Measuring service quality: a study on Goodyear Marketing and Sales Sdn Bhd in Sarawak region / Nell Jimbai

This paper presents the findings of exploratory fieldwork concerning the level of service quality of Goodyear Marketing & Sales Sdn Bhd in Sarawak region. The objective is to determine the level of service quality, analyze the discrepancies and prpose strategies and recommendation to reduce the gap (Gap 5) between perception and expectation. The study utilized SERVQUAL Instrument and Gap Model developed by Parasuraman et.al (1998 & 1991). It defines service quality dimension in term of tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. The size and direction of the gap especially Gap 5 is determined by the differences between perception and expectation. This SERVQUAL instrument has been modified to suit the needs of the research. Amongst other tools used is 7-points Likert Scale to provide weightage of relative importance of each dimension. An empirical survey involving a total of 46 Goodyear, Sarawak dealers was carried out via a structured questionnaire. A total of 42 dealers were willing to take part and interviewed for the research. The finding ofthe research revealed that there is significant gap between perception and expectation. The respondents have high expectation on Goodyear Marketing & Sales Sdn Bhd, Sarawak. Mathematically the overall gap (Gap 5) size is -0.22. The evaluation of the gap resulted in the identification of key dimensions and facets within these dimension where the department should focus its service quality improvement efforts.