Description
A skill is the learned ability to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. In other words the abilities that one possesses. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills.
Bachelor Thesis Spring 2008-06-05 Supervisor: Gert-Olof Boström Authors: Emma Spetz Laurence Butler
The influence of People
- The Service Marketing benefits of training
Abstract
In the past years the competition in the restaurant trade in Umeå is increasing. There is more choice for the customers and thereby the restaurants have to work harder to attract customers. One way is to Market themselves differently. In this research we are studying one way of diversifying Service Marketing, namely through people. Especially in the restaurant sector the frontline employee is an essential part of the service. We argue that by improving the Internal Marketing a business can ensure, through Human Resource Management, to have a service-minded and customeroriented workforce, motivated to deliver Service Quality. Further, by strengthening the Internal Branding the workforce will work in unity with the internal and external brand, being more willing and committed to deliver high quality services. We aim to find that through having well trained frontline employees the customer will know a difference and have a better experience when visiting the restaurant. Three restaurants in the Umeå market have been chosen for our study. To collect data from these restaurants we have conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews. The contributions of this study were that training, and especially learning by doing and experience, is crucial in learning ones job according to the respondents. Also that having a good balance between having standard procedures and employee empowerment could improve the Service Quality through reliability in the service delivery. Last but not least, a concept of Reciprocal Commitment was developed showing the importance of a business investing in the employee, training being part of that investment, to get the employee to invest his/her time and commitment in the business. Through this study we have developed a model showing the influence and benefits of training in the selected restaurants. We have realised that training is not the only way, but plays an important role in Marketing through people.
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 7 1.1 Background ........................................................................................................... 7 1.2 Research Problem ................................................................................................. 9 1.3 Purpose .................................................................................................................. 9 2. Theory ........................................................................................................................... 10 2.1 Service Marketing ............................................................................................... 10 2.1.2 People ........................................................................................................... 11 2.1.3 The Gap Model ............................................................................................ 11 2.1.4 Internal Marketing ....................................................................................... 12 2.1.5 Internal Branding ......................................................................................... 13 2.1.6 Service Marketing theory conclusion .......................................................... 14 2.2 Human Resource Management ........................................................................... 14 2.2.1 Corporate Culture as a competitive tool ...................................................... 15 2.2.2 Service Quality in the HRM context............................................................ 16 2.2.3 Training as an HR tool ................................................................................. 17 2.2.4 Human Resource Management theory conclusion ...................................... 18 2.3 Model .................................................................................................................. 19 3. Methodology ................................................................................................................. 21 3.1 Preconceptions .................................................................................................... 21 3.2 View of reality and knowledge ........................................................................... 21 3.3 Research strategy ................................................................................................ 23 3.4 Scientific approach.............................................................................................. 23 3.5 Research design and method for data collection................................................. 24 3.6 Choice of subject................................................................................................. 26 3.7 Choice of sources ................................................................................................ 26 3.8 Presentation of Restaurants and Respondents..................................................... 27 3.8.1 Bishops Arms ............................................................................................... 27 3.8.2 Pipes of Scotland.......................................................................................... 28 3.8.3 E-Pub............................................................................................................ 28 3.9 Conducting the interviews and treating the data ................................................. 29 3.10 Literature search and criticism .......................................................................... 30 4. Empirical data and Analysis ......................................................................................... 31 4.1 Quickly looking back .......................................................................................... 31 4.2 What is training according to the respondents? .................................................. 31 4.3 Revised Model .................................................................................................... 32 4.4 Service Marketing analysis ................................................................................. 34 4.5 Internal Marketing analysis................................................................................. 35 4.6 Internal Branding among respondents ................................................................ 37 4.6.1 Influences of training on IB ......................................................................... 40 4.6.2 Training Corporate Culture to strengthen IB ............................................... 41 4.6.3 IB concluded ................................................................................................ 43 4.7 The outcomes of training .................................................................................... 44 4.7.1 Added Confidence ....................................................................................... 44 4.7.2 Empowerment .............................................................................................. 44 4.7.3 Motivation .................................................................................................... 45 3
4.7.4 Employee Satisfaction ................................................................................. 46 4.7.5 Experience.................................................................................................... 46 4.8 Training’s effects on Service Quality ................................................................. 47 4.8.1 Increasing reliability through standards and routines .................................. 49 4.9 Closing The Customer Gap ................................................................................. 50 4.9.1 Recovery and fair treatment ......................................................................... 51 4.10 The importance of “willpower” ........................................................................ 51 4.11 Our realisation of the empirical data................................................................. 51 5. Discussion and Conclusions ......................................................................................... 53 5.1 Discussing the purposes of the study .................................................................. 53 5.1.1 Sub-purpose 1: The importance of training ................................................. 53 5.1.2 Sub-purpose 2: Subsequent affect on Service Quality ................................. 53 5.1.3 Sub-purpose 3: Subsequent affect on The Customer Gap ........................... 54 5.1.4 Main purpose: Training’s subsequent affect on Service Marketing ............ 54 5.2 Internal Branding ................................................................................................ 54 5.2.1 Mutually accepted values............................................................................. 54 5.2.2 Full Time Vs Part Time ............................................................................... 55 5.2.3 Motivate Brand commitment ....................................................................... 56 5.2.4 IB realisation within SM .............................................................................. 56 5.2.5 Concluding IB .............................................................................................. 56 5.3 Internal Marketing .............................................................................................. 57 5.3.1 Training can improve SQ through IM ......................................................... 58 5.4 Service Marketing ............................................................................................... 58 5.5 Service Quality and The Customer Gap ............................................................. 59 5.6 Contribution and theory development ................................................................ 61 5.6.1 Experience counts as training ...................................................................... 61 5.6.2 Reciprocal Commitment .............................................................................. 61 5.6.3 Brand Modification ...................................................................................... 62 5.6.4 Balance between Standardisation and Empowerment ................................. 62 5.7 Further studies..................................................................................................... 62 6. Quality criteria .............................................................................................................. 63 6.1 Limitations .......................................................................................................... 63 6.2 Trustworthiness ................................................................................................... 64 6.2.1 Credibility and Respondent Validation (Internal Validity) ......................... 64 6.2.2 Transferability (External Validity) .............................................................. 64 6.2.3 Dependability (Reliability) .......................................................................... 64 6.2.4 Confirmability (Objectivity) ........................................................................ 64 6.3 Authenticity......................................................................................................... 65 6.3.1 Fairness ........................................................................................................ 65 6.4 Overall quality judgements ................................................................................. 65 7. List of References ......................................................................................................... 66 7.1 Literature ............................................................................................................. 66 7.2 Scientific articles................................................................................................. 67 7.3 Electronic sources ............................................................................................... 68 7.4 Oral sources ........................................................................................................ 69 Appendix A ....................................................................................................................... 70 4
A.1 English interview manual................................................................................... 70 A.2 English closed-questions questionnaire ............................................................. 72 A.3 Swedish interview manual ................................................................................. 73 A.4 Swedish closed-questions questionnaire ............................................................ 75 Appendix B ....................................................................................................................... 76 B.1 Quotes in original language................................................................................ 76
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List of Figures
Figure 1. The Management of Frontline employees in delivering Service Quality.......... 19 Figure 2 A development of the Management of Frontline employees in delivering Service Quality............................................................................................................................... 33
List of Tables
Table 1. Respondents at Bishops Arms ............................................................................ 28 Table 2. Respondents at Pipes of Scotland ....................................................................... 28 Table 3. Respondents at E-Pub ......................................................................................... 29
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1. Introduction
In this chapter we endeavour to give an outline of our research area and why we feel it is relevant in the specific context of the restaurant sector in Umeå. The chapter will give examples of existing knowledge in Human Resource Management and Service Marketing and the importance of the combination of both within a business context.
1.1 Background
It is widely known that if there is a market for a product or service then market-actors will come into the market until it is saturated and then those less profitable will drop out thus creating equilibrium (Perloff, 2007 p. 26). The idea is of course just supply and demand theory; with more restaurants opening up customers have more choice and therefore businesses must differentiate themselves from others. Whether it is through different dinning concepts (e.g. fast food versus fine dining and everything in between) or through different marketing tools such as product/service branding, Service Quality (SQ), convenience and as mentioned product/service differentiation. As well as the traditional marketing mix of the 4 P’s and the extended Service Marketing Mix of 7 P’s; product, price, promotion, placement, people, process and physical evidence (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 25-26). There is evidence that the restaurant trade is growing, and thereby the competition, in Umeå Sweden is increasing (Restauratören, 2008) and as such if restaurants do not want to go out of business they must market themselves more competitively. Marketing competitively can be done in many different forms, but the real difference, we argue, must lay in the quality of service provided by the frontline employee. Expressions like “the provider is the service” and “Employees frequently are the service” (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 26, 255) is especially so in the restaurant sector where the service experience is just as important as the food itself (Williford, 2005). Internal Marketing (IM) has been the realisation of the important role the employee has in the service sector. Thus by utilising HRM to maintain a consistent customer oriented workforce, i.e. to strengthen IM, a service firm can develop a more customer conscious employee giving better Service Quality (Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2006). Researchers like Nilsson et al. (2001), Edvardsson and Gustavsson (2003) among many others have made studies on the relationship between Service Quality, perceived value and customer satisfaction and its affect on profitability. Service Quality can be defined in many different ways, but a commonly accepted definition is “that it represents the discrepancy between customers’ expectations and their perceptions of the service performance” (Jackie, 2004). Therefore, by closing the gap between the customers’ expectations and the actual service delivery will consequently increase the Service Quality. As suggested by Schneider (a.2004) one of the most important aspects of a service is reliability, meaning that the customer knows what to expect and can expect to get it. Consistency between one occasion to another and between one employee to another increases the reliability and is integrated in the concept of Service Quality and essential in the Corporate Culture (CC) (Nilsson et al., 2001). 7
Within a business it is very important to see the value of Corporate Culture whatever the size or type of the business. As such the business should develop it, from the simple matter of a company mission statement so employees and customers alike have an understanding of what the business stands for, to training manuals for front line staff to enforce working for a common goal. Employees often adapt to the Corporate Culture from their experiences within the firm whether by interaction with superiors or company training. Good training schemes within a firm are a vital part of strengthening CC and are an inevitable feature that can improve the speed and reliability of a firm (Cline, 2007). Corporate Culture can be further discussed as being inseparable from the HRM function and thus the management of employees. CC can be further argued by considering the importance of being fair to employees and the consequential spill-over to customers. The spill-over effect is especially evident in the service sector because of the contact between frontline employees and customers. It is also considered more sensitive because the frontline employee is part of what is purchased by the customer (Bowen et al., 1999). For example the customer at a bank expects the bank clerks to be helpful and courteous and if they are not the customer may use this as a factor to change banks. If the bank clerks are fairly treated by their employer there is a greater chance of that courteousness spilling over to the customer. According to Bowen et al. (1999) there is also substantial research showing a correlation between employees perception of HRM fairness and employees acceptance of HRM actions. That is, an employee is likely to accept HR managers’ performance appraisals if the process is seen to be done in fair manner. Likewise the fair training of staff may improve the service through a degree of standardisation as well as fostering a commitment to the company. Internal competencies have been given more focus in recent years. This due to the fact that HRM has in general over the past ten years utilized a more strategic approach (Schneider a.2004). One of the strategic changes is the focus on internal competencies, namely the workers, as opposed to the external demands, the customers (Wright et al., 2001). We argue that one such strategic move can be seen as the value of marketing frontline employees through training, motivation, recruiting and employee satisfaction. In the service industry, unlike the production industry, the employee is often the essence of the offer. This is supported by Grönroos (1990 p. 27) saying: “A service is an activity or series of activities of more or less intangible nature that normally, but not necessarily, take place in interactions between the customer and service employee and/or physical resources or goods and/or systems of the service provider, which are provided as solutions to customer problems.” Wright et al. (2001) also posits that in order to use workers as a competitive advantage they must be skilled and motivated. We therefore argue that in the service sector the frontline employee is the main concern when reaching the customer and their expectation of the service. With these arguments in mind we decided to focus on the employees in our search for a strategic Service Marketing (SM) tool. 8
1.2 Research Problem
As mentioned earlier, in the context of a restaurant the waiter/bartender is included in the offered package. HRM and IM is thereby an important means for a restaurant’s success. We argue that by training the frontline employees, as one of the functions of HRM, the quality of the services can be improved leading to improved customer satisfaction. Further, that through training of staff, a service sector business can better influence its’ position in the marketplace, thus the importance of Service Marketing is realised. Therefore this research will focus on the frontline employee i.e. waiter/barperson, and emphasise the importance of the training they receive in relation to marketing the restaurant. With the growing competition in the restaurant market in Umeå, we argue that the importance of training and its effect on Service Marketing should be better realised, which leads us to the following research question: In what ways are training beneficial to Service Marketing, in terms of Service Quality and Internal Branding?
1.3 Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyse the use of training as a tool to improve Service Marketing in the setting of certain restaurants in Umeå, Sweden. To be able to fulfil this aim, the purpose can be divided into the following sub-purposes: • How important is training, and in what areas is it important? • How does training affect the Service Quality? • In what way does training influence The Customer Gap? • And thus the main purpose of whether training can improve Internal Branding and Service Quality as tools of Service Marketing in the selected restaurants.
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2. Theory
In the theory chapter the reader will have the chance to get an overview of existing theories and earlier studies relevant for this research. These theories will be presented and discussed in the light of the research context and their contribution to the study. The main areas of interest are Service Marketing, Internal Branding (IB) and Human Resource Management (HRM) which are well known areas within the business administration framework. This chapter will present the theories from which to proceed with the empirical data. The structure of the theory will follow a funnel approach in that we show the development of different grounded theories relating to the research topic. The intention being that the wider areas of each section are narrowed down to the influences of the training and its benefits.
2.1 Service Marketing
There are many definitions of what a service is; as well as contention to marketing being different for goods and services. First we will assume, as does Vargo and Lusch (2004), that in today’s world there is very little difference between the two. Under the traditional marketing mix banner for products there has been the 4 P’s: • Product • Price • Place • Promotion. Whereas for the marketing of services this increases to 7 P’s now also including: • People • Process • Physical Evidence (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 25-26). Service Marketing can therefore be seen as the standard approach to marketing of a service firm rather than a product, where the traditional approach is the 4 P’s (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 25-26). Other than these factors in the marketing mix, there is an argument for why marketing for products and services is different; these revolve around the issues of intangibility, heterogeneity, inseparability and perishability. Intangibility is seen as the lack of physical presence of what is purchased, an example of this could be a holiday; the consumer is not given a physical object but rather sold an experience. Heterogeneity is the assumption that no service is the same thus cannot be repeated in the same manner unlike goods, for example a bottle of mineral water. Inseparability is the belief that the service by definition cannot be taken home, it cannot be separated. Finally perishability is where the service cannot be reused, saved or stored by the customer, once the holiday is over you cannot take the plane home with you (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 25-26). Service Marketing is therefore seen as a very wide concept and which covers a number of areas still to be discussed.
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2.1.2 People For the purposes of this study and in a general context we see the most important of the 7 P’s are the People. A frontline employee will in this study refer to any worker who is in contact with the customer on a regular basis. This assumption is in accordance with Zeithaml’s et al. (2006 p. 258) definition saying that frontline service employees “provide a link between the external customer and environment and the internal operations of the organisation.” Schneider (b.2004) discusses the concept of Service Management incorporating many disciplines, those being: Marketing, Operation Management and Human Resource Management. Schneider (b.2004) argues that most literature focuses on the delivery of services; the frontline staff’s ability to deliver the service. Going on to say that through assessing Service Quality, the most important aspect of service delivery is reliability; consistently giving the promised service to the customer. We can therefore see Service Quality as being a convincing key to competitive advantage in the given market. Therefore higher levels of Service Quality will inevitably return higher levels of customer satisfaction, leading to increased sales and customer loyalty. 2.1.3 The Gap Model Service Quality is amplified by Zeithaml et al. (1988) as they introduce The Conceptual Model of Service Quality. Later developed to, The Gap Model of Service Quality (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 33-43, 46) which views services in a structured and integrated manner. The model consists of five gaps. 1. The Customer Gap: the difference between the expected service and the perceived service. 2. Provider Gap 1: Not knowing what the customer expects. 3. Provider Gap 2: Not selecting the right service design and standards. 4. Provider Gap 3: Not delivering to service designs and standards. 5. Provider Gap 4: Not matching performance to promise Each Provider Gap influences the Service Quality; The Customer Gap being the main objective. As every customer is different it is very hard to know their expected level of service. It is therefore the job of the Provider Gaps to lessen the differences in the Customer Gap and thus give the correct level of service, or adequate service. The four Provider Gaps serve as a blueprint as to discovering where companies are not attaining the right level of service. Whether it is management’s misguided opinion of what the customer wants; to giving false promises from their external marketing campaigns. All these can be factors influencing the mindset of the customer and the difference between the perceived and expected level of service. The theory being that communication and control processes implemented in organisations to manage employees will decrease The Customer Gap (Zeithaml et al., 1988; Zeithaml et al., 2006). Grönroos (1990) also discusses the Gap Model where expected service is a function of: • Word of Mouth Communication • Personal Needs • Past Experience 11
The perceived service is the outcome of the series of events in which the Provider Gaps are made as small as possible when compared with the expected service of the customer
(Grönroos, 1990 p. 58).
Most notably is the distinction that Gap 2 and 3 are directly related to HRM. Gap 2 relates to the difference between service design and performance standards. An example of this could be the influence of inadequate systems of training in place (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 38). That is operational standards of the company may not have been developed to accommodate incidents as and when they occur. Gap 3 as the implementation of operational standards by the employees relating to the training given. Or as Zeithaml et al. (2006 p. 39) state; “the discrepancy between development of customer-driven service standards and actual service performance by the company employees.” Therefore we see that both gaps 2 and 3 can be considered as HRM related issues. The Gap Model is considered as a relevant part of delivering a quality service to the customer, and is used to realise the significance of training as a tool in lessening The Customer Gap. 2.1.4 Internal Marketing We can further argue that the frontline employee is the fundamental building block for any service company and therefore the importance of distinguishing this within the context of Service Marketing. As expressed by Zeithaml et al. (2006) when a service is purchased it is most often the case that it is the frontline employee that is being bought rather than the service itself. Therefore if a company is to be successful in Service Marketing it must recognise the importance of Internal Marketing (Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2006). Internal Marketing has many definitions. We have chosen two to depict our understanding; “IM is the accumulation and application of functions and tools aimed at the formation and maintenance of a consistent, efficient, effective and customer orientated workforce. These objectives are achieved through the communication with and attraction, retention, motivation, education and management of suitable employees” (Mahnert and Torres, 2007). Or more simply put, “A complex combination of strategies needed to ensure that service employees are willing and able to deliver quality service and that they stay motivated to perform in customer-oriented, service-minded ways” (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 366). Internal Marketing can therefore be perceived as treating employees as internal customers, serving them through development, motivation, quality recruitment and the attractiveness of working for the company (Berry and Parasuraman, 1992). A present day example of this could be the willingness of a prospective employee wanting to work for an environmentally friendly firm, with promotional prospects and excellent training schemes. According to Berry and Parasuraman (1992) there are seven factors that are essential to Internal Marketing. The most significant is preparing people to perform, which is considered as the service that enhances the other six factors in their model crucial to Internal Marketing. They see that most frontline employees are unprepared as they have 12
received too little training or incorrect training. Alternatively they are taught the technical skills but not the practical knowledge to conduct the job correctly (Berry and Parasuraman, 1992). An example from a restaurant could be that a waiter is taught how to carry five plates, but cannot explain the menu, thus not being able to complete their job competently; both from the customer and employers’ perspective. Other factors discussed in their paper is the common mistakes companies make such as not realising that training is an ongoing process, believing that specific training programmes are adequate. They also state that training builds confidence and is a driving force for service employees as well as improving self-esteem (Berry and Parasuraman, 1992). We agree that IM is a significant business instrument used in influencing the Service Quality and reducing The Customer Gap as shown later in Figure 1. 2.1.5 Internal Branding Following Berry and Parasuraman (1992), more modern literature (Punjaisri and Wilson, 2007) discusses the concepts of Corporate Branding and Internal Branding. IB is a tool within IM which relates to achieving consistency with the external brand and encourage brand commitment, including the internal communication in order to generate and sustain the internal brand (Mahnert and Torres, 2007). This new age of thinking has raised the crucial role that employees play in marketing a firm. Part of Corporate Branding concerns multiple stakeholders interacting within an organisation and the attitudes and behaviours of employees in delivering the brand promise to external stakeholders. Therefore realising the central role of the frontline employee and Internal Branding as the process by which behaviour of employees is aligned with brand value (Punjaisri and Wilson, 2007). The core objective of IB is the attainment of competitive advantage through people (Jacobs, 2003). Frontline employees therefore are rapidly being realised as the essential part of a service to the customer, thus customers’ perceptions of the brand/firm are being maintained and influenced by the Service Quality. The frontline-staff consequently embodies the service brand in the consumers’ eyes, as the frontline employee is the point of contact for the consumer (Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2006). IM and IB has been the realisation of the important role the employee has in the service sector. Thus by utilising HRM a service firm can develop a more customer conscious employee giving better Service Quality (Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2006). IB therefore comes within the dimensions of IM which consequentially can be seen as the continuation of our funnel approach to this theory section. We can also couple all these factors mentioned with Grönroos (2002) argument of the distinct changes in the conceptualisation of Marketing. In that it is no longer the 4 P’s to which marketers should live by, but rather a combination of an “interactive process in the social context where relationship building and management is a vital cornerstone.” And that Service Marketing has significantly demonstrated the 4 P’s as an outdated marketing theory. This therefore gives credence to our argumentation that people, or frontline-staff are just one aspect, yet a major one, when marketing a business, specifically the restaurant sector. Consequently we can distinguish the importance in Internal Marketing,
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Human Resource Management and Internal Branding as subdivision of Service Marketing and hence the effects on frontline employees.
2.1.6 Service Marketing theory conclusion It is therefore clear that to overcome many of the issues involved in reducing The Customer Gap, it is necessary to set standards through training for the frontline employees. So that no matter who serves the customer or even if at a different site the standard of service is the same. We argue that this is most significant in impacting on the customer, thus realising the importance of Marketing through frontline employees and as a result the implication of SM, IB, IM and HRM, as seen later in Figure 1. The Customer Gap, as shown from the theories discussed above, is an intensely complicated concept to overcome, with many different elements to transform the customer experience into what they expect. Research however shows that trained, satisfied employees are more likely to deliver consistent Service Quality, which in turn is a significant influence on the customers’ expectations and satisfaction (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 356; Berry and Parasuraman, 1992). However at a practical level there is only a modest amount of companies that have realised the potential role of HRM in strategic staff practices influencing the brand experience. Rather, that most firms reserve HR to communication support instead of the benefits of influencing the Corporate Culture and brand philosophy (Mosley, 2007). Marketing literature is rooted in the belief that communications are the main source and solution for all organisational problems. It tends to restrict the role of HR to communicating the brand values, rather than being the source of such values and the driver of key aspects of strategy (Mosley, 2007). This therefore leads on to the important role of HRM as a tool used by IM and thus the affects on IB, SQ and The Customer Gap.
2.2 Human Resource Management
HRM is the function within an organisation that is responsible for all dimensions regarding employees. The aim of this organisational function is, according to Bratton and Gold (2007 p. 19) “to improve employee performance and to enhance the organizational effectiveness.” A general definition of HRM, adopted by Torbiörn (Scullion and Linehan 2005 p. 51), is that it is a strategic approach to employment management aiming at getting the highest competitive advantage out of the workforce. Gold and Bratton (2007 p. 49) define a four-task model representing the core activities for HRM. They include; • Making sure that the company has the right number of employees hiring • Keeping the right kind and best employees in the company • That those employees hold the right skills and knowledge • That they act in accordance with the CC • That they meet the organisational needs 14
This is partly achieved through successful Internal Marketing (Grönroos, 2000 p. 342). Similar to this characterisation of the HR functions Fombrun et al. (1984 p. 41) identifies four categories included in their responsibility; selection, appraisal, rewards and development. The strategies used to implement the functions mentioned in the above paragraph are commonly divided into different models. One side of the spectrum sees people as capital and focuses on controlling and monitoring the workers. This view is often referred to as the human capital theory. The other softer side places more focus on utilizing and developing individual capabilities and strengths. This approach, the developmental humanistic approach, considers training as employee empowerment (Bratton and Gold, 2007 p. 53-56, 313-314). The approach that will be adopted by the company partly depends on the Corporate Culture. 2.2.1 Corporate Culture as a competitive tool Corporate Culture is commonly defined as the set of values, direction and purpose adopted within the firm. Or as Bratton and Gold (2007 p. 18) expresses the concept: “the basic set of shared beliefs, values and norms that represents the unique character of an organization” that guides the management behaviour. Furthermore, in a service context service culture can be defined as “a culture where an appreciation for good service exists, and where giving good service to internal as well as ultimate, external customer is considered a natural way of life and one of the most important norms by everyone.” (Grönroos, 2000 p. 244) The definition that will be adopted in this research is that CC influences everything the firm does and aims for. It contains values, goals and objectives and will affect the business strategy as well as the approach and should appreciate good service internally as well as externally. As Berry and Parasuraman (1992) explains that a strong corporate vision functions as guidelines for employees. In other words, a strong Corporate Culture enforces the employees to work towards the corporate vision and values. The CC is thereby an essential part of any business and should be well known by everyone within the company. Hence, the CC should be aligned with the internal and external brand. A well recognised Corporate Culture can create several competitive advantages. One advantage is working together for the same goal which will improve the process of reaching the aim and fulfilling the goals. Training is one distribution channel to put across these aims and values and is easier to achieve through good Internal Marketing. Another competitive advantage of a strong Corporate Culture is the distribution channel to customers through the frontline employee. As stated earlier the frontline employee is the company brand in the customers’ eyes (Papasolomou, 2006). By recognising this fact, the Corporate Culture, i.e. the aims and values of the company, could be communicated to the customers through the frontline employee and thereby strengthening the brand. As described by Fombrun et al. (1984 p. 206-216) high performance stems from a Corporate Culture which is supportive of and coherent and consistent with its internal-, societal- and industrial context. The internal context refers to the business strategy and 15
structure, the size of the company, the stage in the lifecycle of the business and the set of human resources that makes up the organisation. On society level, the CC is affected by political ideologies and social values, while at industry level it is affected by the concentration of competition and by the role of the company in the industry (ibid). The Corporate Culture should therefore be a constant reconsideration of and adaption to that context. A firm that promotes Service Quality should advocate it in their Corporate Culture (Nilsson et al., 2001) since quality should be promoted in all actions, starting at general management level. As Scheider (a.2004) describes, to be able to deliver a high quality service it is crucial to give a good support to the service deliverers, i.e. the frontline employee. Similarly, but more extensively described by Zeithaml et al. (2006), some HR strategies that can be used to deliver Service Quality is to hire the right people for the job and retaining the best staff. Other influences are to provide the workers with the support they need and to develop them to deliver Service Quality (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 367). Theories on CC imply that team working positively affects satisfaction, commitment and attitudes among employees (Bratton and Gold, 2007 p. 159) which will ultimately have a positive effect on the internal Service Quality (Edvardsson and Gustavsson, 2003) and thereby customer satisfaction (Nilsson et al., 2001). 2.2.2 Service Quality in the HRM context Williford (2005) describes five basic steps in a restaurant visit that are similar in any restaurant. They are taking the order, providing the service, review the order or recover from a negative experience for the customer, up-sell if possible and collect the check. We have interpreted these steps into greeting the customer, taking the order, serving the customer, reviewing the order and possibly recover and collecting the bill. The performance in executing these steps mentioned above is where the difference regarding the Service Quality between restaurants can be found (Williford, 2005). The first step of greeting and seating the customer would imply acknowledging the customer and meeting them with a smile, not letting the customer wait to be met. The second step, to take the order, would include product knowledge. Thirdly, serving the customer and presenting their order in a polite and professional way makes a small, but yet noticeable difference. Fourth is to review if everything is satisfactory and possibly recover if the customer has any inquiries or issues. This is a very important step where all the difference can be made; either you win the customer successfully or you fail by not being able to meet the customer expectation. The last step of collecting the bill requires attention to be given at the right moment. According to Nilsson et al. (2001) there are two dimensions of quality. Firstly, customisation, i.e. meeting the customer demands. Secondly, reliability, as explained earlier; is being able to deliver these demands any time. Researchers such as Zeithaml et al. (1988) and Nilsson et al. (2001) all agree that both dimensions of quality are important within service businesses. Furthermore, Nilsson et al. (2001) state that one key internal quality practice in creating customer satisfaction, and also the starting point in improving the service process, is employee management. Employee management, i.e. HRM, 16
incorporates any area or issue concerning human resources, among them training. Employee management is seen as a more important factor for service providers since in production firms the production process can be automated through mechanics, whereas the process of producing a service is inseparable from the consumption of it (Zeithaml et al., 2006). It therefore often requires an interaction between the frontline staff and the customer. The frontline employees should be able to provide reliable services maintaining certain standards which we consider can be accomplished through training. It is thereby especially important in a restaurant where the customer-employer contact is high to consider how Service Quality can be applied in the HRM practices to create satisfied customers and a competitive advantage. 2.2.3 Training as an HR tool In Bratton and Gold’s book Human Resource Management (2007 p. 323), a statement made by the prime minister in the UK in 2003 is quoted. It reads as follows: “Skills help business achieve the productivity, innovation and profitability needed to compete. They help our public services provide the quality and choice that people want.” The aim of this research is not to define whether customer needs and wants are met, but rather to investigate whether, according to the employees, training can improve the Internal Branding and Service Quality. According to Service Marketing theory this would ultimately lead to successful business. Since training contains the activities used to develop the competencies of workers (Scullion and Linehan, 2005 p. 72) it represents a crucial component in the HR function (Bratton and Gold, 2007 p. 328). The first step according to Bratton and Gold (2007 p. 328) is to identify the areas where training is needed. According to Scullion and Linehan (2005 p. 72) training should focus on individual deficiencies and could be a tool to close the gap between customers’ expectations and customers’ perception of a service, i.e. The Customer Gap. We argue that even though individual deficiencies should be considered in the learning process, there could and should be some generalisations or standardisations in the training scheme. Such generalisation should include standard procedures for how to act and react in any situation occurring in the everyday chores of frontline employees such as the steps previously mentioned. Some aspect of the role of training is to motivate the worker and build confidence and self-esteem (Berry and Parasuraman, 1992). We further argue that employee empowerment is increased due to training. Empowerment is important since it provides the frontline employee to act immediately. Zeithaml et al. (2006 p. 371) explains empowerment as “…giving employees the desire, skills, tools and authority to serve customers.” Bratton and Gold (2007 p. 581) describes it similarly as “The delegation of power or authority to subordinates” . A third definition described by Hart et al. (1990) is to “Give them authority, responsibility, and incentives to recognize, care about, and attend to customer needs.” The joint definition adopted in this research is that employee empowerment means providing the employees with desire, skills, incentives, authority and trust in the employee to meet customer needs in a way that satisfies the individual customer and should promote the businesses aims and values. 17
We argue that training should aim to increase skills and knowledge. This in turn, according to Berry and Parasuraman (1992), increases the confidence of a worker who is being trained. A confident worker is more able to “innovate for customers”, meaning being creative in finding solutions to customer demands and requests. That is the connection why we argue that confidence is crucial to achieve employee empowerment, and hence, that training increases employee empowerment. There are both opponents and supporters of employee empowerment. The negative aspects are that empowerment is considered to only increase the workload. More positive viewers agree that empowerment increases the commitment (Bratton and Gold, 2007 p.159-160) and that customers are most satisfied when employees are highly empowered (Edvardsson and Gustavsson, 2003). We are supporters of the latter view that empowered workers are beneficial for the business since they can meet customer requests quicker and show more confidence and security compared with a worker who does not know his/her limitations. 2.2.4 Human Resource Management theory conclusion To put the theory into the context of our study a fictitious example will be provided and further reflected upon in the discussion chapter. A situation where a waiter receives a customer complaint regarding the food being served cold could be a common incident for a waiter. If the waiter has received appropriate training he or she would know intuitively that the standard procedure is to genuinely apologise and offer the customer a new warm meal. The waiter would feel empowered to be able to make that decision as opposed to a waiter not having the appropriate training, in accordance with the developmental humanistic approach (Bratton and Gold, 2007 p. 313-314). By acting systematically and immediately the relationship with the customer can be retained or even improved (Hart et al., 1990). Acting in such a manner constitutes a good service recovery and requires individual initiatives to correct the mistake. The scenario is also referred to as “The Recovery Paradox” by Zeithaml et al. (2006 p. 217) where a negative service experience can be turned into a positive one. Not all misfortunes can be recovered from, but the best precondition to preclude such an event is to have trained frontline employees who can act fast on their own initiative (Hart et al., 1990). We argue that this highlights the importance of training and employee empowerment; to provide the frontline employees with the desire, skills, tools and authority to provide Service Quality to the customers and to be able to make a good recovery.
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2.3 Model
From the theories discussed we have developed a flow diagram to represent our argument on the significance of both Marketing and Human Resource Management on Branding and Service Quality, and thus the ability to close The Customer Gap. Notably that training of frontline employees is the quintessential part of improving the Service Quality and enhancing the perceived value of the service within the restaurant sector.
Service Marketing
Internal Marketing
Human Resource Management
Strategic Actions in Delivering Service Quality
Training Internal Branding Recruitment Service Quality
Rewards
Assessment & feedback Customer Gap Figure 1. The Management of Frontline employees in delivering Service Quality Within Service Marketing we have distinguished Internal Marketing and Human Resource Management as essential factors, yet interchangeable. These two areas are connected with people as the common factor. On the right hand side are the four main tasks of the HRM function; training, recruitment, rewards, assessment and feedback. These four functions are also incorporated in the strategic actions in delivering Service Quality by treating employees as customers affecting Marketing. The main focus will be placed on training as its effects are what are studied in this research. Efficient and appropriate IM and HRM strategies, as discussed previously in the chapter, will result in improved Internal Branding and elevated Service Quality and consequently in closing The Customer Gap. 19
Service Marketing is seen as the larger concept of our study in that IM and HRM are tools of SM, which in turn influence IB and SQ and ultimately The Customer Gap, thus the arrows from SM to IM and HRM. IM in many ways can be seen as the same as HRM, thus when describing IM as strategic actions in delivering Service Quality, we see this to a great extent as the same as HRM, and the literature supports this. HRM as described is a tool to improve employee’s ability in the job, through the factors mentioned above, the four functions are all considered part of HRM and are therefore intertwined with connecting arrows to show that they are still seen as important factors influencing IB, SQ and The Customer Gap through HRM. The reason for the double headed arrow is to show the significance that HRM influences these functions and decides to what level they will be used in order to influence Service Quality. The two arrows coming from IM and HRM represent the influences they have on IB. If the vales of the company are brought forward through the frontline employees thus affecting the SQ we can see the value of HRM and IM on IB as described previously in this chapter. The arrow going directly to SQ from HRM is in recognition that HRM (specifically training) has a strong influence on SQ not just IB. The arrows going from SQ to The Customer Gap are there to represent the influence of SM, IM, HRM and IB have in reducing the gap, we argue, due to the significant value training has on influencing frontline employees. From the theory discussed in this chapter we have learnt that there are positive beliefs that HRM influences the Marketing of a business. That is to say that from the theories discussed there is a correlation between HRM and improved SQ which helps market the company. In light of this we argue that training is the main concern in achieving a better Service Quality and that it also reflects on the firm through branding, influencing staff in accepting and passing on the values of the business and consequentially SQ.
