SERVQUAL Model Research Articles

Research trends on guest experience with service robots in the hospitality industry: a bibliometric analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to reveal the research trends in guest experiences of service robots in the hospitality industry.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, a review was carried out on the Web of Science (WoS) database with the assistance of bibliometric analysis techniques. Cluster analysis was also employed for this to group important data to determine the relationships and to visualize the areas in which the studies are concentrated. The thematic content analysis method was used to reveal on which customer experiences and on which methods the focuses were.FindingsOn the subject of experiences of service robots, the greatest number of publications was in 2021. In terms of country, China has come to the fore in the distribution of publications. As a result of thematic content analysis, it was determined that the leading factor was the main dimension of emotional experience. In terms of sub-dimensions, social interactions attracted more attention. Most of the studies discussed were not based on any theory. Apart from these, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Service Quality Model (SERVQUAL) and Perceived Value Theory (PVT) were featured more prominently among other studies.Research limitations/implicationsIn this study, only the WoS database was reviewed. In future studies, it would be possible to make contextual comparisons by scanning other databases. In addition to quantitative research designs, social dimensions may be examined in depth following qualitative research methods. Thus, various comparisons can be made on the subject with mixed-method research designs. Experimental research designs can also be applied to where customers have experienced human-robot interactions (HRIs).Originality/valueIn the hospitality industry, it is critical to uncover every dimension of guests' robot acceptance. This study, which presents the current situation on this basis, guides future projections for the development of guest experiences regarding service robots in the hospitality industry.

Teachers' Views on the Role of Leadership in the Implementation of Total Quality Management

The purpose of this research is the identification of the Greek teachers’ opinions concerning the role of the schools’ principals in the implementation of the five dimensions of total quality management. For the measurement of the total quality management’s dimensions, SERVQUAL model was used. For the identification of the leadership styles followed, the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire was used. The research sample consists of 217 teachers of Thessaloniki region in Greece, who are working to schools that operate in both public and private education. The questionnaire was online distributed and the convenience sampling, in combination with the avalanche method, were followed. The main results of the present research concern the positive correlation between all dimensions of total quality management with the transformational and transactional leadership style and their negative correlation with the laissez-faire leadership style. In addition, they relate to the identified statistically significant difference between the schools that operate on public and private sector, in the tangibles’ dimension, in which the public sector lags behind the private sector. Finally, in both the private and public sector schools in Greece, the most prevalent leadership styles are transformational and transactional, and the least prevalent is the laissez-faire leadership style, where no statistically significant differences were identified between the two sectors in terms of the leadership style that is followed.

Service quality in health care: empathy as a double-edged sword in the physician–patient relationship

PurposeAs one of the five major dimensions of service quality, empathy has been and continues to be regarded as a requirement for a successful service encounter. This paper focuses on the highly customer-centric service industry of health care. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the potential negative effects of empathy on both the physician and the patient.Design/methodology/approachBuilding on an in-depth review of literature and well-established service quality models, the authors propose a new model for understanding the complex role of physician empathy in the physician–patient encounter. The trait, emotional intelligence (EI), is presented as a moderator for physician empathy levels.FindingsThe Health Care Optimal Physician Empathy (HOPE) model enables further characterization and analysis of the tradeoffs between patient satisfaction and physician burnout and determining when empathy optimally works to the benefit of both the physician and the patient to maximize service quality. The HOPE model provides a systematic way to understand and determine the appropriate level of physician empathy that results in optimal outcomes for both physicians and their patients by demonstrating the tradeoffs between physician burnout and patient satisfaction.Originality/valueThe authors highlight the potential detrimental effects on physicians themselves, and, in turn, on service quality. The theoretical and practical implications in this paper provide insights into the development and implementation of empathy-focused interventions and best practices to optimize service quality in the physician–patient interaction. The HOPE model is the first of its kind in shedding light on the manifestation of physician empathy.

