Abstract
A vast array of knowledge has been accumulated on the effect of service quality on customer satisfaction, particularly with a large number of studies over the past few years. However, the effect of service quality on satisfaction of service recipients in Divisional Secretariats in the Public Sector is relatively an unattended area by researchers. Hence, this study was carried out to evaluate the effect of service quality on satisfaction of service recipients of divisional secretariats. This particular organization was selected for the study as it is considered to be the most significant service provider in terms of statutory, social, economic and development in the country. A questionnaire survey and personal interviews were conducted to collect data by using the purposive sampling method. A modified questionnaire was prepared based on SERVQUAL instruments with two additional questions. A sample of 520 service recipients from 13 Divisional Secretariats in Colombo was drawn and it was represented by 40 from each division. Correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were used to examine the relative impact of the service quality on satisfaction of service recipients. The study revealed that all the service quality attributes positively related to satisfaction of the service recipients. The findings of the study show that satisfaction of service recipients in terms of service quality has not met the expected level, which a divisional secretariat is deemed to provide for.
Highlights
In 1992, the Divisional Secretariat system was introduced to each division with the hope of delegating authority at the division level (Herath, 2008)
The data revealed that 64 percent of service recipients were from the General Public, 23.5 percent were non-government organizations, 4.6 percent from the government sector and 7.9 percent were from the private sector; 1.5 percent of respondents belonged to 18-25 age category, 18.1 percent belonged to 26-35 age range, 44.6 percent were from 36-40 age category and 35.8 percent belonged to above 40 age group
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Summary
In 1992, the Divisional Secretariat system was introduced to each division with the hope of delegating authority at the division level (Herath, 2008). The division level administration still functions as the closest administrative and decision-making unit to the people including those at grass-root level This is the unit through which essential services are delivered to the people and to a great extent it is the implementing agency of the development programs and the coordinating agency of special programs. Kotler & Lee (2007, cited by Kodithuwakku, 2007) state that one major role of the Government is to provide the necessary public services that neither the private sector nor the non-profit sector wants to handle or can deliver with the existing resources In this context, Divisional Secretariat as a service provider needs to manage the service quality with existing resources and it has become so important to identify the customer expectations regarding service quality and delivery levels as well. The failure to do so would lead to frustration and dissatisfaction of the service recipients who would be either the general public or the various private and non-governmental organizations that would eventually be able to produce results in the events of occurrence of various levels of inefficiency and jms.ccsenet.org
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