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3. Methodology
This chapter aims to show what relevant methods are being used and to give the possibility for our work and its procedures to be scrutinized. Our preconceptions influencing the study as writers will be presented, as well as our view of knowledge and reality. The research strategy will be defined along with our approach to theory. Furthermore we will reinforce our choice of topic and sources as well as the method for the data collection and finally discuss the literature search.
3.1 Preconceptions
Revealing the researchers background and relevant experiences aims to give the readers an understanding on the foundation of our assumptions and analysis. The information that follows should be kept in mind whilst reading. It increases the openness of the study; an opportunity to understand where some viewpoints have grown from. Both of us are now studying our last semester of the International Business Program. They both have taken courses in Business Administration including an introductory course in Marketing. One of us, Laurence, has followed the field of Service Marketing, taking other courses in the area. The latest one being Service Marketing Ethics at advanced level earlier this semester. The other author, Emma, has more of an interest within HRM. She has taken an advanced level course in Issues in International HRM in France last semester. Our similarities and differences in academic background have brought some interesting view points to this study. An understanding that what was first considered as very differing areas within Business Administration developed into an understanding that Service Marketing and HRM are very closely related; even inseparable in our understanding. Another enriching difference between us is our nationality. Laurence being British and Emma being Swedish has obviously had different impacts for us growing up and allowed us to gather different experiences and cultural aspects. Throughout our working lives we have both had a lot of experience in the service sector, especially the restaurant sector. We have both experienced situations where we believe that vocational training was an investment that should be well in place. This is how the interest in the subject grew.
3.2 View of reality and knowledge
Arguments regarding the perception of reality and the function of accumulated knowledge are reflecting the approach, strategy and design of this research. Data as well as theory will be collected and treated differently according to our view of both knowledge and reality. Ultimately, the final outcome of the study will be affected by our assumptions of both ontology and epistemology.
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A closer look at the concepts of ontology and epistemology reveals that ontology concerns the view of social entities and their reality. Objectivists, as one stance of belief within ontology, views the social world as independent from the actors i.e. humans (Oliver, 2004 p. 29). They consider that the world has a reality which is objective and external to each individual’s perceptions and values. Humans who inhabit the world learn to live according to the rules and requirements (Bryman and Bell, 2007). This view is commonly along the line of a quantitative research and not in a research like ours that aims to analyse individual opinions on the benefits of training. We do not agree to the objectivist view of reality. An alternative position is constructionism or subjectivism. Advocators of this view believe that reality is constructed through social interaction and is therefore continually changing (Bryman and Bell, 2007 p. 23). In other words, there is no real social reality true in all contexts. Opinions are not definite, but rather biased reflections in the specific context. To view ontology in the light of our purpose, there will not be one true answer that constitutes the reality of how training affects Service Marketing in any given case. That is why we are holders of the constructionist view. Epistemology concerns the way in which data are to reveal knowledge about the issue (Olivier, 2004 p. 8). This assumption deals with how knowledge is created and if there is true knowledge. Depending on how you view the issue of knowledge there are two main divisions; the natural science epistemology insists that a study of the social world should adopt the same principles and procedures as the natural science, commonly connected to positivism (Bryman and Bell, 2007 p. 16). Positivist epistemology might infer that collecting data through a survey is enough to generate new knowledge. This epistemological position might be natural for a researcher who perceives the world as entities existing independently of human thought and existence (Oliver, 2004 p. 29). Preconceptions and values should be controlled and minimised in such a research and thereby not relevant in our case, but often connected to quantitative research. Interpretivists hold the opposite view and represent the second main division. They agree that knowledge can not reveal a true objective reality. Meaning is rather context specific. The view of knowledge is that it is something that is created by active humans. In our case, the knowledge of good or appropriate training might be different for every studied individual personality and every studied restaurant’s preference. Following, preconceptions and values are an integral part of research. In our case personal views and opinions are where we intend to draw our conclusions from along the line of interpretivists. To conclude, we are aiming to collect the subjective knowledge to define the reality that is true in the selected restaurants and in their specific context. We argue that the reality in a restaurant or in any company is affected by the Corporate Culture, the management style and each individual worker’s beliefs and opinions. Thereby, we argue that there is no one true objective reality and knowledge is created through interaction, all in accordance with the constructionist view of reality and the interpretivist view of knowledge. 22
3.3 Research strategy
The strategy adopted in a research provides a framework for the collection and analysis of data. According to Bryman and Bell (2007 p. 157, 426) quantitative studies collects data, often regarding peoples behavioural nature, that are quantifiable or uses coding to be able to quantify it in an objective manner. A possible quantitative research question could in our case be to answer whether training could improve Service Marketing, but leaving out the deeper and subjective understanding of how. In contrast to a quantitative study, qualitative research tends to present more words than numbers in the analysis to give a more descriptive understanding rather than a statistical explanation (Olsson and Sörensen, 2007 p. 65). It tends to provide a deeper understanding in the topic, in this study seeking motivations for how training is beneficial for Service Marketing. The results are influenced by both the researchers and the studied objects and often consider the issue of meaning of action in distinction to studying the action itself. That is, we are studying the meaning and importance of training rather than merely studying different training program designs. Some characteristics of qualitative strategies are portraying participants’ point of views often with their own spoken words, the unstructured and flexible nature, contextual and subjective understanding rather than generalisable findings and the in-depth study of meaning in a natural setting (Bryman and Bell, 2007 p. 280; Olsson and Sörensen, 2007 p. 36-37, 65). These characteristics can all be defined in our purpose to study the individual frontline employees’ and managers’ opinions in their own natural setting and own deeper understanding. The findings are not sought to be applied in any other restaurant, but is rather context specific. That being said, we find strong arguments for our study being best performed with a qualitative strategy.
3.4 Scientific approach
This section deals with the relationship between research and theory and provides a framework for how to draw conclusions. Research can either be aimed at generating new theories or testing existing ones. The approach adopted in a scientific research regards the researcher’s way to address the problem at hand (Johansson-Lindfors, 1993 p. 44). If the aim of the research is to collect and analyse data in order to develop common principles and end up in a new theory the approach is called inductive. If, on the other hand, the starting-point is existing theories which moves on to present a hypothesis that is tested with empirical data, the approach is deductive (Olsson and Sörensen, 2007 p. 32-33). If the purpose is, as in this study, to continuously find interactions between empirical data and existing theories on whether training influences frontline employees and the subsequent affect on Service Marketing the approach is called abduction (JohanssonLindfors, 1993 p. 154). In our case the aim is to inductively find our understanding of the area of study and its context. We then aim to deductively collect knowledge in existing theories within Service Marketing and HRM regarding employee training. To finally end up in an interaction between existing theories and employees’ and managers’ own opinions on how training can benefit Service Marketing (Olsson and Sörensen, 2007 p. 23
32-33); an abductive approach. The connections will be placed in the context of three selected restaurants in Umeå. The way to address this research problem is to start from existing theory from which we develop the main body of our data collection material, proceed to finding possible connections to the empirical data, and ending up with new or possibly modified theories. This approach is thereby in accordance to the abductive approach.
3.5 Research design and method for data collection
The task of the research design is identified by Cooper and Schneidler (2003 p. 146) as an outline for every research activity. This definition is supported by Bryman and Bell (2007 p. 40) in that the design provides a framework for the collection and analysis process, while the method is merely the technique for collecting the data. The design and the method should be in accordance with the view of knowledge and reality, the strategy and the approach. In recent years new qualitative approaches have emerged from the traditionally quantitative design of evaluation research. Evaluation research is often principally similar to experimental design in the sense that it often compares one exposed group to one nonexposed group (Bryman and Bell, 2007 p. 53). The usual research question for such a design is whether a new invention has achieved its goals. In this aspect, the evaluation research design can be applied in our context of researching whether training is improving the Service Marketing in the selected restaurants. However, we will not adopt the experimental design, but rather three cases within the study. The cases regard the use and advantages of training in the three selected restaurants. A case study often emphasises an “intensive examination of a setting”, such as a workplace (Bryman and Bell, 2007 p. 62). Again, that is the intension of this study. We are following the constructionist and interpretative view of knowledge and reality, in a qualitative manner. Since we argue that there is no one true reality and that reality is constructed through the interaction of humans, we decided to conduct interviews to collect data. We then have the possibility to probe the interviewees as they develop their point of view when regarding vocational training and its influences and enlighten what they consider being the reality. Furthermore, our interpretivistic view of knowledge has guided us in our choice of not applying a fixed structure in our interviews. Structured interviews would minimise our possibility to deviate from the interview manual. This would limit us in collecting the data that is relevant for each individual respondent. One main point in a qualitative research conducted in an interpretivist manner is to find and enlighten individual standpoints, in this case regarding training in the restaurant business. The method of our choice was therefore narrowed down to either unstructured or semi-structured interviews. Lastly, our abductive approach towards the research has led us in our final choice. Since we departure from existing theories we have a clear picture of what the core of the interviews should be. On the other hand, since our approach allows us to continuously 24
alternate between existing theory and empirical data, we want to be able to gather new revealing inputs and are open to develop the interview as it proceeds. In line of these arguments previously discussed, we came to the conclusion that semi-structured interviews would be most appropriate to fulfil our purposes. Further, this method and design will allow us to find connections between IM and HRM theories on vocational training on the one hand, and empirical data regarding the effects and importance of such training that is true to each respondent’s reality in a Service Marketing perspective. In the decision process of agreeing upon an appropriate method we also considered using a focus group technique when interviewing the frontline employees. The positive aspects of this technique would be that in the dynamics of a group discussion regarding training could be more creative and extensive compared to individual interviews. The negative aspect could be that some of the participants could more easily stay in the background not contributing with his or her opinions on the subject. Bryman and Bell (2007) discuss the phenomena of few persons dominating a focus group leaving others out in the discussion. Other aspects of focus groups are that a common understanding on the subject can be developed within the group, which is positive when a wide variety of views are identified, and the participants might be challenged on their opinions to a greater extent compared to individual interviews. Since the aim of this study is to bring forth individual opinions to identify any potential problem areas and not to find a common understanding within each restaurant, we decided that individual interviews would be more enriching to our study. The semi-structured interview manual will enable us to process the data in a somewhat similar manners, but at the same time allow for a personal development. Furthermore, the problem of transcribing the data of more than one person at the time, as would be the case in a focus group, strengthened our decision of choosing semi-structured interviews. The interview questions were developed from existing theory, each question addressing issues regarding CC, SQ, IB, IM, HRM and The Customer Gap. More specifically, CC is addressed in questions 3 and 18 d and e. SQ is dealt with in questions 1 and 2, IB in question 18, IM in questions 1, 2 and 7-9, HRM in questions 4-7, 10-12 and 16 and finally the Customer Gap is treated in questions 13-15 and 17. To further clarify the respondents’ opinions, a closed-questions questionnaire was provided after each interview regarding the importance of training within certain areas. Consult Appendix A to have a closer look. Since we are adapting an abductive approach we aim to develop new theories or possibly modify existing ones from the data collected with these questions. The interview manual is built up of 18 open ended questions regarding what kind of work related training the employees have received and in what aspects it has been beneficial or insufficient. Since we hold interpretivist and constructionist views and the study aims to reveal individual aspects of vocational training the questions are used as guidelines during the interview, but will contain individual deviations. The opinions and suggestions given by 25
the interviewees will then be compared to existing theories regarding training of employees in a restaurant setting and conclusions will be drawn to end up in new modified theories.
3.6 Choice of subject
The restaurant business is often an introduction for young people entering the workplace. The staff turnover is often high which could be a result of the Corporate Culture not focusing on employee satisfaction (Barsade and Gibson, 2007). We see employee satisfaction as one of the steps to customer satisfaction. Taking care of the employees, such as training, appraisal, feedback and other areas commonly contained within the area of HRM, are according to us relevant for the success of the business and the subsequent positive influences that has on Service Marketing. We have both experienced situations while working in different restaurants and pubs, when we believe that the employee politics and the Internal Marketing needs improvement. We have both experienced that one factor of HRM that is often lacking within restaurants is proper training for the job. That is how the interest for the subject grew. We chose to study The Bishops Arms, Pipes of Scotland and the E-Pub due to the fact that they are establishments where people are more interested in drinking rather than eating. We see this as significant due to the issues relating to the different aspects of a restaurant, where more service is required. Thus when investigating the areas we have chosen these establishments for the similarity in serving structure, where the emphasis is on the bar side of the restaurant sector. This serves as the main reason for our preference in choosing these service providers. Other factors that have influenced this decision include proximity to one another, as they are all within one town. We see this as giving an opportunity to explore whether there is a substantial difference between the respondents when so close together. We feel that this is ample argument for choosing these places to investigate as they each serve a diverse clientele interested in drinking and each employ people from all walks of life.
3.7 Choice of sources
The choice of empirical sources, or in other words the sampling method, is different in a qualitative study compared to a quantitative study. The main purpose of a qualitative interview is not to generalise the results as in a quantitative research. We are aiming to find in depth opinions of training and its importance in Internal Branding and Service Quality. These opinions will be compared among the respondents. However, we will not try to find the optimal truth that can be applied to other settings nor finding the frequency of a certain answer that is often the case in quantitative studies. The importance of using probability sampling intended to creating a representative sample (Berg, 2001 p.31) can then be argued. Berg (2001 p. 29) presents some criteria that should be fulfilled when deciding upon the study site and the appropriate study objects. The choice should enable access to the required information and the availability of appropriate people. Our chosen sampling 26
strategy resembles what Berg (2001 p. 32) calls purposive sampling. Our sampling frame is managers and frontline employees, as defined earlier, at Bishops Arms, Pipes of Scotland and the E-Pub. A heterogenic sample was chosen, regarding gender, age, employment title and to what extent the employment stretches. In a study performed by students it is common to get research access through personal- or professional contacts (Bryman and Bell, 2007 p.33-34). This is what happened in our case; from previous and current work experiences as well as personal contacts and networks, the appropriate interview candidates were contacted and asked to participate in an interview. The issues at hand were to be examined and analysed both from the managements’ point of view and from the frontline employees’ point of view. The population was therefore divided into strata according to employment title. Only management and frontline employees were included in the sampling frame. We sought to include both full-time workers and part-time workers, since we believe that there might be a difference in the amount and type of training received depending on the level of employment. However, no attempt will be made to make a clear distinction between the two, but simply to cover as much data as possible.
3.8 Presentation of Restaurants and Respondents
3.8.1 Bishops Arms The Bishops Arms chain opened its’ first establishment in 1993 in Västerås, Sweden following an English pub theme. The company has since grown to 25 outlets reaching as far north as Luleå all the way to Malmö in the far south and is still looking to expand (Bishops Arms, 2008). The Bishops Arms chain, Bishops Scandinavia AB, is part of RAMUK AB concern which in turn is owned by one man, Bicky Chakraborty (Elite Hotels, 2008). According to Affärsdata, Bishops Scandinavia AB had a turnover of 69 million 448 thousand Swedish Crowns at the year end from 2005 to 2006, and employ 57 staff (Affärsdata(a), 2008).
Respondents Position Age Years
Adde Pub Manager 40 of 3 years, 9 months
Respondent A Bartender * *
James Bartender 25 1 year, 2 months 27
employment Extent of Full-time employment Time and date of 24th April interview 12.00 – 12.50 Language of Swedish interview
Part-time (used to Part-time be full-time) 22nd April 21st April 11.55 – 12.35 12.05 – 13.05 Swedish English
Table 1. Respondents at Bishops Arms
3.8.2 Pipes of Scotland Pipes of Scotland is a pub in Umeå that is incorporated in to a hotel called Hotel Aveny, which in turn is owned by Profilhotels AB. Profilhotels AB is the daughter company to Hospitium AB. As such there seems to be very little information specifically about Pipes of Scotland. Profilhotels AB is found in 8 different parts of Sweden and some of them have the concept bar within (Profilhotels, 2008). At year end 2006 Profilhotels AB had a turnover of 118 million Crowns and employs between 120 and 200 staff (Affärsdata(b), 2008). Respondents Position Age Years employment Extent employment Time and date interview Language interview Lisa Anton Restaurant Manager Bar Manager (FNB Manager) 23 27 of 1 year of Full-time of 24th April 14.50 – 15.45 of Swedish 1 year, 6 months Respondent B Bartender / Waitress * *
Part-time (used to Part-time be full-time) 21st April 22nd April 13.35 – 14.25 13.25 – 14.10 Swedish Swedish
Table 2. Respondents at Pipes of Scotland
3.8.3 E-Pub E-Pub is a non-profit making student run pub on the campus of Umeå University. The EPub is run by the Business school (Student.nu, 2008; HHUS, 2008). According to the present manager, Micke, it started as an underground establishment in the end of the 1980’s in Ålidhem for business students on the weekends, since then it has been given a place on campus and is now seen as a place for all students (Wallin, Micke, 2008). 28
Respondents Position Age Years employment Extent employment Time and date interview Language interview
Micke Pub Manager 24 of 3 years of Part-time (full-time for past 6 months) of 29th April 13.15 – 14.00 of Swedish
Peter Mishka Booking Manager Night Manager & Night Manager 24 23 2 years Part-time 22nd April 11.10 – 11.40 English 2 years Part-time 21st April 11.00 – 11.30 English
Table 3. Respondents at E-Pub
3.9 Conducting the interviews and treating the data
All nine interviews were conducted with both of us present, but one of us being the main interviewer. It was made clear to the respondents that the assisting interviewer would intervene whenever possible if any further questions arose and the interviewee was offered anonymity. Two of the respondents chose to be anonymous due to personal factors. Accordingly their names and some of the personal information has been kept confidential. We strived to get as many English interviews as possible since the issue of something getting lost in translation would be minimised. As a result, three of the nine interviews were performed in English. Two of the respondents are native English speakers so it was a natural choice to perform these interviews in English. The third respondent is studying an International programme and should therefore have a sufficient level of English to be able to give the interview in English. It is also necessary to mention that the English interviewees can speak Swedish in their job environment. Further, since we were both present we would at any occasion be able to give a translation if needed. The English interviews were performed by Laurence, a native English speaker, and the Swedish interviews by Emma. All interviews were taped and then transcribed into the original language with some corrections for spoken language. Whenever we realised that a question missed an answer we considered the rest of the answers to judge whether the information we had gathered was sufficient. Many questions were asked very similarly with the intention to get as rich and deep data as possible. That is why we decided that the answers were sufficient whenever that incident occurred. However, readers should be aware of this judgement call. 29
The Interview manuals will be found in Appendix A, firstly the English version followed by the Swedish version. The interview manual was also sent to the respondents prior to the interview, as well as the transcripts afterwards. A list of all Swedish quotes used in the study is provided in Appendix B. Finally, the interview transcriptions will be distributed in their original language upon request as Appendix C.
3.10 Literature search and criticism
According to Hair et al. (2007 p. 94) the literature search aims firstly to develop and expand research ideas into a relevant research topic and secondly to deepen ones understanding of the topic and ensure awareness in relevant previous studies. After developing our own ideas and understanding of the topic, we approached existing literature by first searching for theories within the broader areas of Service Marketing, Human Resource Management and Internal Marketing to get a theoretical idea of the foundations of our research subject. Within these areas we then focused on relevant topics such as Corporate Culture, Training, Internal Branding and Service Quality. These concepts were also used to search for peer reviewed scientific articles. Other concepts such as satisfaction were also used to sometimes narrow down a search hit. The data base Business Source Premiere (EBSCO) was the most widely used one. Other search engines like Science Direct were occasionally used when EBSCO was not sufficient, mostly when searching for specific articles mentioned in other works. The University Library was widely used to collect literature and “affärsdata” helped us collect information on the restaurants in the study. In accordance with the abductive approach we have firstly built up our own idea and understanding within the research topic. Secondly we have widened our knowledge by finding relevant existing theories. It is thereby a natural step to now deal with the collected empirical data which will be analysed and discussed in the light of thee theories.
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4. Empirical data and Analysis
This chapter will provide the relevant collected data to act as a foundation for the analysis. The questions asked in the interviews were sometimes difficult to separate since they often concerned different aspects of the same area. To be able to answer the purposes of this study we will firstly provide a short recap of the essence of this study. Secondly, we find it appropriate to define the respondents’ ideas of training in a restaurant. We will then analyse the empirical data according to these ideas following a revision of the model, The Management of Frontline employees in delivering Service Quality.
4.1 Quickly looking back
To repeat what was said in the theory chapter, the aim of HRM is to improve the performance of employees and the effectiveness of the organisation as a whole (Bratton and Gold, 2007). Similarly, the most significant factor of IM is preparing people to perform (Berry and Parasuraman, 1992). With this study we aim to find whether training is one way to fulfil these aims of preparing the employees and consequently enhancing the effectiveness of the organisation; whether training is a tool to enable frontline employees to deliver Service Quality and to strengthen the Internal Branding; hence, to answer the purposes of this study.
4.2 What is training according to the respondents?
Adde declares that at Bishops Arms training starts with a short introduction and then letting you actually do it yourself. James agrees saying that training is to be shown what to do and continuously being encouraged to improve. He explains that specifically in a restaurant it is important to know the routines and what is expected in your line of work. Similarly to James, Respondent A support continuous learning, but also emphasises that training should address the company values and the areas important for the company; at Bishops Arms that includes broad product knowledge. Anton and Respondent B define training as to constantly learn from your mistakes and learning from each other. Additionally, they stress the importance of treating the customers well and learning by doing. Lisa confirms that the employees can educate each other. Her general opinion on training within the restaurant business is the importance of a good knowledge in the restaurant concept and its products, similarly to Respondent A. To both Mishka and Micke training in a restaurant is learning by doing. Mishka argues that the most important factor is to have an overall view of how all the functions of the restaurant works. While Peter thought that in his position training is important to get good group-dynamics and teamwork and some level of consistency between work teams.
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4.3 Revised Model
The model has been revised to show the respondents’ thoughts and feelings of Service Marketing and in what way the respondents see training as beneficial in terms of Service Quality, and Internal Branding in order to reduce The Customer Gap. The first change that we wish to add is the important role of the CC in influencing Marketing strategies (which include HRM, IM and IB as tools of SM). While it is discussed in the theory chapter CC was realised as substantially more relevant in shaping the other aspects of the model. The importance was realised through the process of the interviews and the subsequent analysis. IM and HRM can be used as tools of marketing and are used interchangeably by among others Zeithaml et al. (2006 p. 366). Again this became apparent when analysing the respondents. When considering the influence of training we have added a number of facets to show what effects training has on frontline employees. These can be found on the right hand side and have been recognised by the respondents as important factors which can in turn influence the Service Quality and The Customer Gap, as well as IB, IM and HRM. We must also recognise the meaning of training and that it does include practical training or, “learning by doing”, and therefore true recognition of its weight is realised. The wall of will between training and it’s facets is meant to represent the individuals (respondents) own propensity or willingness to learn as it is governed by the firm in offering training and their own willingness to learn, as discussed by the respondents. Feedback is considered not just as an aid of training, but also as a strong motivator for the respondents which in turn can also act as an influence on Service Quality. Experience is also seen by respondents as a strong influence on Service Quality, and it is still considered part of training as well, due to the fact that working can be seen as learning.
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Service Marketing
IM
HRM
Wall of will
Corprate Culture
Internal Branding
Training
Empowerment Satisfaction
Feedback
Motivation Confidence Commitment Experience
Service Quality
Customer Gap
Customer Retention
Figure 2. A development of the Management of Frontline employees in delivering Service Quality From the new model we can see that CC has been added to show its true significances to IM and IB. The double headed arrow is shown as the realisation that CC affects IM as much as it can affect IB. The wall of will has been added from the previous model to represent the member of staffs own willingness to learn and thus be influenced by the factors of training. Feedback has been carried on from the first model to show that it has a strong influence on training and employees’ willingness to learn which also acts as a motivator thus an arrow from feedback to motivation. The elements found within the larger box represent the positive outcomes that training can have on employees; thus influencing HRM, IM, IB and SQ. Experience has been given an arrow direct to Service Quality as it is seen as something that influences not just training, but also that it is often something that is considered as advantageous when employing new staff, which is seen as another aspect of HRM and was considered significant by most respondents. Finally, Customer Retention has been added to represent the influence that SQ has on The 33
Customer Gap as seen by the majority of respondents. However we see that this can only be truly answered by researching customers’ views as well.
4.4 Service Marketing analysis
According to theory IB and IM are important parts of Marketing and therefore Service Quality is recognised as being influenced by these factors (Berry and Parasuraman 1992; Papasolomou and Vrontis 2006). All respondents when asked about quality service realised that it is a very important aspect within the service sector (see Appendix C questions 1 and 2) and it’s influence on Marketing the business. Frontline staff are, according to the grounded theory the most important factor when considering a service sector business (Zeithaml et al. 2006 p. 26, 354-8; Berry and Parasuraman, 1992). But this is where there are differences in the respondents’ views of IM and HRM and where their importance lay. Adde believes that it is the company as a product and his influence that shapes the way Bishops Arms is marketed and what it stands for. This we argue is relevant when considering the values and aims of a business as it is inevitable that marketing is part of these values and aims. “I am the company to a great extent in that the only contact with the company management or the pub owner is a twice a year pub managers meeting…our brand is becoming so strong that there are many people who come for the product Bishops Arms (Quote 1). Therefore, from Adde’s perspective IM and HRM influences are not revolved around training. But that the Marketing of the business in his view is not influenced by training the staff, but by other factors. As mentioned later; recruiting experienced personnel as well as employing staff that have the service-mindedness as part of their personality influences the Market internally and therefore externally. In contrast Lisa from Pipes of Scotland does have a more controlled job and as such cannot steer the business how she feels; “It is controlled by the hotel-chain… to improve the training all the other outlets must do it as well” (Quote 2). While the question asked was specific to training, as was the answer, we can see her agreement in that training is a very important part of Marketing the business. “That staff feel safe in what they do and know the products and how we work… then one can tackle almost any problem…” (Quote 3) “Education/Training generates more sales, so it should be in the interest of the company to educate managers and normal staff” (Quote 4). We argue that Lisa’s idea of Marketing the business she works for, although it is more controlled by company management, can rely heavily on the staff attitudes to working at Pipes of Scotland and that they feel good and therefore training and motivating as aspects of IM and HRM are recognised. Rather than relying on previous experience or an inbuilt ability to be serviceminded. However both recognise the importance of training; in Adde’s case for improving product knowledge and in Lisa’s case, experience and service-mindedness. We can therefore see that there can be subtle difference in how the company values its employees and the relevant importance of training, or other influences of IM and HRM.
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4.5 Internal Marketing analysis
The questions relating to IM are rather ambiguous and as IM is such a large field incorporating much of HRM and the affects IM has on Service Quality we have developed this section in order to give the respondents’ feelings towards this specific area. When considering IM from the respondent’s perspective it seems that the majority do not place as much importance on it as a factor for running a successful business; which goes against most of the theory relating to IM’s significance in the service sector. Or rather as Papasolomou and Vrontis (2006) see it, that IM is necessary in today’s service market in order to differentiate establishments from each other. And that IM can be used as a solution to delivering consistently high levels of quality service in order to enhance market performance. While IM is recognised by the respondents as part of running a business, the attainment of these goals is barely recognised as to how it is achieved. That is; how to keep the staff motivated and trained so as to maintain a consistent, efficient, effective workforce (Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2006). Only that if the staff are not happy, the customers will not be and they will not come back. “If you don’t create a good atmosphere people won’t come back…if your team [frontlines employees] is happy, they [customers] are happy as well…” (Mishka, E-Pub). “If your boss is happy with what you do, and doesn’t encourage any development within the staff then maybe that’s a sign of a bad business…” (James, Bishops Arms). From these two examples we can see that the importance of IM is recognised. Another argument promoting training is to attract new employees. According to Mahnert and Torres (2007) this is one of the objectives of IM. Lisa says that training would “attract personnel since they would know that the company educates its employees and takes good care of them and that is very important” (Quote 5). Ultimately, training would according to her improve the Internal Marketing affecting the Service Marketing. In our approach to this study we concentrate on the importance of training as a factor to improving IM and thus the Service Quality. However, most respondents feel that a certain level of product knowledge gives them the edge on being able to deliver Service Quality; rather than themselves being able to deliver quality service. It seems that most emphasis is placed on the employee knowing the products and routines of an establishment rather than how to treat a customer. When dealing with customers it seems that previous experience is most beneficial in giving good service. Adde feels that, “Ideally when looking to employ someone, past experience in a customer service job is very beneficial, preferably in the restaurant sector” (Quote 6). However realising that Service Quality in this sector is based on what frontline employees do in delivering the service, influences the business dramatically. When asked in what way he thought Service Quality improved the value of the business he said that it would simply improve business; “Quite simply, you sell more…” (Quote 7). In Adde’s view service is in action, product knowledge and a positive manner when meeting the customer and this is how he sees service. “We are in the service business and that itself is basis for what we do, to 35
deliver service… A positive greeting is the basis for service and later maybe one can do a little more for the guest than they expect” (Quote 8). But it seems that servicing the employees to do a better job is up to the individual employee and their experience in the past from working in the service sector. Adde states that “…it is like all sectors, that it is up to the employee to want to progress” (Quote 9). It can also be seen as a personality trait rather than that service can be taught. He goes on to say, “I believe that one has it inside of oneself, you get an introduction and then try your wings” (Quote 10). We therefore see that the meaning for Adde of Internal Marketing and its’ uses are somewhat limited and lay much more in the HRM function of employing the person with experience or right personality traits. Lisa and Pipes of Scotland are the exception to the rule as she has a strong belief in IM. When asked how important her ability to deliver quality service was she answered: “Very important, nearly the most important, both for the personnel, because they watch what I do, and the guest look and judge” (Quote 11). We can therefore see that IM is recognised as an important function for her, also from previously mentioned how she sees the importance in the staff being happy and well trained influencing the business. “Training generates more sales, so it should be in the company’s interest to educate its managers and the regular staff” (Quote 12). Respondent A also sees being able to deliver high quality service as a very important factor for a service sector business, “it is the core of what I do” (Quote 13). But they also see product knowledge as the most relevant in being able to sell more; “Product knowledge has given me the most benefit. No formal training in just service, it lies within a persons personality how to greet customers” (Quote 14). That is that through product knowledge they can give the best customer service and customer service itself is part of a persons personality and that product knowledge is the most significant influence training can have on Service Quality. It is not that IM influences service employees so that they are willing and able to deliver quality service and that they stay motivated to perform. But rather as in Adde’s and Respondent A’s belief that individuals have their own guidance in what level of service-mindedness (personality and experience) the individual is at; and that product knowledge is what is seen as influencing Service Quality above all else. James does make a comment on the importance of how he feels when he gets positive feedback both from customers and his superior. When discussing on the job training from his supervisor he says it was also done in a positive manner with “positive reenforcement…” and “any criticism I have received was always in a positive fashion.” Not only that but it makes him proud when he received positive feedback from customers as well; “Positive feedback from the people I meet… And I like to think I’m doing a good job, the boss tells us we are.” This serves as motivation for James rather than training, but is still seen as an aspect of IM. Therefore we recognise the importance of other factors than training influencing IM; this will be discussed later in the following chapter. When examining the respondent’s feelings towards Internal Marketing their responses seem to vary, possibly due to the wide scope that IM covers. If we say it is to market the 36
business for the employees then there has been very little evidence of the respondents recognising this factor. The only evidence seems to be that those who are employed full time are more committed to the company they work for and that the training has influenced their capacity for serving the business; IM being the most consistent theme in motivating customer focus of employees (Mosley, 2007). Therefore we see that to some extent the uses of IM are realised, however not always implemented. And that training is reserved for full time members of staff which strengthens their commitment to the brand.