Impact of Quality of Service on Customer Loyalty: A Critical Study of Cellular Mobile Broadband Sector in Pakistan

Quality of Service (QoS) is the degree to which a service provided by an operator promotes customer satisfaction. In telecommunications sector service quality is a set of specific parameters provided by service providers to their customers, which are necessary for achieving the required functionality of the requested service. In current global competitive telecommunication business market, the quality of a service is being considered as a differentiator for users if service features or price of services of service providers are similar. The potential of growth and scope for telecommunication services in general and mobile broadband services in developing countries like Pakistan is encouraging. The objective of this research work is to analyze the impact of service quality gaps with customer loyalty in the mobile broadband sector of Pakistan. The cellular mobile operators in Pakistan are facing issue of declining customer loyalty and increasing churn rate of customers in search of their expected quality of service. In this research the service quality gaps will be considered as independent variables while customer loyalty as dependent variable. The SERVQUAL model proposed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1988) will be used to probe the effects of five dimensions of service quality viz. tangibility, assurance, responsiveness, reliability, and empathy on consumer loyalty. Data of 200 current LTE broadband consumers using mobile service of four cellular mobile operators of Pakistan (Jazz-PMCL, Ufone-PTML, Zong-CMPak and Telenor) will be collected through structured questionnaires. The response received from end users of broadband services through these questionnaires will be analyzed through SPSS to determine the causal relationship of service quality dimensions and customer loyalty. The results of analysis will depict that the service quality dimensions will have significant and positive impact on customer loyalty.

The Moderating Role of Gender Difference in The Behaviors of Omantel Frontline Service Employees Connecting The Relationship Between Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction

Omantel is a leading telecom operator in Oman, where more recently there have been calls from its customers focusing on service quality to increase customer satisfaction, and organizational profitability. Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1988) SERVQUAL Model did not break down the gender construct into male and female ignoring the gender difference in the behaviors of Frontline Service Employees (FSEs). Therefore, the current study adds this breakdown to their theory. This study is an attempt to investigate whether the gender difference (male and female gender) in the behaviors of FSEs at Omantel outlets in Muscat moderates the relationship between service quality dimensions namely: Tangibles, Responsiveness, Assurance, Empathy, Reliability, Job Requirements, Rapport, and Job Satisfaction and Omantel Customer Satisfaction. The target population for this study consists of 384 subscribers who are used to visit or contact Omantel outlets in Muscat (the capital of Oman), but 328 Omantel subscribers responded to the online questionnaire adapted from SERVQUAL scale and used to reach out the respondents who have been selected using non-probability convenience sampling. Structured questionnaire data was analyzed by SPSS SEM and AMOS. This quantitative research found that the behaviors of both male and female FSEs moderated the relationships between all service quality dimensions where female FSEs moderated these relationships stronger than their counterparts.

Development of service quality model computing ridership of metro rail system using fuzzy system

Gradual increase in the pace of urbanization has brought an increase in demand for rapid transit systems throughout the nation. An increase in traffic congestion on roads has led to the recent advent of the Mass rapid transit system thereby accelerating the commuter's interest to prefer them over the conventional railway system. Over the past few years, rapid transit systems like metros have been trying to maintain a steady count of ridership by attracting new commuters while retaining the existing commuters. Thus, it has become routine for organizations to identify the service parameters that serve as the essence of commuter satisfaction or dissatisfaction by implementing additional necessary changes based on commuter perceptions. The study is focused on the service quality measures adopted by the Chennai metro rail operations which have led them to maintain a steady pace of passengers amidst the pandemic season. The resultant statistical analysis and fuzzy evaluation method are confined to about 74.6% indicating decent fitness of the sample size. The significance value of coach conditioning amenities is 0.002 and the ambiance facility is 0.003, further indicating the need to maintain their service pace. Hospitality facility that accounts for a significance value of about 0.000 needs the most improvement to influence the overall service quality satisfaction of commuters towards improving their ridership statistics.

