Research proposal (customer care) final report ngare

INDEPENDENT STUDY PROJECT

PRC 408

INDEPENDENT STUDY

FINAL PROJECT

STEPHANIE ROSE AKINYI

13J 03E MC 012

Lecturer: Dr. KARIUKI NGARE

AFRICA NAZARENE UNIVERSITY

TOWN CAMPUS

5TH FEBRUARY 2015


ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS OF CUSTOMER CARE SERVICE AND INFLUENCEOF PUBLIC RELATIONS: A CASE STUDY OF AFRICA NAZARENE UNIVERSITY

STUDENTS

BY

STEPHANIE ROSE AKINYI

13J 03E MC 012

BACHELOR OF MASS COMMUNICATION

A RESEARCH PROPOSAL SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE

BACHELOR IN MASS COMMUNICATION AT AFRICA NAZARENE UNIVERSITY

JANUARY 2015


Definition of terms

1. Customer care

This is the activity of looking after customers, and helping them

with any complaints and problems.

2. Customer satisfaction

This is the perception of the degree to which clients

requirements have been fulfilled.

3. Attitude

This is a mental state that represents an individual’s degree of

like or dislike for an item. It is the general positive or

negative views of a person, place, thing, or event.

4. Perception

Hinkson and Keith (2008) define perception as individuals’

current appraisal of an object or program, as experienced in the

immediate situation. The way we perceive others depends on and

determines the kind of communication that takes place between us

(Tubbs and Mocs, 1974). There are three elements of perception:


the perceiver, the object of perception and the context within

which the perception occurs. In reference to this study, the

perceiver is the communication student, the object of perception

is the customer service practice and the context is the company’s

ability to address the internal publics needs in a situation

where effective customer service is purportedly being practiced.

5. Internal publics

These are all persons who provide subjective work within the

organization either for pay or as volunteers regardless of their

occupation or authority. (Banks, 2000)

6. Descriptive statistics

According to Mugenda and Mugenda (1999, p.117), descriptive

statistics is the first step used to describe or summarize data

in data analysis. It enables a researcher to meaningfully

describe the

distribution of scores.

7. ANU

Africa Nazarene university


CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION


1.1 Background of the problem

The key to customer retention is good customer service.

Regardless of whichever industry one is a part of, customer care

is of utmost importance. An increasing number of organizations

are realizing that with growing competition, new technological

innovations and constantly improving services and products,

consumers are being pulled in different directions. It is vital

to ensure that customer loyalty programs are an integral part of

an organization. Acquiring new customers is important, but

holding on to existing customers is crucial. After all, if

existing customers are satisfied, they will help in acquiring new

ones by spreading the news of your outstanding customer services.

A good salesperson can sell anything to anyone once. But it will

be his or her approach to customer service that determines

whether or not he or she will ever be able to sell that person

anything else. The essence of good customer service is forming a

relationship with customers – a relationship that that individual

customer feels that he or she would like to pursue.

Africa Nazarene University is one of the leading institutions of

excellence known for producing professionals in different fields

such as communication and business. It has three intakes every

year and therefore the student and faculty population is ever

increasing. Apart from faculty and students, Africa Nazarene has

other publics, which include service providers such as the


caterers and cleaners. Having an assortment of publics makes

customer service vital for the existence and reputation of the

institution.

Excellent customer care means a good reputation for the business

and hence increased customer loyalty as well as increased market

share because people desire to be treated with a lot of care.

Africa Nazarene University is characterized by long queues at the

beginning of the semester during registration of classes by

students. These queues lead to frustration and disappointment of

the students who vent out in other ways; not directly to the

management. The trend has been the same in the past two years and

was also evident in the last registration process.

Bureaucracy is also the order of the day in the institution. This

is seen especially when students apply for courses, intend to get

exemptions for some courses. Observations from the processes

indicate that poor customer service can lead to customer

dissatisfaction and negative attitudes and perceptions of

students towards the University.

1.2 Statement of the problem

The success of a company depends on how well it relates with its

publics. According to Pavlik (1987), the role of internal publics

in a company’s financial growth, or otherwise, is critical

because they are ambassadors of the organization. Their attitudes

and perceptions towards the organizations practices matter

because the dictate how they will relate with external publics.