4.6 Internal Branding among respondents
When we consider the answers given by the respondents about IB, there are both similar and different positions about the subject. IB is seen as achieving consistency with the external brand image and to encourage brand commitment by the employees through mutually accepted values and the realisation of the promise of the brand, both internally and externally (Mahnert and Torres, 2007). We therefore see that commitment, pride, association and an openness to share the details of where one works, as relevant to assessing whether IB is an important factor and thus if it can be influenced by training. The most notable difference in our research was that the full-time workers feel a much greater brand commitment to the respective company they work for, whereas those who are not full-time feel less commitment. Adde, the pub manager from The Bishops Arms states that; “I am 100% loyal, and of course I associate myself with Bishops… If you cannot feel pride or identify yourself with the company then you should be doing something else” (Quote 15). However a part time employee (James) says, “oh no, I’ve got no commitment at all! I like working there… but if I found another job that was better of course I’d take it… I feel loyal when I’m there…I would say I am more loyal to the people that work there rather than the business.” We can therefore see that Adde is willing to promote the brand image and is committed to the brand, whereas someone who is only part-time is not so committed. Respondent A from Bishops has worked both full-time and part-time, and feels some commitment to the company, however not as strongly as Adde. Respondent A’s commitment comes from their own personality of what they think is expected of them and the standards they should keep rather than the company directing them. “I have chosen the responsibility I feel myself, to have a good order and a certain standard… I feel that is appreciated by the company. I even feel the same sort of responsibility when I’m not at work” (Quote 16). Respondent A therefore sees their own standards as being appreciated by the company rather than the company having standards taught to them, the employee. As a result the Internal Branding of the company may not be recognised because they may not necessarily be common values between the employee and the company. Respondent A’s feelings toward the company they work for are however positive; they see the influence of Bishops Arms being a serious company. They are also proud of the training or knowledge they have received as well as the fact that Bishops Arms keeps a high standard for their customers as well. They see it as important for both the individual 37
and the company to have a well organised, good standard for both the guest and the knowledgeable bar staff. “I am proud that I know what must be done as a bartender at Bishops. Anyone can be a bartender without any knowledge of it, I am even proud that we have such a high standard for our customers as well, it reflects back both on oneself as a responsible server and the company, that is why it is important to keep a good order and good standards both of the guests and the knowledgeable bar staff. A good company, positive and well worth it’s trademark” (Quote 17). These factors can equate to there being some good Internal Branding of the company’s image upon this employee through the high standards that the company keeps. It can also be said that the company has reached a level of consistency with the external brand image and the encouragement of brand commitment of this particular employee thus influencing both the values of the employer and this particular employee. But we must remember the importance to the respondents own ability to keep high standards may also have an influence. The reasons for Adde’s commitment to the company may well be grounded in the fact that he has received more training for his job than other staff. “Yes, different elements, among other things whisky training, budget training, beer training and payment systems” (Quote 18). This can be similar for Lisa at Pipes of Scotland as well as Respondent A. Adde also maintains that he has a great responsibility that the business should be running and running well, but it is not a burden. “I feel a big responsibility that this establishment is up and running, but it is nothing burdensome” (Quote 19). This responsibility may well help to give him a greater commitment to the firm. Not only these factors help him to promote the brand image, but also knowing the history of the business and that he feels that he has support from his superiors. Along with the fact that the company is a stable employer, a high-class pub, market leader and that the people that work for him are the best in town… Interviewer: “What makes you proud to work for this company?” Adde: “The history of the company… I feel that I have the support behind me… a stable employer… a high class pub. We are market leaders and I know that my personnel are better than anyone else’s in town…” (Quote 20). All these factors help make Adde proud to be associated with, and work for Bishops Arms. These actions give consistency with the external brand image and encourage brand commitment to both employer and the particular employee. But we must also consider other factors, such as better job security as he is the manager which could influence his commitment. As for James, his feelings towards the company are not felt as strongly however he does have a certain affiliation to the company that could be seen as a degree of consistency and commitment to the company through his fellow work colleagues. Other factors that may make him concerned more towards the company is the positive feedback from the people he meets, as well as knowing that the business is going well. Interviewer: “What makes you proud to work for the company?” James: “Positive feedback from people I meet… I’m proud that our business works well and that I’m contributing to it.” “When people think about The Bishops Arms, they do associate it with quality. They do associate it with good beer and good service…” these comments show a certain amount of commitment to the company when he is there, which as much as he does not realise it seems to affect his values thus his brand commitment. 38
Pipes of Scotland also follows a similar feeling towards IB, again it is the full time staff, especially the manager that feels commitment to the company rather than the part time staff. When observing the manager of Pipes of Scotland we see that Lisa is also happy to be associated with the company as it holds a good standard. “I would absolutely associate myself with this place… we have a fine hotel, a good standard, it really is top of the line…” (Quote 21). A difference with this company can be the assignment of the CC in that Pipes of Scotland is more interested in keeping their staff happy which reflects in Lisa’s pride to see the employees have fun when they work and that they feel good. “I see to it that the staff are happy… that they feel good… that it is fun to come, and the staff have fun at work. It is the most important to me and because of it I am proud” (Quote 22). From Lisa’s perspective we can assume that the consistency in the company comes from enjoying the job that you do, which will promote more commitment to the business and therefore bring in line the brand values of the company through the employee. Lisa also considers her responsibility as manager as reasons for her commitment to the company. “I associate myself with this place, if it falls so do I” (Quote 23). This seems to be a driving force in realising the mutual values of the company, that as a manager the added responsibility influences their commitment to the company and therefore the mutual values of the company and employee. Although the Bar Manager, Anton, says that he is not so proud to work for the company, it is of a personal nature that he has not reached the goals he wanted to. “Not so much makes me proud, I am 27 now and still not reached my own goals” (Quote 24). However it is interesting to note the way he says things; for example, “I think that we [stress added] have a good image. It is a very special pub… it’s cool to work at a place where standard beer is not the norm anymore” (Quote 25). Anton does seem to have an affiliation with the establishment that he works for, therefore he does give the impression that he is willing to be associated with company and he speaks highly of the company image that he works for. This can therefore be seen as the brand reaching the employee and influencing him and his commitment to the company from the values that the company holds. When asked of his commitment to the company he maintains a strong duty to the company, and again interestingly enough, due to the responsibility given to him by the company. “I feel a very strong commitment to the company, I am involved in a great deal in my position as bar manager” (Quote 26). Respondent B, who is part time, does not feel any real commitment or pride in working at Pipes of Scotland. Rather their commitment and pride comes from the own personality to do a good job and keep the customers happy. This shows that they as an employee do not necessarily follow or share the same values of the company, but rather their own standards. But again the question remains as to whether the influence of the brand has actually rubbed off on the employee; or that the brand image is a mutually accepted standard of both the company and the employee. “When I work I feel no responsibility besides making the customer happy and serving food; to do my job” (Quote 27). “If I am there I definitely want to do a good job, my best” (Quote 28). As a service company, can they expect any more from their employees? To do their best and to make the customers happy, these seem very much like mutually accepted values that uphold the promise of a 39
service company; this will be further reviewed in the discussion chapter. We can also note that what makes Respondent B proud at their place of work is that they have learnt so much, which has been taught to them at the place of work. “I don’t know if I can say that I am proud because I work there. More that I am proud and pleased that I have learnt so much” (Quote 29). 4.6.1 Influences of training on IB The last question in our interview manual was specifically directed towards how training could possibly affect Internal Branding. Aspects such as association, pride, wanting to share with others where they work and commitment were discussed in the nature of how these feelings might be affected by training. Analysing this question will enable us to answer our purpose of whether training can improve Internal Branding in the selected restaurants. The inputs given by the respondents in the last interview question will be compared with some of the answers that each respondent gave in the closed-questions questionnaire that was answered after each interview. In the questionnaire Mishka, Anton and Respondent B shared the same opinion that training can not improve your affiliation with the company; affiliation being part of Internal Branding. To have a closer look as to why, the individual interviews were consulted. There we could find that Mishka did not see training as a way to influence the association, pride, openness to share with others where one works and commitment. However, he thought that training could strengthen the goal congruence within a work team. “…training the night managers so that they make sure that the rest of the team is working with them... I think that’s really important.” We made the connection that Mishka might believe that teambuilding is an important factor when considering training. Teamwork is partly working towards the same goals which is a major part of Internal Branding; sharing the brand values and aims of the company. This was further supported by him marking Teambuilding as important in the closed-questions questionnaire. Finally, the last respondent to oppose the fact that IB can be affected by training was Anton. He thinks that his feelings regarding Internal Branding “cannot really be affected by training, that they are just something that you should have in you” (Quote 30). We interpret that as either him being the exception to the theory or that he does not simply believe the concept of Internal Branding. Lisa, being one of the promoters of training affecting the Internal Branding explains that “the more education or the more training one gets … helps to affect my satisfaction within the company. And I would speak even better about the company” (Quote 31). Again, Zeithaml et al. (2006), Berry and Parasuraman (1992) all support the fact that employee satisfaction has a significant influence on customers. Furthermore, the fact that Lisa would “speak even better about the company” can be assumed to regard both internal clients, employees, and external clients, customers. Thus we have found support that training could improve Internal Branding; hence, the SM and SQ will improve as well.
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Respondent A follows the same line of argument as Lisa; that training affects her satisfaction as an employee. They also add pride, dedication and motivation to the outcomes of training, all ultimately affecting IB. “After each training course I feel more proud about the fact that the company invests in their employees, but also happier to work there … and also feel a greater will to push the company forward ... it can also be motivational to others in that they would feel that if one works longer within the company one can go to similar training courses” (Quote 32). The way Adde sees it is somewhat similar to Respondent A. “I believe that if you are sent to more training and see that the company invests in you, you become more devoted to your company … of course you become more motivated and loyal” (Quote 33). Loyalty, devotion and motivation are aspects of IB (Mahnert and Torres, 2007), and if these feelings arrive from training, evidently part of our purpose can be confirmed; namely that training can affect Internal Branding positively. James’ discussion regarding IB and the affects of training brings up pride. He starts by saying that “I don’t think you can train anyone to be proud of a business, however I think training can have a positive effect”. He does not see pride as something that can be trained first hand; although we see him as strongly convinced that pride can be an outcome of training. “...yeah! You are going to get more proud through training, that’s a fact. I stand by that.” Another strong believer is Micke. “…more training would absolutely raise a positive feeling. If you learn more you can feel more pride and that affects all the rest” (feeling committed, associated and being open to discuss with others where one works) (Quote 34). That makes both James and Micke supporters of the possibility of training affecting IB. The last remaining respondent, Peter, thinks that training can create more commitment. He thinks that the best training would be to give the workers more knowledge about the bar as a concept so that they would think about the bar not just as a place to work. “I think training could be some sort of… giving the other students that work there some more knowledge about the bar as a concept… Think about the big picture instead of just seeing the night that they work... So I think that would be the best training.” That is similar to what Micke said about feeling proud to be part of the history of the E-Pub. Knowing more about the place you work at might create a greater interest and thereby your devotion and even commitment by feeling part of the business. 4.6.2 Training Corporate Culture to strengthen IB As we have introduced in the theory chapter it is important to work towards the same goal in a business. A strong CC with visible aims and values will promote this. As Berry and Parasuraman (1992) argues, a strong corporate vision functions as guidelines for employees. Other theories on CC also implies that team working, i.e. working together in a common direction, positively affects satisfaction, commitment and attitudes among employees (Bratton and Gold, 2007 p. 159). Additionally, Corporate Culture is important in a Service Marketing and Branding perspective since the frontline employees represent 41
the service brand in the eyes of the customers (Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2006). In other words, in this section we aim to find support to conclude that having a strong CC will positively affect the Internal Marketing and Internal Branding. The importance of having goals to work towards has been realised by Lisa. When being asked how corporate visions and aims affect her she said: “A lot in everything, I as a manager require and need the company to have goals and the will as a company to reach those goals in the best possible way” (Quote 35). Lisa also explains that “There are clear goals within the company” (Quote 36).That is something that Anton can agree with, but not Respondent B; "I honestly don’t know what the goal is exactly” (Quote 37). Although Respondent B sees the importance of it and thereby agrees with Bratton and Gold (2007) that “it is good for a work-team to work and aim towards a common goal. It functions as an incentive to fight for something and it is very important with a spelled out goal” (Quote 38). One way to put across corporate values and aims is through having standards where these are promoted and implemented through training. The message of applying CC through training was clearly stated in Respondent A’s idea of training (see section 4.2 for review). Lisa holds a similar view when describing that the importance of training a newly employed is “to show our thoughts with the place, what we think is important” (Quote 39). Furthermore she argues that the kind of training that should be given in a restaurant is to show: “What the company expects from you, what message they want to pass on and their standards and requirements” (Quote 40). Knowing what the company expects from oneself takes us back to feeling confident and secure in ones work role, which reflects back at the employee satisfaction and might ultimately reflect in ones commitment. Mishka does not place such an importance on utilizing written manuals regarding the procedures that exist at the restaurant. He says: “… the kind of pub culture we have there defines the way people work and how they work.” The Corporate Culture should be strong enough to define the way people work to create consistency in both the service delivery and the Internal Brand value. He thinks that “you have to show how the pub works … it’s a big thing”. Later in the interview he explains that they are working in teams and that “you have different people teaching, so if you don’t have one person, you know, that teaches then the Service Quality differs between teams”. Having such inconsistencies is an issue that might occur when there are no standard procedures to follow and when the Internal Brand is not strong enough to create unity between the individual workers’ values and the corporate values, i.e. the Corporate Culture. Without consistency between the employees the customers will experience less quality service, hence the value of having standards is recognised. Respondent B entails that “How satisfied you are [as an employee] and the Corporate Culture that one creates is more important than training” to affect Internal Branding (Quote 41). To strengthen Respondent B’s Internal Branding should thereby focus on what makes them satisfied at work. It is interesting to see that Respondent B works for
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Lisa who, throughout the interview, seemed much focused on the employees’ satisfaction, confidence and comfort. Respondent B further argues, that the feelings connected to IB “are strongly connected to the organisational culture and the interaction/teamwork with your colleagues” (Quote 42). From the closed-questions questionnaire we find that Respondent B does not consider training as either a very important factor or not an important factor at all within teambuilding. We interpret this as they do think that teambuilding is important in a work team, but might not be important within training. However, that teamwork should be promoted in the Corporate Culture and would thereby strengthen the IB of the company. Respondent B believes that Corporate Culture affects training in the manners that “together you set the guidelines of how you want to work” (Quote 43). On the other hand they believe that “training also affects the Corporate Culture since you learn from each other and take on other’s opinions in a way, how things are done in that specific establishment.” (Quote 44) So ultimately, by analysing what has been said Respondent B might agree to a certain extent that training can affect Internal Branding since they believe that training does affect Corporate Culture, and CC in its turn affects the Internal Branding. Further, that CC could be strengthened through implementing standard procedures, more thoroughly discussed following. The way that Corporate Culture can be taught through training was seen by James. He explains that since Bishops Arms emphasises customer services he was told from the beginning that asking people if they enjoyed their food was something that should always be done. That is a simple standard procedure which is not obvious to everyone, but if the company values delivering quality services, in other words if the Corporate Culture advocates Service Quality, we argue that it should be shown internally to frontline employees to then deliver those values externally to guests. Ultimately the Service Marketing will be improved by utilising efficient Internal Marketing and Human Resource Management through standards. 4.6.3 IB concluded From the respondents interviewed we see that there are similarities to the theory of Internal Branding that we have discussed in the theory chapter of our research and their responses. That is to say that although specifically not asked about the issues of IB, it is recognised that commitment (responsibility), association and pride are factors that can be considered when working for a restaurant/bar in this specific area. Some respondents considered that training could positively affect IB, while others did not think training was the best approach. Though, that IB influences might come as an ultimate consequence of training in aspects such as strengthening goal congruence and cooperation between workers. Others saw it as a way to directly affect IB. And therefore achieving consistency with the external brand image and encouraging brand commitment by the employees influences the SQ of the business itself, due to the fact that through mutually accepted values and the realisation of the promise of the brand will improve Service Quality. Consequently we interpret the respondents feeling towards this area as significant,
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however we accept that training is not the only consideration to influencing IB. This will be further argued in the discussion chapter.
4.7 The outcomes of training
Having the respondents’ ideas of training in mind, we move on to analyse the role of training and in what areas it is beneficial; hence, to answer the first sub-purpose. From the interviews we have been able to identify some common outcomes that training leads or would lead to. These outcomes were also recognised in the revised model previously in the chapter (Figure 2). 4.7.1 Added Confidence The aspect of training adding confidence is a very important reason why training is beneficial and that is the first outcome we will analyse. This argument stems from Berry and Parasuraman (1992) stating that increasing skills and knowledge builds confidence. Confidence in turn enables the worker to meet customer needs. To this theory we can make a connection to opinions of some of the respondents. According to Respondent B knowing the procedures will simplify the work of the employee and add to the feeling of knowing what is expected from you as an employee. “There should be guidelines of what you should know and learn to simplify the work, so that you know from the beginning when coming to work what is expected from you” (Quote 45). Knowing ones role at work adds confidence in living up to it. Lisa further supports the argument that training increases the workers confidence. She explains that “… the most important training one can get when starting [the job] is the routines at the place” (Quote 46). The reason why this training is so important is because “they [the workers] should know where things are and how things work” (Quote 47). “If you would not receive the right kind of introduction at the new place you would probably feel pretty lost” (Quote 48). She explains that the most important thing with being a boss and with training is to give the employees security and confidence; confidence in what they do and what they know about products and in how the company works. Unexpected events are more easily dealt with when the workers are confident; unexpected events possibly being an unsatisfied customer. Confidence also gives you the courage to ask questions when needed, according to Lisa, which connects to learning from each other. Mishka is a third respondent to add to this support. He clearly states that “… it helps you with uncertainty” and “… training helps oneself err… feel more confident in what you do” which clearly supports the argument that training increases confidence. 4.7.2 Empowerment In line with the developmental humanistic approach within HRM, training could be considered as empowering (Bratton and Gold, 2007). According to our definition employee empowerment is “providing the employees with desire, skills, incentives, authority and trust in the employee to meet customer needs in a way that satisfies the individual customer and should promote the corporate aims and values.” The fact that this 44
can be increased through training is supported by Mishka. “There are a lot of situations where there is a grey area, and you don’t know what your role is… what power you have, I think probably a little bit more training in that area would have been good.” This implies that empowerment also adds security and confidence which has been previously discussed. Training in what power you have would incorporate knowing what authority you have in your position. That is also mentioned by Respondent B saying that “especially in the bar it is important to being told early on that you have the right to say no to a customer” (Quote 49). In other words, having the authority also to deny a customer the service is important, i.e. empowerment. Respondent B also explains that when they were a new employee a good way to learn how to work in the bar was to be put in there and learn as it goes. That was tough in the beginning when they did not have a lot of knowledge and it sometimes ended in chaos, but it was very important to be able to stand on their own and take that responsibility. Anton also appreciates the responsibility that he has. And as he expresses it “if he is to work in this industry he wants some kind of responsibility” to be satisfied (Quote 50). We argue that to be able to have responsibility one must firstly have the required knowledge, which could only come through some sort of training. This enforces the theory that empowerment, having the authority and influence to make decisions and take actions, is a positive thing and should be strengthened through training (Bratton and Gold 2007). 4.7.3 Motivation According to Bratton and Gold (2007) the aim of HRM is to improve the performance and effectiveness of the employees and consequently the company. To improve performance does not only regard equipping the workers with the knowledge and skills, but also motivating them to wanting to perform. The question is then whether training can function as a motivational force; whether increasing knowledge will lead to higher motivation and consequently to higher performance. This issue was not considered before executing the interviews, but rather an interesting point that grew along the data collection process. Several inputs from the respondents were collected into an attitude of attributing motivating power to training. Lisa was one of the advocators of this view; when being asked how training is beneficial, she responded: “It is a driving force to wanting to perform” (Quote 51). Adde agrees that training increases ones motivation. When discussing the kind of training he has received at Bishops Arms he states: “it is the driving force to develop and then all such training is good” (Quote 52). Both Adde and Lisa realise that training and education has a motivational power and that training in that aspect is beneficial. The importance of motivation can be seen as encouragement to perform. Not only training itself is motivating, but in addition seeing that what you have learnt is useful and beneficial is a motivational force. According to James learning by doing is the essentials of training in the restaurant sector. So when being successful after or when receiving training increases your motivation and ultimately you learn what you have been taught 45
better. “learning by doing and being successful re-enforces your feelings towards it as well. You have to do it to realise that it works and after that it becomes stuck in you and you’ll be able to do it.” Clearly, training is not the only source of motivation and this is realised by Peter. “Since we are not paid it is very important to be able to motivate your team”. He has considered the monetary aspect of motivation not being there for the E-Pub being a nonprofit organisation that does not pay their employees. The monetary issue has also been understood by Micke; “You still have to try to get your employees to perform at their best, but a very important hold is missing, compensation” (Quote 53). We then argue that in such cases training might be even more important in the context of motivating the workers. This however, could be a subject for further research. 4.7.4 Employee Satisfaction Research has shown that employee satisfaction affects customer satisfaction (Bowen et al., 1999). One reason for this is that trained, satisfied employees are more likely to deliver consistent Service Quality as mentioned in the theory chapter (Zeithaml et al., 2006; Berry and Parasuraman, 1992; Mosley, 2007). Another reason for employee satisfaction leading to customer satisfaction is the spill-over effect that fairly treated employees have on the customer (Bowen et al., 1999). Since we are not studying customers, we are not aiming to prove this statement, but rather analysing whether employee satisfaction could be an outcome of training. According to some of the responses in our interviews we can support that statement. Lisa describes that the importance of giving new employees proper training or a proper introduction is that “the new [employee] should feel welcome and wanting to stay [with the company]” (Quote 54). Wanting to stay incorporates being satisfied since we assume that an unsatisfied employee would not want to stay, note the emphasis on want. Furthermore she adds joy as one reason for training; “It becomes more fun to work when you know more” (Quote 55). Another aspect of satisfaction that training and knowledge leads to is added by Anton. He points out the appeal of being able to teach the customer something about what they are drinking. “It is nice to be able to teach the guest something, which they often appreciate” (Quote 56). Such appreciation has been recognised by Anton and enriches his satisfaction of delivering a high quality service and satisfying the customer. Hence, a double motive for training; to satisfy both the employee and the customer. 4.7.5 Experience One reason why there might be a Customer Gap is because the customer expectations are not known, i.e. Provider Gap 1. From reviewing the interviews we get many similar answers saying that training can improve the ability to recognise customer expectations. If working is seen as training many respondents agree that experience contributes to closing Provider Gap 1. More specifically, that service performance is mainly trained through experience seems to be a common idea among the respondents; by being put into different situations by merely working, the ability to treat customers will increase. As Anton puts it: “If you consider every day of work as training, you will experience 46
different situations all the time and learn how to meet and treat customers better” (Quote 57). The same opinion is similarly pointed out by Respondent B. Furthermore, Lisa argues that “…one should be able to read every individual guest.” (Quote 58) She also points out that “it is not something I can teach, but one must be able to contribute to that, but you learn from experience” (Quote 59). That aspect of experience, that simply by working you are learning, it is inevitably increasing your knowledge. “Sure, you educate yourself all the time when you are working” (Quote 60). Such experience and knowledge can and should spill over to other members of staff. This has also been realised in Anton’s, Respondent B’s and Lisa’s own definitions of training. Consequently, we argue that previous experience can and should function as a tool for training others with less experience. Mishka supports this argument by saying: “the people that have worked there longer, it’s part of their responsibility, unwritten responsibility, that they’re supposed to help other people.” There is also the side that practical experience is needed to work well within the service sector. “…one needs a lot of experience before you can work well as a bartender” (Quote 61). Anton adds that “one has to work to learn” (Quote 62) implying that experience is needed to be able to learn. That might come from the restaurant business being such a practical line of work. All respondents prefer practical training in comparison to theoretical training if not a mix of both. In addition there is the opportunity of giving formal training to one employee, who then spreads the knowledge gained from that training to the other members of staff. That opportunity is adopted by Bishops Arms according to Respondent A. “we who have received training/education try to pass on our knowledge” (Quote 63). This method, by not implementing it under some degree of control, might lead to inconsistency when different employees are taught differently. This issue will be further discussed in a later stage in this research.
4.8 Training’s effects on Service Quality
Service Quality is most affected by the frontline employee according to many researchers (Berry and Parasuraman 1992; Tam 2004; Zeithaml et al. 2006) and the most important factor is reliability which is most often in the control of the frontline staff member (Zeithaml et al. 2006 p. 358). Although each Provider Gap influences the Service Quality; we argue that the most important gap is Provider Gap 3; not delivering to service designs and standards. We can see that this aspect of Service Quality seems to be addressed through learning by doing, all respondents’ remark that training is given on the job and that it is done simultaneously so as such, a reliable standard is reached. “One normally starts the job straight away… one learns easier by doing… important to learn from each other” (Quote 64) (Respondent B, Pipes of Scotland). “I felt right from the start that I was being lead to do things a certain way, and the person who told me about it was being lead because her
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boss had told her how things should be done” (James, Bishops Arms). “For the E-Pub it is mostly learning by doing, that is it really” (Quote 65) (Micke, E-Pub). What sets respondents apart from each other is the belief that product knowledge is considered as the most important thing when giving quality service. Whereas others see the customer service as more important, but to throw a spanner in the works, part of customer service is seen as having good product knowledge. James for example says that “customer service is the important thing and the only thing which makes a successful pub…if your customer service isn’t to the highest possible level, then your just not going to survive… it’s quite important to be approachable, to be professional and to have fun as well… the Service Quality itself is the business.” He also sees that product knowledge is more important than technical ability (such as using the till), “technical knowledge is like the basics…product knowledge is the important one.” However he goes on to say, “…the way you deliver a product is more important than the product sometimes.” From James as an example we see that Service Quality is more important for him. But what is interesting to note is that he works for Adde and therefore gives validation to Adde’s belief as well as others (see following paragraph) that service-mindedness individuals can be employed rather than trained. Thus giving credence to Respondent A’s belief that it is product knowledge that has given them the most use, and that service is within the person. “Product knowledge has given me the most. No formal training in just service; that lies more in the personality…” (Quote 66). We can therefore see that training may not be the most important factor within this particular service sector area. However this view is not shared by all that product knowledge is the most important in delivering quality service; for Mishka, he feels that efficiency is the greatest influence on SQ; “I think probably when working in a bar it’s efficiency, I don’t think its a friendly smile or anything like that.” He also feels that the atmosphere of the establishment has a significant influence on the Service Quality, “if you don’t create a good atmosphere people [customers] won’t come back.” Peter also sees other factors as significant when trying to offer quality service; these are such things as, “good music and cheap prices…” This can be recognised as issues further to Service Marketing, including the influence of the customer’s expectations of the establishment they are going to; those being Word of Mouth Communication, Personal Needs and Past Experience (Grönroos, 1990; Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 93). This will be discussed in the following chapter. A lot of emphasis is placed in the initial learning of routines and the way things are at the particular establishment. Respondent B feels that it is very important to have routines in place; “It is very important that a company has routines that one learns, so one learns the job in a better way than if one would be doing everything their own way” (Quote 67). This can be seen as a form of standardisation and thus consistent or reliable service. Adde even say that new employees replicate the old employees in the language when talking to customers. “Of those who have permanent employment and work a lot, they speak the same language and the new employees follow after…” (Quote 68). Therefore we can see a dramatic influence in learning by doing, in that employees in the service sector gain 48
their Service Quality or train their service delivery through experience of working and asking question. But this training only relates to basics in serving customers as well as a good level of product knowledge, if not motivated to want more by teaching oneself of motivated by the company an individual works for. 4.8.1 Increasing reliability through standards and routines Heterogeneity is the assumption that no service is the same thus cannot be repeated in the same manner. That is a widely discussed Service Marketing theory, among others by Zeithaml et al. (2006). Despite this, we have earlier argued for the importance of having some standard procedures or routines for situations and chores commonly occurring in the frontline employees’ typical workday. These routines would not aim to recreate the same service over and over, but merely to give the frontline employee some supportive guidelines. One argument for having guidelines and standard procedures is to increase the reliability and consistency. As Schneider (2004) argues, one of the most important aspects of Service Quality is reliability. Even though customer expectations are not homogenous they should be able to expect a certain level of standard, as many respondents agree upon, and a certain amount of consistency in one visit to another. Respondent B also holds a positive view of having routines. They explain that when starting at Pipes of Scotland the bar manager introduced them to the routines specific to Pipes. They also picked up from their co-workers the way to do things at that place. Actually learning these routines came from performing them. Although they do not experience the routines and must-do’s to be that many. In Respondent B’s opinion it is very important for any company to have routines since every establishment works in a different manner. Teaching these procedures allows you to learn your job better compared with if everyone would work in their own way. Respondent B says, “It is very important for a company to have routines that can be taught, because if you learn those, then one works better than if one was just to do things in their own way” (Quote 69). By adding an analysing thought to this statement, we can argue that if everyone would work their own way the customers’ reliability in the service delivery would decrease. If on the other hand everyone would work according to the same standards customers could better know what to expect and the reliability would increase. Thereby, in their expression, “one works better”, thus the concept of reliability and SQ is incorporated. Lisa has a similar view as Respondent B; that having and teaching the routines specific to that establishment is very important. She says that is the most vital part of training. Why she says that is because, as Respondent B was saying, all places have different routines. And that it is important to get through the idea of what Pipes stand for, what they want and how they work. That also minimises any misunderstandings, according to Lisa; “… every establishment has its routines. Then it is important to show what we stands for, what we want and how we work. Then there is less misunderstanding” (Quote 70). We interpret that misunderstanding could come from both employees and the customers and 49
is an important aspect to consider in the issue of having standard procedures. Among other areas it is important in service recovery. The manager at the Bishops Arms, Adde, claims that they have written manuals on their routines on what there is to do, what is expected of you as a worker, what cloths to wear when working, how to open and close the restaurant and how to meet the guests. These routines are part of the training of new employees. We argue that what the manager at Bishops Arms was saying about their written manual increases the consistency and reliability of the service, even if that consequence might not be realised. These routines have been realised by James “…there are going to be things that are quite similar in all the Bishops Arms in Sweden, but also within Bishops in Umeå, the standard… we’ve got patterns to follow”. This quote implies that having standards has increased the reliability at Bishops Arms by having similarities between Bishops Arms in different locations, but also here in Umeå between visits. Again, that is what Schneider (2004) describes as being reliability. According to James training is being shown “the kind of nuts and bolts of how a business works, where you put everything, what you should do at what time”; the routines at that specific restaurant. Learning from each other seems like a common way to train at the job. As previously mentioned, there is a risk of learning from each other if the brand values are not mutually accepted by everyone within the company. Not having standards of how thing should be done and what should be taught when for example more experienced workers teach new employees, might end up in inconsistent brand values. Again the importance of having standards is realised. However, there has to be a good balance between having such standards and controlling the worker too much, since we have seen that Employee Empowerment is an important factor in both employee and customer satisfaction. Standards and routines should not take over the frontline employees’ ability to deliver a personalised service. As Anton agrees that routines and guidelines could be a good idea, but one should be empowered to deviate from these if the situation requires. “One can have guidelines to follow, but one should be able to digress a little” (Quote 71).
4.9 Closing The Customer Gap
Micke, the restaurant manager of E-Pub has an opinion in the issue of closing The Customer Gap. He explains that especially at private social events (“sittning”) standard procedures are very important. Mainly because the time schedule is tight and the customers and arrangers have quite set expectations on how an event should be organised. This is evident since Micke says that if there are any differences in the planned time schedule that is when the most complaints are received. Such differences often happen when you haven’t given planning enough thought. At the moment a checklist is being written especially for these events, he explains. This manual will help meet the customer expectations at such an event and thereby increase reliability. However it should be kept in mind that customer expectations are not being studied, but in this sense 50
it is Micke’s perception of their expectations and his own opinion of how to meet them. This shows recognition of the importance in closing The Customer Gap through standardising procedures. 4.9.1 Recovery and fair treatment Having routines could also help the employee recover the customer if something goes wrong in the service delivery. Hart et al. (1990, p. 15) state that a customer relationship can be retained or even improved by acting systematically and immediately. Respondent B explains that giving training in remedies for when something goes wrong would help, e.g. what to do when spilling wine on a guest. “I strongly believe that one learns by making mistakes, but maybe one should give some training in what should be done if one makes a mistake” (Quote 72). Having standard procedures for the purpose of treating the customer fairly has also been recognised by both James and Anton. The latter respondent mentions the importance of not being rude to customers and the importance of behaving appropriately. He also points out that it is up to the Manager to show and inform how he/she wants it.
4.10 The importance of “willpower”
One important issue to bring up that was mentioned by two of the respondents and that is also evident in our Revised Model is the importance of having the will to learn and develop. Zeithaml et al. (2006) also point out the importance of service employees being willing and able to deliver quality service in order to have successful Internal Marketing. In accordance to this theory, Adde agrees that “the individual’s will to develop is just as important as the training itself” (Quote 73). When being asked how much technical knowledge compared with product knowledge one should have, he explains that “it is up to you as an employee, that you have the will to develop” (Quote 74). We interpreted his thought that not having the will would stop you from developing. Lisa brought up the other side of the aspect saying: “If the person does not have any education or experience, but a strong will to succeed and a lot of positive energy you can learn the work” (Quote 75). We agree to a certain extent that willpower, can work as either a bridge or a barrier to training and actually taking in and applying what you have learnt from training. We do not agree that it is only up to the worker to receive training, but that it should also be encouraged and supplied by the employer.
4.11 Our realisation of the empirical data
To conclude this analysis, we see that it is partly up to the employees to want to learn. If there is no desire or interest in receiving training, there might be a negative influence in the outcomes of training and its effects on Service Marketing might be weakened or even lost. At the same time, it is up to the employer to provide their workers with training in the areas where it can be beneficial and to give them incentives to want to learn and develop. There has also been the realisation that personality can have an influence on Service Quality and thus Service Marketing. It should therefore be in the company’s best interest to train their staff; since we have seen in this study that training affects IM, IB, 51
SQ and The Customer Gap and ultimately SM. Further discussion on the purposes of this study will follow in the next chapter.
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5. Discussion and Conclusions
In this chapter we will endeavour to show our connection to the purposes of this study and the subsequent outcomes of the knowledge gained from the respondents. We will then continue to incorporate the theories discussed previously in this paper with the interviewee’s accounts and our own understanding in order to develop the theories already augmented. This chapter will contain a further discussion built on the analysis. Areas of Internal Branding, Internal Marketing, Service Marketing and Service Quality will be discussed in the aspects of how they are affected by training. The rationale for showing the significance of the sub-purposes of this paper are done in order to give clarification of what this study has contributed with the development of theory.
5.1 Discussing the purposes of the study
5.1.1 Sub-purpose 1: The importance of training With existing theories and the gathered empirical data we have come to the conclusion that training can be perceived as beneficial in many ways. The areas of training that is important according to the respondents can be summarised according to the following: • to gain confidence through increased knowledge; • to expand employee empowerment by being able to trust your employees in what they know and what they can deliver from the employee side of things and knowing what is expected from you as a worker and having the ability and knowledge to live up to those expectations; • to feel more satisfied as an employee as a result of the gained confidence and security and the possible feedback received from both customers, co-workers and employers; • to gain experience which will mainly improve ones ability to deliver high quality service; • to increase the motivation of doing a good job and being loyal to the company, and possibly gain or strengthen the vital will-power; • to strengthen the Corporate Culture by incorporating the corporate values in the standard routines of how things are done; • to possibly increase efficiency and ultimately sales. We can therefore see the significance in the importance of training frontline staff as it does have an influence on the Service Quality. This can be seen from Figure 2 as the significant factor of training influencing IM, IB and SQ is realised. 5.1.2 Sub-purpose 2: Subsequent affect on Service Quality We feel confident in saying that well trained staff are more well-equipped to deliver Service Quality than staff with diverse experience, training and personal values. Training might provide the frontline employees with the product knowledge needed to give the customers what they want; it might also provide support and confidence to perform a
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high quality service delivery; and finally it might unify personal values in accordance with the corporate values to give the customers a consistent and reliable service. 5.1.3 Sub-purpose 3: Subsequent affect on The Customer Gap Knowledgeable and confident frontline employees might be more likely to treat the customers in a way that is appreciated. High Service Quality will positively affect the customer experience. With reliability comes a feeling of knowing what to expect from one visit to another and the perceived service will be more in accordance with the expected service; the Customer Gap will be more likely to be minimised with a staff that is able to deliver Service Quality. This in turn can have an effect on customer retention as shown in Figure 2, this has been observed by many respondents, as they realise that quality service will help minimise The Customer Gap and in turn customers will return. 5.1.4 Main purpose: Training’s subsequent affect on Service Marketing We argue that investments in employee training show that the workers are valuable for the company. It might even create or increase commitment to the company and thereby strengthening the Internal Brand. Training might also work as a motivator for both maintaining staff and for recruiting staff; strengthening both the Internal Marketing and providing Human Resource Management with measures to perform their tasks. Furthermore, good customer experiences influence the image of the company and wordof-mouth might pass on that positive image to attract and maintain customers. Therefore, by having trained frontline employees that are able to deliver a reliable quality service, that shows commitment to the brand and that they are loyal to the company, will consequentially have a positive effect on the Service Marketing of the business. Therefore the ultimate goal is realised that training influencing HRM, IB and SQ does have a positive influence on the Service Marketing of a business. We argue that while these issues are realised by the respondents the action taken is dubious to ascertaining this goal of training influencing the business. We therefore see that the businesses’ attempts to train frontline staff are accomplished by learning by doing, and thus also influencing other factors. This is discussed in the following paragraphs in a greater depth.
5.2 Internal Branding
5.2.1 Mutually accepted values As stated in the theory chapter of this research (see Internal Branding 2.1.5) IB has been investigated to a very large degree as a tool of IM and its influences on a business, especially a service sector business. This is due to the realisation of the important role that frontline staff play in delivering a service and the consequential knock on effects through those frontline staff as Marketing tools. Grove and Fisk (1992) even discuss frontline employees as actors performing an act to the audience (the customers). This is a clear example of the important role played by those individuals, and thus the influence of IB is recognised through theory. That if the frontline employee holds the same values there will be consistency in the branding of the business, both internally and externally. If 54
a frontline employee believes in the company and its values then they will automatically promote that business in the actions they then do. Adde feels that the part of the business that he is in charge of is directed by himself and his personnel (Quote 80). “The values of the company has an influence but we formulate our own values on the floor.” So if we consider IB as the mutually accepted brand values and a promise of the brand by both business and employee, maybe the values are not so far from the truth. Rather that they influence each other, the employees and the brand. This can be because of the size of the business (Bishops Arms), in that it is not a very large, and a fairly young company and therefore there is not the control of what should or should not be done, just elements of an emerging Corporate/Service Culture influencing both employer and employee Internal Branding can also be considered from Respondent A’s feeling towards the company in the high standards it has, and also their own high standards. Knowing that they have worked there for a long time (unable to divulge how long as they wish to be anonymous), both as full time and part time, we can discuss which came first; was it that they helped develop the high standards at Bishops Arms Umeå? Or that the company standards have reflected back on the individual (see quotes 16 and 17). Thus in the case of Bishops Arms the brand commitment reaching a level of consistency is still being realised as well as the Service Culture developing. 5.2.2 Full Time Vs Part Time When considering the commitment to each person’s respective company we can see that there are substantial differences between full time and part time employees, As noted in the Analysis. The reasons for the difference seem to lie in a number of factors, most notably that full time employees are invested in by the companies they work for as well as a level of responsibility given to them by the company. The commitment is therefore reciprocated from company to employee. Adde, Respondent A and Lisa have all received external training (see Appendix C) and all have a positive outlook on the company they work for and a good level of commitment. But the part time staff, in contrast feel very little commitment, Respondent B for example feels only a little obligation, which comes when they are actually working, James also feels similarly that the commitment comes only when being at work. We as researchers must also realise that training is not the only factor in influencing IB but one of many that can help develop it. Micke, Adde and Lisa mention the history and the concept of the places they work, which seems to empower them within the scope of IB. Couple this with influences not discussed in the interviews such as bonus related pay, contract-employment (reciprocated commitment) and yearly appraisals can all play a part in their commitment to their respective companies and hence the brand. 1 If the objective however of IB is to have competitive advantage through people, then there seems to be a need for more investment of those frontline staff rather than just
1
This does not include Micke from E-Pub.
