Conceptualizing the postgraduate research (service) experience

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Since service employees are one of the key elements in the operation of successful service organizations, this article is an attempt to improve the postgraduate students’ service experience through an improved understanding of the role of the postgraduate research supervisor (service employee) as it is influenced by or impacted upon by the postgraduate research (organizational) climate and, the process of organizational socialization. By drawing on and distilling the organizational behavior and services marketing literature, more specifically literature pertaining to organizational socialization, organizational culture and climate, role, and service experience and service quality, relationships are explored among the aforementioned variables in the context of the postgraduate research service encounter since these are postulated to impact on the post graduate students’ service experience. Theoretical support is provided for a proposed relationship among the following: organizational socialization, role perception and organizational climate as it pertains to the postgraduate research supervisor and this is theorized to mediate the postgraduate students’ service experience. If the conceptual model can be validated thorough empirical studies, then higher education institutions could use it to improve the postgraduate students’ research experience and by implication increase the number of postgraduate students and throughput. Key words: Organizational climate, postgraduate service quality, organizational socialization, role clarity and ambiguity.