Given the forgoing, this study will investigate the attitudes and

perceptions of communication students towards customer service

practices in the institution It is important to establish the

attitudes and perceptions held by communication students; who

form part of the internal publics towards the institution’s

performance because as Hinkson and Keith (2008) note, attitudes

and perceptions dictate one’s behavior towards particular issues.

Therefore, the attitudes and perceptions held by the

communication students will determine their behavior when they

are called upon to give efficient customer service in the future.

The behavior they exhibit will impact the organization; either

positively or negatively.

1.3 Purpose of the study

The study seeks to investigate the attitudes and perceptions of

the students of Africa Nazarene University towards the customer

service practices of the institution.

1.4 Objectives

The study is set to achieve the following objectives:

1. To inquire about the thoughts and feelings of the

communication students of Africa Nazarene University towards

the customer care service provided by the institution.

2. To establish whether the communication students feel they

are catered to by the customer care employees.


3. To give recommendations on how to improve the customer care

practice of Africa Nazarene University in future.

1.5 Research questions

1. What are the thoughts and feelings of the communication

students of Africa Nazarene University towards the customer

care service provided by the institution?

2. Do the communication students feel they are catered to by

the customer care employees?

3. What recommendations can be given on how to improve the

customer care practice of Africa Nazarene University in

future?

1.6 Scope of the study

Focus will be laid on the internal publics of Africa Nazarene

University; specifically mass communication students. The

intention is to know what these students think about the customer

service practice in the institution. Concentration will be on

town Campus which will help in efficient distribution and

collection of questionnaires.

Theoretical Framework

The Functional Theory of Attitudes


This theory explains what motivates people to exhibit certain

attitudes. It is a communications theory that explains what

persuades people to form or change attitudes (Cornelissen and

Lock, 2000). For persuasion to be effective and customers to be

satisfied, there has to be effective communication.

In explaining how attitudes are formed, Katz (1960) uses what he

refers as the ‘instrumental approach.’ This approach shows that

we develop favorable attitudes towards things that aid/reward us;

while forming negative attitudes towards things that do not

benefit us. According to Severin and Tankard (1998) and Shavitt

(1990), the goal is to maximize rewards and minimize penalties;

hence we develop attitudes and perceptions that help us meet this

goal.

Against this background, the researchers will build the argument

that it is likely that the attitudes and perceptions held by the

mass communication students towards customer service practice

will depend on whether or not they can perceive some extended

rewards for them in the practice of customer service.

The Systems Theory

This focuses on relationships between an organization and its

publics. According to McNamara (2007), a system consists of

objects, attributes, internal relationships and the environment

in which it exists. Hence systems are integrated and work towards

a unified goal. Baskin, Aronoff and Cattimore (1997) assert that

the success of an organization depends on how the organization is


able to maintain a mutual relationship with the various publics

(internal and external publics). It can therefore be argued that

the parts of an organization (publics) exist in relationship with

another; hence the actions of one part affect the others. Given

this argument, the systems theory will inform this study as

follows:

In order to cultivate good relationships with the various

publics, an organization must ensure that there is constant two

way communication within its environment. Grunig and Hunt (1984)

recommend communication which allows and puts into account

feedback. Within an organization, communication should not just

be top-down, but should run across all internal publics of all

stature. This coupled with close consultation, makes internal

publics feel part and parcel of the organization and helps bring

together parts of the system to make one whole for effectiveness.

In customer service practice, two way communication can enhance

student participation in university activities as well as help to

cultivate positive attitudes and perceptions towards the

practice. According to Mudrack (2007), the kind of attitudes (and

perceptions) held by employees relate to the way customer service

is practiced in relation to the organizational policies and

tendencies. Therefore, for customer service to succeed, the

organization and all its publics must be synchronized.


1.7 Justification of the study

Internal publics have in the past been given little attention in

Public relations studies ( Brammer et al., 2007). The importance

of internal publics in an organization cannot be ignored because

it is through their output that an organization builds a positive

reputation among the external publics and the society (Steyn &

Puth, 2000). Indeed, internal publics are ambassadors of an

organization and are likely to have immense influence on the

external publics. This will impact on the image and reputation of

the whole organization.