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managers. Although frontline employees can, and do have a certain level of commitment, it is not necessarily following the Corporate Culture or brand image that the company wants to portray but rather the individual member of staff’s own values. Thus an element of inconsistency may develop from one frontline employee to another, thereby influencing the SQ. This however is only assumption and needs to be further researched by taking a customer perspective and will be discussed as future research later on. 5.2.3 Motivate Brand commitment Another factor mentioned in the interviews is that staff turnover within the restaurant business is very high. Therefore to have the best frontline employees a business must rely on a number of factors within HRM not only training, and a wage, but other facets as well. We argue that training is among the most beneficial in keeping and motivating committed frontline employees to a business. But the unwillingness of companies investing in frontline employees’ external and theoretical education affects frontline employees’ obligations in upholding company values and commitment. This lack of commitment from companies to invest in their staff can be seen as a motivator as to why frontline employees are less committed to the business they work for. We see this as a mirror image of the full time staff, who, through the commitment of the company are committed, unlike the part time. 5.2.4 IB realisation within SM It is interesting to note that Lisa sees the restaurant sector is growing in Umeå, and as such more investment in marketing and training will become increasingly available. This therefore gives credence that training is realised by company management as an important factor in marketing the business externally. Corporate/Service Culture and the values of the company aligning the attitudes and behaviours of employees in delivering the brand promise to external customers. Therefore realising the central role of the frontline employee and Internal Branding as the process by which behaviour of employees is allied with brand value (Punjaisri and Wilson, 2007). 5.2.5 Concluding IB Internal Branding is seen to be an important factor in that frontline employees are inescapably intertwined and the brand is being continuously created or modified. The realisation of most of the respondents seeing the relevance of training affecting the company from a marketing standpoint (customer retention), and influencing the employee in an advantageous manner to marketing the business externally was significant. Most notably was the respondents’ awareness of how important Service Quality is, but very little belief in the importance of training in actual service. The interviews with the respondents revealed that product knowledge training was important to quality service, but service itself can not be taught. But if this is the case, then inevitably there will be discrepancies between frontline staffs ability to deliver quality service, due to different experiences and personalities and therefore an inconsistent branding of the business. Many respondents agree that gaining experience through working or through previous work can be seen as one kind of training. This thought is probably connected with the 56
fact that all respondents see practical execution or “learning by doing” as one very important aspect of training within the restaurant sector. Learning by doing offers differing standards and experiences for frontline employees, that in turn are influenced by the individuals own preconceptions of quality service. Employees that are to learn from other employees merely by watching and listening to each other whilst working will not create unification of the Internal Brand values nor reliable Service Quality. Whereas a company with a strong CC and IM strategy can offer a stable and consistent platform for each employee within the firm to give a service consistent to the external brand image. We argue that learning from each other and learning from experience could add on to ones ability to deliver Service Quality if it is utilized in the right way. We argue that each company should take the opportunity of letting more trained employees pass on their gained experiences in a more formal way. An example being, sending one or a few employees on external training, who can then teach the remaining workforce in a more formal training session. This method could not only pass on gained knowledge in an easy and effective way (we see that this could be supported by further research), but could also strengthen the CC and the brand. Such an action could come from the management and does not have to be a large investment that has the risk of failing, but yet an investment worth making.
5.3 Internal Marketing
According to Grönroos (1990 p. 230) there is no clear list of activities that come under the title of IM, merely that all activities that influence the service-mindedness and customer consciousness of the employees are included. Training therefore can be seen as one of the main tools used by IM in conjunction with internal communication to develop the Service Culture. Training can influence frontline employees motivation in that after staff have received training they are more motivated to sell the products (if trained in product knowledge) and feel more confident when doing their job. This has been evident from the respondents we interviewed. The responsibility of knowing things that an employee has been taught instils responsibility to the individual and gives a closer connection to the company. Respondent A being proud to teach others what they have learnt and Mishka explaining how the long term members of staff help the new (see Appendix C). This shows that the responsibility of the employee given to teach others, on the job training may well influence their commitment to the company. This is explained by a number of the part timer staff as well as Adde. This can therefore also be seen as a part of HRM and IM in recruiting the right people who want to learn and even pass on their knowledge that they have learnt. From the theory (see 2.1.4) we see that it is quite often the case that training for frontline staff is neglected. This does seem to be the case for external and vocational training for part time employees, however as discussed the importance of ongoing training is realised through learning by doing, but quite often it is the part time members of staff own initiative that gives them the opportunity to progress or learn more. The differences observed from this research compared to theory discussed, is the realisation of the importance of learning by doing within the restaurant sector as a form of training. James 57
states, “Learning by doing is definitely the way to do it.” Peter says “you just see how things are done and then you just do it yourself.” However, as mentioned in 5.2.4 the process of learning by being shown may well influence the Service Quality and Corporate Culture in a negative manner. Reliability and consistency may be misplaced as different employees teach different employees how to do things at work, and no clear CC to define the business; so frontline employees develop their own culture. Although, performed in “the right way” (implementation of training is a subject for further research) it might have positive effects on the business internally and externally. 5.3.1 Training can improve SQ through IM Not all respondent see IM as motivating employees to perform in customer-orientated ways, but rather that education in product knowledge is a form of training and as such a way to help improve quality service. Personality and experience also come under the wings of IM and HRM through recruiting. However it is product knowledge, efficiency, price and atmosphere of the particular establishment that are discussed as influencing the customer experience most. The majority of respondents feel that service in itself, cannot be taught to frontline employees, but rather gained through experience and a serviceminded personality. Product knowledge and the basics of working in a bar are all that is taught through training (learning by doing) and asking questions about how things are done. But it is therefore dependent on who trains you as to whether you can then give a high level of Service Quality to the customers. Therefore we see that certain aspects of HRM are realised, but external and theoretical training is reserved for full time members of staff which strengthens their commitment to the brand as well as job security, development and motivation. Whereas the part time staff can be less motivated, have less commitment and do not feel that they develop unless through there own initiative. We also recognise the importance of other factors such as motivation, feedback and job security that influence IM and HRM.
5.4 Service Marketing
When we consider the factors that influence the customers’ expectations when going to an establishment, namely: Past experience, Word of Mouth and Personal Need (see 2.1.3). We can realise the importance of all the aspects of what is being discussed in this research and hence to a great extent backed up by the qualitative interviews. Both Peter and Micke mention the influence that other factors of Service Marketing have on the customer experience in that “I think it’s more important… to have the good music and cheap prices.” says Peter. “… to have fun for a small amount of money” says Micke; these relate to such things as Price and Physical Evidence from the 7 P’s of Service Marketing. Mishka mentions efficiency which can be seen as Process. James, Adde, Lisa, Respondent A and B discuss the importance of People and their service-mindedness; as well as the Product itself which has previously been mentioned. These can all be seen as part of Service Marketing and the 7 P’s of the business. Promotion is incorporated in to People when realising the significances of IM and IB.
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Therefore as the 7 P’s are seen as influences on the customer expectations, in that each aspects of the 7 P’s can and will have an influence on the customer experience, through past experiences and the personal requirement of the individual customer. We argue that training of staff can influence customer expectations through a level of efficiency; communicating the brand values and visible level of commitment to the company that the individual works for, thus reaching a reliable and consistent level of service that the customer should be happy with. To validate this claim however further research would be necessary to grasp the customers’ viewpoint. As some respondents mention, the money is a very important aspect and decisions of whether implementing training or not, is not always totally in the power of the interviewed managers. A common negative dilemma in vocational training is making an investment which does not pay off. The possibility of making a worthy investment can be amplified by adopting the training program to the context. The first step of developing a training program is to identify the areas where training is needed (Bratton and Gold, 2007). We argue that the CC and the overall priorities of the firm have to be considered as well. Further, training should be in alliance with the Marketing strategy. By training the staff to deliver the service that has been promised, training will further support Service Marketing.
5.5 Service Quality and The Customer Gap
Service Quality can be recognised as issues further to Service Marketing, we argue that aspects of training should be done by all staff so that a level of standardisation can be achieved giving consistency and reliability. However we realise that there is a cost in completing such training, but as an alternative some form of internal training system be considered. We further argue that through training an element of standardisation can raise the level of Service Quality and reduce The Customer Gap. Examples can be standardised practices, such as the five basic steps in a restaurant visit brought up in 2.2.2. The steps are one, greeting the customer, two, taking the order, three, serving the customer, four, reviewing the order and possibly recover from any negative inquiries from the customer and five, collecting the bill. These steps will be discussed in the light of some factors that in our opinions could be dealt with through training. A comparison to the respondents’ opinions will then be made. The factors that we will consider and that has been addressed in the closed-questions questionnaire are the following: • Listening / Attentiveness we see as being able to hear and realise customer needs which is important in all five steps. We argue that listening / attentiveness could be trained through giving instructions, reminding the frontline employees to pay attention to what the customer might want. That is a factor that might come through experience as discussed earlier. This factor is seen as important within training among all respondents except for Adde. • Awareness of customers when they enter the restaurant and their needs. This should be developed so it becomes a natural act to any personnel in the service industry through all the steps of delivering a service. Paying attention to 59
•
•
•
customers coming in to greet the customer as quickly as possible, not letting them wait to be seated does not, in our opinion, require any theoretical training. Again, instructing the staff of the importance should be sufficient. Awareness is important to all respondents except from Mishka who considers that it cannot be trained, somewhat in accordance with our argument that brief instructions being sufficient. Communication skills according to us are being able to meet the needs once they have been realised and to communicate with the customers in an approachable and appropriate way. What is appropriate is up to every establishment, since frontline staff are a good communication tool to put across the corporate values to customers. Good communication skills are part of having social competence which is required in steps one through four and can come through both training, and through experience. Mishka, Peter and Respondent B are not as positive to the importance of communication skills within training than the rest of the respondents. Problem solving / Creative thinking is needed to answer to customer inquiries and be able to recover the customer trust if anything should go wrong. Inevitably, this is a vital factor in step four. Adde and Mishka have the same opinion about this factor not being particularly important in training. Employee Empowerment is being able to act on customer inquiries or any unpredicted event to make a successful service recovery. We argue that a frontline employee that is empowered through training to make decisions and find solutions to satisfy the customer will be more likely to recover and regain customer trust which is inevitably incorporated in step four. Step five might also include a certain amount of empowerment. For example the waiter/barperson having the authority to compensate a customer if the food or the service was not satisfactory. Employee Empowerment was the one factor of these five listed factors where the respondents had the most differing opinions. Mishka, Peter, Micke, James and Adde do not see a great importance of empowerment within training.
Simply informing about the standard procedures at every specific establishment is a very simple kind of training and will add to the consistency, both internally by strengthening the Brand values and externally by showing the customers reliability. However, some factors and procedural steps could need closer attention and stronger emphasis through training. We identify that some factors, such as communication skills and problem solving could and should be addressed through training. One way is through role plays to gain experience. Real life situations are played out such as to practice how to respond and react to certain customer behaviours. It is a good way to improve service and to learn how to treat customers and how to react to certain customer behaviours. Another alternative type of training is team building exercises; which can help with IM related issues. Implementation and design are again subjects for further research. These are a couple of examples that we see influencing Service Quality and the Customer Gap through confidence building, loyalty to the business and shared values.
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To provide your frontline employees with good support is crucial to be able to deliver high quality services (Schneider, 2004). We argue that having a staff that feels comfortable and secure in their knowledge and workplace will more easily handle and solve problems and provide the customers with high quality service, giving customers a better experience. Such comfort and safety comes from having a solid ground of knowledge, being aware of the Corporate Culture, knowing the routines and knowing yourself and your co-workers. Furthermore, by knowing the specific routines and standard procedures, the steps discussed above, one will feel more confident and more empowered to act immediately. So training the frontline employees would ultimately affect the frontline employees’ ability to deliver Service Quality which the respondents and we agree will affect the customer experience and satisfaction. Another factor that is an influence on Service Quality is the approach that a business takes in maintaining the staff. Pipes of Scotland manager sees happy staff makes happy customers, whereas Adde sees staff having an interest in the products Bishops sells as favourable to giving a better quality service. However both recognise the importance of training; in Adde’s case for improving product knowledge and in Lisa’s case, experience and service-mindedness. We can therefore see that there can be subtle difference in how the company values its employees and the relevant importance of training. We see that one reason to that difference is the nature of the business and its Marketing strategy. By living up to the Marketed image and the service promise the customer expectations will more likely be met and thereby more likely lead to satisfaction and closing the Customer Gap.
5.6 Contribution and theory development
From the qualitative data collected and when considering the theories relating to the subject of study, we have found the following factors to be significant. 5.6.1 Experience counts as training Firstly that experience counts as training, this has been realised as a vital aspect of what is expected of a frontline employee in enabling them to give a quality service and therefore reduced The Customer Gap. The influences of experience improve not only confidence within the job role but also an ability to meet and greet the customer in a more personalised way. This must also however be a consideration for the recruitment phase of HRM and IM. 5.6.2 Reciprocal Commitment Secondly that there is a significant difference in part time and full time member of staffs’ feelings toward the establishment that they worked for, due in part to the training that the full time staff received. We have developed the phrases “Reciprocal Commitment”; this is used to describe the issues of commitment and investment of a business in its employees and vice versa. That is to say that when a company commits to, or invests in an employee through, for example, financing an employee to go on a training course in something attributed to the job. The employee will return the goodwill by being more committed to the company both internally and externally; thus invest themselves in the 61
company through being more motivated and of more value to the business in the sense of human capital. This factor was realised by seeing the differences in the reciprocal commitment of full time staff compared with part time staff. 5.6.3 Brand Modification Thirdly, that each establishment is relatively young (no older than 25 years as a company). Both Bishops Arms and Pipes of Scotland have only been in Umeå for less than five years, whereas E-Pub is continuously evolving. We therefore recognise the significance of Brand Creation or rather Brand Modification, in that at this level each member of frontline staff influences the Brand (and to some degree the Corporate Culture) in that the values of the establishment to some extent are influenced by those staff. It is therefore seen that there is an element of inconsistency in the brand image within these establishments that could be addressed. 5.6.4 Balance between Standardisation and Empowerment Alternatively, that there should be an underlying balance between standardisation and empowerment which allows this influence to persist. This is recognised as it is considered to be of great importance in IM that empowerment and enabling employees to perform influence employees satisfaction (Grönroos, 2000 p 330) which in turn can influence the customer satisfaction (Bowen, 1999).
5.7 Further studies
According to the Gap Model of Service Quality (Zeithaml et al., 2006) closing the Customer Gap requires synchronizing the service that the customer expects and his/her perception of the same service. We thereby argue for the importance of further studies to define customer expectations and perceptions from the customers’ point of views to then be compared to the findings of this research. Another area that has not been covered by this research is the implementation and design of training. We feel that this could be a beneficial area to further study the impacts of how training is conducted in the light of factors found in this study. We see that an insight in to the benefits of role play training, external to internal training (describe in 5.5), and other training techniques influencing the business would be valuable. It would therefore be of interest to see if frontline employees become more committed and consequential more motivated as frontline employees to perform better thus reducing The Customer Gap and improving Service Quality. And the resulting effects on SM, IB, IM and HRM. A third topic that is subject for further research is training as motivation in a non-profit context. One interesting point to research is whether training can partially replace the motivational force that monetary compensation has in a paid job.
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6. Quality criteria
This last chapter will argue for the quality of the study. The readers will be provided with some criteria from which they can judge the trustworthiness and the authenticity of this research.
6.1 Limitations
In order to keep a clear idea of the research we have spent a lot of time in the early stages of this paper discussing the purpose of this research so that we had a solid Research Question to work from. This has enabled us to follow our train of thought in a clear and structured manner throughout the research. However this has exposed the broad focus of what we are trying to achieve by writing this paper. We have tried to reduce these factors by taking a target area of Restaurants/pubs within the town of Umeå, and by selecting what we considered as establishments that all types of people go to, and all types of people work.2 We have also developed sub-purposes in order to clarify what is being attempted by this research, so as to give the reader a clearer understanding of the paper. From the literature collected we feel that an adequate and relevant amount of information has been used to justify this research paper. But as the area covered is of substantial size when considering SM, IM, IB and HRM, we admit that only a small portion of relevant data was used when there was so much available. However, we see that reasonable discretion was necessary when collecting relevant literature due to the sheer amount available Alternatives to the method that we have used have been discussed in the relevant section, however we do see the importance of future study in a quantitative manner to test the truth of our findings and conclusion from the perspective of the customer; this is considered in the future research section. The strategy used for selecting the sample were subjective opinions and observations of what establishments may or may not train the staff to some extent. We have validated this through our interviewing. But we realise that a more objective approach, such as yearly turnover of establishment and so on, may have influenced the paper differently. There has also been some practical applications to the samples chosen, in that we have contacts within the establishments chosen. We as the authors of this paper are well aware that training is not the only thing to influence Service Quality, Internal Branding and Service Marketing as explained in various stages of this research. It is however noted that it is us who see training as the most apposite in benefiting SM, IB and SQ. This can therefore bring in to question the usefulness of our study as it may be a combination of other factors that benefit SM, IB and SQ more significantly. This has been addressed through the paper and we accept that training is not everything but we argue that it does play a major part.
When referring to all types of people we mean; young, old, students, non-student, male, female and all pay-brackets and…
2
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6.2 Trustworthiness
6.2.1 Credibility and Respondent Validation (Internal Validity) We the researchers have provided each respondent with their transcribed interview, and given them a week to reply as to whether there are discrepancies in the interview. This has been done so that we can validate the interview and they can confirm to us that we have correctly interpreted their meaning of the social world within the context of the restaurant service industry and the influences of training therein. The readers can also, upon request, be provided with the transcribed interviews. Further, the translations of used quotes are found in appendix B for the reader to judge whether the empirical data corresponds to interpretations and translations which increases the validity and credibility (Olsson and Sörensen, 2007 p. 66). 6.2.2 Transferability (External Validity) As a qualitative study, others may only use this information for observing the possibility of transferring the data into other social settings. As such, further quantitative research may be conducted on the basis of our findings to ascertain whether it is possible to assume a generalisation of training and the influence it has on business in general. In this study we have only attempted to give an in-depth account of these factors to develop theory on training and its’ influences. For the grounds of transferability of the study, we have provided a background of the restaurants and a short description of each respondent for the readers to make a judgement of whether the study can possibly be transferred to other social settings. 6.2.3 Dependability (Reliability) The dependability of this paper will come from the consequent opposition that will take place as well as our peers (professor) reviewing the paper. Thus our peers can determine if we have followed the proper procedures, therefore assessing the degree to which the theoretical inferences can be justified. In order to give a dependable research paper we have included within the appendix all transcribed interviews and notes taken from those interviews. We have also thoroughly described each step of the process. The readers are then to judge whether these carefully chosen steps are appropriate and whether they have been followed. 6.2.4 Confirmability (Objectivity) Through our work and the availability of the transcribed interviews we have established evidence to show that we have acted in good-faith and that our beliefs and values do not overtake the empirical data/findings of the study. In qualitative interviews it is important to see both what is being said and the underlying meaning (Olsson and Sörensen, 2007 p. 82). The fact that both of us were present at the interviews increases the confirmability since it allowed us to be more perceptive to hidden meanings.
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6.3 Authenticity
6.3.1 Fairness In our attempt to give an authentic representation of the area in which we have studied we have made sure to interview part time and full time staff of different gender as well as management employees. This has been done so that we have a fair representation of those working within the field that we are studying. We also accept that this is only one-side of realising the influence of training within the service sector; as we have not concerned ourselves with the customer perspective. This is discussed both in our limitation and future study sections of this paper. The hope is to give a better understanding of the social settings within the restaurant sector in Umeå, as well as give the readers the opportunity to see other influences of the social environment, including other members of the social surroundings. We have attempted to give fair accounts of all viewpoints gained in the interviews, which further increases the fairness (Bryman and Bell, 2007 p. 414).
6.4 Overall quality judgements
These claims to our work being valid and credible are taken from Guba and Lincoln (1994) appraisal of qualitative research and that it is necessary to specify terms and ways of establishing and assessing the quality of qualitative research that provides an alternative to reliability and validity within a quantitative study. (Bryman and Bell, 2003 p. 288-292) There are however no concrete methods to guarantee that a qualitative paper is valid in all contexts, but rather the relationship of our conclusions can be seen in a social setting or reality. Validity can be seen as an ambition rather than something that is fact, it is therefore relative; it must be assessed in relation to the purpose of our study and the subsequent circumstances of the paper. And so long as we give evidence to our findings (see Appendix) our work can be seen as being valid, credible and correct (Maxwell, 2005 p. 105-106). “All we require is the possibility of testing these accounts against the world, giving the phenomena that we are trying to understand the chance to prove us wrong” (Maxwell, 2005 p. 106).
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7. List of References
7.1 Literature
Berg, B. L. Qualitative research methods. 4th edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon 2001. Bratton, J. and Gold, J. Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice. 4th edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillian 2007. Bryman, A. and Bell, E. Business research methodology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. Bryman, A. and Bell, E. Business research methodology. 2nd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Cooper, D. R. and Schneidler, P. S. Business research methods. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 2003. Fombrun, C., Tichy, N. M. and Devanna, M. A. Strategic Human Resource Management. New York: John Wiley & Sons 1984. Grönroos C. Service Management and Marketing; Managing the Moments of Truth in Service competition. Canada: Lexington Books 1990. Grönroos, C.. Service Management and Marketing; a customer relationship management approach. 2nd edition. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 2000. Hair Jr., J. F., Money, A. H., Samouel, P. and Page, M. Research Methods for Business. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 2007. Johansson-Lindfors, M-B. Att utveckla kunskap. Lund: Studentlitteratur 1993. Olivier, P. Writing your thesis. London: SAGE publications Limited 2004. Olsson, H. and Sörensen, S. Forskningsprocessen: Kvalitativa och kvantitativa perspektiv. 2nd edition. Stockholm: Liber, 2007. Perloff, J. M. Microeconomics. 4th edition. Boston: Pearson Addison Wesley 2007. Rainbird, H., Munro, A. and Holly, L. Workplace learning in context. New York: Routledge 2004. Scullion, H., Linehan, M. International Human Resource Management: A critical text. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillian 2005. Zeithaml, A. Valarie, Bitner, M. J. and Gremler, D. Dwayne. Service Marketing, Integrating Customer focus Across the Firm. New York: McGraw Hill 2006. 66
7.2 Scientific articles
Barsade, G. Sigal and Gibson, E. Donald. “Why Does Affect Matter in Organizations?” Academy of Management Perspectives. Feb 2007, Vol. 21, Issue 1. p. 36-59. Berry, Leonard L. and Parasuraman A. “Service Marketing Starts From Within” Marketing Management. 1992, Vol. 1, Issue 1, p. 25-34. Bowen, E. David, Gilliland, W. Stephen and Folger, Robert. ”How Being Fair with Employees Spills Over to Customers” Organizational Dynamics. Winter99, Vol. 27, Issue 3, p. 7-23. Cline, J. Reed. ”Plan Administration, Training your Employees” Journal of Pension Benefits: Issues in Administration. Fall2007, Vol. 15, Issue 1, p58-59. Edvardsson, Bo. and Gustavsson, Bengt-Ove. “Quality in the work environment: a prerequisite for success in new service development” Managing Service Quality. 2003, Vol. 13, Issue 2, p. 148-163. Grove, J. Stephen and Fisk, P. Raymond. “The Service Experience as Theatre.” Advances in Consumer Research. 1992, Vol. 19, p. 455-461. Grönroos, Christian (2002) “Marketing Classic” Marketing Review. 2002, Vol. 3, Issue 2, p 129-146. Hart, W. L. Christopher, Heskett, L. James and Sasser Jr, W. Earl. “The profitable art of service recovery” Harvard Business Review. Jul/Aug 1990, Vol. 68, Issue 4 p. 148-156. Jackie, L. M. Tam. “Customer Satisfaction, Service quality and Percieved value: An Interigative Model” Journal of Marketing Management. Sep2004, Vol. 20, Issues 7,8, p. 897-917. Jacobs, Rick. “Turn employees into Brand Ambassadors” Bank Marketing. 2003, Vol. 35, Issue 3, p 22-25. Mahnert, F. Kai and Torres, M. Ann. “The Brand Inside: The Factors of Failure and Success in Internal Branding” Irish Marketing Review. 2007, Vol. 19, Issues1,2, p. 54-63. Mosley, W. Richard. “Customer experience, organisational culture and the employee brand” Brand Management. 2007, Vol. 15, Issue 2, p 123-134. Nilsson, Lars, Johnson, D. Michael and Gustafsson, Anders. “The impact of quality practices on customer satisfaction and business results: product versus service organizations” Journal of Quality Management. 2001, Vol. 6, Issue 1, p. 5-27.
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Papasolomou, Ioanna. and Vrontis, Demetris. “Using internal marketing to ignite the corporate brand: The case of the UK retail bank industry” Journal of Brand Management. 2006, Vol. 14, Issues 1,2 , p. 177-195. Punjaisri, Khanyapuss and Wilson, Alan. “The role of internal branding in the delivery of employee brand promise” Journal of Brand Management. 2007, Vol. 15, Issue 1, p 5770. a. Schneider, Benjamin. “Research Briefs” Academy of Management Executive. 2004, Vol. 18, Issue 2, p. 144-150. b. Schneider, Benjamin. “Welcome to the world of service management” Academy of Management Executives. 2004, Vol. 18, Issue 2, p. 144-150. Vargo, Stephen L. and Robert, F. Lusch. “The Four Service Marketing Myths: Remnants of a Goods-Based, Manufacturing Model” Journal of Service Research. 2004, Vol. 6, Issue 4, p 324-35. Williford, Jeff. “Go Beyond Good Service” Journal of Property Management. Jul/Aug 2005, Vol. 70, Issue 4, p. 20 Wright, M. Patrick., Dunford, B. Benjamin and Snell A. Scott. “Human resources and the resource based view of the firm” Journal of Management. 2001, Vol. 27 Issue 6, p. 701722. Zeithaml, Valarie A. Berry, Leonard L. and Parasuraman A. “Communication and Control Processes in the Delivery of Service Quality” Journal of Marketing. 1988, Vol. 52, Issue 2, p. 35-48.
7.3 Electronic sources
Affärsdata(a). 20 May 2008. Bishop . 20 May 2008. Affärsdata(b). Scandinavia AB. 22 22 May May 2008. 2008.
Profilhotels
AB.
Bishops Arms. Om företaget. 17 April 2008. Elite Hotels. Om Elite Hotels - Ledningen. 17 April 2008. HHUS. E-Puben. 18 May 2008.
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Profilhotels – Hotel Aveny Umeå. 18 May 2008. Alexandersson, Katja. ”Kroglivet går på högvarv i Umeå”. Restauratören. 19 January 2007. Swedish newspaper regarding hotels and restaurants. 4 April 2008. Student.nu. Nöjesguiden E-Puben. 18 May 2008. ; Westfal, Staffan. ”Anrika Skytten i konkurs”. VK. 5 March 2007. Västerbottens Kuriren. 4 April 2008.
7.4 Oral sources
Bylund, Lisa. Personal interview. 24 April 2008. Cooper, James. Personal interview. 21 April 2008. Gerdin, Peter. Personal interview. 22 April 2008. Kågström, Anton. Personal interview. 21 April 2008. Pettersson, Andreas (Adde). Personal interview. 24 April 2008. Respondent A. Personal interview. 22 April 2008. Respondent B. Personal interview. 22 April 2008. Vom Dorp, Mishka. Personal interview. 21 Arpil 2008. Wallin, Michael (Micke). Personal interview. 29 April 2008.
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Appendix A
A.1 English interview manual
Before we start the interview we would like to give a brief introduction on the purposes of our c-thesis. The interview will regard vocational training within the service sector and the subsequent influences on the business and its employees. From now on vocational training will be referred to as training. If you wish, we will keep you and the company anonymous……… The interview will take somewhere between 30 minutes and one hour. The interview will mainly be conducted by one of us, but the side-interviewer might intervene. After transcribing the interviews a copy of the summary will be sent to you in order for you to verify or possibly correct any misunderstandings. Questions to employees/employer: Age Years/Months of employment Position and Title Position – part-time/full-time Email address to where we can send the summary 1. What do you see as the importance in your ability to deliver quality service? 2. In what way do you think that Service Quality improves the value of the business? 3. How do the company values and aims of the business you work for affect you? 4. In your opinion what is your idea of training? Formal/informal. 5. How is training beneficial in your line of work? 6. Do you feel you learn better by doing or being shown/taught? Why? 7. In your opinion how important is previous training to you as criteria for getting a customer contact-job? 8. In your opinion how important is it to receive training when getting a customercontact-job? 9. How skilled should you be when it concerns technical ability compared to product knowledge; are they equally important? 10. What kind of training do you think is important in a restaurant?
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11. Have you received any of this type of training from this employer? If yes, go on to question 12. If no, go on to question 14. 12. What was good with this training? 13. How has training helped you in serving customers? Give examples/practical experiences. 14. How could training have helped you in serving customers? 15. In your eyes how does training help you meet customer expectations better? 16. What areas of training do you feel could be improved? 17. How does training influence the customer experience? 18. The following questions regard whether it is important for you to associate yourself with the brand image: a. Can you explain why you are (are not) happy to be associated with the company? b. What makes you proud to work for this company? c. What are your concerns when telling people where you work? d. How do you feel about your commitment to the company? e. In what way would you see training changing these feelings? Explain how or why? Do you have any other comments? Anonymous?
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A.2 English closed-questions questionnaire
In your opinion, how important is training in the following aspects? Teambuilding Very ? ? ? Not at all ? Not at all ? Not at all ? Not at all ?
?
Listening/Attentiveness Very ? ? ? ? Awareness Very ? ?
?
?
Communication skills Very ? ? ?
?
Problem solving/Creative thinking Very Not at all ? ? ? ? ? Product knowledge Very ? ? ? Not at all ?
?
Employee empowerment – freedom and power to make decisions on your own Very Not at all ? ? ? ? ? Knowing Standards/Policies and procedures (e.g. meeting customers, complaints, waiting time) Very Not at all ? ? ? ? ? Development programmes Very ? ? ? ? Job rotation Very ? ? Not at all ? Not at all ?
?
?
Does training improve your affiliation to the company you work for? Very Not at all ? ? ? ? ?
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A.3 Swedish interview manual
Innan vi börjar med intervjun vill vi like kort presentera syftet med vår c-uppsats. Intervjun kommer att handla om arbetsrelaterad träning/upplärning inom servis sektorn och hur det i sin tur påverkar företaget och dess anställda. Från och med nu kommer vi bara att referera till träning när vi pratar om arbetsrelaterad träning. Om du önskar, kommer vi att hålla dig och företaget anonyma i vår studie…. Intervjun kommer att ta mellan 30 minuter och en timme och kommer att utföras av mig, Emma, men Laurence kommer att inflika om han har några övriga tankar eller funderingar. När transkriberingen är klar kommer du att få en kopia på sammanställningen av intervjun för verifiering och eventuella ändringar. Intervjun utförs på svenska, men kommer inför tryckning att översättas till engelska.
Bakgrundsfrågor: Ålder Position och titel Position – heltid/deltid År/Månader som anställd Email dit vi kan skicka sammanställningen 1. Hur viktig är din förmåga att leverera service med hög kvalitet tycker du? 2. På vilket sätt tror du att service med hög kvalitet höjer värdet på företaget? 3. Hur tror du att värderingar och mål på företaget där du jobbar påverkar dig? 4. Vad innebär arbetsrelaterad träning i din mening? Formell/informell. 5. Ger sådan träning någon nytta i ditt arbete? 6. Känner du att du lär dig lättare praktiskt eller teoretiskt? 7. När någon anställs till en tjänst med kundkontakt, hur viktigt är tidigare träning som ett kriteria i din mening? 8. När någon anställs till en tjänst med kundkontakt, hur viktigt är det att få träning när man börjar i din mening? 9. Hur mycket teknisk kunskap jämfört med produktvetskap anser du att man bör ha i ditt jobb? Anser du att dessa två är lika viktiga? 10. Vilken typ av träning tycker du är viktig i en restaurang?
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11. Har du fått någon av den träning vi tidigare diskuterat där du är anställd nu? Om ja, gå till fråga 12. Om nej, gå till fråga 14. 12. Vilka områden inom träningen var bra? 13. Hur har det hjälpt dig att servera kunder? Hur? Ge exempel/upplevelser. 14. Om du hade fått mer träning, hur hade det kunnat hjälpa dig i din uppgift att servera kunder? Ge exempel på när och hur. 15. I dina ögon hur hjälper träning dig att möta kunders förväntningar bättre? 16. Vilka områden inom träning kan förbättras? 17. Anser du att träning påverkar kundens upplevelse? Hur och varför? 18. Följande frågor rör om det är viktigt att du kan associera dig med det företag du jobbar på och dess varumärke/image: a. Kan du förklara varför du är eller varför du inte är nöjd med att associeras med företaget idag? b. Vad gör dig stolt över att jobba där du gör? c. Vad tycker du om att prata med andra om vart du jobbar? d. Hur känner du dig över ditt åtagande / dina förpliktelser gentemot företaget? e. Hur anser du att träning på något sätt skulle påverka några av dessa känslor? Förklara varför och hur? Har du något övrigt att tillägga? Anonym?
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A.4 Swedish closed-questions questionnaire
I din mening, hur viktigt är träning inom följande områden? Teambuilding Mycket ? ? ? Inte alls ? ?
Lyhördhet/uppmärksamhet Mycket Inte alls ? ? ? ? ? Medvetenhet Mycket ? ? Inte alls ? ?
?
Kommunikativa färdigheter Mycket Inte alls ? ? ? ? ? Problem lösning/kreativt tänkande Mycket Inte alls ? ? ? ? ? Produkt vetskap Mycket ? ? ? Inte alls ? ?
Auktoritet att kunna fatta egna beslut och ta egna initiativ Mycket Inte alls ? ? ? ? ? Vetskap om standarder eller principer/riktlinjer om tillvägagångssätt vid vissa vanliga händelser (t.ex. att möta en kund, klagomål, väntetid) Mycket Inte alls ? ? ? ? ? Utvecklings program Mycket ? ? ? Jobb rotation Mycket ? ? Inte alls ? ? Inte alls ? ?
?
Förbättrar träning din anknytning till företaget du jobbar åt? Mycket Inte alls ? ? ? ? ?
