Quality assurance in higher education : a managerial perspective at a university of technology

Increasing customer demand for quality products and services have virtuallyforced organisations to adopt quality in every aspect of their business enterprises.Due to dynamic technological, political and economic changes in the world ofbusiness, the science of management is volatile. Higher Education Institutions areservice providers and the customers thereof should be the focal point of theirexistence, requiring very specific structures to manage service quality within thevarious areas of application.After extensive research on customer complaint behaviours, the value of customercomplaints have been highlighted, as it leads to useful insight into critical aspectspertaining to service organisations. Some customers 'pre-plan' complaints, andthis act has been labeled as 'faked complaints'. This may lead to the organisationobtaining an image of service failure, however this is not a true representation ofthe organisation, thus impacting adversely on the efficiency of the organisation.The primary research objectives of this study are the following:~ To identify key drivers underpinning complaints at the Cape PeninsulaUniversity ofTechnology (CPUT), in terms of service delivery.IV~ To determine if management has a strategic focus on the quality of service tostudents at CPUT.~ To demonstrate the impact that management has on the quality of servicedelivery.~ To improve customer service at CPUT by minimizing complaints.It is anticipated that the research will lead to an improvement in the current stateof service delivery at CPUT. By identifying and providing possible solutions tocustomer complaints and addressing problem areas, the research in additionshould lead to improved communication between departments and communicationbetween CPUT and its customers (students).