Great service companies build a human community (the organization

and its partners) that humanly serves customers and the broader

community in which they live (Berry, 1999).This study therefore

seeks to determine the attitudes and perceptions of ANU internal

publics. This information will help to know areas that the

institution needs to work on so as to enhance customer

satisfaction.

Significance of the study

1. Will provide a step in understanding how corporate

communication can enhance communication students (internal

publics) view of customer service in Africa Nazarene

University.


2. Students will be sensitized on the need to cultivate

favorable attitudes and perceptions so as to accord the

University the necessary support for its own benefit.

3. Depending on the findings, Africa Nazarene University will

need to maintain, evaluate or re-design it customer service

practices and come up with an effective system that ensures

customer satisfaction.

Assumptions of the study

1. Internal publics i.e. the mass communication students in

Africa Nazarene may not be aware of the customer service

practices.

2. The communication students hold unfavorable attitudes and

perceptions towards the customer care service in the

institution.

3. They will be willing to make known their honest attitudes

and perceptions as well as the reasons behind them.

4. The more negative attitudes and perceptions will more likely

show that the communication students do not support customer

services practices in the institution.

Limitations and delimitations of the study

Finding literature on customer service practice; specifically

that relates to the study may be difficult. The researchers will


overcome this limitation by careful selection of relevant

articles from different sources.


CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

The success of a company depends on how well it relates with its

publics. According to Pavlik (1987), the role of internal publics

in a company’s financial growth, or otherwise, is critical

because they are ambassadors of the organization. Their attitudes

and perceptions towards the organizations practices matter

because the dictate how they will relate with external publics.

Customer service is vital to any business yet it is a challenge

to maintain. According to Berry (1999), one cannot live with it

and still cannot live without it. He goes on to say that good

service is fundamental to success. He further notes that it pays

to keep customers satisfied, in turn, they spend money in the

business hence business success. Customer satisfaction promotes

customer loyalty (Giel & Naumann, 1995). People generally like

statements like “It was a pleasure to serve you”, “I’d be glad to

get that for you.” These are appreciation statements that make

people feel good. This sense of being appreciated persuades

individuals to remain loyal to a business.


This also has an effect on the attitudes consumers have towards

the business. Researchers concerned with consumers assess

attitudes by asking questions or making inferences from

behaviour. Attitudes are not directly observable but must be

inferred from what people say or do. In a consumer behavior

context, an attitude is a learned predisposition to behave in a

consistently favorable or unfavorable manner with respect to a

given object. (Schiffman and Kanuk, 2007, p. 238-240). Schiffmann

and Kanuk further say that attitudes have a motivational quality.

Consumer behaviour corresponds with attitude. This means that

there is a relationship between attitude and behavior. Where

there is positive attitude you will find that there is customer

satisfaction hence more customer loyalty.

Customer service is necessary to any business yet it is a

challenge to sustain. Berry (1999) says, “The primary business of

any business is to stay in business, And to do that you have to

get and keep customers”. A business is defined by the customer

wants that need to be satisfied. Therefore customer orientation

can be expressed in two simple steps: find out what the customer

wants and give it to them. (Holbrook, 1995, p.26)


Evaluation is vital in any business practice. In customer

service, this trend is also important; customer satisfaction

should be measured and translated into a number of measurable

parameters. Customer satisfaction measurement provides a sense of

achievement and accomplishment for all employees involved in any

stage of the customer service process.

In this way, satisfaction measurement motivates people to perform

and achieve higher levels of productivity (Gridoroudis &Sisko,

2009). Dutka (1995) says that some of the main reasons for

measuring customer satisfaction include:

1. Customer satisfaction constitutes the most reliable market

information. Businesses are able to evaluate their current

positions against competition and future design plans.

2. A large number of customers avoid expressing their

dissatisfaction from a product or service provided because

they are not sure the company will take corrective measures.

3. Customer satisfaction is able to identify potential market

opportunities.


4. The main principles of continuous improvement require

development of specific customer satisfaction measurement.

5. Helps businesses understand customer behaviour through

analyzing customer expectations, needs and desires.