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Appendix B
B.1 Quotes in original language
1. Jag är företaget i mångt och mycket i och den enda kontakt med företagsledningen eller pub ägarna är återkommande pubchefs möte två gånger om året… vårt varumärke bli så starkt att det är många som kommer för produkten Bishops Arms. 2. Det styrs av hotellkedjan… För att jag ska kunna förbättra utbildning krävs det att andra ställen också gör det. 3. Att få personalen att känna sig trygg i vad de gör och vad de kan om produkter och hur vi jobba… Då kan man nog tackla de flesta problem… 4. Utbildning genererar mer försäljning, så det borde ligga i företagets intresse att utbilda sina chefer och sina övriga personal. 5. …det skulle även göra att personal vill komma hit för att man vet att här utbildar man sin personal och tar väl hand om sina anställda och det är det som jätteviktigt. 6. Idealet är att anställa någon som har erfarenhet av någon form av kundkontakt, helst restaurangbranschen… 7. Du säljer mer helt enkelt 8. Vi är i en service bransch och det är själv grunden i det vi gör, att kunna leverera service… Positivt bemötande är grunden för service och sen kanske att göra lite mer än vad gästen förväntar sig. 9. … det är som alla branscher att det är upp till dig som anställd, att du har en vilja att utvecklas. 10. Jag tror att du har det i dig mycket, att du får en introduktion och sen får du prova dina vingar. 11. Jätteviktig, nästan det viktigaste, både för personal eftersom de tittar på vad jag gör och gästerna tittar och bedömer. 12. Utbildning genererar mer försäljning, så det borde ligga i företagets intresse att utbilda sina chefer och sina övriga personal. 13. … det är kärnan i det jag jobbar med. 14. Produktkunskapen har gett mig mest nytta. Ingen formell utbildning i just service, det ligger mer i personligheten hur man bemöter kunder. 15. Jag är 100 % lojal, självklart så associeras jag med Bishops… Kan du inte känna stolthet eller identifiera dig med ditt företag så bör du syssla med något annat. 16. Jag har valt det ansvar jag känner själv, just att hålla bra ordning och en viss standard… tror att det uppskattas av företaget. Känner även liknande ansvar utanför jobbet. 17. Jag är stolt för att jag vet att man måste kunna något för att jobba som bartender på Bishops. Bartender kan många vara men utan att kunna något. Sedan är jag även stolt för att vi arbetare håller hög nivå på kunderna, det reflektera tillbaka både på en själv som serverings ansvarig och på företaget i sig, det är därför viktigt att hålla bra ordning och bra standard både på gäster och kunnande i baren. En bra koncern, positivt och välvårdat varumärke.” 18. … Ja, olika moment, bland annat whisky utbildning, budget utbildning, öl utbildning, i lönesystem. 76
19. Jag känner stort ansvar för att den här verksamheten ska vara igång och att det ska fungera, men det är inte betungande. 20. Vad gör dig stolt over att jobba där du gör? Historiken i företaget… jag känner att jag har support i ryggen… en stabil arbetsgivare… att det är en högklassig pub. Vi är marknadsledande och jag vet att min personal är duktigare än all annan personal i stan… 21. Jag skulle absolute vilja blir associerad med det här stället… Vi har ett fint hotell, bra standard, det är verkligen top of the line… 22. jag ser att personalen trivs… att personalen mår bra… att det är roligt att komma hit och att de (personalen) har roligt på jobbet. Det är det viktigast för mig och då blir jag stolt. 23. Jag associeras ju med det här stället, så faller det så faller jag. 24. Inte så mycket som gör mig stolt, jag är 27 år nu och inte riktigt nått till mina egna mål. 25. Jag tycker att vi har fått en bra image. Den är en väldigt speciell pub… Det är kul att jobba på ett ställe där storstark inte finns längre. 26. Jag känner väldigt stora förpliktelser till företaget, jag får ta tag i väldigt mycket i och med min placering son barchef. 27. När jag jobba känner jag ingen ansvar förutom att göra gästen glad och leverera maten; att sköta mina arbetsuppgifter. 28. Är jag där vill jag absolute göra ett bra jobb, göra mitt bästa. 29. Jag vet inte om jag kan säga att jag är just stolt. Mer stolt och nöjd över mig själv att jag lyckats lära mig mycket. 30. Jag tror inte att träning kan hjälpa mig så mycket i det, det är nog något man måste bara ha. 31. Så ju mer utbildning eller ju mer träning du får … hjälper att påverka mitt välmående inom företaget. Det gör att jag skulle prata ännu godare om företaget. 32. Efter varje utbildning känner jag mig mer stolt över att företaget satsar på anställda, men även gladare över att jobba där … och känner en större vilja att driva företaget framåt … kan även fungera som motivation för andra på det sättet att om man jobbar länge och jobbar bra får man åka på liknande utbildningar. 33. Jag tror att om du skickas på utbildningar och ser att ditt företag satsar, då blir du ännu mer trogen ditt företag … givetvis blir du mer motiverad och mer lojal. 34. …absolut skulle mer träning kunna få upp den positiva känslan. Lär du dig mer kan du känna dig mer stolt och det smittar av sig på allt det andra. 35. Mycket i allt, jag som chef kräver och behöver att företaget ska ha mål och vilja nå upp till dem på bästa sätt. 36. Det finns tydliga mål inom företaget. 37. Jag vet ärligt talat inte vad målet är exakt. 38. Det är bra för en arbetsgrupp att arbeta/sträva efter ett gemensamt mål. Det fungerar som en sporre att kämpa mot något och är jätte positivt med ett utstakat mål. 39. … att visa vår tanke med stället, vad vi tycker är viktigt. 40. Vad vill stället med dig, vad vill de förmedla, veta standarden och kraven. 41. Hur man trivs och vilken organisationskultur man skapar är viktigare än träning…
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42. Det hänger mycket ihop med organisationskulturen och samspel med dem man jobbar med. 43. För man sätter riktlinjerna tillsammans, hur man vill arbeta. 44. Träning kan även påverka kulturen i och med att man lär sig av hur de andra arbetar och tar på ett sätt de andras åsikter, hur saker ska göras just på det stället. 45. Det borde finnas riktlinjer för vad man bör kunna och lära sig för att förenkla arbetet, så att man vet ifrån början då man kommer till jobbet och vad som förväntas av en. 46. Den viktigaste träningen man kan få då man börjar är rutinerna på stället. 47. De ska känna att de vet var saker och ting finns och hur det funkar. 48. ... får du inte den rätta introduktionen på det nya stället dit du kommer är du nog rätt lost. 49. … just i baren är det viktigt att tidigt få veta att man har rätten att säga nej till en kund. 50. Bra att kunna klara sig själv, att inte behöva vara beroende av någon annan. 51. Det blir en drivkraft att vilja prestera. 52. … det är drivkraften att utvecklas och då är all sådan träning bra. 53. Man ska fortfarande försöka få de anställda att prestera sitt bästa, men en väldigt viktig hållhake är borta, den ersättningen. 54. … den nya ska känna sig välkommen och vilja fortsätta. 55. Det blir roligare att jobba då man kan mer. 56. Det är trevligt att kunna lära gästen något, vilket de ofta uppskattar. 57. Om man ser det som träning varje gång man jobbar så möter man olika situationer hela tiden och lär sig ta kunderna bättre. 58. ... man ska kunna läsa av varje individuell gäst. 59. Det kan jag inte lära ut till någon, men man måste kunna bidra till det, man lär sig med erfarenheter. 60. … visst utbildar du dig hela tiden du arbetar. 61. ... man behöver många år på nacken innan man kan jobba bra som bartender. 62. ... man måste jobba för att lära sig. 63. … vi som fått utbildning försöker förmedla våra kunskaper. 64. Man får ofta börja jobba direkt och lära sig eftersom … man lär lättare genom att göra… viktigt att lära sig av varandra. 65. För just E-Puben är det mest learning by doing, det är det enda egentligen 66. Produktkunskapen har get mig mest nytta. Ingen formell utbildning i just service, det ligger mer i personligheten… 67. Det är jätte viktigt för ett företag att har rutiner som man lär ut, för lär man sig dessa lär man sig jobbet på ett bättre sätt. 68. Av de fasta anställda som jobba mycket så pratar vi egentligen samma språk och de nya hakar efter… 69. Det är jätte viktigt för ett företag att ha rutiner som man lär ut, för lär man sig dessa lär man sig jobbet på ett bättre sätt än om man bara skulle göra allt på sitt sätt. 70. … alla ställen har olika rutiner. Då är det viktigast att få fram vad vi står för, vad vi vill och hur vi jobbar. Då blir det mindre missförstånd. 71. Man kan ha riktlinjer att gå efter, men man ska kunna avvika från dessa. 78
72. Jag tror mycket på att man lär sig genom att göra fel, men man kanske skulle ge träning i vad som händer om man gör fel”. Som åtgärder t.ex. om man spiller vin. 73. … det är upp till dig som anställd, att du har en vilja att utvecklas. 74. Om personen inte har någon utbildning eller erfarenhet, men med en stark vilja att lyckas och mycket positiv energi kan man lära sig yrket. 75. Man kan ha riktlinjer att gå efter, men man ska kunna avvika från dessa. 76. Företagets värderingar påverkar men vi utformar även våra egna värderingar på golvet.
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doc_822413066.pdf
A skill is the learned ability to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. In other words the abilities that one possesses. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills.
Bachelor Thesis Spring 2008-06-05 Supervisor: Gert-Olof Boström Authors: Emma Spetz Laurence Butler
The influence of People
- The Service Marketing benefits of training
Abstract
In the past years the competition in the restaurant trade in Umeå is increasing. There is more choice for the customers and thereby the restaurants have to work harder to attract customers. One way is to Market themselves differently. In this research we are studying one way of diversifying Service Marketing, namely through people. Especially in the restaurant sector the frontline employee is an essential part of the service. We argue that by improving the Internal Marketing a business can ensure, through Human Resource Management, to have a service-minded and customeroriented workforce, motivated to deliver Service Quality. Further, by strengthening the Internal Branding the workforce will work in unity with the internal and external brand, being more willing and committed to deliver high quality services. We aim to find that through having well trained frontline employees the customer will know a difference and have a better experience when visiting the restaurant. Three restaurants in the Umeå market have been chosen for our study. To collect data from these restaurants we have conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews. The contributions of this study were that training, and especially learning by doing and experience, is crucial in learning ones job according to the respondents. Also that having a good balance between having standard procedures and employee empowerment could improve the Service Quality through reliability in the service delivery. Last but not least, a concept of Reciprocal Commitment was developed showing the importance of a business investing in the employee, training being part of that investment, to get the employee to invest his/her time and commitment in the business. Through this study we have developed a model showing the influence and benefits of training in the selected restaurants. We have realised that training is not the only way, but plays an important role in Marketing through people.
2
Table of Contents
1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 7 1.1 Background ........................................................................................................... 7 1.2 Research Problem ................................................................................................. 9 1.3 Purpose .................................................................................................................. 9 2. Theory ........................................................................................................................... 10 2.1 Service Marketing ............................................................................................... 10 2.1.2 People ........................................................................................................... 11 2.1.3 The Gap Model ............................................................................................ 11 2.1.4 Internal Marketing ....................................................................................... 12 2.1.5 Internal Branding ......................................................................................... 13 2.1.6 Service Marketing theory conclusion .......................................................... 14 2.2 Human Resource Management ........................................................................... 14 2.2.1 Corporate Culture as a competitive tool ...................................................... 15 2.2.2 Service Quality in the HRM context............................................................ 16 2.2.3 Training as an HR tool ................................................................................. 17 2.2.4 Human Resource Management theory conclusion ...................................... 18 2.3 Model .................................................................................................................. 19 3. Methodology ................................................................................................................. 21 3.1 Preconceptions .................................................................................................... 21 3.2 View of reality and knowledge ........................................................................... 21 3.3 Research strategy ................................................................................................ 23 3.4 Scientific approach.............................................................................................. 23 3.5 Research design and method for data collection................................................. 24 3.6 Choice of subject................................................................................................. 26 3.7 Choice of sources ................................................................................................ 26 3.8 Presentation of Restaurants and Respondents..................................................... 27 3.8.1 Bishops Arms ............................................................................................... 27 3.8.2 Pipes of Scotland.......................................................................................... 28 3.8.3 E-Pub............................................................................................................ 28 3.9 Conducting the interviews and treating the data ................................................. 29 3.10 Literature search and criticism .......................................................................... 30 4. Empirical data and Analysis ......................................................................................... 31 4.1 Quickly looking back .......................................................................................... 31 4.2 What is training according to the respondents? .................................................. 31 4.3 Revised Model .................................................................................................... 32 4.4 Service Marketing analysis ................................................................................. 34 4.5 Internal Marketing analysis................................................................................. 35 4.6 Internal Branding among respondents ................................................................ 37 4.6.1 Influences of training on IB ......................................................................... 40 4.6.2 Training Corporate Culture to strengthen IB ............................................... 41 4.6.3 IB concluded ................................................................................................ 43 4.7 The outcomes of training .................................................................................... 44 4.7.1 Added Confidence ....................................................................................... 44 4.7.2 Empowerment .............................................................................................. 44 4.7.3 Motivation .................................................................................................... 45 3
4.7.4 Employee Satisfaction ................................................................................. 46 4.7.5 Experience.................................................................................................... 46 4.8 Training’s effects on Service Quality ................................................................. 47 4.8.1 Increasing reliability through standards and routines .................................. 49 4.9 Closing The Customer Gap ................................................................................. 50 4.9.1 Recovery and fair treatment ......................................................................... 51 4.10 The importance of “willpower” ........................................................................ 51 4.11 Our realisation of the empirical data................................................................. 51 5. Discussion and Conclusions ......................................................................................... 53 5.1 Discussing the purposes of the study .................................................................. 53 5.1.1 Sub-purpose 1: The importance of training ................................................. 53 5.1.2 Sub-purpose 2: Subsequent affect on Service Quality ................................. 53 5.1.3 Sub-purpose 3: Subsequent affect on The Customer Gap ........................... 54 5.1.4 Main purpose: Training’s subsequent affect on Service Marketing ............ 54 5.2 Internal Branding ................................................................................................ 54 5.2.1 Mutually accepted values............................................................................. 54 5.2.2 Full Time Vs Part Time ............................................................................... 55 5.2.3 Motivate Brand commitment ....................................................................... 56 5.2.4 IB realisation within SM .............................................................................. 56 5.2.5 Concluding IB .............................................................................................. 56 5.3 Internal Marketing .............................................................................................. 57 5.3.1 Training can improve SQ through IM ......................................................... 58 5.4 Service Marketing ............................................................................................... 58 5.5 Service Quality and The Customer Gap ............................................................. 59 5.6 Contribution and theory development ................................................................ 61 5.6.1 Experience counts as training ...................................................................... 61 5.6.2 Reciprocal Commitment .............................................................................. 61 5.6.3 Brand Modification ...................................................................................... 62 5.6.4 Balance between Standardisation and Empowerment ................................. 62 5.7 Further studies..................................................................................................... 62 6. Quality criteria .............................................................................................................. 63 6.1 Limitations .......................................................................................................... 63 6.2 Trustworthiness ................................................................................................... 64 6.2.1 Credibility and Respondent Validation (Internal Validity) ......................... 64 6.2.2 Transferability (External Validity) .............................................................. 64 6.2.3 Dependability (Reliability) .......................................................................... 64 6.2.4 Confirmability (Objectivity) ........................................................................ 64 6.3 Authenticity......................................................................................................... 65 6.3.1 Fairness ........................................................................................................ 65 6.4 Overall quality judgements ................................................................................. 65 7. List of References ......................................................................................................... 66 7.1 Literature ............................................................................................................. 66 7.2 Scientific articles................................................................................................. 67 7.3 Electronic sources ............................................................................................... 68 7.4 Oral sources ........................................................................................................ 69 Appendix A ....................................................................................................................... 70 4
A.1 English interview manual................................................................................... 70 A.2 English closed-questions questionnaire ............................................................. 72 A.3 Swedish interview manual ................................................................................. 73 A.4 Swedish closed-questions questionnaire ............................................................ 75 Appendix B ....................................................................................................................... 76 B.1 Quotes in original language................................................................................ 76
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List of Figures
Figure 1. The Management of Frontline employees in delivering Service Quality.......... 19 Figure 2 A development of the Management of Frontline employees in delivering Service Quality............................................................................................................................... 33
List of Tables
Table 1. Respondents at Bishops Arms ............................................................................ 28 Table 2. Respondents at Pipes of Scotland ....................................................................... 28 Table 3. Respondents at E-Pub ......................................................................................... 29
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1. Introduction
In this chapter we endeavour to give an outline of our research area and why we feel it is relevant in the specific context of the restaurant sector in Umeå. The chapter will give examples of existing knowledge in Human Resource Management and Service Marketing and the importance of the combination of both within a business context.
1.1 Background
It is widely known that if there is a market for a product or service then market-actors will come into the market until it is saturated and then those less profitable will drop out thus creating equilibrium (Perloff, 2007 p. 26). The idea is of course just supply and demand theory; with more restaurants opening up customers have more choice and therefore businesses must differentiate themselves from others. Whether it is through different dinning concepts (e.g. fast food versus fine dining and everything in between) or through different marketing tools such as product/service branding, Service Quality (SQ), convenience and as mentioned product/service differentiation. As well as the traditional marketing mix of the 4 P’s and the extended Service Marketing Mix of 7 P’s; product, price, promotion, placement, people, process and physical evidence (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 25-26). There is evidence that the restaurant trade is growing, and thereby the competition, in Umeå Sweden is increasing (Restauratören, 2008) and as such if restaurants do not want to go out of business they must market themselves more competitively. Marketing competitively can be done in many different forms, but the real difference, we argue, must lay in the quality of service provided by the frontline employee. Expressions like “the provider is the service” and “Employees frequently are the service” (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 26, 255) is especially so in the restaurant sector where the service experience is just as important as the food itself (Williford, 2005). Internal Marketing (IM) has been the realisation of the important role the employee has in the service sector. Thus by utilising HRM to maintain a consistent customer oriented workforce, i.e. to strengthen IM, a service firm can develop a more customer conscious employee giving better Service Quality (Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2006). Researchers like Nilsson et al. (2001), Edvardsson and Gustavsson (2003) among many others have made studies on the relationship between Service Quality, perceived value and customer satisfaction and its affect on profitability. Service Quality can be defined in many different ways, but a commonly accepted definition is “that it represents the discrepancy between customers’ expectations and their perceptions of the service performance” (Jackie, 2004). Therefore, by closing the gap between the customers’ expectations and the actual service delivery will consequently increase the Service Quality. As suggested by Schneider (a.2004) one of the most important aspects of a service is reliability, meaning that the customer knows what to expect and can expect to get it. Consistency between one occasion to another and between one employee to another increases the reliability and is integrated in the concept of Service Quality and essential in the Corporate Culture (CC) (Nilsson et al., 2001). 7
Within a business it is very important to see the value of Corporate Culture whatever the size or type of the business. As such the business should develop it, from the simple matter of a company mission statement so employees and customers alike have an understanding of what the business stands for, to training manuals for front line staff to enforce working for a common goal. Employees often adapt to the Corporate Culture from their experiences within the firm whether by interaction with superiors or company training. Good training schemes within a firm are a vital part of strengthening CC and are an inevitable feature that can improve the speed and reliability of a firm (Cline, 2007). Corporate Culture can be further discussed as being inseparable from the HRM function and thus the management of employees. CC can be further argued by considering the importance of being fair to employees and the consequential spill-over to customers. The spill-over effect is especially evident in the service sector because of the contact between frontline employees and customers. It is also considered more sensitive because the frontline employee is part of what is purchased by the customer (Bowen et al., 1999). For example the customer at a bank expects the bank clerks to be helpful and courteous and if they are not the customer may use this as a factor to change banks. If the bank clerks are fairly treated by their employer there is a greater chance of that courteousness spilling over to the customer. According to Bowen et al. (1999) there is also substantial research showing a correlation between employees perception of HRM fairness and employees acceptance of HRM actions. That is, an employee is likely to accept HR managers’ performance appraisals if the process is seen to be done in fair manner. Likewise the fair training of staff may improve the service through a degree of standardisation as well as fostering a commitment to the company. Internal competencies have been given more focus in recent years. This due to the fact that HRM has in general over the past ten years utilized a more strategic approach (Schneider a.2004). One of the strategic changes is the focus on internal competencies, namely the workers, as opposed to the external demands, the customers (Wright et al., 2001). We argue that one such strategic move can be seen as the value of marketing frontline employees through training, motivation, recruiting and employee satisfaction. In the service industry, unlike the production industry, the employee is often the essence of the offer. This is supported by Grönroos (1990 p. 27) saying: “A service is an activity or series of activities of more or less intangible nature that normally, but not necessarily, take place in interactions between the customer and service employee and/or physical resources or goods and/or systems of the service provider, which are provided as solutions to customer problems.” Wright et al. (2001) also posits that in order to use workers as a competitive advantage they must be skilled and motivated. We therefore argue that in the service sector the frontline employee is the main concern when reaching the customer and their expectation of the service. With these arguments in mind we decided to focus on the employees in our search for a strategic Service Marketing (SM) tool. 8
1.2 Research Problem
As mentioned earlier, in the context of a restaurant the waiter/bartender is included in the offered package. HRM and IM is thereby an important means for a restaurant’s success. We argue that by training the frontline employees, as one of the functions of HRM, the quality of the services can be improved leading to improved customer satisfaction. Further, that through training of staff, a service sector business can better influence its’ position in the marketplace, thus the importance of Service Marketing is realised. Therefore this research will focus on the frontline employee i.e. waiter/barperson, and emphasise the importance of the training they receive in relation to marketing the restaurant. With the growing competition in the restaurant market in Umeå, we argue that the importance of training and its effect on Service Marketing should be better realised, which leads us to the following research question: In what ways are training beneficial to Service Marketing, in terms of Service Quality and Internal Branding?
1.3 Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyse the use of training as a tool to improve Service Marketing in the setting of certain restaurants in Umeå, Sweden. To be able to fulfil this aim, the purpose can be divided into the following sub-purposes: • How important is training, and in what areas is it important? • How does training affect the Service Quality? • In what way does training influence The Customer Gap? • And thus the main purpose of whether training can improve Internal Branding and Service Quality as tools of Service Marketing in the selected restaurants.
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2. Theory
In the theory chapter the reader will have the chance to get an overview of existing theories and earlier studies relevant for this research. These theories will be presented and discussed in the light of the research context and their contribution to the study. The main areas of interest are Service Marketing, Internal Branding (IB) and Human Resource Management (HRM) which are well known areas within the business administration framework. This chapter will present the theories from which to proceed with the empirical data. The structure of the theory will follow a funnel approach in that we show the development of different grounded theories relating to the research topic. The intention being that the wider areas of each section are narrowed down to the influences of the training and its benefits.
2.1 Service Marketing
There are many definitions of what a service is; as well as contention to marketing being different for goods and services. First we will assume, as does Vargo and Lusch (2004), that in today’s world there is very little difference between the two. Under the traditional marketing mix banner for products there has been the 4 P’s: • Product • Price • Place • Promotion. Whereas for the marketing of services this increases to 7 P’s now also including: • People • Process • Physical Evidence (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 25-26). Service Marketing can therefore be seen as the standard approach to marketing of a service firm rather than a product, where the traditional approach is the 4 P’s (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 25-26). Other than these factors in the marketing mix, there is an argument for why marketing for products and services is different; these revolve around the issues of intangibility, heterogeneity, inseparability and perishability. Intangibility is seen as the lack of physical presence of what is purchased, an example of this could be a holiday; the consumer is not given a physical object but rather sold an experience. Heterogeneity is the assumption that no service is the same thus cannot be repeated in the same manner unlike goods, for example a bottle of mineral water. Inseparability is the belief that the service by definition cannot be taken home, it cannot be separated. Finally perishability is where the service cannot be reused, saved or stored by the customer, once the holiday is over you cannot take the plane home with you (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 25-26). Service Marketing is therefore seen as a very wide concept and which covers a number of areas still to be discussed.
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2.1.2 People For the purposes of this study and in a general context we see the most important of the 7 P’s are the People. A frontline employee will in this study refer to any worker who is in contact with the customer on a regular basis. This assumption is in accordance with Zeithaml’s et al. (2006 p. 258) definition saying that frontline service employees “provide a link between the external customer and environment and the internal operations of the organisation.” Schneider (b.2004) discusses the concept of Service Management incorporating many disciplines, those being: Marketing, Operation Management and Human Resource Management. Schneider (b.2004) argues that most literature focuses on the delivery of services; the frontline staff’s ability to deliver the service. Going on to say that through assessing Service Quality, the most important aspect of service delivery is reliability; consistently giving the promised service to the customer. We can therefore see Service Quality as being a convincing key to competitive advantage in the given market. Therefore higher levels of Service Quality will inevitably return higher levels of customer satisfaction, leading to increased sales and customer loyalty. 2.1.3 The Gap Model Service Quality is amplified by Zeithaml et al. (1988) as they introduce The Conceptual Model of Service Quality. Later developed to, The Gap Model of Service Quality (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 33-43, 46) which views services in a structured and integrated manner. The model consists of five gaps. 1. The Customer Gap: the difference between the expected service and the perceived service. 2. Provider Gap 1: Not knowing what the customer expects. 3. Provider Gap 2: Not selecting the right service design and standards. 4. Provider Gap 3: Not delivering to service designs and standards. 5. Provider Gap 4: Not matching performance to promise Each Provider Gap influences the Service Quality; The Customer Gap being the main objective. As every customer is different it is very hard to know their expected level of service. It is therefore the job of the Provider Gaps to lessen the differences in the Customer Gap and thus give the correct level of service, or adequate service. The four Provider Gaps serve as a blueprint as to discovering where companies are not attaining the right level of service. Whether it is management’s misguided opinion of what the customer wants; to giving false promises from their external marketing campaigns. All these can be factors influencing the mindset of the customer and the difference between the perceived and expected level of service. The theory being that communication and control processes implemented in organisations to manage employees will decrease The Customer Gap (Zeithaml et al., 1988; Zeithaml et al., 2006). Grönroos (1990) also discusses the Gap Model where expected service is a function of: • Word of Mouth Communication • Personal Needs • Past Experience 11
The perceived service is the outcome of the series of events in which the Provider Gaps are made as small as possible when compared with the expected service of the customer
(Grönroos, 1990 p. 58).
Most notably is the distinction that Gap 2 and 3 are directly related to HRM. Gap 2 relates to the difference between service design and performance standards. An example of this could be the influence of inadequate systems of training in place (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 38). That is operational standards of the company may not have been developed to accommodate incidents as and when they occur. Gap 3 as the implementation of operational standards by the employees relating to the training given. Or as Zeithaml et al. (2006 p. 39) state; “the discrepancy between development of customer-driven service standards and actual service performance by the company employees.” Therefore we see that both gaps 2 and 3 can be considered as HRM related issues. The Gap Model is considered as a relevant part of delivering a quality service to the customer, and is used to realise the significance of training as a tool in lessening The Customer Gap. 2.1.4 Internal Marketing We can further argue that the frontline employee is the fundamental building block for any service company and therefore the importance of distinguishing this within the context of Service Marketing. As expressed by Zeithaml et al. (2006) when a service is purchased it is most often the case that it is the frontline employee that is being bought rather than the service itself. Therefore if a company is to be successful in Service Marketing it must recognise the importance of Internal Marketing (Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2006). Internal Marketing has many definitions. We have chosen two to depict our understanding; “IM is the accumulation and application of functions and tools aimed at the formation and maintenance of a consistent, efficient, effective and customer orientated workforce. These objectives are achieved through the communication with and attraction, retention, motivation, education and management of suitable employees” (Mahnert and Torres, 2007). Or more simply put, “A complex combination of strategies needed to ensure that service employees are willing and able to deliver quality service and that they stay motivated to perform in customer-oriented, service-minded ways” (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 366). Internal Marketing can therefore be perceived as treating employees as internal customers, serving them through development, motivation, quality recruitment and the attractiveness of working for the company (Berry and Parasuraman, 1992). A present day example of this could be the willingness of a prospective employee wanting to work for an environmentally friendly firm, with promotional prospects and excellent training schemes. According to Berry and Parasuraman (1992) there are seven factors that are essential to Internal Marketing. The most significant is preparing people to perform, which is considered as the service that enhances the other six factors in their model crucial to Internal Marketing. They see that most frontline employees are unprepared as they have 12
received too little training or incorrect training. Alternatively they are taught the technical skills but not the practical knowledge to conduct the job correctly (Berry and Parasuraman, 1992). An example from a restaurant could be that a waiter is taught how to carry five plates, but cannot explain the menu, thus not being able to complete their job competently; both from the customer and employers’ perspective. Other factors discussed in their paper is the common mistakes companies make such as not realising that training is an ongoing process, believing that specific training programmes are adequate. They also state that training builds confidence and is a driving force for service employees as well as improving self-esteem (Berry and Parasuraman, 1992). We agree that IM is a significant business instrument used in influencing the Service Quality and reducing The Customer Gap as shown later in Figure 1. 2.1.5 Internal Branding Following Berry and Parasuraman (1992), more modern literature (Punjaisri and Wilson, 2007) discusses the concepts of Corporate Branding and Internal Branding. IB is a tool within IM which relates to achieving consistency with the external brand and encourage brand commitment, including the internal communication in order to generate and sustain the internal brand (Mahnert and Torres, 2007). This new age of thinking has raised the crucial role that employees play in marketing a firm. Part of Corporate Branding concerns multiple stakeholders interacting within an organisation and the attitudes and behaviours of employees in delivering the brand promise to external stakeholders. Therefore realising the central role of the frontline employee and Internal Branding as the process by which behaviour of employees is aligned with brand value (Punjaisri and Wilson, 2007). The core objective of IB is the attainment of competitive advantage through people (Jacobs, 2003). Frontline employees therefore are rapidly being realised as the essential part of a service to the customer, thus customers’ perceptions of the brand/firm are being maintained and influenced by the Service Quality. The frontline-staff consequently embodies the service brand in the consumers’ eyes, as the frontline employee is the point of contact for the consumer (Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2006). IM and IB has been the realisation of the important role the employee has in the service sector. Thus by utilising HRM a service firm can develop a more customer conscious employee giving better Service Quality (Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2006). IB therefore comes within the dimensions of IM which consequentially can be seen as the continuation of our funnel approach to this theory section. We can also couple all these factors mentioned with Grönroos (2002) argument of the distinct changes in the conceptualisation of Marketing. In that it is no longer the 4 P’s to which marketers should live by, but rather a combination of an “interactive process in the social context where relationship building and management is a vital cornerstone.” And that Service Marketing has significantly demonstrated the 4 P’s as an outdated marketing theory. This therefore gives credence to our argumentation that people, or frontline-staff are just one aspect, yet a major one, when marketing a business, specifically the restaurant sector. Consequently we can distinguish the importance in Internal Marketing,
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Human Resource Management and Internal Branding as subdivision of Service Marketing and hence the effects on frontline employees.
2.1.6 Service Marketing theory conclusion It is therefore clear that to overcome many of the issues involved in reducing The Customer Gap, it is necessary to set standards through training for the frontline employees. So that no matter who serves the customer or even if at a different site the standard of service is the same. We argue that this is most significant in impacting on the customer, thus realising the importance of Marketing through frontline employees and as a result the implication of SM, IB, IM and HRM, as seen later in Figure 1. The Customer Gap, as shown from the theories discussed above, is an intensely complicated concept to overcome, with many different elements to transform the customer experience into what they expect. Research however shows that trained, satisfied employees are more likely to deliver consistent Service Quality, which in turn is a significant influence on the customers’ expectations and satisfaction (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 356; Berry and Parasuraman, 1992). However at a practical level there is only a modest amount of companies that have realised the potential role of HRM in strategic staff practices influencing the brand experience. Rather, that most firms reserve HR to communication support instead of the benefits of influencing the Corporate Culture and brand philosophy (Mosley, 2007). Marketing literature is rooted in the belief that communications are the main source and solution for all organisational problems. It tends to restrict the role of HR to communicating the brand values, rather than being the source of such values and the driver of key aspects of strategy (Mosley, 2007). This therefore leads on to the important role of HRM as a tool used by IM and thus the affects on IB, SQ and The Customer Gap.