Creating Customer Loyalty Through Commitment to Quality of Service Model of Brady Cronin

Purpose –This study aims to see how the effect of the service quality of the Brady Cronin model (quality of interaction, quality of the physical environment, quality of results) on customer loyalty directly or indirectly through commitment. Methodology/approaches – This Study used Quantitatif method. The Quistioner were distributing to 200 customers of Bank Nagari in the city of Padang. Findings –It was found that the quality of the interaction and the quality of the physical environment in the service quality of the Brady Cronin model directly affected customer loyalty. Meanwhile, the quality of the results in the service quality of the Brady Cronin model does not directly affect customer loyalty. Indirectly, the three services of the Brady Cronin model of service quality affect customer loyalty through commitment. Novelty/values ​​–The quality of results that do not have a direct effect on loyalty indicates that customers have not got what they want. So it is important for Bank Nagari to improve the quality of results to increase customer loyalty in the future.

A systematic review of library service quality studies: Models, dimensions, research populations and methods

The study systematically reviews the studies based on a search of published articles from 2010 to 2021 on library service quality with the aim of determining which models of service quality are the most commonly used by librarians as a means of measuring service quality. In addition, the paper makes an effort to determine the variety of dimensions by which these qualitative evaluations were carried out, the types of libraries that have reported such qualitative studies, and the data collection strategies (research population, sample size and data collection instruments) adopted by the authors. The findings indicate that the SERVQUAL and LibQual models are the most frequently adopted models. The empathy, reliability, tangible, assurance, responsiveness, effect of library, information control and library as place are the prominent dimensions. The researchers rely heavily on questionnaire-based survey research methods with sample sizes of less than 100 respondents, mostly reported in academic libraries.

Perceptions of employers in South Africa on library and information science graduates’ skills, knowledge and competencies on digital scholarship

The Library and Information Science (LIS) profession is ever evolving partly as a result of the effects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. For instance, new job requirements on digital scholarship have been noted across the LIS profession, especially in the academic and special research council libraries. Based on these changes, employers of LIS graduates expect that LIS graduates from LIS schools possess digital scholarship knowledge and skills as part of their exit attributes. This paper explores the perceptions of employers of LIS graduates on digital scholarship education. A construct from the Gap Service Quality Model was used as the conceptual framework of the study. The paper followed the interpretive philosophical perspective, through employing a qualitative approach to achieve the aim of the study. A multiple case study design using semi-structured interviews was conducted with directors of both academic and special research council libraries. Five directors were selected purposively as their libraries seemed to be on the forefront of digital scholarship initiatives. It was revealed that employers expected LIS qualifications to have content on digital scholarship. The study discovered that employers of digital scholarship librarians expected them to possess knowledge, skills, and competencies on digital scholarship-related activities. The other expectation was that graduates were supposed to be able to navigate digital scholarship activities at a basic level. Employers of digital scholarship librarians also expected graduates to be familiar with research data management and the ecosystem of digital publications. The survey also highlighted certain difficulties LIS employers had when hiring a LIS graduate. The study recommended that LIS schools should recurriculate to include content on digital scholarship. It was also recommended that LIS schools should have short courses on digital scholarship to cater for practising librarians. Librarians must be involved in lifelong learning in order to understand digital scholarship.

Interaction of Customer Satisfaction and Retention of Digital Services: PLS Evidence From Indonesian Sharia Banking

The Indonesian Islamic banking sector has been transformed by integrating technology in banking services to satisfy customers for retention and market share post-COVID-19. This study investigates the impact of Islamic banking digital service quality in post-COVID-19 Indonesia on customer satisfaction and retention. This study applies the construction of an electronic service quality model (E-S-Qual) and a banking service quality model (BSQ) focusing on digital services in Islamic Commercial Banks in Indonesia after the COVID-19 Pandemic. This study uses an explanatory method by collecting survey data from customers of Islamic banks in Indonesia. PLS-SEM analysis tool with SmartPLS tool version 4 to search for hypothetical evidence. This study found the effect of ease of use, efficiency, interoperability, privacy security, responsiveness, reliability, service cost, and service portfolio on ISBC Customer Satisfaction. In addition, among the significance of ISBC Customer Satisfaction on customer retention intention, there is a mediating effect of Islamic financial literacy. Islamic banks need to maintain a digital service system to meet customers' financial needs through quality control of system infrastructure and continuous network maintenance. In addition, the demand for strategies to strengthen new digital services through adding features and promoting the advantages of digital financial services is needed to gain market share in the Indonesian financial market.