Dukta (1995) and Naumann and Giel (2009) site advantages of

customer satisfaction measurement:

1. Customer measurement survey programs improve communication

with the total clientele.

2. Business organization may examine whether the provided

services fulfill customer expectations. It is possible to

examine whether new actions, efforts or programs have any

impact on the organization’s clientele.

3. Critical satisfaction dimensions to be improved are

identified as well as ways of improving.

4. Strengths and weaknesses of the business organization

against competition are determined based on customer

perceptions and judgments.


5. Personnel of businesses are motivated to increase

productivity. Customers themselves evaluate all improvement

efforts regarding services.

In their research study examining the links between social media,

customer satisfaction, brand reputation, brand reputation and

customer loyalty, (Barnes, Cass, Getgood & Francois. 2008) say

that consumers are more empowered than ever to share their

customer care experiences. Through the use of social media and

new communications tools and technologies, messages can be sent

more widely than ever before. The Society for New

Communications Research designed the research to examine how

customer care influences brand reputation given the widespread

adoption of social media. Objectives of the research included:

To assess the extent to which consumers research and review

companies' products/services online prior to making purchase

decisions

To assess the influence of social media on user opinions as

they relate to the customer care experience


To determine what types of online resources and social media

are considered the most valuable sources of information

about the customer care experience

To assess the extent to which consumers are influenced by

their own customer care experiences and how they think

sharing that information online influences how others view

products and brands.

This research helped people realize just how much media and

customer care is linked and how social media has made

customer service better.


CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research design

A research design is a plan, structure and strategy of

investigation so convinced to obtain answers to research

questions or problems (Kerlinger, 1986; and Kothari, 2007).

According to Kumar (2005), it is a blueprint or detailed plan of

how a research study is to be completed. This study will use a

survey method to find out the perceptions and attitudes held by

mass communication students at Africa Nazarene University towards

customer service practice in the institution.

Kasomo (2007) argues that a survey research encompasses any

measurement procedures that involve asking questions of

respondents and describes it as the most suitable approach for

measuring attitudes because it provides an opportunity to obtain

objective data. Both qualitative and quantitative methods will be

employed.


The research will also employ inferential statistics which deals

with inferences about population based on results obtained from

the sample. Inferring sample results to the population is

necessary because most research in many fields deals with samples

(Mugenda & Mugenda, 1999, p.131). This will also help in

generalizing the findings.

3.2 Population

Kumar (2005) defines a population as the entire group of

individuals that the researcher wants information about. In

research, population can be classified into two: the target

population and the accessible population. Mugenda and Mugenda

(1999, p.41) define target population as “that population to

which the researcher wants to generalize the results of the

study.” This refers to the general total of those being studied.

In view of this definition, the target population will be of the


mass communication students in Africa Nazarene University. The

population will constitute both male and female students between

18-30 years of age.

The accessible population in this study will be composed of all

mass communication students in their first to fourth year of

study.

3.3 Sample and sampling methods

The sample is part of the population that we actually examine in

order to gather information. Kombo and Tromp (2006, p.77) define

a sample as “a finite part of a statistical population whose

properties are studied to gain information about the whole.” A

sample is drawn from the accessible population.

The researcher will sample 30 participants from the accessible

population of the entire mass communication students in both the

main campus in Rongai and also the town campus. This will include

students taking evening and day classes. Mugenda and Mugenda

(1999), and Kasomo (2007) suggest that a good sample is about 10%

of the accessible population. Kothari (2007) says that a sample

should be optimum; one which fulfils the requirements of


efficiency, reliability and flexibility in terms of cost. The

researchers are convinced that selected sample will fulfill these

requirements.

To determine the 30 respondents, the researchers will use the

convenience sampling technique due to the time limit put for the

completion of the research. Questionnaires will be self-

administered and given directly to the respondents.

Sampling on the other hand is the process of selecting a number

of individuals for a study in such a way that the individuals

selected represent the large group from which they were selected.

Sampling helps in gaining information about the population and in

this case, the attitudes and perceptions of the students. The

sampling method to be employed is stratified random sampling

whereby the age, sex and course are the major criteria used. The

students to be considered will be those taking mass communication

in all the years because they are easily identifiable and

accessible. They will be both male and female because attitudes

and perceptions differ with diversity.