2.2 Human Resource Management
HRM is the function within an organisation that is responsible for all dimensions regarding employees. The aim of this organisational function is, according to Bratton and Gold (2007 p. 19) “to improve employee performance and to enhance the organizational effectiveness.” A general definition of HRM, adopted by Torbiörn (Scullion and Linehan 2005 p. 51), is that it is a strategic approach to employment management aiming at getting the highest competitive advantage out of the workforce. Gold and Bratton (2007 p. 49) define a four-task model representing the core activities for HRM. They include; • Making sure that the company has the right number of employees hiring • Keeping the right kind and best employees in the company • That those employees hold the right skills and knowledge • That they act in accordance with the CC • That they meet the organisational needs 14
This is partly achieved through successful Internal Marketing (Grönroos, 2000 p. 342). Similar to this characterisation of the HR functions Fombrun et al. (1984 p. 41) identifies four categories included in their responsibility; selection, appraisal, rewards and development. The strategies used to implement the functions mentioned in the above paragraph are commonly divided into different models. One side of the spectrum sees people as capital and focuses on controlling and monitoring the workers. This view is often referred to as the human capital theory. The other softer side places more focus on utilizing and developing individual capabilities and strengths. This approach, the developmental humanistic approach, considers training as employee empowerment (Bratton and Gold, 2007 p. 53-56, 313-314). The approach that will be adopted by the company partly depends on the Corporate Culture. 2.2.1 Corporate Culture as a competitive tool Corporate Culture is commonly defined as the set of values, direction and purpose adopted within the firm. Or as Bratton and Gold (2007 p. 18) expresses the concept: “the basic set of shared beliefs, values and norms that represents the unique character of an organization” that guides the management behaviour. Furthermore, in a service context service culture can be defined as “a culture where an appreciation for good service exists, and where giving good service to internal as well as ultimate, external customer is considered a natural way of life and one of the most important norms by everyone.” (Grönroos, 2000 p. 244) The definition that will be adopted in this research is that CC influences everything the firm does and aims for. It contains values, goals and objectives and will affect the business strategy as well as the approach and should appreciate good service internally as well as externally. As Berry and Parasuraman (1992) explains that a strong corporate vision functions as guidelines for employees. In other words, a strong Corporate Culture enforces the employees to work towards the corporate vision and values. The CC is thereby an essential part of any business and should be well known by everyone within the company. Hence, the CC should be aligned with the internal and external brand. A well recognised Corporate Culture can create several competitive advantages. One advantage is working together for the same goal which will improve the process of reaching the aim and fulfilling the goals. Training is one distribution channel to put across these aims and values and is easier to achieve through good Internal Marketing. Another competitive advantage of a strong Corporate Culture is the distribution channel to customers through the frontline employee. As stated earlier the frontline employee is the company brand in the customers’ eyes (Papasolomou, 2006). By recognising this fact, the Corporate Culture, i.e. the aims and values of the company, could be communicated to the customers through the frontline employee and thereby strengthening the brand. As described by Fombrun et al. (1984 p. 206-216) high performance stems from a Corporate Culture which is supportive of and coherent and consistent with its internal-, societal- and industrial context. The internal context refers to the business strategy and 15
structure, the size of the company, the stage in the lifecycle of the business and the set of human resources that makes up the organisation. On society level, the CC is affected by political ideologies and social values, while at industry level it is affected by the concentration of competition and by the role of the company in the industry (ibid). The Corporate Culture should therefore be a constant reconsideration of and adaption to that context. A firm that promotes Service Quality should advocate it in their Corporate Culture (Nilsson et al., 2001) since quality should be promoted in all actions, starting at general management level. As Scheider (a.2004) describes, to be able to deliver a high quality service it is crucial to give a good support to the service deliverers, i.e. the frontline employee. Similarly, but more extensively described by Zeithaml et al. (2006), some HR strategies that can be used to deliver Service Quality is to hire the right people for the job and retaining the best staff. Other influences are to provide the workers with the support they need and to develop them to deliver Service Quality (Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 367). Theories on CC imply that team working positively affects satisfaction, commitment and attitudes among employees (Bratton and Gold, 2007 p. 159) which will ultimately have a positive effect on the internal Service Quality (Edvardsson and Gustavsson, 2003) and thereby customer satisfaction (Nilsson et al., 2001). 2.2.2 Service Quality in the HRM context Williford (2005) describes five basic steps in a restaurant visit that are similar in any restaurant. They are taking the order, providing the service, review the order or recover from a negative experience for the customer, up-sell if possible and collect the check. We have interpreted these steps into greeting the customer, taking the order, serving the customer, reviewing the order and possibly recover and collecting the bill. The performance in executing these steps mentioned above is where the difference regarding the Service Quality between restaurants can be found (Williford, 2005). The first step of greeting and seating the customer would imply acknowledging the customer and meeting them with a smile, not letting the customer wait to be met. The second step, to take the order, would include product knowledge. Thirdly, serving the customer and presenting their order in a polite and professional way makes a small, but yet noticeable difference. Fourth is to review if everything is satisfactory and possibly recover if the customer has any inquiries or issues. This is a very important step where all the difference can be made; either you win the customer successfully or you fail by not being able to meet the customer expectation. The last step of collecting the bill requires attention to be given at the right moment. According to Nilsson et al. (2001) there are two dimensions of quality. Firstly, customisation, i.e. meeting the customer demands. Secondly, reliability, as explained earlier; is being able to deliver these demands any time. Researchers such as Zeithaml et al. (1988) and Nilsson et al. (2001) all agree that both dimensions of quality are important within service businesses. Furthermore, Nilsson et al. (2001) state that one key internal quality practice in creating customer satisfaction, and also the starting point in improving the service process, is employee management. Employee management, i.e. HRM, 16
incorporates any area or issue concerning human resources, among them training. Employee management is seen as a more important factor for service providers since in production firms the production process can be automated through mechanics, whereas the process of producing a service is inseparable from the consumption of it (Zeithaml et al., 2006). It therefore often requires an interaction between the frontline staff and the customer. The frontline employees should be able to provide reliable services maintaining certain standards which we consider can be accomplished through training. It is thereby especially important in a restaurant where the customer-employer contact is high to consider how Service Quality can be applied in the HRM practices to create satisfied customers and a competitive advantage. 2.2.3 Training as an HR tool In Bratton and Gold’s book Human Resource Management (2007 p. 323), a statement made by the prime minister in the UK in 2003 is quoted. It reads as follows: “Skills help business achieve the productivity, innovation and profitability needed to compete. They help our public services provide the quality and choice that people want.” The aim of this research is not to define whether customer needs and wants are met, but rather to investigate whether, according to the employees, training can improve the Internal Branding and Service Quality. According to Service Marketing theory this would ultimately lead to successful business. Since training contains the activities used to develop the competencies of workers (Scullion and Linehan, 2005 p. 72) it represents a crucial component in the HR function (Bratton and Gold, 2007 p. 328). The first step according to Bratton and Gold (2007 p. 328) is to identify the areas where training is needed. According to Scullion and Linehan (2005 p. 72) training should focus on individual deficiencies and could be a tool to close the gap between customers’ expectations and customers’ perception of a service, i.e. The Customer Gap. We argue that even though individual deficiencies should be considered in the learning process, there could and should be some generalisations or standardisations in the training scheme. Such generalisation should include standard procedures for how to act and react in any situation occurring in the everyday chores of frontline employees such as the steps previously mentioned. Some aspect of the role of training is to motivate the worker and build confidence and self-esteem (Berry and Parasuraman, 1992). We further argue that employee empowerment is increased due to training. Empowerment is important since it provides the frontline employee to act immediately. Zeithaml et al. (2006 p. 371) explains empowerment as “…giving employees the desire, skills, tools and authority to serve customers.” Bratton and Gold (2007 p. 581) describes it similarly as “The delegation of power or authority to subordinates” . A third definition described by Hart et al. (1990) is to “Give them authority, responsibility, and incentives to recognize, care about, and attend to customer needs.” The joint definition adopted in this research is that employee empowerment means providing the employees with desire, skills, incentives, authority and trust in the employee to meet customer needs in a way that satisfies the individual customer and should promote the businesses aims and values. 17
We argue that training should aim to increase skills and knowledge. This in turn, according to Berry and Parasuraman (1992), increases the confidence of a worker who is being trained. A confident worker is more able to “innovate for customers”, meaning being creative in finding solutions to customer demands and requests. That is the connection why we argue that confidence is crucial to achieve employee empowerment, and hence, that training increases employee empowerment. There are both opponents and supporters of employee empowerment. The negative aspects are that empowerment is considered to only increase the workload. More positive viewers agree that empowerment increases the commitment (Bratton and Gold, 2007 p.159-160) and that customers are most satisfied when employees are highly empowered (Edvardsson and Gustavsson, 2003). We are supporters of the latter view that empowered workers are beneficial for the business since they can meet customer requests quicker and show more confidence and security compared with a worker who does not know his/her limitations. 2.2.4 Human Resource Management theory conclusion To put the theory into the context of our study a fictitious example will be provided and further reflected upon in the discussion chapter. A situation where a waiter receives a customer complaint regarding the food being served cold could be a common incident for a waiter. If the waiter has received appropriate training he or she would know intuitively that the standard procedure is to genuinely apologise and offer the customer a new warm meal. The waiter would feel empowered to be able to make that decision as opposed to a waiter not having the appropriate training, in accordance with the developmental humanistic approach (Bratton and Gold, 2007 p. 313-314). By acting systematically and immediately the relationship with the customer can be retained or even improved (Hart et al., 1990). Acting in such a manner constitutes a good service recovery and requires individual initiatives to correct the mistake. The scenario is also referred to as “The Recovery Paradox” by Zeithaml et al. (2006 p. 217) where a negative service experience can be turned into a positive one. Not all misfortunes can be recovered from, but the best precondition to preclude such an event is to have trained frontline employees who can act fast on their own initiative (Hart et al., 1990). We argue that this highlights the importance of training and employee empowerment; to provide the frontline employees with the desire, skills, tools and authority to provide Service Quality to the customers and to be able to make a good recovery.
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2.3 Model
From the theories discussed we have developed a flow diagram to represent our argument on the significance of both Marketing and Human Resource Management on Branding and Service Quality, and thus the ability to close The Customer Gap. Notably that training of frontline employees is the quintessential part of improving the Service Quality and enhancing the perceived value of the service within the restaurant sector.
Service Marketing
Internal Marketing
Human Resource Management
Strategic Actions in Delivering Service Quality
Training Internal Branding Recruitment Service Quality
Rewards
Assessment & feedback Customer Gap Figure 1. The Management of Frontline employees in delivering Service Quality Within Service Marketing we have distinguished Internal Marketing and Human Resource Management as essential factors, yet interchangeable. These two areas are connected with people as the common factor. On the right hand side are the four main tasks of the HRM function; training, recruitment, rewards, assessment and feedback. These four functions are also incorporated in the strategic actions in delivering Service Quality by treating employees as customers affecting Marketing. The main focus will be placed on training as its effects are what are studied in this research. Efficient and appropriate IM and HRM strategies, as discussed previously in the chapter, will result in improved Internal Branding and elevated Service Quality and consequently in closing The Customer Gap. 19
Service Marketing is seen as the larger concept of our study in that IM and HRM are tools of SM, which in turn influence IB and SQ and ultimately The Customer Gap, thus the arrows from SM to IM and HRM. IM in many ways can be seen as the same as HRM, thus when describing IM as strategic actions in delivering Service Quality, we see this to a great extent as the same as HRM, and the literature supports this. HRM as described is a tool to improve employee’s ability in the job, through the factors mentioned above, the four functions are all considered part of HRM and are therefore intertwined with connecting arrows to show that they are still seen as important factors influencing IB, SQ and The Customer Gap through HRM. The reason for the double headed arrow is to show the significance that HRM influences these functions and decides to what level they will be used in order to influence Service Quality. The two arrows coming from IM and HRM represent the influences they have on IB. If the vales of the company are brought forward through the frontline employees thus affecting the SQ we can see the value of HRM and IM on IB as described previously in this chapter. The arrow going directly to SQ from HRM is in recognition that HRM (specifically training) has a strong influence on SQ not just IB. The arrows going from SQ to The Customer Gap are there to represent the influence of SM, IM, HRM and IB have in reducing the gap, we argue, due to the significant value training has on influencing frontline employees. From the theory discussed in this chapter we have learnt that there are positive beliefs that HRM influences the Marketing of a business. That is to say that from the theories discussed there is a correlation between HRM and improved SQ which helps market the company. In light of this we argue that training is the main concern in achieving a better Service Quality and that it also reflects on the firm through branding, influencing staff in accepting and passing on the values of the business and consequentially SQ.
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3. Methodology
This chapter aims to show what relevant methods are being used and to give the possibility for our work and its procedures to be scrutinized. Our preconceptions influencing the study as writers will be presented, as well as our view of knowledge and reality. The research strategy will be defined along with our approach to theory. Furthermore we will reinforce our choice of topic and sources as well as the method for the data collection and finally discuss the literature search.
3.1 Preconceptions
Revealing the researchers background and relevant experiences aims to give the readers an understanding on the foundation of our assumptions and analysis. The information that follows should be kept in mind whilst reading. It increases the openness of the study; an opportunity to understand where some viewpoints have grown from. Both of us are now studying our last semester of the International Business Program. They both have taken courses in Business Administration including an introductory course in Marketing. One of us, Laurence, has followed the field of Service Marketing, taking other courses in the area. The latest one being Service Marketing Ethics at advanced level earlier this semester. The other author, Emma, has more of an interest within HRM. She has taken an advanced level course in Issues in International HRM in France last semester. Our similarities and differences in academic background have brought some interesting view points to this study. An understanding that what was first considered as very differing areas within Business Administration developed into an understanding that Service Marketing and HRM are very closely related; even inseparable in our understanding. Another enriching difference between us is our nationality. Laurence being British and Emma being Swedish has obviously had different impacts for us growing up and allowed us to gather different experiences and cultural aspects. Throughout our working lives we have both had a lot of experience in the service sector, especially the restaurant sector. We have both experienced situations where we believe that vocational training was an investment that should be well in place. This is how the interest in the subject grew.
3.2 View of reality and knowledge
Arguments regarding the perception of reality and the function of accumulated knowledge are reflecting the approach, strategy and design of this research. Data as well as theory will be collected and treated differently according to our view of both knowledge and reality. Ultimately, the final outcome of the study will be affected by our assumptions of both ontology and epistemology.
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A closer look at the concepts of ontology and epistemology reveals that ontology concerns the view of social entities and their reality. Objectivists, as one stance of belief within ontology, views the social world as independent from the actors i.e. humans (Oliver, 2004 p. 29). They consider that the world has a reality which is objective and external to each individual’s perceptions and values. Humans who inhabit the world learn to live according to the rules and requirements (Bryman and Bell, 2007). This view is commonly along the line of a quantitative research and not in a research like ours that aims to analyse individual opinions on the benefits of training. We do not agree to the objectivist view of reality. An alternative position is constructionism or subjectivism. Advocators of this view believe that reality is constructed through social interaction and is therefore continually changing (Bryman and Bell, 2007 p. 23). In other words, there is no real social reality true in all contexts. Opinions are not definite, but rather biased reflections in the specific context. To view ontology in the light of our purpose, there will not be one true answer that constitutes the reality of how training affects Service Marketing in any given case. That is why we are holders of the constructionist view. Epistemology concerns the way in which data are to reveal knowledge about the issue (Olivier, 2004 p. 8). This assumption deals with how knowledge is created and if there is true knowledge. Depending on how you view the issue of knowledge there are two main divisions; the natural science epistemology insists that a study of the social world should adopt the same principles and procedures as the natural science, commonly connected to positivism (Bryman and Bell, 2007 p. 16). Positivist epistemology might infer that collecting data through a survey is enough to generate new knowledge. This epistemological position might be natural for a researcher who perceives the world as entities existing independently of human thought and existence (Oliver, 2004 p. 29). Preconceptions and values should be controlled and minimised in such a research and thereby not relevant in our case, but often connected to quantitative research. Interpretivists hold the opposite view and represent the second main division. They agree that knowledge can not reveal a true objective reality. Meaning is rather context specific. The view of knowledge is that it is something that is created by active humans. In our case, the knowledge of good or appropriate training might be different for every studied individual personality and every studied restaurant’s preference. Following, preconceptions and values are an integral part of research. In our case personal views and opinions are where we intend to draw our conclusions from along the line of interpretivists. To conclude, we are aiming to collect the subjective knowledge to define the reality that is true in the selected restaurants and in their specific context. We argue that the reality in a restaurant or in any company is affected by the Corporate Culture, the management style and each individual worker’s beliefs and opinions. Thereby, we argue that there is no one true objective reality and knowledge is created through interaction, all in accordance with the constructionist view of reality and the interpretivist view of knowledge. 22
3.3 Research strategy
The strategy adopted in a research provides a framework for the collection and analysis of data. According to Bryman and Bell (2007 p. 157, 426) quantitative studies collects data, often regarding peoples behavioural nature, that are quantifiable or uses coding to be able to quantify it in an objective manner. A possible quantitative research question could in our case be to answer whether training could improve Service Marketing, but leaving out the deeper and subjective understanding of how. In contrast to a quantitative study, qualitative research tends to present more words than numbers in the analysis to give a more descriptive understanding rather than a statistical explanation (Olsson and Sörensen, 2007 p. 65). It tends to provide a deeper understanding in the topic, in this study seeking motivations for how training is beneficial for Service Marketing. The results are influenced by both the researchers and the studied objects and often consider the issue of meaning of action in distinction to studying the action itself. That is, we are studying the meaning and importance of training rather than merely studying different training program designs. Some characteristics of qualitative strategies are portraying participants’ point of views often with their own spoken words, the unstructured and flexible nature, contextual and subjective understanding rather than generalisable findings and the in-depth study of meaning in a natural setting (Bryman and Bell, 2007 p. 280; Olsson and Sörensen, 2007 p. 36-37, 65). These characteristics can all be defined in our purpose to study the individual frontline employees’ and managers’ opinions in their own natural setting and own deeper understanding. The findings are not sought to be applied in any other restaurant, but is rather context specific. That being said, we find strong arguments for our study being best performed with a qualitative strategy.
3.4 Scientific approach
This section deals with the relationship between research and theory and provides a framework for how to draw conclusions. Research can either be aimed at generating new theories or testing existing ones. The approach adopted in a scientific research regards the researcher’s way to address the problem at hand (Johansson-Lindfors, 1993 p. 44). If the aim of the research is to collect and analyse data in order to develop common principles and end up in a new theory the approach is called inductive. If, on the other hand, the starting-point is existing theories which moves on to present a hypothesis that is tested with empirical data, the approach is deductive (Olsson and Sörensen, 2007 p. 32-33). If the purpose is, as in this study, to continuously find interactions between empirical data and existing theories on whether training influences frontline employees and the subsequent affect on Service Marketing the approach is called abduction (JohanssonLindfors, 1993 p. 154). In our case the aim is to inductively find our understanding of the area of study and its context. We then aim to deductively collect knowledge in existing theories within Service Marketing and HRM regarding employee training. To finally end up in an interaction between existing theories and employees’ and managers’ own opinions on how training can benefit Service Marketing (Olsson and Sörensen, 2007 p. 23
32-33); an abductive approach. The connections will be placed in the context of three selected restaurants in Umeå. The way to address this research problem is to start from existing theory from which we develop the main body of our data collection material, proceed to finding possible connections to the empirical data, and ending up with new or possibly modified theories. This approach is thereby in accordance to the abductive approach.
3.5 Research design and method for data collection
The task of the research design is identified by Cooper and Schneidler (2003 p. 146) as an outline for every research activity. This definition is supported by Bryman and Bell (2007 p. 40) in that the design provides a framework for the collection and analysis process, while the method is merely the technique for collecting the data. The design and the method should be in accordance with the view of knowledge and reality, the strategy and the approach. In recent years new qualitative approaches have emerged from the traditionally quantitative design of evaluation research. Evaluation research is often principally similar to experimental design in the sense that it often compares one exposed group to one nonexposed group (Bryman and Bell, 2007 p. 53). The usual research question for such a design is whether a new invention has achieved its goals. In this aspect, the evaluation research design can be applied in our context of researching whether training is improving the Service Marketing in the selected restaurants. However, we will not adopt the experimental design, but rather three cases within the study. The cases regard the use and advantages of training in the three selected restaurants. A case study often emphasises an “intensive examination of a setting”, such as a workplace (Bryman and Bell, 2007 p. 62). Again, that is the intension of this study. We are following the constructionist and interpretative view of knowledge and reality, in a qualitative manner. Since we argue that there is no one true reality and that reality is constructed through the interaction of humans, we decided to conduct interviews to collect data. We then have the possibility to probe the interviewees as they develop their point of view when regarding vocational training and its influences and enlighten what they consider being the reality. Furthermore, our interpretivistic view of knowledge has guided us in our choice of not applying a fixed structure in our interviews. Structured interviews would minimise our possibility to deviate from the interview manual. This would limit us in collecting the data that is relevant for each individual respondent. One main point in a qualitative research conducted in an interpretivist manner is to find and enlighten individual standpoints, in this case regarding training in the restaurant business. The method of our choice was therefore narrowed down to either unstructured or semi-structured interviews. Lastly, our abductive approach towards the research has led us in our final choice. Since we departure from existing theories we have a clear picture of what the core of the interviews should be. On the other hand, since our approach allows us to continuously 24
alternate between existing theory and empirical data, we want to be able to gather new revealing inputs and are open to develop the interview as it proceeds. In line of these arguments previously discussed, we came to the conclusion that semi-structured interviews would be most appropriate to fulfil our purposes. Further, this method and design will allow us to find connections between IM and HRM theories on vocational training on the one hand, and empirical data regarding the effects and importance of such training that is true to each respondent’s reality in a Service Marketing perspective. In the decision process of agreeing upon an appropriate method we also considered using a focus group technique when interviewing the frontline employees. The positive aspects of this technique would be that in the dynamics of a group discussion regarding training could be more creative and extensive compared to individual interviews. The negative aspect could be that some of the participants could more easily stay in the background not contributing with his or her opinions on the subject. Bryman and Bell (2007) discuss the phenomena of few persons dominating a focus group leaving others out in the discussion. Other aspects of focus groups are that a common understanding on the subject can be developed within the group, which is positive when a wide variety of views are identified, and the participants might be challenged on their opinions to a greater extent compared to individual interviews. Since the aim of this study is to bring forth individual opinions to identify any potential problem areas and not to find a common understanding within each restaurant, we decided that individual interviews would be more enriching to our study. The semi-structured interview manual will enable us to process the data in a somewhat similar manners, but at the same time allow for a personal development. Furthermore, the problem of transcribing the data of more than one person at the time, as would be the case in a focus group, strengthened our decision of choosing semi-structured interviews. The interview questions were developed from existing theory, each question addressing issues regarding CC, SQ, IB, IM, HRM and The Customer Gap. More specifically, CC is addressed in questions 3 and 18 d and e. SQ is dealt with in questions 1 and 2, IB in question 18, IM in questions 1, 2 and 7-9, HRM in questions 4-7, 10-12 and 16 and finally the Customer Gap is treated in questions 13-15 and 17. To further clarify the respondents’ opinions, a closed-questions questionnaire was provided after each interview regarding the importance of training within certain areas. Consult Appendix A to have a closer look. Since we are adapting an abductive approach we aim to develop new theories or possibly modify existing ones from the data collected with these questions. The interview manual is built up of 18 open ended questions regarding what kind of work related training the employees have received and in what aspects it has been beneficial or insufficient. Since we hold interpretivist and constructionist views and the study aims to reveal individual aspects of vocational training the questions are used as guidelines during the interview, but will contain individual deviations. The opinions and suggestions given by 25
the interviewees will then be compared to existing theories regarding training of employees in a restaurant setting and conclusions will be drawn to end up in new modified theories.
3.6 Choice of subject
The restaurant business is often an introduction for young people entering the workplace. The staff turnover is often high which could be a result of the Corporate Culture not focusing on employee satisfaction (Barsade and Gibson, 2007). We see employee satisfaction as one of the steps to customer satisfaction. Taking care of the employees, such as training, appraisal, feedback and other areas commonly contained within the area of HRM, are according to us relevant for the success of the business and the subsequent positive influences that has on Service Marketing. We have both experienced situations while working in different restaurants and pubs, when we believe that the employee politics and the Internal Marketing needs improvement. We have both experienced that one factor of HRM that is often lacking within restaurants is proper training for the job. That is how the interest for the subject grew. We chose to study The Bishops Arms, Pipes of Scotland and the E-Pub due to the fact that they are establishments where people are more interested in drinking rather than eating. We see this as significant due to the issues relating to the different aspects of a restaurant, where more service is required. Thus when investigating the areas we have chosen these establishments for the similarity in serving structure, where the emphasis is on the bar side of the restaurant sector. This serves as the main reason for our preference in choosing these service providers. Other factors that have influenced this decision include proximity to one another, as they are all within one town. We see this as giving an opportunity to explore whether there is a substantial difference between the respondents when so close together. We feel that this is ample argument for choosing these places to investigate as they each serve a diverse clientele interested in drinking and each employ people from all walks of life.
3.7 Choice of sources
The choice of empirical sources, or in other words the sampling method, is different in a qualitative study compared to a quantitative study. The main purpose of a qualitative interview is not to generalise the results as in a quantitative research. We are aiming to find in depth opinions of training and its importance in Internal Branding and Service Quality. These opinions will be compared among the respondents. However, we will not try to find the optimal truth that can be applied to other settings nor finding the frequency of a certain answer that is often the case in quantitative studies. The importance of using probability sampling intended to creating a representative sample (Berg, 2001 p.31) can then be argued. Berg (2001 p. 29) presents some criteria that should be fulfilled when deciding upon the study site and the appropriate study objects. The choice should enable access to the required information and the availability of appropriate people. Our chosen sampling 26
strategy resembles what Berg (2001 p. 32) calls purposive sampling. Our sampling frame is managers and frontline employees, as defined earlier, at Bishops Arms, Pipes of Scotland and the E-Pub. A heterogenic sample was chosen, regarding gender, age, employment title and to what extent the employment stretches. In a study performed by students it is common to get research access through personal- or professional contacts (Bryman and Bell, 2007 p.33-34). This is what happened in our case; from previous and current work experiences as well as personal contacts and networks, the appropriate interview candidates were contacted and asked to participate in an interview. The issues at hand were to be examined and analysed both from the managements’ point of view and from the frontline employees’ point of view. The population was therefore divided into strata according to employment title. Only management and frontline employees were included in the sampling frame. We sought to include both full-time workers and part-time workers, since we believe that there might be a difference in the amount and type of training received depending on the level of employment. However, no attempt will be made to make a clear distinction between the two, but simply to cover as much data as possible.
3.8 Presentation of Restaurants and Respondents
3.8.1 Bishops Arms The Bishops Arms chain opened its’ first establishment in 1993 in Västerås, Sweden following an English pub theme. The company has since grown to 25 outlets reaching as far north as Luleå all the way to Malmö in the far south and is still looking to expand (Bishops Arms, 2008). The Bishops Arms chain, Bishops Scandinavia AB, is part of RAMUK AB concern which in turn is owned by one man, Bicky Chakraborty (Elite Hotels, 2008). According to Affärsdata, Bishops Scandinavia AB had a turnover of 69 million 448 thousand Swedish Crowns at the year end from 2005 to 2006, and employ 57 staff (Affärsdata(a), 2008).
Respondents Position Age Years
Adde Pub Manager 40 of 3 years, 9 months
Respondent A Bartender * *
James Bartender 25 1 year, 2 months 27
employment Extent of Full-time employment Time and date of 24th April interview 12.00 – 12.50 Language of Swedish interview
Part-time (used to Part-time be full-time) 22nd April 21st April 11.55 – 12.35 12.05 – 13.05 Swedish English
Table 1. Respondents at Bishops Arms
3.8.2 Pipes of Scotland Pipes of Scotland is a pub in Umeå that is incorporated in to a hotel called Hotel Aveny, which in turn is owned by Profilhotels AB. Profilhotels AB is the daughter company to Hospitium AB. As such there seems to be very little information specifically about Pipes of Scotland. Profilhotels AB is found in 8 different parts of Sweden and some of them have the concept bar within (Profilhotels, 2008). At year end 2006 Profilhotels AB had a turnover of 118 million Crowns and employs between 120 and 200 staff (Affärsdata(b), 2008). Respondents Position Age Years employment Extent employment Time and date interview Language interview Lisa Anton Restaurant Manager Bar Manager (FNB Manager) 23 27 of 1 year of Full-time of 24th April 14.50 – 15.45 of Swedish 1 year, 6 months Respondent B Bartender / Waitress * *
Part-time (used to Part-time be full-time) 21st April 22nd April 13.35 – 14.25 13.25 – 14.10 Swedish Swedish
Table 2. Respondents at Pipes of Scotland
3.8.3 E-Pub E-Pub is a non-profit making student run pub on the campus of Umeå University. The EPub is run by the Business school (Student.nu, 2008; HHUS, 2008). According to the present manager, Micke, it started as an underground establishment in the end of the 1980’s in Ålidhem for business students on the weekends, since then it has been given a place on campus and is now seen as a place for all students (Wallin, Micke, 2008). 28
Respondents Position Age Years employment Extent employment Time and date interview Language interview
Micke Pub Manager 24 of 3 years of Part-time (full-time for past 6 months) of 29th April 13.15 – 14.00 of Swedish
Peter Mishka Booking Manager Night Manager & Night Manager 24 23 2 years Part-time 22nd April 11.10 – 11.40 English 2 years Part-time 21st April 11.00 – 11.30 English
Table 3. Respondents at E-Pub
3.9 Conducting the interviews and treating the data
All nine interviews were conducted with both of us present, but one of us being the main interviewer. It was made clear to the respondents that the assisting interviewer would intervene whenever possible if any further questions arose and the interviewee was offered anonymity. Two of the respondents chose to be anonymous due to personal factors. Accordingly their names and some of the personal information has been kept confidential. We strived to get as many English interviews as possible since the issue of something getting lost in translation would be minimised. As a result, three of the nine interviews were performed in English. Two of the respondents are native English speakers so it was a natural choice to perform these interviews in English. The third respondent is studying an International programme and should therefore have a sufficient level of English to be able to give the interview in English. It is also necessary to mention that the English interviewees can speak Swedish in their job environment. Further, since we were both present we would at any occasion be able to give a translation if needed. The English interviews were performed by Laurence, a native English speaker, and the Swedish interviews by Emma. All interviews were taped and then transcribed into the original language with some corrections for spoken language. Whenever we realised that a question missed an answer we considered the rest of the answers to judge whether the information we had gathered was sufficient. Many questions were asked very similarly with the intention to get as rich and deep data as possible. That is why we decided that the answers were sufficient whenever that incident occurred. However, readers should be aware of this judgement call. 29
The Interview manuals will be found in Appendix A, firstly the English version followed by the Swedish version. The interview manual was also sent to the respondents prior to the interview, as well as the transcripts afterwards. A list of all Swedish quotes used in the study is provided in Appendix B. Finally, the interview transcriptions will be distributed in their original language upon request as Appendix C.
3.10 Literature search and criticism
According to Hair et al. (2007 p. 94) the literature search aims firstly to develop and expand research ideas into a relevant research topic and secondly to deepen ones understanding of the topic and ensure awareness in relevant previous studies. After developing our own ideas and understanding of the topic, we approached existing literature by first searching for theories within the broader areas of Service Marketing, Human Resource Management and Internal Marketing to get a theoretical idea of the foundations of our research subject. Within these areas we then focused on relevant topics such as Corporate Culture, Training, Internal Branding and Service Quality. These concepts were also used to search for peer reviewed scientific articles. Other concepts such as satisfaction were also used to sometimes narrow down a search hit. The data base Business Source Premiere (EBSCO) was the most widely used one. Other search engines like Science Direct were occasionally used when EBSCO was not sufficient, mostly when searching for specific articles mentioned in other works. The University Library was widely used to collect literature and “affärsdata” helped us collect information on the restaurants in the study. In accordance with the abductive approach we have firstly built up our own idea and understanding within the research topic. Secondly we have widened our knowledge by finding relevant existing theories. It is thereby a natural step to now deal with the collected empirical data which will be analysed and discussed in the light of thee theories.
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4. Empirical data and Analysis
This chapter will provide the relevant collected data to act as a foundation for the analysis. The questions asked in the interviews were sometimes difficult to separate since they often concerned different aspects of the same area. To be able to answer the purposes of this study we will firstly provide a short recap of the essence of this study. Secondly, we find it appropriate to define the respondents’ ideas of training in a restaurant. We will then analyse the empirical data according to these ideas following a revision of the model, The Management of Frontline employees in delivering Service Quality.
4.1 Quickly looking back
To repeat what was said in the theory chapter, the aim of HRM is to improve the performance of employees and the effectiveness of the organisation as a whole (Bratton and Gold, 2007). Similarly, the most significant factor of IM is preparing people to perform (Berry and Parasuraman, 1992). With this study we aim to find whether training is one way to fulfil these aims of preparing the employees and consequently enhancing the effectiveness of the organisation; whether training is a tool to enable frontline employees to deliver Service Quality and to strengthen the Internal Branding; hence, to answer the purposes of this study.
4.2 What is training according to the respondents?
Adde declares that at Bishops Arms training starts with a short introduction and then letting you actually do it yourself. James agrees saying that training is to be shown what to do and continuously being encouraged to improve. He explains that specifically in a restaurant it is important to know the routines and what is expected in your line of work. Similarly to James, Respondent A support continuous learning, but also emphasises that training should address the company values and the areas important for the company; at Bishops Arms that includes broad product knowledge. Anton and Respondent B define training as to constantly learn from your mistakes and learning from each other. Additionally, they stress the importance of treating the customers well and learning by doing. Lisa confirms that the employees can educate each other. Her general opinion on training within the restaurant business is the importance of a good knowledge in the restaurant concept and its products, similarly to Respondent A. To both Mishka and Micke training in a restaurant is learning by doing. Mishka argues that the most important factor is to have an overall view of how all the functions of the restaurant works. While Peter thought that in his position training is important to get good group-dynamics and teamwork and some level of consistency between work teams.
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4.3 Revised Model
The model has been revised to show the respondents’ thoughts and feelings of Service Marketing and in what way the respondents see training as beneficial in terms of Service Quality, and Internal Branding in order to reduce The Customer Gap. The first change that we wish to add is the important role of the CC in influencing Marketing strategies (which include HRM, IM and IB as tools of SM). While it is discussed in the theory chapter CC was realised as substantially more relevant in shaping the other aspects of the model. The importance was realised through the process of the interviews and the subsequent analysis. IM and HRM can be used as tools of marketing and are used interchangeably by among others Zeithaml et al. (2006 p. 366). Again this became apparent when analysing the respondents. When considering the influence of training we have added a number of facets to show what effects training has on frontline employees. These can be found on the right hand side and have been recognised by the respondents as important factors which can in turn influence the Service Quality and The Customer Gap, as well as IB, IM and HRM. We must also recognise the meaning of training and that it does include practical training or, “learning by doing”, and therefore true recognition of its weight is realised. The wall of will between training and it’s facets is meant to represent the individuals (respondents) own propensity or willingness to learn as it is governed by the firm in offering training and their own willingness to learn, as discussed by the respondents. Feedback is considered not just as an aid of training, but also as a strong motivator for the respondents which in turn can also act as an influence on Service Quality. Experience is also seen by respondents as a strong influence on Service Quality, and it is still considered part of training as well, due to the fact that working can be seen as learning.
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Service Marketing
IM
HRM
Wall of will
Corprate Culture
Internal Branding
Training
Empowerment Satisfaction
Feedback
Motivation Confidence Commitment Experience
Service Quality
Customer Gap
Customer Retention
Figure 2. A development of the Management of Frontline employees in delivering Service Quality From the new model we can see that CC has been added to show its true significances to IM and IB. The double headed arrow is shown as the realisation that CC affects IM as much as it can affect IB. The wall of will has been added from the previous model to represent the member of staffs own willingness to learn and thus be influenced by the factors of training. Feedback has been carried on from the first model to show that it has a strong influence on training and employees’ willingness to learn which also acts as a motivator thus an arrow from feedback to motivation. The elements found within the larger box represent the positive outcomes that training can have on employees; thus influencing HRM, IM, IB and SQ. Experience has been given an arrow direct to Service Quality as it is seen as something that influences not just training, but also that it is often something that is considered as advantageous when employing new staff, which is seen as another aspect of HRM and was considered significant by most respondents. Finally, Customer Retention has been added to represent the influence that SQ has on The 33
Customer Gap as seen by the majority of respondents. However we see that this can only be truly answered by researching customers’ views as well.
4.4 Service Marketing analysis
According to theory IB and IM are important parts of Marketing and therefore Service Quality is recognised as being influenced by these factors (Berry and Parasuraman 1992; Papasolomou and Vrontis 2006). All respondents when asked about quality service realised that it is a very important aspect within the service sector (see Appendix C questions 1 and 2) and it’s influence on Marketing the business. Frontline staff are, according to the grounded theory the most important factor when considering a service sector business (Zeithaml et al. 2006 p. 26, 354-8; Berry and Parasuraman, 1992). But this is where there are differences in the respondents’ views of IM and HRM and where their importance lay. Adde believes that it is the company as a product and his influence that shapes the way Bishops Arms is marketed and what it stands for. This we argue is relevant when considering the values and aims of a business as it is inevitable that marketing is part of these values and aims. “I am the company to a great extent in that the only contact with the company management or the pub owner is a twice a year pub managers meeting…our brand is becoming so strong that there are many people who come for the product Bishops Arms (Quote 1). Therefore, from Adde’s perspective IM and HRM influences are not revolved around training. But that the Marketing of the business in his view is not influenced by training the staff, but by other factors. As mentioned later; recruiting experienced personnel as well as employing staff that have the service-mindedness as part of their personality influences the Market internally and therefore externally. In contrast Lisa from Pipes of Scotland does have a more controlled job and as such cannot steer the business how she feels; “It is controlled by the hotel-chain… to improve the training all the other outlets must do it as well” (Quote 2). While the question asked was specific to training, as was the answer, we can see her agreement in that training is a very important part of Marketing the business. “That staff feel safe in what they do and know the products and how we work… then one can tackle almost any problem…” (Quote 3) “Education/Training generates more sales, so it should be in the interest of the company to educate managers and normal staff” (Quote 4). We argue that Lisa’s idea of Marketing the business she works for, although it is more controlled by company management, can rely heavily on the staff attitudes to working at Pipes of Scotland and that they feel good and therefore training and motivating as aspects of IM and HRM are recognised. Rather than relying on previous experience or an inbuilt ability to be serviceminded. However both recognise the importance of training; in Adde’s case for improving product knowledge and in Lisa’s case, experience and service-mindedness. We can therefore see that there can be subtle difference in how the company values its employees and the relevant importance of training, or other influences of IM and HRM.