Patients’ Satisfaction with Quality Healthcare Services in Omani Public Hospitals: The Moderating Role of the Perceived Risk of Covid 19

The quality of healthcare services becomes more important during crisis, In the event of a COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare scenario is chaotic and confusing owing to the random and unexpected spread of the pandemic. The present study aims to use the SERVQUAL model in measuring the healthcare service quality and patient satisfaction and while the moderation of the perceived risk of COVID 19 between healthcare service quality, Resources availability, Healthcare facility preparedness and patient satisfaction in the public healthcare sector in Oman. The research is based on Expectancy-Disconfirmation Paradigm, Extended Valence Framework, and stakeholders’ theory. In this study, the use of mixed research design the sample size for the quantitative approach is 387 patients selected using probability random sampling and the sample size for the qualitative approach is 8 patients who visited public Omani hospitals during COVID 19 period. The result of the quantitative analysis using SEM and RMSEA results showed a good fit. Only the tangibility dimension of the SERVQUAL model and the resource availability had an insignificant effect on the healthcare quality in Omani public hospitals. The moderation effect of Perceived risk of COVID-19 pandemic between healthcare service quality, Resources availability, Healthcare facility preparedness and patient satisfaction among Omani patients in public hospitals was insignificant. The results of the qualitative analysis indicated that assurance, reliability, responsiveness and empathy were the most important aspects of quality healthcare service. This research adds value for practitioners by providing in depth view of the current status of the patient satisfaction of the public healthcare sector especially during COVID 19 pandemic Keywords: SERVQUAL, healthcare quality, Covid 19, Oman.

Analysis of Exhibition Service Quality Dimensions: a Case in Indonesia

Exhibition management is a complex process which is why it is important to understand the elements of the exhibition that attract potential visitors and exhibitors to create a successful exhibition where there are many visitors and exhibitors. There are many factors, e.g., venue facilities, contractors, ease of access, and recreation around the location that plays an important role that form the basis of a successful exhibition. However, there is no consensus among researchers on this issue. Previous research has different arguments as to which factors are more important, although most agree that overall satisfaction with the quality of exhibition services relates to visitor satisfaction. Visitor satisfaction is hypothetically closely related to the dimensions of SERVQUAL and therefore, this study aims to identify components of service quality extracted from previous research that have a significant influence on the quality of exhibitions and therefore increase the source of revenue for exhibition companies. The unit of analysis in this research are organizer companies and their customers. SPSS software used to analyze data and analyze confirmatory factor analysis using SMART-PLS produces a modified SERVQUAL model which shows that non-tangible has the strongest influence on service quality, followed by cluster effect, other and tangible dimensions. Keywords: service quality, exhibition, servqual, purchase intention, management

Research on service quality evaluation of medical caring and nursing combined institutions for the aged based on interval MTS-grey cloud clustering

The lack of a scientific and complete service quality evaluation system for Medical Caring and Nursing Combined Institutions for the Aged is a critical factor that makes it difficult to improve the quality of their services. Based on the SERVQUAL model, the service quality evaluation index system of Medical Caring and Nursing Combined Institutions for the Aged is constructed from tangibles, security, reliability, responsiveness, and empathy. Considering the ambiguity, randomness, grey characteristics, and the interaction between indicators in the service evaluation process of Medical Caring and Nursing Combined Institutions for the Aged, the interval Mahalanobis-Taguchi system (MTS) is introduced into the grey cloud clustering model, and a service quality evaluation model of the interval MTS— grey cloud clustering is proposed. The Medical Caring and Nursing Combined Institutions for the Aged in four typical cities of Jiangsu Province are taken as examples in this study. Feasibility of the proposed method is verified, and targeted measures are thus proposed to provide stronger support and reference for improving the service quality of these institutions.