3.4 Data collection instruments


The main tool to use in collecting data for the study will be

questionnaires. According to Babbie (1989), questionnaires are

the most appropriate instrument for collecting information about

issues that respondents may feel reluctant to discuss such as

attitudes and perceptions because they uphold confidentiality

(Kombo and Tromp, 2006).

Questionnaires will therefore be appropriate for this study

because they will ensure anonymity while encouraging frankness.

Questionnaires are also convenient because they generate data in

a systematic and orderly manner (Kothari, 2003). The

questionnaire will be self-administered to the accessible

communication students.

They will contain open and closed-ended questions; all briefly

and simply stated in recognition of the students busy schedules.

They will have a simple format in order to motivate the

respondents to answer all questions. Many questions will be based

on the scale likert. Watson and Noble (2007) point out scaling

questions as an effective way of finding out attitudes and

strength of feeling; exactly what this study is about.


However, the questionnaires will not be pre-tested due to the

limited time set aside to finish the research.

3.5 Data analysis

Data processing and analysis involves putting data into some

systematic form, coding data critically and making inferences

(Kombo and Tromp, 2006). This process will go through several

stages. Collected data will go through editing which in this case

means examining data to ensure completeness, comprehensibility,

reliability and consistency. It will then be sorted into themes

and coded. This is the process of assigning numerals or other

symbols to responses.

Data analysis will be done both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Quantitative analysis will be done using Statistical Package for

the Social Sciences (SPSS). Qualitative data analysis is more

appropriate for descriptive studies (Kasomo, 2007).

This study will use both methods to complement each other.

Descriptive data relating to each research question will be

classified into distinctive classes based on their common

characteristics so as to help create homogeneous groups of data


from which meaningful relationships could be deciphered.

Quantitative analysis will be used to quantify the extent to

which some communication students are aware of, think or believe

this or the other about customer service practice.

3.6 Ethical considerations

Since the questionnaires will deal with sensitive matters, the

respondents will not be required to give particular information

about themselves e.g. name. The self-administered questionnaires

will be highly confidential to help motivate the respondents to

answer all the questions truthfully as their trust will be

enhanced.


TIME SCHEDULE

Data collection, analysis and interpretation will take place from

1st February 2015 -30th March 2015. Time in between will be cater

for any unforeseen delays.


BUDGET

ITEM(S) QUANTITY AMOUNT(KSH)Files 2 60Stationery 10 200Printing

questionnaires

35 350

TOTAL 610


REFERENCES

Pavlik, J (1987). Public relations: what research tells us. London: Sage

Publishers.

Berry, L., L. (1999). Discovering the soul of service: the nine drivers of sustainable

business success. London: Simon and Schuster.

Dukta, A., F. (1995). AMA handbook for customer satisfaction. Lincolnwood: NTC

Business Books.

Grigoroudis, E. & Siskos, Y.(2009).Customer satisfaction evaluation: methods of

measuring and implementing service quality. New York: Springer

Holbrook, M., B. (1995). Consumer research: introspective essays on the study of

consumption. London: Sage Publications

Kasomo, D. (2007). Research methods in humanities and education. Kenya: Zapf

Chancery

Barnes, H. Cass, J. Getgood, S. & Francois, G. (2008)

Kerlinger, N. (1986). Foundations of behavioral research. New York: Holt,

Renehart and Winston.

Kombo, D. & Tromp, D. (2006). Proposal and thesis writing: An Introduction.

Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa.

Kothari, C. (2007). Research methodology: Methods and techniques.

India : New age International (P) Ltd.

Kumar, R. (2005). Research methodology: A step by step guide for beginners. New

Delhi: Sage Publishers.


Mugenda, O.M. & Mugenda, A.G. (1999).Research methods: quantitative and

qualitative approaches. Nairobi. African Centre for Technology Studies(ACTS)

Press.

Naumann, E., & Giel, K. (2009).Customer satisfaction measurement and

management: using the voice of the customer. New York: Thompson Press.

Schiffmann, L.G. & Kanuk, L.L. (2007). Consumer behavior (9th ed.). New

Jersey: Pearson.

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Research proposal (customer care) final report ngare