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4.5 Internal Marketing analysis
The questions relating to IM are rather ambiguous and as IM is such a large field incorporating much of HRM and the affects IM has on Service Quality we have developed this section in order to give the respondents’ feelings towards this specific area. When considering IM from the respondent’s perspective it seems that the majority do not place as much importance on it as a factor for running a successful business; which goes against most of the theory relating to IM’s significance in the service sector. Or rather as Papasolomou and Vrontis (2006) see it, that IM is necessary in today’s service market in order to differentiate establishments from each other. And that IM can be used as a solution to delivering consistently high levels of quality service in order to enhance market performance. While IM is recognised by the respondents as part of running a business, the attainment of these goals is barely recognised as to how it is achieved. That is; how to keep the staff motivated and trained so as to maintain a consistent, efficient, effective workforce (Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2006). Only that if the staff are not happy, the customers will not be and they will not come back. “If you don’t create a good atmosphere people won’t come back…if your team [frontlines employees] is happy, they [customers] are happy as well…” (Mishka, E-Pub). “If your boss is happy with what you do, and doesn’t encourage any development within the staff then maybe that’s a sign of a bad business…” (James, Bishops Arms). From these two examples we can see that the importance of IM is recognised. Another argument promoting training is to attract new employees. According to Mahnert and Torres (2007) this is one of the objectives of IM. Lisa says that training would “attract personnel since they would know that the company educates its employees and takes good care of them and that is very important” (Quote 5). Ultimately, training would according to her improve the Internal Marketing affecting the Service Marketing. In our approach to this study we concentrate on the importance of training as a factor to improving IM and thus the Service Quality. However, most respondents feel that a certain level of product knowledge gives them the edge on being able to deliver Service Quality; rather than themselves being able to deliver quality service. It seems that most emphasis is placed on the employee knowing the products and routines of an establishment rather than how to treat a customer. When dealing with customers it seems that previous experience is most beneficial in giving good service. Adde feels that, “Ideally when looking to employ someone, past experience in a customer service job is very beneficial, preferably in the restaurant sector” (Quote 6). However realising that Service Quality in this sector is based on what frontline employees do in delivering the service, influences the business dramatically. When asked in what way he thought Service Quality improved the value of the business he said that it would simply improve business; “Quite simply, you sell more…” (Quote 7). In Adde’s view service is in action, product knowledge and a positive manner when meeting the customer and this is how he sees service. “We are in the service business and that itself is basis for what we do, to 35
deliver service… A positive greeting is the basis for service and later maybe one can do a little more for the guest than they expect” (Quote 8). But it seems that servicing the employees to do a better job is up to the individual employee and their experience in the past from working in the service sector. Adde states that “…it is like all sectors, that it is up to the employee to want to progress” (Quote 9). It can also be seen as a personality trait rather than that service can be taught. He goes on to say, “I believe that one has it inside of oneself, you get an introduction and then try your wings” (Quote 10). We therefore see that the meaning for Adde of Internal Marketing and its’ uses are somewhat limited and lay much more in the HRM function of employing the person with experience or right personality traits. Lisa and Pipes of Scotland are the exception to the rule as she has a strong belief in IM. When asked how important her ability to deliver quality service was she answered: “Very important, nearly the most important, both for the personnel, because they watch what I do, and the guest look and judge” (Quote 11). We can therefore see that IM is recognised as an important function for her, also from previously mentioned how she sees the importance in the staff being happy and well trained influencing the business. “Training generates more sales, so it should be in the company’s interest to educate its managers and the regular staff” (Quote 12). Respondent A also sees being able to deliver high quality service as a very important factor for a service sector business, “it is the core of what I do” (Quote 13). But they also see product knowledge as the most relevant in being able to sell more; “Product knowledge has given me the most benefit. No formal training in just service, it lies within a persons personality how to greet customers” (Quote 14). That is that through product knowledge they can give the best customer service and customer service itself is part of a persons personality and that product knowledge is the most significant influence training can have on Service Quality. It is not that IM influences service employees so that they are willing and able to deliver quality service and that they stay motivated to perform. But rather as in Adde’s and Respondent A’s belief that individuals have their own guidance in what level of service-mindedness (personality and experience) the individual is at; and that product knowledge is what is seen as influencing Service Quality above all else. James does make a comment on the importance of how he feels when he gets positive feedback both from customers and his superior. When discussing on the job training from his supervisor he says it was also done in a positive manner with “positive reenforcement…” and “any criticism I have received was always in a positive fashion.” Not only that but it makes him proud when he received positive feedback from customers as well; “Positive feedback from the people I meet… And I like to think I’m doing a good job, the boss tells us we are.” This serves as motivation for James rather than training, but is still seen as an aspect of IM. Therefore we recognise the importance of other factors than training influencing IM; this will be discussed later in the following chapter. When examining the respondent’s feelings towards Internal Marketing their responses seem to vary, possibly due to the wide scope that IM covers. If we say it is to market the 36
business for the employees then there has been very little evidence of the respondents recognising this factor. The only evidence seems to be that those who are employed full time are more committed to the company they work for and that the training has influenced their capacity for serving the business; IM being the most consistent theme in motivating customer focus of employees (Mosley, 2007). Therefore we see that to some extent the uses of IM are realised, however not always implemented. And that training is reserved for full time members of staff which strengthens their commitment to the brand.
4.6 Internal Branding among respondents
When we consider the answers given by the respondents about IB, there are both similar and different positions about the subject. IB is seen as achieving consistency with the external brand image and to encourage brand commitment by the employees through mutually accepted values and the realisation of the promise of the brand, both internally and externally (Mahnert and Torres, 2007). We therefore see that commitment, pride, association and an openness to share the details of where one works, as relevant to assessing whether IB is an important factor and thus if it can be influenced by training. The most notable difference in our research was that the full-time workers feel a much greater brand commitment to the respective company they work for, whereas those who are not full-time feel less commitment. Adde, the pub manager from The Bishops Arms states that; “I am 100% loyal, and of course I associate myself with Bishops… If you cannot feel pride or identify yourself with the company then you should be doing something else” (Quote 15). However a part time employee (James) says, “oh no, I’ve got no commitment at all! I like working there… but if I found another job that was better of course I’d take it… I feel loyal when I’m there…I would say I am more loyal to the people that work there rather than the business.” We can therefore see that Adde is willing to promote the brand image and is committed to the brand, whereas someone who is only part-time is not so committed. Respondent A from Bishops has worked both full-time and part-time, and feels some commitment to the company, however not as strongly as Adde. Respondent A’s commitment comes from their own personality of what they think is expected of them and the standards they should keep rather than the company directing them. “I have chosen the responsibility I feel myself, to have a good order and a certain standard… I feel that is appreciated by the company. I even feel the same sort of responsibility when I’m not at work” (Quote 16). Respondent A therefore sees their own standards as being appreciated by the company rather than the company having standards taught to them, the employee. As a result the Internal Branding of the company may not be recognised because they may not necessarily be common values between the employee and the company. Respondent A’s feelings toward the company they work for are however positive; they see the influence of Bishops Arms being a serious company. They are also proud of the training or knowledge they have received as well as the fact that Bishops Arms keeps a high standard for their customers as well. They see it as important for both the individual 37
and the company to have a well organised, good standard for both the guest and the knowledgeable bar staff. “I am proud that I know what must be done as a bartender at Bishops. Anyone can be a bartender without any knowledge of it, I am even proud that we have such a high standard for our customers as well, it reflects back both on oneself as a responsible server and the company, that is why it is important to keep a good order and good standards both of the guests and the knowledgeable bar staff. A good company, positive and well worth it’s trademark” (Quote 17). These factors can equate to there being some good Internal Branding of the company’s image upon this employee through the high standards that the company keeps. It can also be said that the company has reached a level of consistency with the external brand image and the encouragement of brand commitment of this particular employee thus influencing both the values of the employer and this particular employee. But we must remember the importance to the respondents own ability to keep high standards may also have an influence. The reasons for Adde’s commitment to the company may well be grounded in the fact that he has received more training for his job than other staff. “Yes, different elements, among other things whisky training, budget training, beer training and payment systems” (Quote 18). This can be similar for Lisa at Pipes of Scotland as well as Respondent A. Adde also maintains that he has a great responsibility that the business should be running and running well, but it is not a burden. “I feel a big responsibility that this establishment is up and running, but it is nothing burdensome” (Quote 19). This responsibility may well help to give him a greater commitment to the firm. Not only these factors help him to promote the brand image, but also knowing the history of the business and that he feels that he has support from his superiors. Along with the fact that the company is a stable employer, a high-class pub, market leader and that the people that work for him are the best in town… Interviewer: “What makes you proud to work for this company?” Adde: “The history of the company… I feel that I have the support behind me… a stable employer… a high class pub. We are market leaders and I know that my personnel are better than anyone else’s in town…” (Quote 20). All these factors help make Adde proud to be associated with, and work for Bishops Arms. These actions give consistency with the external brand image and encourage brand commitment to both employer and the particular employee. But we must also consider other factors, such as better job security as he is the manager which could influence his commitment. As for James, his feelings towards the company are not felt as strongly however he does have a certain affiliation to the company that could be seen as a degree of consistency and commitment to the company through his fellow work colleagues. Other factors that may make him concerned more towards the company is the positive feedback from the people he meets, as well as knowing that the business is going well. Interviewer: “What makes you proud to work for the company?” James: “Positive feedback from people I meet… I’m proud that our business works well and that I’m contributing to it.” “When people think about The Bishops Arms, they do associate it with quality. They do associate it with good beer and good service…” these comments show a certain amount of commitment to the company when he is there, which as much as he does not realise it seems to affect his values thus his brand commitment. 38
Pipes of Scotland also follows a similar feeling towards IB, again it is the full time staff, especially the manager that feels commitment to the company rather than the part time staff. When observing the manager of Pipes of Scotland we see that Lisa is also happy to be associated with the company as it holds a good standard. “I would absolutely associate myself with this place… we have a fine hotel, a good standard, it really is top of the line…” (Quote 21). A difference with this company can be the assignment of the CC in that Pipes of Scotland is more interested in keeping their staff happy which reflects in Lisa’s pride to see the employees have fun when they work and that they feel good. “I see to it that the staff are happy… that they feel good… that it is fun to come, and the staff have fun at work. It is the most important to me and because of it I am proud” (Quote 22). From Lisa’s perspective we can assume that the consistency in the company comes from enjoying the job that you do, which will promote more commitment to the business and therefore bring in line the brand values of the company through the employee. Lisa also considers her responsibility as manager as reasons for her commitment to the company. “I associate myself with this place, if it falls so do I” (Quote 23). This seems to be a driving force in realising the mutual values of the company, that as a manager the added responsibility influences their commitment to the company and therefore the mutual values of the company and employee. Although the Bar Manager, Anton, says that he is not so proud to work for the company, it is of a personal nature that he has not reached the goals he wanted to. “Not so much makes me proud, I am 27 now and still not reached my own goals” (Quote 24). However it is interesting to note the way he says things; for example, “I think that we [stress added] have a good image. It is a very special pub… it’s cool to work at a place where standard beer is not the norm anymore” (Quote 25). Anton does seem to have an affiliation with the establishment that he works for, therefore he does give the impression that he is willing to be associated with company and he speaks highly of the company image that he works for. This can therefore be seen as the brand reaching the employee and influencing him and his commitment to the company from the values that the company holds. When asked of his commitment to the company he maintains a strong duty to the company, and again interestingly enough, due to the responsibility given to him by the company. “I feel a very strong commitment to the company, I am involved in a great deal in my position as bar manager” (Quote 26). Respondent B, who is part time, does not feel any real commitment or pride in working at Pipes of Scotland. Rather their commitment and pride comes from the own personality to do a good job and keep the customers happy. This shows that they as an employee do not necessarily follow or share the same values of the company, but rather their own standards. But again the question remains as to whether the influence of the brand has actually rubbed off on the employee; or that the brand image is a mutually accepted standard of both the company and the employee. “When I work I feel no responsibility besides making the customer happy and serving food; to do my job” (Quote 27). “If I am there I definitely want to do a good job, my best” (Quote 28). As a service company, can they expect any more from their employees? To do their best and to make the customers happy, these seem very much like mutually accepted values that uphold the promise of a 39
service company; this will be further reviewed in the discussion chapter. We can also note that what makes Respondent B proud at their place of work is that they have learnt so much, which has been taught to them at the place of work. “I don’t know if I can say that I am proud because I work there. More that I am proud and pleased that I have learnt so much” (Quote 29). 4.6.1 Influences of training on IB The last question in our interview manual was specifically directed towards how training could possibly affect Internal Branding. Aspects such as association, pride, wanting to share with others where they work and commitment were discussed in the nature of how these feelings might be affected by training. Analysing this question will enable us to answer our purpose of whether training can improve Internal Branding in the selected restaurants. The inputs given by the respondents in the last interview question will be compared with some of the answers that each respondent gave in the closed-questions questionnaire that was answered after each interview. In the questionnaire Mishka, Anton and Respondent B shared the same opinion that training can not improve your affiliation with the company; affiliation being part of Internal Branding. To have a closer look as to why, the individual interviews were consulted. There we could find that Mishka did not see training as a way to influence the association, pride, openness to share with others where one works and commitment. However, he thought that training could strengthen the goal congruence within a work team. “…training the night managers so that they make sure that the rest of the team is working with them... I think that’s really important.” We made the connection that Mishka might believe that teambuilding is an important factor when considering training. Teamwork is partly working towards the same goals which is a major part of Internal Branding; sharing the brand values and aims of the company. This was further supported by him marking Teambuilding as important in the closed-questions questionnaire. Finally, the last respondent to oppose the fact that IB can be affected by training was Anton. He thinks that his feelings regarding Internal Branding “cannot really be affected by training, that they are just something that you should have in you” (Quote 30). We interpret that as either him being the exception to the theory or that he does not simply believe the concept of Internal Branding. Lisa, being one of the promoters of training affecting the Internal Branding explains that “the more education or the more training one gets … helps to affect my satisfaction within the company. And I would speak even better about the company” (Quote 31). Again, Zeithaml et al. (2006), Berry and Parasuraman (1992) all support the fact that employee satisfaction has a significant influence on customers. Furthermore, the fact that Lisa would “speak even better about the company” can be assumed to regard both internal clients, employees, and external clients, customers. Thus we have found support that training could improve Internal Branding; hence, the SM and SQ will improve as well.
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Respondent A follows the same line of argument as Lisa; that training affects her satisfaction as an employee. They also add pride, dedication and motivation to the outcomes of training, all ultimately affecting IB. “After each training course I feel more proud about the fact that the company invests in their employees, but also happier to work there … and also feel a greater will to push the company forward ... it can also be motivational to others in that they would feel that if one works longer within the company one can go to similar training courses” (Quote 32). The way Adde sees it is somewhat similar to Respondent A. “I believe that if you are sent to more training and see that the company invests in you, you become more devoted to your company … of course you become more motivated and loyal” (Quote 33). Loyalty, devotion and motivation are aspects of IB (Mahnert and Torres, 2007), and if these feelings arrive from training, evidently part of our purpose can be confirmed; namely that training can affect Internal Branding positively. James’ discussion regarding IB and the affects of training brings up pride. He starts by saying that “I don’t think you can train anyone to be proud of a business, however I think training can have a positive effect”. He does not see pride as something that can be trained first hand; although we see him as strongly convinced that pride can be an outcome of training. “...yeah! You are going to get more proud through training, that’s a fact. I stand by that.” Another strong believer is Micke. “…more training would absolutely raise a positive feeling. If you learn more you can feel more pride and that affects all the rest” (feeling committed, associated and being open to discuss with others where one works) (Quote 34). That makes both James and Micke supporters of the possibility of training affecting IB. The last remaining respondent, Peter, thinks that training can create more commitment. He thinks that the best training would be to give the workers more knowledge about the bar as a concept so that they would think about the bar not just as a place to work. “I think training could be some sort of… giving the other students that work there some more knowledge about the bar as a concept… Think about the big picture instead of just seeing the night that they work... So I think that would be the best training.” That is similar to what Micke said about feeling proud to be part of the history of the E-Pub. Knowing more about the place you work at might create a greater interest and thereby your devotion and even commitment by feeling part of the business. 4.6.2 Training Corporate Culture to strengthen IB As we have introduced in the theory chapter it is important to work towards the same goal in a business. A strong CC with visible aims and values will promote this. As Berry and Parasuraman (1992) argues, a strong corporate vision functions as guidelines for employees. Other theories on CC also implies that team working, i.e. working together in a common direction, positively affects satisfaction, commitment and attitudes among employees (Bratton and Gold, 2007 p. 159). Additionally, Corporate Culture is important in a Service Marketing and Branding perspective since the frontline employees represent 41
the service brand in the eyes of the customers (Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2006). In other words, in this section we aim to find support to conclude that having a strong CC will positively affect the Internal Marketing and Internal Branding. The importance of having goals to work towards has been realised by Lisa. When being asked how corporate visions and aims affect her she said: “A lot in everything, I as a manager require and need the company to have goals and the will as a company to reach those goals in the best possible way” (Quote 35). Lisa also explains that “There are clear goals within the company” (Quote 36).That is something that Anton can agree with, but not Respondent B; "I honestly don’t know what the goal is exactly” (Quote 37). Although Respondent B sees the importance of it and thereby agrees with Bratton and Gold (2007) that “it is good for a work-team to work and aim towards a common goal. It functions as an incentive to fight for something and it is very important with a spelled out goal” (Quote 38). One way to put across corporate values and aims is through having standards where these are promoted and implemented through training. The message of applying CC through training was clearly stated in Respondent A’s idea of training (see section 4.2 for review). Lisa holds a similar view when describing that the importance of training a newly employed is “to show our thoughts with the place, what we think is important” (Quote 39). Furthermore she argues that the kind of training that should be given in a restaurant is to show: “What the company expects from you, what message they want to pass on and their standards and requirements” (Quote 40). Knowing what the company expects from oneself takes us back to feeling confident and secure in ones work role, which reflects back at the employee satisfaction and might ultimately reflect in ones commitment. Mishka does not place such an importance on utilizing written manuals regarding the procedures that exist at the restaurant. He says: “… the kind of pub culture we have there defines the way people work and how they work.” The Corporate Culture should be strong enough to define the way people work to create consistency in both the service delivery and the Internal Brand value. He thinks that “you have to show how the pub works … it’s a big thing”. Later in the interview he explains that they are working in teams and that “you have different people teaching, so if you don’t have one person, you know, that teaches then the Service Quality differs between teams”. Having such inconsistencies is an issue that might occur when there are no standard procedures to follow and when the Internal Brand is not strong enough to create unity between the individual workers’ values and the corporate values, i.e. the Corporate Culture. Without consistency between the employees the customers will experience less quality service, hence the value of having standards is recognised. Respondent B entails that “How satisfied you are [as an employee] and the Corporate Culture that one creates is more important than training” to affect Internal Branding (Quote 41). To strengthen Respondent B’s Internal Branding should thereby focus on what makes them satisfied at work. It is interesting to see that Respondent B works for
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Lisa who, throughout the interview, seemed much focused on the employees’ satisfaction, confidence and comfort. Respondent B further argues, that the feelings connected to IB “are strongly connected to the organisational culture and the interaction/teamwork with your colleagues” (Quote 42). From the closed-questions questionnaire we find that Respondent B does not consider training as either a very important factor or not an important factor at all within teambuilding. We interpret this as they do think that teambuilding is important in a work team, but might not be important within training. However, that teamwork should be promoted in the Corporate Culture and would thereby strengthen the IB of the company. Respondent B believes that Corporate Culture affects training in the manners that “together you set the guidelines of how you want to work” (Quote 43). On the other hand they believe that “training also affects the Corporate Culture since you learn from each other and take on other’s opinions in a way, how things are done in that specific establishment.” (Quote 44) So ultimately, by analysing what has been said Respondent B might agree to a certain extent that training can affect Internal Branding since they believe that training does affect Corporate Culture, and CC in its turn affects the Internal Branding. Further, that CC could be strengthened through implementing standard procedures, more thoroughly discussed following. The way that Corporate Culture can be taught through training was seen by James. He explains that since Bishops Arms emphasises customer services he was told from the beginning that asking people if they enjoyed their food was something that should always be done. That is a simple standard procedure which is not obvious to everyone, but if the company values delivering quality services, in other words if the Corporate Culture advocates Service Quality, we argue that it should be shown internally to frontline employees to then deliver those values externally to guests. Ultimately the Service Marketing will be improved by utilising efficient Internal Marketing and Human Resource Management through standards. 4.6.3 IB concluded From the respondents interviewed we see that there are similarities to the theory of Internal Branding that we have discussed in the theory chapter of our research and their responses. That is to say that although specifically not asked about the issues of IB, it is recognised that commitment (responsibility), association and pride are factors that can be considered when working for a restaurant/bar in this specific area. Some respondents considered that training could positively affect IB, while others did not think training was the best approach. Though, that IB influences might come as an ultimate consequence of training in aspects such as strengthening goal congruence and cooperation between workers. Others saw it as a way to directly affect IB. And therefore achieving consistency with the external brand image and encouraging brand commitment by the employees influences the SQ of the business itself, due to the fact that through mutually accepted values and the realisation of the promise of the brand will improve Service Quality. Consequently we interpret the respondents feeling towards this area as significant,
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however we accept that training is not the only consideration to influencing IB. This will be further argued in the discussion chapter.
4.7 The outcomes of training
Having the respondents’ ideas of training in mind, we move on to analyse the role of training and in what areas it is beneficial; hence, to answer the first sub-purpose. From the interviews we have been able to identify some common outcomes that training leads or would lead to. These outcomes were also recognised in the revised model previously in the chapter (Figure 2). 4.7.1 Added Confidence The aspect of training adding confidence is a very important reason why training is beneficial and that is the first outcome we will analyse. This argument stems from Berry and Parasuraman (1992) stating that increasing skills and knowledge builds confidence. Confidence in turn enables the worker to meet customer needs. To this theory we can make a connection to opinions of some of the respondents. According to Respondent B knowing the procedures will simplify the work of the employee and add to the feeling of knowing what is expected from you as an employee. “There should be guidelines of what you should know and learn to simplify the work, so that you know from the beginning when coming to work what is expected from you” (Quote 45). Knowing ones role at work adds confidence in living up to it. Lisa further supports the argument that training increases the workers confidence. She explains that “… the most important training one can get when starting [the job] is the routines at the place” (Quote 46). The reason why this training is so important is because “they [the workers] should know where things are and how things work” (Quote 47). “If you would not receive the right kind of introduction at the new place you would probably feel pretty lost” (Quote 48). She explains that the most important thing with being a boss and with training is to give the employees security and confidence; confidence in what they do and what they know about products and in how the company works. Unexpected events are more easily dealt with when the workers are confident; unexpected events possibly being an unsatisfied customer. Confidence also gives you the courage to ask questions when needed, according to Lisa, which connects to learning from each other. Mishka is a third respondent to add to this support. He clearly states that “… it helps you with uncertainty” and “… training helps oneself err… feel more confident in what you do” which clearly supports the argument that training increases confidence. 4.7.2 Empowerment In line with the developmental humanistic approach within HRM, training could be considered as empowering (Bratton and Gold, 2007). According to our definition employee empowerment is “providing the employees with desire, skills, incentives, authority and trust in the employee to meet customer needs in a way that satisfies the individual customer and should promote the corporate aims and values.” The fact that this 44
can be increased through training is supported by Mishka. “There are a lot of situations where there is a grey area, and you don’t know what your role is… what power you have, I think probably a little bit more training in that area would have been good.” This implies that empowerment also adds security and confidence which has been previously discussed. Training in what power you have would incorporate knowing what authority you have in your position. That is also mentioned by Respondent B saying that “especially in the bar it is important to being told early on that you have the right to say no to a customer” (Quote 49). In other words, having the authority also to deny a customer the service is important, i.e. empowerment. Respondent B also explains that when they were a new employee a good way to learn how to work in the bar was to be put in there and learn as it goes. That was tough in the beginning when they did not have a lot of knowledge and it sometimes ended in chaos, but it was very important to be able to stand on their own and take that responsibility. Anton also appreciates the responsibility that he has. And as he expresses it “if he is to work in this industry he wants some kind of responsibility” to be satisfied (Quote 50). We argue that to be able to have responsibility one must firstly have the required knowledge, which could only come through some sort of training. This enforces the theory that empowerment, having the authority and influence to make decisions and take actions, is a positive thing and should be strengthened through training (Bratton and Gold 2007). 4.7.3 Motivation According to Bratton and Gold (2007) the aim of HRM is to improve the performance and effectiveness of the employees and consequently the company. To improve performance does not only regard equipping the workers with the knowledge and skills, but also motivating them to wanting to perform. The question is then whether training can function as a motivational force; whether increasing knowledge will lead to higher motivation and consequently to higher performance. This issue was not considered before executing the interviews, but rather an interesting point that grew along the data collection process. Several inputs from the respondents were collected into an attitude of attributing motivating power to training. Lisa was one of the advocators of this view; when being asked how training is beneficial, she responded: “It is a driving force to wanting to perform” (Quote 51). Adde agrees that training increases ones motivation. When discussing the kind of training he has received at Bishops Arms he states: “it is the driving force to develop and then all such training is good” (Quote 52). Both Adde and Lisa realise that training and education has a motivational power and that training in that aspect is beneficial. The importance of motivation can be seen as encouragement to perform. Not only training itself is motivating, but in addition seeing that what you have learnt is useful and beneficial is a motivational force. According to James learning by doing is the essentials of training in the restaurant sector. So when being successful after or when receiving training increases your motivation and ultimately you learn what you have been taught 45
better. “learning by doing and being successful re-enforces your feelings towards it as well. You have to do it to realise that it works and after that it becomes stuck in you and you’ll be able to do it.” Clearly, training is not the only source of motivation and this is realised by Peter. “Since we are not paid it is very important to be able to motivate your team”. He has considered the monetary aspect of motivation not being there for the E-Pub being a nonprofit organisation that does not pay their employees. The monetary issue has also been understood by Micke; “You still have to try to get your employees to perform at their best, but a very important hold is missing, compensation” (Quote 53). We then argue that in such cases training might be even more important in the context of motivating the workers. This however, could be a subject for further research. 4.7.4 Employee Satisfaction Research has shown that employee satisfaction affects customer satisfaction (Bowen et al., 1999). One reason for this is that trained, satisfied employees are more likely to deliver consistent Service Quality as mentioned in the theory chapter (Zeithaml et al., 2006; Berry and Parasuraman, 1992; Mosley, 2007). Another reason for employee satisfaction leading to customer satisfaction is the spill-over effect that fairly treated employees have on the customer (Bowen et al., 1999). Since we are not studying customers, we are not aiming to prove this statement, but rather analysing whether employee satisfaction could be an outcome of training. According to some of the responses in our interviews we can support that statement. Lisa describes that the importance of giving new employees proper training or a proper introduction is that “the new [employee] should feel welcome and wanting to stay [with the company]” (Quote 54). Wanting to stay incorporates being satisfied since we assume that an unsatisfied employee would not want to stay, note the emphasis on want. Furthermore she adds joy as one reason for training; “It becomes more fun to work when you know more” (Quote 55). Another aspect of satisfaction that training and knowledge leads to is added by Anton. He points out the appeal of being able to teach the customer something about what they are drinking. “It is nice to be able to teach the guest something, which they often appreciate” (Quote 56). Such appreciation has been recognised by Anton and enriches his satisfaction of delivering a high quality service and satisfying the customer. Hence, a double motive for training; to satisfy both the employee and the customer. 4.7.5 Experience One reason why there might be a Customer Gap is because the customer expectations are not known, i.e. Provider Gap 1. From reviewing the interviews we get many similar answers saying that training can improve the ability to recognise customer expectations. If working is seen as training many respondents agree that experience contributes to closing Provider Gap 1. More specifically, that service performance is mainly trained through experience seems to be a common idea among the respondents; by being put into different situations by merely working, the ability to treat customers will increase. As Anton puts it: “If you consider every day of work as training, you will experience 46
different situations all the time and learn how to meet and treat customers better” (Quote 57). The same opinion is similarly pointed out by Respondent B. Furthermore, Lisa argues that “…one should be able to read every individual guest.” (Quote 58) She also points out that “it is not something I can teach, but one must be able to contribute to that, but you learn from experience” (Quote 59). That aspect of experience, that simply by working you are learning, it is inevitably increasing your knowledge. “Sure, you educate yourself all the time when you are working” (Quote 60). Such experience and knowledge can and should spill over to other members of staff. This has also been realised in Anton’s, Respondent B’s and Lisa’s own definitions of training. Consequently, we argue that previous experience can and should function as a tool for training others with less experience. Mishka supports this argument by saying: “the people that have worked there longer, it’s part of their responsibility, unwritten responsibility, that they’re supposed to help other people.” There is also the side that practical experience is needed to work well within the service sector. “…one needs a lot of experience before you can work well as a bartender” (Quote 61). Anton adds that “one has to work to learn” (Quote 62) implying that experience is needed to be able to learn. That might come from the restaurant business being such a practical line of work. All respondents prefer practical training in comparison to theoretical training if not a mix of both. In addition there is the opportunity of giving formal training to one employee, who then spreads the knowledge gained from that training to the other members of staff. That opportunity is adopted by Bishops Arms according to Respondent A. “we who have received training/education try to pass on our knowledge” (Quote 63). This method, by not implementing it under some degree of control, might lead to inconsistency when different employees are taught differently. This issue will be further discussed in a later stage in this research.
4.8 Training’s effects on Service Quality
Service Quality is most affected by the frontline employee according to many researchers (Berry and Parasuraman 1992; Tam 2004; Zeithaml et al. 2006) and the most important factor is reliability which is most often in the control of the frontline staff member (Zeithaml et al. 2006 p. 358). Although each Provider Gap influences the Service Quality; we argue that the most important gap is Provider Gap 3; not delivering to service designs and standards. We can see that this aspect of Service Quality seems to be addressed through learning by doing, all respondents’ remark that training is given on the job and that it is done simultaneously so as such, a reliable standard is reached. “One normally starts the job straight away… one learns easier by doing… important to learn from each other” (Quote 64) (Respondent B, Pipes of Scotland). “I felt right from the start that I was being lead to do things a certain way, and the person who told me about it was being lead because her
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boss had told her how things should be done” (James, Bishops Arms). “For the E-Pub it is mostly learning by doing, that is it really” (Quote 65) (Micke, E-Pub). What sets respondents apart from each other is the belief that product knowledge is considered as the most important thing when giving quality service. Whereas others see the customer service as more important, but to throw a spanner in the works, part of customer service is seen as having good product knowledge. James for example says that “customer service is the important thing and the only thing which makes a successful pub…if your customer service isn’t to the highest possible level, then your just not going to survive… it’s quite important to be approachable, to be professional and to have fun as well… the Service Quality itself is the business.” He also sees that product knowledge is more important than technical ability (such as using the till), “technical knowledge is like the basics…product knowledge is the important one.” However he goes on to say, “…the way you deliver a product is more important than the product sometimes.” From James as an example we see that Service Quality is more important for him. But what is interesting to note is that he works for Adde and therefore gives validation to Adde’s belief as well as others (see following paragraph) that service-mindedness individuals can be employed rather than trained. Thus giving credence to Respondent A’s belief that it is product knowledge that has given them the most use, and that service is within the person. “Product knowledge has given me the most. No formal training in just service; that lies more in the personality…” (Quote 66). We can therefore see that training may not be the most important factor within this particular service sector area. However this view is not shared by all that product knowledge is the most important in delivering quality service; for Mishka, he feels that efficiency is the greatest influence on SQ; “I think probably when working in a bar it’s efficiency, I don’t think its a friendly smile or anything like that.” He also feels that the atmosphere of the establishment has a significant influence on the Service Quality, “if you don’t create a good atmosphere people [customers] won’t come back.” Peter also sees other factors as significant when trying to offer quality service; these are such things as, “good music and cheap prices…” This can be recognised as issues further to Service Marketing, including the influence of the customer’s expectations of the establishment they are going to; those being Word of Mouth Communication, Personal Needs and Past Experience (Grönroos, 1990; Zeithaml et al., 2006 p. 93). This will be discussed in the following chapter. A lot of emphasis is placed in the initial learning of routines and the way things are at the particular establishment. Respondent B feels that it is very important to have routines in place; “It is very important that a company has routines that one learns, so one learns the job in a better way than if one would be doing everything their own way” (Quote 67). This can be seen as a form of standardisation and thus consistent or reliable service. Adde even say that new employees replicate the old employees in the language when talking to customers. “Of those who have permanent employment and work a lot, they speak the same language and the new employees follow after…” (Quote 68). Therefore we can see a dramatic influence in learning by doing, in that employees in the service sector gain 48
their Service Quality or train their service delivery through experience of working and asking question. But this training only relates to basics in serving customers as well as a good level of product knowledge, if not motivated to want more by teaching oneself of motivated by the company an individual works for. 4.8.1 Increasing reliability through standards and routines Heterogeneity is the assumption that no service is the same thus cannot be repeated in the same manner. That is a widely discussed Service Marketing theory, among others by Zeithaml et al. (2006). Despite this, we have earlier argued for the importance of having some standard procedures or routines for situations and chores commonly occurring in the frontline employees’ typical workday. These routines would not aim to recreate the same service over and over, but merely to give the frontline employee some supportive guidelines. One argument for having guidelines and standard procedures is to increase the reliability and consistency. As Schneider (2004) argues, one of the most important aspects of Service Quality is reliability. Even though customer expectations are not homogenous they should be able to expect a certain level of standard, as many respondents agree upon, and a certain amount of consistency in one visit to another. Respondent B also holds a positive view of having routines. They explain that when starting at Pipes of Scotland the bar manager introduced them to the routines specific to Pipes. They also picked up from their co-workers the way to do things at that place. Actually learning these routines came from performing them. Although they do not experience the routines and must-do’s to be that many. In Respondent B’s opinion it is very important for any company to have routines since every establishment works in a different manner. Teaching these procedures allows you to learn your job better compared with if everyone would work in their own way. Respondent B says, “It is very important for a company to have routines that can be taught, because if you learn those, then one works better than if one was just to do things in their own way” (Quote 69). By adding an analysing thought to this statement, we can argue that if everyone would work their own way the customers’ reliability in the service delivery would decrease. If on the other hand everyone would work according to the same standards customers could better know what to expect and the reliability would increase. Thereby, in their expression, “one works better”, thus the concept of reliability and SQ is incorporated. Lisa has a similar view as Respondent B; that having and teaching the routines specific to that establishment is very important. She says that is the most vital part of training. Why she says that is because, as Respondent B was saying, all places have different routines. And that it is important to get through the idea of what Pipes stand for, what they want and how they work. That also minimises any misunderstandings, according to Lisa; “… every establishment has its routines. Then it is important to show what we stands for, what we want and how we work. Then there is less misunderstanding” (Quote 70). We interpret that misunderstanding could come from both employees and the customers and 49
is an important aspect to consider in the issue of having standard procedures. Among other areas it is important in service recovery. The manager at the Bishops Arms, Adde, claims that they have written manuals on their routines on what there is to do, what is expected of you as a worker, what cloths to wear when working, how to open and close the restaurant and how to meet the guests. These routines are part of the training of new employees. We argue that what the manager at Bishops Arms was saying about their written manual increases the consistency and reliability of the service, even if that consequence might not be realised. These routines have been realised by James “…there are going to be things that are quite similar in all the Bishops Arms in Sweden, but also within Bishops in Umeå, the standard… we’ve got patterns to follow”. This quote implies that having standards has increased the reliability at Bishops Arms by having similarities between Bishops Arms in different locations, but also here in Umeå between visits. Again, that is what Schneider (2004) describes as being reliability. According to James training is being shown “the kind of nuts and bolts of how a business works, where you put everything, what you should do at what time”; the routines at that specific restaurant. Learning from each other seems like a common way to train at the job. As previously mentioned, there is a risk of learning from each other if the brand values are not mutually accepted by everyone within the company. Not having standards of how thing should be done and what should be taught when for example more experienced workers teach new employees, might end up in inconsistent brand values. Again the importance of having standards is realised. However, there has to be a good balance between having such standards and controlling the worker too much, since we have seen that Employee Empowerment is an important factor in both employee and customer satisfaction. Standards and routines should not take over the frontline employees’ ability to deliver a personalised service. As Anton agrees that routines and guidelines could be a good idea, but one should be empowered to deviate from these if the situation requires. “One can have guidelines to follow, but one should be able to digress a little” (Quote 71).