A Prophosed Improvement of Service Quality Using Service Quality (Servqual) Model and Flower of Service Model

Abstract. PT Triadi Bersama with the Anteraja brand, is a company engaged in the delivery of goods that serves the delivery of goods or documents to all regions in Indonesia. At one of the Anteraja shipping centers in the Greater Bandung area, located in Sukasari, they often receive complaints from customers. Complaints that occurred in 2018 to 2021 have increased. The number of customer complaints about the poor service provided by Anteraja is very influential on customer confidence in the quality of the delivery provided and also the decreased number of transactions. To identify problems consisting of factors that affect these services and service attributes that need to be identified using the ServQual (ServiceQuality) model and the flower of service model for proposed improvements and then to group the company's services which are the core strength and support for the company's business. Based on calculations performed using the Service Quality model, it can be seen that there are 20 service attributes that determine customer satisfaction with Anteraja's delivery service. The service attribute is based on the TERRA dimension factor. Service attributes that have a negative gap are 5 service attributes whose performance is not in accordance with customer expectations. The five service attributes are given a solution using the flower of service method. This method categorizes services based on three categories, namely core products, additional services that make it easier, and additional services that strengthen by looking at the priorities of the services that must be improved. The proposed improvements are to give sanctions or warnings by superiors to employees who are not honest and act unfairly to customers, also give warnings to employees who are not serious in doing their work, conduct briefings before the store opens, synchronize databases in the warehouse and in the Admin, and provide training to customer service on how to deal with customers
 
 Abstrak. PT Triadi Bersama dengan merek Anteraja, merupakan sebuah perusahaan yang bergerak di bidang pengiriman barang yang melayani pengiriman barang ataupun dokumen keseluruh wilayah di Indonesia. Pada salah salah satu pusat shipping Anteraja area Bandung raya yang berlokasi di Sukasari sering menerima keluhan dari pelanggan. Keluhan yang terjadi pada tahun 2018 sampai tahun 2021 mengalami kenaikan. Banyaknya komplain pelanggan terhadap buruknya pelayanan yang diberikan oleh Anteraja ini sangat berpengaruh terhadap kepercayaan pelanggan terhadap kualitas pengiriman yang diberikan dan juga jumlah transaksi yang menurun. Untuk mengidentifikasi permasalahan yang terdiri dari faktor yang mempengaruhi pelayanan tersebut dan atribut pelayanan yang perlu diidentifikasi dengan menggunakan model ServQual (ServiceQuality) dan model flower of service untuk usulan perbaikannya lalu untuk mengelempokkan layanan perusahaan yang menjadi kekuatan inti dan pendukung bisnis perusahaan. Berdasarkan perhitungan yang dilakukan menggunakan model Service Quality dapat diketahui bahwa terdapat 20 atribut pelayanan yang menentukan kepuasan pelanggan jasa pengirimana Anteraja. Atribut pelayanan tersebut berdasarkan faktor dimensi TERRA. Atribut pelayanan yang memiliki gap negatif yaitu ada 5 atribut pelayanan yang kinerjanya tidak sesuai dengan harapan pelanggan. Kelima atribut pelayanan tersebut diberikan solusi dengan menggunakan metode flower of service. Metode ini mengkategorikan pelayanan berdasarkan tiga kategori yaitu produk inti, layanan tambahan yang mempermudah, dan layanan tambahan yang memperkuat dengan melihat prioritas dari layanan yang harus diperbaiki tersebut. Usulan perbaikan yang diberikan adalah memberikan sanksi atau teguran oleh atasan kepada karyawan yang tidak bersikap jujur dan berlaku tidak adil kepada pelanggan, juga memberikan teguran kepada karyawan yang tidak serius dalam mengerjakan pekerjaannya, melakukan briefing sebelum toko di buka, mensinkronisasikan database yang ada di Gudang dan yang ada di Admin, dan memberikan pelatihan kepada customer service tentang cara menghadapi pelanggan.

