Document Type

Theses, Masters

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Available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International Licence

Publication Details

Successfully submitted for the award of Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) to the Technological University Dublin, August, 1999.

Abstract

In a business environment where change is the only constant, companies must direct their attention to activities that will make their offerings excellent. The attainment of service excellence is a very prominent theme in the literature on services marketing. However, while the benefits of programs to achieve this status are unquestionable, there are in fact very few service companies that are regarded as excellent in the market place. Therefore the main objective is to determine how a company manages the activities towards achieving service excellence. The foundations of the primary research lie in both the literature on change management and service excellence. The approach taken to the research is qualitative in nature; more specifically the end result takes the format of a case study. The primary research involves in depth interviews with a company that is highly regarded by both customers and competitors. Informants include employees, ranging from top management to frontline employees. The secondary research includes the literature review, an examination of company reports and in addition articles and projects written in various electronic and print media. The results are discussed in relation to the themes that were deemed to be important, having conducted the literature search. The findings of the study highlight the progress made by the business unit of An Post (The Irish Postal Service) called Special Distribution Services (SDS). The SDS story demonstrates how a company can move from being a lost-making venture, to market leader. It is a story of commitment and leadership that has reaped the rewards of embracing change.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21427/D7FS6F

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