CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
The impact of service quality on customer satisfaction. A case study of Steers Exor
1.1 Chapter Introduction
This chapter serves as an introduction for this study. It discusses the general introduction which
deliberates on the introduction, background of the study, problem statement, research
objectives, research question, significance of the study, assumptions, limitations, delimitations,
definition of key terms. It also gives a brief overview on how the entire study is organised.
1.2 Background of the study
Western‐style fast food franchises are increasingly crossing national boundaries and looking
for growth among customers in Zimbabwe. Steers Zimbabwe has opened several flame-grilled
chicken, burgers, and ribs in Zimbabwe and currently faces stiff competition from other fast
foods companies such as the vibrant Chicken Inn and Chicken. While it is difficult to deal with
customer perceptions on quality, it is equally important to ensure that the quality of service
provided meets and close the perception gap as enunciated by Parasuraman (1985) in his gap
model and the subsequent models developed by various authors and scholars. The results of
this study contribute to the understanding of service quality in Zimbabwe’s fast food industry
and provide insight about service management and improvement opportunities in Zimbabwe
service operations.
Managers in the service sector are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that their services
are customer-focused and that continuous performance improvement is being delivered.
Service firms like other organizations are realizing the significance of customer-centred
philosophies and are turning to quality management approaches to help managing their
businesses. Given the financial and resource constraints under which service organisations
must manage, it is essential that customer expectations are properly understood and measured
and that, from the customers’ perspective, any gaps in service quality are identified. Customer
service has proved to be the focal point of fast food restaurants world over and industry players
use it as a differentiating factor in the market that is characterised by constant innovation and
re-innovation in the quest to satisfy customers. The industry has gained popularity driven by
fundamental changes in the global economic environment. In my view, demographic changes
such as the entry of women in employment have necessitated increase in demand for the type
of duties that housewives traditionally performed. A more diverse population is entering the
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workforce, as with the entrance of women into the workforce, the increase in number of people
from different cultures entering the workforce has a profound impact on the business
environment (Lucas, 2009). This information then assists a manager in identifying costeffective ways of closing service quality gaps and of prioritizing which gaps to focus on a
critical decision given scarce resources.
In many cases they are complains that come from customers of the fast foods industry and
mainly these complains are service-based complains. Given this scenario, I felt it is necessary
to undertake this research focusing on the impact service quality has on the performance of
Steers Exor Masvingo an Urban outlet.
In line with the cultural influences of the Zimbabwean people, where the traditional approach
to feeding is fading away especially in the urban areas, the fast food feeding model appears to
be domineering hence calling upon those who manage to refocus their management systems in
terms of how the quality of service can be improved. With emerging competitors such as
Chicken Slice, TN and even the small cafes or restaurants all over the show, one cannot deny
that the need to continuously improve service provision is a must do activity. It is my belief
that globalisation has enabled for the creation of a conducive environment for restaurant
concepts to spread into Africa through franchising and other non-formal means. Africa has for
the past three decades or so become a host of some major investments through the
establishment of world-renowned restaurant giants such as KFC and McDonalds, for example.
Lack of economic and political reforms in Africa contributed in the delay in global fast food
restaurant brands such Pizza Hut, McDonalds, KFC, Starbucks, among others to show interest
in setting business in Africa and the rest of the less developed countries. With more and more
competition gripping across industries, fast food restaurants differentiate by offering highly
quality service to customers that exceed customer expectation.
The concept of repurchase intention is adopted and modified from both social psychology and
marketing perspectives. In social psychology, the intention to continue/to stay in a relationship
is referred to as relationship maintenance by Social Exchange Theory and also by Investment
Model of Commitment. Customers’ repurchase intention or customer retention is referred to as
a key to Defensive Marketing strategies and business success in general (Cronin et al., 2020).
As competition and costs of attracting new customers increase, companies are focusing on
defensive strategies (Barlette, 2017). They focus on protecting the current customer or making
them repurchase rather than primarily concentrate on the Offensive Marketing Strategies
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(Fornell, 2017) which focus on acquiring new customers and increasing market share. By
following this key to a Defensive Strategy, it is important for academic researchers to
understand the significance of factor influence or determinants of repurchase intentions/
customer retention (Dow, 2016). The research is based on the most factors that influence
customer repurchase intention in the fast food industry which include the expectationdisconfirmation paradigm, promotion, service quality, customer expectation, brand, product
quality or reliability, physical design, price, emotions and perceptions and other people.
This research paper throws light on these variables and tells how they are important. Consumers
who go to restaurant for a family celebration will often look for quality, environment and
exceptional employee service. There is a possibility that consumers who go to restaurants for
a family celebration will often ignore the high price of the restaurants because they want high
quality and pleasurable environment for their celebration. Consumers who go to restaurants
just because there is no one to cook at home or they are far from their homes will often look
for low price and they will sacrifice the exceptional security and service and quality of food.
The business people like family celebration consumers will also focus more on quality and
environment instead of low price because they are business people and high quality is mostly
in their budget. They can afford high price for high quality. Customer retention is a very
important indicator for measuring organisational performance (Kaplan and Norton, 2021).
Quality and customer satisfaction have long been recognised as playing a crucial role for
success and survival in today's competitive market. Not surprisingly, considerable research has
been conducted on these two concepts. Customers who are satisfied pay more tips and help
business by becoming its ambassadors and also link other businesses. There is a high
correlation between customer retention and profitability (Reicheld and Sasser, 2000). Retained
customers are much more profitable and less costly than acquiring new customers. Steers
Zimbabwe, which owns the chain of flame-grilled chicken, burgers, and ribs fast food outlets
is expanding its business. Many new players have also emerged claiming their slice of the cake.