Effect of healthcare workers’ personalities on health service quality: A case study of hospitals on the Malaysia-Indonesia border

The personality of healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, and any employee who directly provide supportive services to a patient, is vital in health service quality, contributing to the hospital’s brand image. Malaysia has successfully built that brand image attracting many Indonesians to have health treatment in this country. This study aims to examine the effect of healthcare workers’ personalities on health service quality at Malaysian hospitals. The study adopted the Big Five Traits and SERVQUAL models to measure healthcare workers’ personalities and health service quality. One hundred respondents from the families in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, who had health treatment in Malaysia, were selected to respond to the statements based on a Likert scale. The regression model was employed in data analysis in which the healthcare worker’s personality was an independent variable, and health service quality was a dependent variable. The regression test results show that agreeableness and emotional stability positively and significantly influenced health service quality at the 5% level, with each coefficient of 0.332 and 0.701. Due to less varied responses, conscientiousness, extraversion, and openness to experience did not significantly influence health service quality. That was supported by the high average index of health workers’ personalities (4.14) and hospital services (4.27), indicating that the respondents agreed with healthcare workers’ excellent personalities and health service quality in Malaysia. Each indicator in healthcare workers’ personalities also significantly correlated with each indicator in health service quality. Acknowledgment The authors thank the Faculty of Economics and Business, Tanjungpura University, for funding this study.

Understanding Online Reviews in All-Inclusive Hotels Servicescape: A Fuzzy Set Approach

ABSTRACT The concept of all-inclusive (AI) hotel service is complex and multidimensional; grounded on the SERVQUAL model, this research aims to identify the main components of AI service that moderate online ratings. Aside from the dimensions comprised in the SERVQUAL model, this research discusses price, place, and experiences as essential components in AI hotel ratings. This research was applied in the Algarve, a mature sun and sea destination with more than thirty all-inclusive hotels in operation since 2008. A fuzzy set qualitative analysis (fsQCA) approach is used from 6742 validated reviews of four- and five-star all-inclusive hotels retrieved from TripAdvisor between August 2003 and April 2019. Single constructs in the AI ecosystem have no impact as a rating enhancer on TripAdvisor, with two or more constructs necessary to trigger the goal. This research also contributes by applying a fuzzy set approach to the extracted user-generated content (UGC) regarding AI hotels on TripAdvisor and revealing the necessary and sufficient conditions through the identified constructs that most contribute to high online ratings.

Assessing the Quality of Educational Services from the Viewpoint of Clinical Teachers and Medical Students Using SERVQUAL Model

Background: One of the basic steps in improving the quality of health programs is to evaluate it from the viewpoint of beneficiaries. SERVQUAL is a model that is very effective in evaluating the quality of services. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess viewpoint of clinical teachers and medical students about the quality of educational services provided based on the SERVQUAL model in 2018. Methods: This research was descriptive-analytical and 80 medical students and clinical teachers of Shahid Beheshti Teaching Hospital in Kashan participated in it. Data collection tool was SERVQUAL standard questionnaire including 22 items and a 7-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16 software and descriptive and inferential statistics (t-test) (P ≤ 0.05). Results: The expectations (optimal status) of the participants in the total score of service quality and all its dimensions were significantly higher than their perceptions (current status) (P < 0.001). In other words, from the viewpoint of individuals in all dimensions of quality and their total score, there is a gap that the most significant quality gap in the guarantee dimension (-2.91 ± 1.34), and the lowest in the empathy dimension (-1.54 ± 2.02). The mean gap between the total expectations and perceptions score and its dimensions from the viewpoint of women was higher than men but was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). There was also a significant relationship between the service quality gap and individuals' educational levels (P < 0.05). Conclusions: In all aspects of the quality of educational services, there was a negative gap (failure to meet expectations) between expectations and their perception, and this gap was greater in dimension of confidence. The observed differences between the five dimensions of quality should be used as a guide for planning and resource allocation.

