Service quality has become a factor important in the overall tourism experience and one which ultimately dictates the success of the tourism business. According to Lewis and Booms (1982), service quality is measure of how well the service delivered matches customer’s expectations.

A part from that, room qualities also becomes a factor that can influence customer satisfaction in the hotel industry. Room qualities are important considerations for travel in-lodging selection. It includes cleanliness of room, comfort of bed, and quality of in-room temperature control and quietness of room. (Knutson, 1988; Barsky and Labagh, 1992; McClearly and Weaver, 1992; Gilbert and Morris, 1995; Heung et al. , 1996). Positive relationship can make a higher commitment of customers and increase their rate of return.
Long term relationship between customers and hotel is becoming more important as the positive correlation between overall satisfaction levels of visitors and their abilty to return to the same hotel. Since most previous research found out that most study on customer satisfaction in hotel industry focused in Hong Kong, United States and other European countries, where there’s a lack of Malaysian study focusing in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Therefore, this research will focus on customer satisfaction in hotel industry in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. 4. 0 Research Objective 1.
To investigate the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction 2. To investigate the relationship between room quality and customer satisfaction References 1. Choi T. C and Chu. R, 2001, determinant of hotel guests’ satisfaction and repeat patronage in the Hong Kong hotels history. 2. K. s. (kayne) Chan, 1998, journal of hospitality and tourism research. Tutorial 1 Research Methodology 1) What research is all about? 2) Describe the characteristic of scientific method (What is scientific research? ) 3) What is problem statement? How to write a problem statement Answers 1.
Research is about doing or making a study in a specific area of interest. According to Saunders, research is defined as something that people undertake in order to find things out in a systematic way, thereby increasing their knowledge. 2. Scientific research is the development of a theory that is then tested through a series of propositions. The characteristics of scientific research are that firstly, we would have to create a hypothesis about the relationship between two variables. Second characteristic is that by using the hypothesis, we would have to test it through a series of propositions.
Thirdly, we would have to examine the logic of the hypothesis by comparing them with existing hypothesis relating to our hypothesis. Fourth, we would have to collect appropriate data to measure the variables. Fifth, if the results of the analysis are not consistent with the problems, the hypothesis is rejected and the theory is false. Lastly, if the results are consistent then the theory is true. 3. Problem statement is analyzing the problems related to the hypothesis. By asking the correct problem statements, we can ensure that we can relate the problems to the hypothesis.