Due to market competition and availability of businesses, an organisation needs to focus on the
degree to which a customer is satisfied with its products and/or services of the organisation.
Thus, the researcher would like to say that service quality on customer satisfaction is becoming
an important issue and concern for an organisation, particularly for fast-food businesses, such
as Steers Exor. This research is done by collecting data from respondents through
questionnaires which are based on five-point Likert scale on the basis of the above-mentioned
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variables/factors. So, the study of service quality on customer satisfaction at Steers Exor
Masvingo in Zimbabwe can be considered as time worthy and most effective research project.
1.3 Statement of the problem
Clearly, from a Best Value (BV) perspective the measurement of service quality in the service
sector should take into account customer expectations of service as well as perceptions of
service. However, as Robinson (1999) concludes: "It is apparent that there is little consensus
of opinion and much disagreement about how to measure service quality". Chicken Inn outlets
face mounting challenges in meeting customer perceptions in line with Robinson’s thinking.
The people of Zimbabwe have a mixed cultural background in terms of feeding, and the service
and quality processes has to take into account this background making it slightly different from
the western model. It is against this that this study is carried to assess the impact of service
quality on customer satisfaction on the performance of the fast food industry in Zimbabwe
using the Steers Exor Masvingo outlet as a case study.
1.4 Research Objectives
1.4.1 To establish the extend does service quality impact on customer satisfaction.
1.4.2 To find out the key service determinants that determine customer satisfaction.
1.4.3 To examine the challenges does Steer Exor face in its quest to deliver quality service.
1.4.4 To institute benefits are accrued by providing quality service.
1.5 Research Questions
1.5.1 To what extend does service quality impact on customer satisfaction?
1.5.2 What are the key service determinants that determine customer satisfaction?
1.5.3 What challenges does Chicken Inn face in its quest to deliver quality service?
1.5.4 What benefits are accrued by providing quality service?
1.6 Significance of the study
The study is being carried against a background to benefit a number of stakeholders and the
fulfilment of specified obligations. The study benefits the management of Steers Exor through
service enhancement from the recommendations that are going to emanate from the findings.
Secondly the customers of Steers Exor will benefit too from an improved approach in service
delivery and through their participation in the study; they will have an opportunity to contribute
on service delivery at Steers Exor. Employees of Steers Exor Masvingo will also benefit by
taking a leaf from the study.
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1.7 Limitations of the study
Funding requirements: There will be need to adequate funding to ensure that the study is
effectively done. Time: the study is on a broad population .There are deadlines to finalisation
of the study. Time constrains are likely to be experiences which will call for efficiency in the
process of the research.
1.8 Delimitation of the Study
The boundaries that a researcher establishes in a research study, determining what to include
and what to omit, are known as delimitations (Nelson, 2022). They aid in streamlining the
investigation, making it more feasible and pertinent to the main objective of the study.
1.8.1 Time
The research was conducted between March of 2025 to November of 2025.
1.8.2 Conceptual
The foundation of this study was the effect of customer experience management on customer
loyalty in N Richards and Company Masvingo. The effects of service interaction management,
virtual environment management, and physical environment management on customer loyalty
were spec
1.8.3 Geographical
Despite having other Chicken Inn restaurant outlets in all towns and cities in Zimbabwe I could
not conduct research to cover the whole of Zimbabwe, hence the decision to focus on
Masvingo. Masvingo is conveniently located and has a high number of people some on transit
to South Africa and its tourist attractive packages like the Great Zimbabwe Monuments and
various resort places makes it appropriate to carry out such a study. Thus, geographically, the
researcher has decided to de-limit self to Masvingo. Secondly, because the field of service is
too broad, the study will concentrate on service quality determinants which are directly linked
to the dictates of the research topic.
1.9 Definition of Key terms
Customer satisfaction: Farris, Bendle, Pfeifer and Reibstein (2020) define customer
satisfaction as a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass
customer expectation.
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Service quality: Kotler and Keller (2019) define that service quality is the extent to which the
customer’s perceptions of service either meet or exceed their expectations. In light of this
suggestion service quality can therefore be perceived as how good or how bad customers are
served by a service provider.
1.11 Outline of the Study
Chapter one introduced the subject matter and its background, problem statement, research
objectives, research questions, significance and scope of the study.
Chapter 2: This chapter covers the literature review that is related to this study. The researcher
will do an analysis of different articles and journals which are related to the impact of customer
relationship management to customer loyalty. The literature review carried out in this chapter
will assist in the discussion of the results in chapter four whereby the research will analyse and
bring out the findings of the research.
Chapter 3: This chapter will explain the research design, framework, research strategies, and
the population under study and the sampling techniques to be used by the researcher. It will
give an outline of research approaches, research strategies, research philosophies procedures
and technics that will be used in carrying the research and collecting of data for interpretation
and analysis.
Chapter 4: In this chapter the research findings are interpreted and a discussion will be
conducted on the results of the research.
Chapter 5: This chapter marks the conclusion of the research and the recommendations that the
researchers related study recommendations. All the references and appendices that were used
in the research will be listed in this chapter. It is that final chapter of the research
1.12 Chapter Summary
Chapter one cover the introduction to the study that is mainly the impact of service quality on
customer satisfaction. It also covers the background to the study whereby the researcher brings
out the perceived benefits which are associated with undertaking customer relationship
management.
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