Banking service quality literature: a bibliometric review and future research agenda

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to perform a meta-bibliometric analysis of the banking service quality and to provide various research streams. Another goal is to provide future research questions to explore these areas in more detail.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used three major academic databases (Scopus, ProQuest and EBSCO) from 1980–2021 and found 226 papers, where they performed the meta-bibliometric analysis by performing co-citation analysis, co-authorship analysis, cartographic analysis and content analysis.FindingsThe SERVQUAL model is the most used conceptual framework and model to study banking service quality. Structural equation modeling (SEM), followed by partial least squares SEM, is a majorly used method. There are three research streams in the literature: retail banking service quality, internet banking service quality and mobile banking service quality. Retail banking is the most studied stream, whereas mobile banking is the least studied stream. The study on banking service quality was initially conducted in developed markets, and later in emerging markets. All three streams have scope for further exploration, and hence, 44 future research questions have also been proposed.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has implications for bank managers, academicians and future researchers.Originality/valueThis study is unique in that it examines the meta-bibliometric dimensions of banking service quality and provides directions for future research for academicians and researchers.

Service Quality of Teaching Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Student’s Satisfaction in Nigeria

Technical, Vocational, Education and Training (TVET) has been identified as an effective strategy for improving socio-economic development of both developing and developed nations. This study aims at assessing the student’s experience of service quality of TVET in the Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, Nigeria. The study reviewed concept of service quality and TVET, reviewed of previous findings from related studies and adopted SERVQUAL model as framework for the study. The population of the study comprised of about 10,250 student during 2021/2022 academic session. Data collected were analysed through descriptive and inferential statistics. The study discovered that physical facilities, comfortable classroom, adequate academic resources and appearance of physical facilities are highly ranked tangibility. Lecturer’s good knowledge, lecturer’s politeness and security measures are highly ranked in assurance and support staff fairness, lecturers sincere interest on student and lecturer’s teaching capability are highly ranked reliability. Also, lecturer’s adequate capacity, treatment of complaints by student and support staff availability are highly ranked responsiveness and, polytechnic fair treatment, support staff attention to students and lecturer’s support to individual students are highly ranked empathy. Therefore, the study concluded that students are experiencing service quality of TVET.

Energy efficient resource allocation method for 5G access network based on reinforcement learning algorithm

Edge computing and IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) are two representative application scenarios in 5G (5th Generation) mobile communication technology network. Therefore, this paper studies the resource allocation methods for these two typical scenarios, and proposes an energy-efficient resource allocation method by using DRL algorithm, which enhances the network performance and reduces the network operation cost. Firstly, according to the characteristics of edge computing, taking the connection relationship between base stations, users and the transmission power allocated by base stations to users as decision variables, minimizing the overall energy efficiency as the goal, and taking the needs of mobile users as constraints, a resource allocation model for user quality of service (QoS) guarantee is designed. Secondly, simulation experiments are used to verify that the proposed method has faster training speed and convergence speed, ensures the quality-of-service requirements of mobile users, and realizes intelligent and energy-saving resource allocation. The approximate amounts of steps to convergence under four cases are 500, 350, 250, and 220, respectively, and the values of awards are 21.76, 21.09, 20.38, and 20.25, respectively. Thirdly, aiming at the IIoT environment scenario, this paper proposes a resource allocation method for 5G wide connection low delay services based on asynchronous dominant action evaluation algorithm (A3C). Firstly, according to the characteristics of IIoT environment, taking the connection relationship between base stations and users and the transmission power allocated by base stations to users as decision variables and maximizing energy efficiency while satisfying needs of each user as optimization goal, a resource allocation model for 5G wide connection low delay services is designed. On this basis, an energy-efficient resource allocation method according to A3C is proposed. The hierarchical aggregation clustering algorithm (HAC) is adopted to determine the connection relationship between the base station and users, and the A3C algorithm is adopted to allocate transmission power to users, so as to maximize the overall energy efficiency and ensure the needs of each user.