4.9 Closing The Customer Gap
Micke, the restaurant manager of E-Pub has an opinion in the issue of closing The Customer Gap. He explains that especially at private social events (“sittning”) standard procedures are very important. Mainly because the time schedule is tight and the customers and arrangers have quite set expectations on how an event should be organised. This is evident since Micke says that if there are any differences in the planned time schedule that is when the most complaints are received. Such differences often happen when you haven’t given planning enough thought. At the moment a checklist is being written especially for these events, he explains. This manual will help meet the customer expectations at such an event and thereby increase reliability. However it should be kept in mind that customer expectations are not being studied, but in this sense 50
it is Micke’s perception of their expectations and his own opinion of how to meet them. This shows recognition of the importance in closing The Customer Gap through standardising procedures. 4.9.1 Recovery and fair treatment Having routines could also help the employee recover the customer if something goes wrong in the service delivery. Hart et al. (1990, p. 15) state that a customer relationship can be retained or even improved by acting systematically and immediately. Respondent B explains that giving training in remedies for when something goes wrong would help, e.g. what to do when spilling wine on a guest. “I strongly believe that one learns by making mistakes, but maybe one should give some training in what should be done if one makes a mistake” (Quote 72). Having standard procedures for the purpose of treating the customer fairly has also been recognised by both James and Anton. The latter respondent mentions the importance of not being rude to customers and the importance of behaving appropriately. He also points out that it is up to the Manager to show and inform how he/she wants it.
4.10 The importance of “willpower”
One important issue to bring up that was mentioned by two of the respondents and that is also evident in our Revised Model is the importance of having the will to learn and develop. Zeithaml et al. (2006) also point out the importance of service employees being willing and able to deliver quality service in order to have successful Internal Marketing. In accordance to this theory, Adde agrees that “the individual’s will to develop is just as important as the training itself” (Quote 73). When being asked how much technical knowledge compared with product knowledge one should have, he explains that “it is up to you as an employee, that you have the will to develop” (Quote 74). We interpreted his thought that not having the will would stop you from developing. Lisa brought up the other side of the aspect saying: “If the person does not have any education or experience, but a strong will to succeed and a lot of positive energy you can learn the work” (Quote 75). We agree to a certain extent that willpower, can work as either a bridge or a barrier to training and actually taking in and applying what you have learnt from training. We do not agree that it is only up to the worker to receive training, but that it should also be encouraged and supplied by the employer.
4.11 Our realisation of the empirical data
To conclude this analysis, we see that it is partly up to the employees to want to learn. If there is no desire or interest in receiving training, there might be a negative influence in the outcomes of training and its effects on Service Marketing might be weakened or even lost. At the same time, it is up to the employer to provide their workers with training in the areas where it can be beneficial and to give them incentives to want to learn and develop. There has also been the realisation that personality can have an influence on Service Quality and thus Service Marketing. It should therefore be in the company’s best interest to train their staff; since we have seen in this study that training affects IM, IB, 51
SQ and The Customer Gap and ultimately SM. Further discussion on the purposes of this study will follow in the next chapter.
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5. Discussion and Conclusions
In this chapter we will endeavour to show our connection to the purposes of this study and the subsequent outcomes of the knowledge gained from the respondents. We will then continue to incorporate the theories discussed previously in this paper with the interviewee’s accounts and our own understanding in order to develop the theories already augmented. This chapter will contain a further discussion built on the analysis. Areas of Internal Branding, Internal Marketing, Service Marketing and Service Quality will be discussed in the aspects of how they are affected by training. The rationale for showing the significance of the sub-purposes of this paper are done in order to give clarification of what this study has contributed with the development of theory.
5.1 Discussing the purposes of the study
5.1.1 Sub-purpose 1: The importance of training With existing theories and the gathered empirical data we have come to the conclusion that training can be perceived as beneficial in many ways. The areas of training that is important according to the respondents can be summarised according to the following: • to gain confidence through increased knowledge; • to expand employee empowerment by being able to trust your employees in what they know and what they can deliver from the employee side of things and knowing what is expected from you as a worker and having the ability and knowledge to live up to those expectations; • to feel more satisfied as an employee as a result of the gained confidence and security and the possible feedback received from both customers, co-workers and employers; • to gain experience which will mainly improve ones ability to deliver high quality service; • to increase the motivation of doing a good job and being loyal to the company, and possibly gain or strengthen the vital will-power; • to strengthen the Corporate Culture by incorporating the corporate values in the standard routines of how things are done; • to possibly increase efficiency and ultimately sales. We can therefore see the significance in the importance of training frontline staff as it does have an influence on the Service Quality. This can be seen from Figure 2 as the significant factor of training influencing IM, IB and SQ is realised. 5.1.2 Sub-purpose 2: Subsequent affect on Service Quality We feel confident in saying that well trained staff are more well-equipped to deliver Service Quality than staff with diverse experience, training and personal values. Training might provide the frontline employees with the product knowledge needed to give the customers what they want; it might also provide support and confidence to perform a
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high quality service delivery; and finally it might unify personal values in accordance with the corporate values to give the customers a consistent and reliable service. 5.1.3 Sub-purpose 3: Subsequent affect on The Customer Gap Knowledgeable and confident frontline employees might be more likely to treat the customers in a way that is appreciated. High Service Quality will positively affect the customer experience. With reliability comes a feeling of knowing what to expect from one visit to another and the perceived service will be more in accordance with the expected service; the Customer Gap will be more likely to be minimised with a staff that is able to deliver Service Quality. This in turn can have an effect on customer retention as shown in Figure 2, this has been observed by many respondents, as they realise that quality service will help minimise The Customer Gap and in turn customers will return. 5.1.4 Main purpose: Training’s subsequent affect on Service Marketing We argue that investments in employee training show that the workers are valuable for the company. It might even create or increase commitment to the company and thereby strengthening the Internal Brand. Training might also work as a motivator for both maintaining staff and for recruiting staff; strengthening both the Internal Marketing and providing Human Resource Management with measures to perform their tasks. Furthermore, good customer experiences influence the image of the company and wordof-mouth might pass on that positive image to attract and maintain customers. Therefore, by having trained frontline employees that are able to deliver a reliable quality service, that shows commitment to the brand and that they are loyal to the company, will consequentially have a positive effect on the Service Marketing of the business. Therefore the ultimate goal is realised that training influencing HRM, IB and SQ does have a positive influence on the Service Marketing of a business. We argue that while these issues are realised by the respondents the action taken is dubious to ascertaining this goal of training influencing the business. We therefore see that the businesses’ attempts to train frontline staff are accomplished by learning by doing, and thus also influencing other factors. This is discussed in the following paragraphs in a greater depth.
5.2 Internal Branding
5.2.1 Mutually accepted values As stated in the theory chapter of this research (see Internal Branding 2.1.5) IB has been investigated to a very large degree as a tool of IM and its influences on a business, especially a service sector business. This is due to the realisation of the important role that frontline staff play in delivering a service and the consequential knock on effects through those frontline staff as Marketing tools. Grove and Fisk (1992) even discuss frontline employees as actors performing an act to the audience (the customers). This is a clear example of the important role played by those individuals, and thus the influence of IB is recognised through theory. That if the frontline employee holds the same values there will be consistency in the branding of the business, both internally and externally. If 54
a frontline employee believes in the company and its values then they will automatically promote that business in the actions they then do. Adde feels that the part of the business that he is in charge of is directed by himself and his personnel (Quote 80). “The values of the company has an influence but we formulate our own values on the floor.” So if we consider IB as the mutually accepted brand values and a promise of the brand by both business and employee, maybe the values are not so far from the truth. Rather that they influence each other, the employees and the brand. This can be because of the size of the business (Bishops Arms), in that it is not a very large, and a fairly young company and therefore there is not the control of what should or should not be done, just elements of an emerging Corporate/Service Culture influencing both employer and employee Internal Branding can also be considered from Respondent A’s feeling towards the company in the high standards it has, and also their own high standards. Knowing that they have worked there for a long time (unable to divulge how long as they wish to be anonymous), both as full time and part time, we can discuss which came first; was it that they helped develop the high standards at Bishops Arms Umeå? Or that the company standards have reflected back on the individual (see quotes 16 and 17). Thus in the case of Bishops Arms the brand commitment reaching a level of consistency is still being realised as well as the Service Culture developing. 5.2.2 Full Time Vs Part Time When considering the commitment to each person’s respective company we can see that there are substantial differences between full time and part time employees, As noted in the Analysis. The reasons for the difference seem to lie in a number of factors, most notably that full time employees are invested in by the companies they work for as well as a level of responsibility given to them by the company. The commitment is therefore reciprocated from company to employee. Adde, Respondent A and Lisa have all received external training (see Appendix C) and all have a positive outlook on the company they work for and a good level of commitment. But the part time staff, in contrast feel very little commitment, Respondent B for example feels only a little obligation, which comes when they are actually working, James also feels similarly that the commitment comes only when being at work. We as researchers must also realise that training is not the only factor in influencing IB but one of many that can help develop it. Micke, Adde and Lisa mention the history and the concept of the places they work, which seems to empower them within the scope of IB. Couple this with influences not discussed in the interviews such as bonus related pay, contract-employment (reciprocated commitment) and yearly appraisals can all play a part in their commitment to their respective companies and hence the brand. 1 If the objective however of IB is to have competitive advantage through people, then there seems to be a need for more investment of those frontline staff rather than just
1
This does not include Micke from E-Pub.
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managers. Although frontline employees can, and do have a certain level of commitment, it is not necessarily following the Corporate Culture or brand image that the company wants to portray but rather the individual member of staff’s own values. Thus an element of inconsistency may develop from one frontline employee to another, thereby influencing the SQ. This however is only assumption and needs to be further researched by taking a customer perspective and will be discussed as future research later on. 5.2.3 Motivate Brand commitment Another factor mentioned in the interviews is that staff turnover within the restaurant business is very high. Therefore to have the best frontline employees a business must rely on a number of factors within HRM not only training, and a wage, but other facets as well. We argue that training is among the most beneficial in keeping and motivating committed frontline employees to a business. But the unwillingness of companies investing in frontline employees’ external and theoretical education affects frontline employees’ obligations in upholding company values and commitment. This lack of commitment from companies to invest in their staff can be seen as a motivator as to why frontline employees are less committed to the business they work for. We see this as a mirror image of the full time staff, who, through the commitment of the company are committed, unlike the part time. 5.2.4 IB realisation within SM It is interesting to note that Lisa sees the restaurant sector is growing in Umeå, and as such more investment in marketing and training will become increasingly available. This therefore gives credence that training is realised by company management as an important factor in marketing the business externally. Corporate/Service Culture and the values of the company aligning the attitudes and behaviours of employees in delivering the brand promise to external customers. Therefore realising the central role of the frontline employee and Internal Branding as the process by which behaviour of employees is allied with brand value (Punjaisri and Wilson, 2007). 5.2.5 Concluding IB Internal Branding is seen to be an important factor in that frontline employees are inescapably intertwined and the brand is being continuously created or modified. The realisation of most of the respondents seeing the relevance of training affecting the company from a marketing standpoint (customer retention), and influencing the employee in an advantageous manner to marketing the business externally was significant. Most notably was the respondents’ awareness of how important Service Quality is, but very little belief in the importance of training in actual service. The interviews with the respondents revealed that product knowledge training was important to quality service, but service itself can not be taught. But if this is the case, then inevitably there will be discrepancies between frontline staffs ability to deliver quality service, due to different experiences and personalities and therefore an inconsistent branding of the business. Many respondents agree that gaining experience through working or through previous work can be seen as one kind of training. This thought is probably connected with the 56
fact that all respondents see practical execution or “learning by doing” as one very important aspect of training within the restaurant sector. Learning by doing offers differing standards and experiences for frontline employees, that in turn are influenced by the individuals own preconceptions of quality service. Employees that are to learn from other employees merely by watching and listening to each other whilst working will not create unification of the Internal Brand values nor reliable Service Quality. Whereas a company with a strong CC and IM strategy can offer a stable and consistent platform for each employee within the firm to give a service consistent to the external brand image. We argue that learning from each other and learning from experience could add on to ones ability to deliver Service Quality if it is utilized in the right way. We argue that each company should take the opportunity of letting more trained employees pass on their gained experiences in a more formal way. An example being, sending one or a few employees on external training, who can then teach the remaining workforce in a more formal training session. This method could not only pass on gained knowledge in an easy and effective way (we see that this could be supported by further research), but could also strengthen the CC and the brand. Such an action could come from the management and does not have to be a large investment that has the risk of failing, but yet an investment worth making.
5.3 Internal Marketing
According to Grönroos (1990 p. 230) there is no clear list of activities that come under the title of IM, merely that all activities that influence the service-mindedness and customer consciousness of the employees are included. Training therefore can be seen as one of the main tools used by IM in conjunction with internal communication to develop the Service Culture. Training can influence frontline employees motivation in that after staff have received training they are more motivated to sell the products (if trained in product knowledge) and feel more confident when doing their job. This has been evident from the respondents we interviewed. The responsibility of knowing things that an employee has been taught instils responsibility to the individual and gives a closer connection to the company. Respondent A being proud to teach others what they have learnt and Mishka explaining how the long term members of staff help the new (see Appendix C). This shows that the responsibility of the employee given to teach others, on the job training may well influence their commitment to the company. This is explained by a number of the part timer staff as well as Adde. This can therefore also be seen as a part of HRM and IM in recruiting the right people who want to learn and even pass on their knowledge that they have learnt. From the theory (see 2.1.4) we see that it is quite often the case that training for frontline staff is neglected. This does seem to be the case for external and vocational training for part time employees, however as discussed the importance of ongoing training is realised through learning by doing, but quite often it is the part time members of staff own initiative that gives them the opportunity to progress or learn more. The differences observed from this research compared to theory discussed, is the realisation of the importance of learning by doing within the restaurant sector as a form of training. James 57
states, “Learning by doing is definitely the way to do it.” Peter says “you just see how things are done and then you just do it yourself.” However, as mentioned in 5.2.4 the process of learning by being shown may well influence the Service Quality and Corporate Culture in a negative manner. Reliability and consistency may be misplaced as different employees teach different employees how to do things at work, and no clear CC to define the business; so frontline employees develop their own culture. Although, performed in “the right way” (implementation of training is a subject for further research) it might have positive effects on the business internally and externally. 5.3.1 Training can improve SQ through IM Not all respondent see IM as motivating employees to perform in customer-orientated ways, but rather that education in product knowledge is a form of training and as such a way to help improve quality service. Personality and experience also come under the wings of IM and HRM through recruiting. However it is product knowledge, efficiency, price and atmosphere of the particular establishment that are discussed as influencing the customer experience most. The majority of respondents feel that service in itself, cannot be taught to frontline employees, but rather gained through experience and a serviceminded personality. Product knowledge and the basics of working in a bar are all that is taught through training (learning by doing) and asking questions about how things are done. But it is therefore dependent on who trains you as to whether you can then give a high level of Service Quality to the customers. Therefore we see that certain aspects of HRM are realised, but external and theoretical training is reserved for full time members of staff which strengthens their commitment to the brand as well as job security, development and motivation. Whereas the part time staff can be less motivated, have less commitment and do not feel that they develop unless through there own initiative. We also recognise the importance of other factors such as motivation, feedback and job security that influence IM and HRM.
5.4 Service Marketing
When we consider the factors that influence the customers’ expectations when going to an establishment, namely: Past experience, Word of Mouth and Personal Need (see 2.1.3). We can realise the importance of all the aspects of what is being discussed in this research and hence to a great extent backed up by the qualitative interviews. Both Peter and Micke mention the influence that other factors of Service Marketing have on the customer experience in that “I think it’s more important… to have the good music and cheap prices.” says Peter. “… to have fun for a small amount of money” says Micke; these relate to such things as Price and Physical Evidence from the 7 P’s of Service Marketing. Mishka mentions efficiency which can be seen as Process. James, Adde, Lisa, Respondent A and B discuss the importance of People and their service-mindedness; as well as the Product itself which has previously been mentioned. These can all be seen as part of Service Marketing and the 7 P’s of the business. Promotion is incorporated in to People when realising the significances of IM and IB.
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Therefore as the 7 P’s are seen as influences on the customer expectations, in that each aspects of the 7 P’s can and will have an influence on the customer experience, through past experiences and the personal requirement of the individual customer. We argue that training of staff can influence customer expectations through a level of efficiency; communicating the brand values and visible level of commitment to the company that the individual works for, thus reaching a reliable and consistent level of service that the customer should be happy with. To validate this claim however further research would be necessary to grasp the customers’ viewpoint. As some respondents mention, the money is a very important aspect and decisions of whether implementing training or not, is not always totally in the power of the interviewed managers. A common negative dilemma in vocational training is making an investment which does not pay off. The possibility of making a worthy investment can be amplified by adopting the training program to the context. The first step of developing a training program is to identify the areas where training is needed (Bratton and Gold, 2007). We argue that the CC and the overall priorities of the firm have to be considered as well. Further, training should be in alliance with the Marketing strategy. By training the staff to deliver the service that has been promised, training will further support Service Marketing.
5.5 Service Quality and The Customer Gap
Service Quality can be recognised as issues further to Service Marketing, we argue that aspects of training should be done by all staff so that a level of standardisation can be achieved giving consistency and reliability. However we realise that there is a cost in completing such training, but as an alternative some form of internal training system be considered. We further argue that through training an element of standardisation can raise the level of Service Quality and reduce The Customer Gap. Examples can be standardised practices, such as the five basic steps in a restaurant visit brought up in 2.2.2. The steps are one, greeting the customer, two, taking the order, three, serving the customer, four, reviewing the order and possibly recover from any negative inquiries from the customer and five, collecting the bill. These steps will be discussed in the light of some factors that in our opinions could be dealt with through training. A comparison to the respondents’ opinions will then be made. The factors that we will consider and that has been addressed in the closed-questions questionnaire are the following: • Listening / Attentiveness we see as being able to hear and realise customer needs which is important in all five steps. We argue that listening / attentiveness could be trained through giving instructions, reminding the frontline employees to pay attention to what the customer might want. That is a factor that might come through experience as discussed earlier. This factor is seen as important within training among all respondents except for Adde. • Awareness of customers when they enter the restaurant and their needs. This should be developed so it becomes a natural act to any personnel in the service industry through all the steps of delivering a service. Paying attention to 59
•
•
•
customers coming in to greet the customer as quickly as possible, not letting them wait to be seated does not, in our opinion, require any theoretical training. Again, instructing the staff of the importance should be sufficient. Awareness is important to all respondents except from Mishka who considers that it cannot be trained, somewhat in accordance with our argument that brief instructions being sufficient. Communication skills according to us are being able to meet the needs once they have been realised and to communicate with the customers in an approachable and appropriate way. What is appropriate is up to every establishment, since frontline staff are a good communication tool to put across the corporate values to customers. Good communication skills are part of having social competence which is required in steps one through four and can come through both training, and through experience. Mishka, Peter and Respondent B are not as positive to the importance of communication skills within training than the rest of the respondents. Problem solving / Creative thinking is needed to answer to customer inquiries and be able to recover the customer trust if anything should go wrong. Inevitably, this is a vital factor in step four. Adde and Mishka have the same opinion about this factor not being particularly important in training. Employee Empowerment is being able to act on customer inquiries or any unpredicted event to make a successful service recovery. We argue that a frontline employee that is empowered through training to make decisions and find solutions to satisfy the customer will be more likely to recover and regain customer trust which is inevitably incorporated in step four. Step five might also include a certain amount of empowerment. For example the waiter/barperson having the authority to compensate a customer if the food or the service was not satisfactory. Employee Empowerment was the one factor of these five listed factors where the respondents had the most differing opinions. Mishka, Peter, Micke, James and Adde do not see a great importance of empowerment within training.
Simply informing about the standard procedures at every specific establishment is a very simple kind of training and will add to the consistency, both internally by strengthening the Brand values and externally by showing the customers reliability. However, some factors and procedural steps could need closer attention and stronger emphasis through training. We identify that some factors, such as communication skills and problem solving could and should be addressed through training. One way is through role plays to gain experience. Real life situations are played out such as to practice how to respond and react to certain customer behaviours. It is a good way to improve service and to learn how to treat customers and how to react to certain customer behaviours. Another alternative type of training is team building exercises; which can help with IM related issues. Implementation and design are again subjects for further research. These are a couple of examples that we see influencing Service Quality and the Customer Gap through confidence building, loyalty to the business and shared values.
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To provide your frontline employees with good support is crucial to be able to deliver high quality services (Schneider, 2004). We argue that having a staff that feels comfortable and secure in their knowledge and workplace will more easily handle and solve problems and provide the customers with high quality service, giving customers a better experience. Such comfort and safety comes from having a solid ground of knowledge, being aware of the Corporate Culture, knowing the routines and knowing yourself and your co-workers. Furthermore, by knowing the specific routines and standard procedures, the steps discussed above, one will feel more confident and more empowered to act immediately. So training the frontline employees would ultimately affect the frontline employees’ ability to deliver Service Quality which the respondents and we agree will affect the customer experience and satisfaction. Another factor that is an influence on Service Quality is the approach that a business takes in maintaining the staff. Pipes of Scotland manager sees happy staff makes happy customers, whereas Adde sees staff having an interest in the products Bishops sells as favourable to giving a better quality service. However both recognise the importance of training; in Adde’s case for improving product knowledge and in Lisa’s case, experience and service-mindedness. We can therefore see that there can be subtle difference in how the company values its employees and the relevant importance of training. We see that one reason to that difference is the nature of the business and its Marketing strategy. By living up to the Marketed image and the service promise the customer expectations will more likely be met and thereby more likely lead to satisfaction and closing the Customer Gap.
5.6 Contribution and theory development
From the qualitative data collected and when considering the theories relating to the subject of study, we have found the following factors to be significant. 5.6.1 Experience counts as training Firstly that experience counts as training, this has been realised as a vital aspect of what is expected of a frontline employee in enabling them to give a quality service and therefore reduced The Customer Gap. The influences of experience improve not only confidence within the job role but also an ability to meet and greet the customer in a more personalised way. This must also however be a consideration for the recruitment phase of HRM and IM. 5.6.2 Reciprocal Commitment Secondly that there is a significant difference in part time and full time member of staffs’ feelings toward the establishment that they worked for, due in part to the training that the full time staff received. We have developed the phrases “Reciprocal Commitment”; this is used to describe the issues of commitment and investment of a business in its employees and vice versa. That is to say that when a company commits to, or invests in an employee through, for example, financing an employee to go on a training course in something attributed to the job. The employee will return the goodwill by being more committed to the company both internally and externally; thus invest themselves in the 61
company through being more motivated and of more value to the business in the sense of human capital. This factor was realised by seeing the differences in the reciprocal commitment of full time staff compared with part time staff. 5.6.3 Brand Modification Thirdly, that each establishment is relatively young (no older than 25 years as a company). Both Bishops Arms and Pipes of Scotland have only been in Umeå for less than five years, whereas E-Pub is continuously evolving. We therefore recognise the significance of Brand Creation or rather Brand Modification, in that at this level each member of frontline staff influences the Brand (and to some degree the Corporate Culture) in that the values of the establishment to some extent are influenced by those staff. It is therefore seen that there is an element of inconsistency in the brand image within these establishments that could be addressed. 5.6.4 Balance between Standardisation and Empowerment Alternatively, that there should be an underlying balance between standardisation and empowerment which allows this influence to persist. This is recognised as it is considered to be of great importance in IM that empowerment and enabling employees to perform influence employees satisfaction (Grönroos, 2000 p 330) which in turn can influence the customer satisfaction (Bowen, 1999).
5.7 Further studies
According to the Gap Model of Service Quality (Zeithaml et al., 2006) closing the Customer Gap requires synchronizing the service that the customer expects and his/her perception of the same service. We thereby argue for the importance of further studies to define customer expectations and perceptions from the customers’ point of views to then be compared to the findings of this research. Another area that has not been covered by this research is the implementation and design of training. We feel that this could be a beneficial area to further study the impacts of how training is conducted in the light of factors found in this study. We see that an insight in to the benefits of role play training, external to internal training (describe in 5.5), and other training techniques influencing the business would be valuable. It would therefore be of interest to see if frontline employees become more committed and consequential more motivated as frontline employees to perform better thus reducing The Customer Gap and improving Service Quality. And the resulting effects on SM, IB, IM and HRM. A third topic that is subject for further research is training as motivation in a non-profit context. One interesting point to research is whether training can partially replace the motivational force that monetary compensation has in a paid job.
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6. Quality criteria
This last chapter will argue for the quality of the study. The readers will be provided with some criteria from which they can judge the trustworthiness and the authenticity of this research.
6.1 Limitations
In order to keep a clear idea of the research we have spent a lot of time in the early stages of this paper discussing the purpose of this research so that we had a solid Research Question to work from. This has enabled us to follow our train of thought in a clear and structured manner throughout the research. However this has exposed the broad focus of what we are trying to achieve by writing this paper. We have tried to reduce these factors by taking a target area of Restaurants/pubs within the town of Umeå, and by selecting what we considered as establishments that all types of people go to, and all types of people work.2 We have also developed sub-purposes in order to clarify what is being attempted by this research, so as to give the reader a clearer understanding of the paper. From the literature collected we feel that an adequate and relevant amount of information has been used to justify this research paper. But as the area covered is of substantial size when considering SM, IM, IB and HRM, we admit that only a small portion of relevant data was used when there was so much available. However, we see that reasonable discretion was necessary when collecting relevant literature due to the sheer amount available Alternatives to the method that we have used have been discussed in the relevant section, however we do see the importance of future study in a quantitative manner to test the truth of our findings and conclusion from the perspective of the customer; this is considered in the future research section. The strategy used for selecting the sample were subjective opinions and observations of what establishments may or may not train the staff to some extent. We have validated this through our interviewing. But we realise that a more objective approach, such as yearly turnover of establishment and so on, may have influenced the paper differently. There has also been some practical applications to the samples chosen, in that we have contacts within the establishments chosen. We as the authors of this paper are well aware that training is not the only thing to influence Service Quality, Internal Branding and Service Marketing as explained in various stages of this research. It is however noted that it is us who see training as the most apposite in benefiting SM, IB and SQ. This can therefore bring in to question the usefulness of our study as it may be a combination of other factors that benefit SM, IB and SQ more significantly. This has been addressed through the paper and we accept that training is not everything but we argue that it does play a major part.
When referring to all types of people we mean; young, old, students, non-student, male, female and all pay-brackets and…
2
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6.2 Trustworthiness
6.2.1 Credibility and Respondent Validation (Internal Validity) We the researchers have provided each respondent with their transcribed interview, and given them a week to reply as to whether there are discrepancies in the interview. This has been done so that we can validate the interview and they can confirm to us that we have correctly interpreted their meaning of the social world within the context of the restaurant service industry and the influences of training therein. The readers can also, upon request, be provided with the transcribed interviews. Further, the translations of used quotes are found in appendix B for the reader to judge whether the empirical data corresponds to interpretations and translations which increases the validity and credibility (Olsson and Sörensen, 2007 p. 66). 6.2.2 Transferability (External Validity) As a qualitative study, others may only use this information for observing the possibility of transferring the data into other social settings. As such, further quantitative research may be conducted on the basis of our findings to ascertain whether it is possible to assume a generalisation of training and the influence it has on business in general. In this study we have only attempted to give an in-depth account of these factors to develop theory on training and its’ influences. For the grounds of transferability of the study, we have provided a background of the restaurants and a short description of each respondent for the readers to make a judgement of whether the study can possibly be transferred to other social settings. 6.2.3 Dependability (Reliability) The dependability of this paper will come from the consequent opposition that will take place as well as our peers (professor) reviewing the paper. Thus our peers can determine if we have followed the proper procedures, therefore assessing the degree to which the theoretical inferences can be justified. In order to give a dependable research paper we have included within the appendix all transcribed interviews and notes taken from those interviews. We have also thoroughly described each step of the process. The readers are then to judge whether these carefully chosen steps are appropriate and whether they have been followed. 6.2.4 Confirmability (Objectivity) Through our work and the availability of the transcribed interviews we have established evidence to show that we have acted in good-faith and that our beliefs and values do not overtake the empirical data/findings of the study. In qualitative interviews it is important to see both what is being said and the underlying meaning (Olsson and Sörensen, 2007 p. 82). The fact that both of us were present at the interviews increases the confirmability since it allowed us to be more perceptive to hidden meanings.
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6.3 Authenticity
6.3.1 Fairness In our attempt to give an authentic representation of the area in which we have studied we have made sure to interview part time and full time staff of different gender as well as management employees. This has been done so that we have a fair representation of those working within the field that we are studying. We also accept that this is only one-side of realising the influence of training within the service sector; as we have not concerned ourselves with the customer perspective. This is discussed both in our limitation and future study sections of this paper. The hope is to give a better understanding of the social settings within the restaurant sector in Umeå, as well as give the readers the opportunity to see other influences of the social environment, including other members of the social surroundings. We have attempted to give fair accounts of all viewpoints gained in the interviews, which further increases the fairness (Bryman and Bell, 2007 p. 414).
6.4 Overall quality judgements
These claims to our work being valid and credible are taken from Guba and Lincoln (1994) appraisal of qualitative research and that it is necessary to specify terms and ways of establishing and assessing the quality of qualitative research that provides an alternative to reliability and validity within a quantitative study. (Bryman and Bell, 2003 p. 288-292) There are however no concrete methods to guarantee that a qualitative paper is valid in all contexts, but rather the relationship of our conclusions can be seen in a social setting or reality. Validity can be seen as an ambition rather than something that is fact, it is therefore relative; it must be assessed in relation to the purpose of our study and the subsequent circumstances of the paper. And so long as we give evidence to our findings (see Appendix) our work can be seen as being valid, credible and correct (Maxwell, 2005 p. 105-106). “All we require is the possibility of testing these accounts against the world, giving the phenomena that we are trying to understand the chance to prove us wrong” (Maxwell, 2005 p. 106).
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7. List of References
7.1 Literature
Berg, B. L. Qualitative research methods. 4th edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon 2001. Bratton, J. and Gold, J. Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice. 4th edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillian 2007. Bryman, A. and Bell, E. Business research methodology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. Bryman, A. and Bell, E. Business research methodology. 2nd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Cooper, D. R. and Schneidler, P. S. Business research methods. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 2003. Fombrun, C., Tichy, N. M. and Devanna, M. A. Strategic Human Resource Management. New York: John Wiley & Sons 1984. Grönroos C. Service Management and Marketing; Managing the Moments of Truth in Service competition. Canada: Lexington Books 1990. Grönroos, C.. Service Management and Marketing; a customer relationship management approach. 2nd edition. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 2000. Hair Jr., J. F., Money, A. H., Samouel, P. and Page, M. Research Methods for Business. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 2007. Johansson-Lindfors, M-B. Att utveckla kunskap. Lund: Studentlitteratur 1993. Olivier, P. Writing your thesis. London: SAGE publications Limited 2004. Olsson, H. and Sörensen, S. Forskningsprocessen: Kvalitativa och kvantitativa perspektiv. 2nd edition. Stockholm: Liber, 2007. Perloff, J. M. Microeconomics. 4th edition. Boston: Pearson Addison Wesley 2007. Rainbird, H., Munro, A. and Holly, L. Workplace learning in context. New York: Routledge 2004. Scullion, H., Linehan, M. International Human Resource Management: A critical text. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillian 2005. Zeithaml, A. Valarie, Bitner, M. J. and Gremler, D. Dwayne. Service Marketing, Integrating Customer focus Across the Firm. New York: McGraw Hill 2006. 66
7.2 Scientific articles
Barsade, G. Sigal and Gibson, E. Donald. “Why Does Affect Matter in Organizations?” Academy of Management Perspectives. Feb 2007, Vol. 21, Issue 1. p. 36-59. Berry, Leonard L. and Parasuraman A. “Service Marketing Starts From Within” Marketing Management. 1992, Vol. 1, Issue 1, p. 25-34. Bowen, E. David, Gilliland, W. Stephen and Folger, Robert. ”How Being Fair with Employees Spills Over to Customers” Organizational Dynamics. Winter99, Vol. 27, Issue 3, p. 7-23. Cline, J. Reed. ”Plan Administration, Training your Employees” Journal of Pension Benefits: Issues in Administration. Fall2007, Vol. 15, Issue 1, p58-59. Edvardsson, Bo. and Gustavsson, Bengt-Ove. “Quality in the work environment: a prerequisite for success in new service development” Managing Service Quality. 2003, Vol. 13, Issue 2, p. 148-163. Grove, J. Stephen and Fisk, P. Raymond. “The Service Experience as Theatre.” Advances in Consumer Research. 1992, Vol. 19, p. 455-461. Grönroos, Christian (2002) “Marketing Classic” Marketing Review. 2002, Vol. 3, Issue 2, p 129-146. Hart, W. L. Christopher, Heskett, L. James and Sasser Jr, W. Earl. “The profitable art of service recovery” Harvard Business Review. Jul/Aug 1990, Vol. 68, Issue 4 p. 148-156. Jackie, L. M. Tam. “Customer Satisfaction, Service quality and Percieved value: An Interigative Model” Journal of Marketing Management. Sep2004, Vol. 20, Issues 7,8, p. 897-917. Jacobs, Rick. “Turn employees into Brand Ambassadors” Bank Marketing. 2003, Vol. 35, Issue 3, p 22-25. Mahnert, F. Kai and Torres, M. Ann. “The Brand Inside: The Factors of Failure and Success in Internal Branding” Irish Marketing Review. 2007, Vol. 19, Issues1,2, p. 54-63. Mosley, W. Richard. “Customer experience, organisational culture and the employee brand” Brand Management. 2007, Vol. 15, Issue 2, p 123-134. Nilsson, Lars, Johnson, D. Michael and Gustafsson, Anders. “The impact of quality practices on customer satisfaction and business results: product versus service organizations” Journal of Quality Management. 2001, Vol. 6, Issue 1, p. 5-27.
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Papasolomou, Ioanna. and Vrontis, Demetris. “Using internal marketing to ignite the corporate brand: The case of the UK retail bank industry” Journal of Brand Management. 2006, Vol. 14, Issues 1,2 , p. 177-195. Punjaisri, Khanyapuss and Wilson, Alan. “The role of internal branding in the delivery of employee brand promise” Journal of Brand Management. 2007, Vol. 15, Issue 1, p 5770. a. Schneider, Benjamin. “Research Briefs” Academy of Management Executive. 2004, Vol. 18, Issue 2, p. 144-150. b. Schneider, Benjamin. “Welcome to the world of service management” Academy of Management Executives. 2004, Vol. 18, Issue 2, p. 144-150. Vargo, Stephen L. and Robert, F. Lusch. “The Four Service Marketing Myths: Remnants of a Goods-Based, Manufacturing Model” Journal of Service Research. 2004, Vol. 6, Issue 4, p 324-35. Williford, Jeff. “Go Beyond Good Service” Journal of Property Management. Jul/Aug 2005, Vol. 70, Issue 4, p. 20 Wright, M. Patrick., Dunford, B. Benjamin and Snell A. Scott. “Human resources and the resource based view of the firm” Journal of Management. 2001, Vol. 27 Issue 6, p. 701722. Zeithaml, Valarie A. Berry, Leonard L. and Parasuraman A. “Communication and Control Processes in the Delivery of Service Quality” Journal of Marketing. 1988, Vol. 52, Issue 2, p. 35-48.
7.3 Electronic sources
Affärsdata(a). 20 May 2008. Bishop . 20 May 2008. Affärsdata(b). Scandinavia AB. 22 22 May May 2008. 2008.
Profilhotels
AB.
Bishops Arms. Om företaget. 17 April 2008. Elite Hotels. Om Elite Hotels - Ledningen. 17 April 2008. HHUS. E-Puben. 18 May 2008.
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Profilhotels – Hotel Aveny Umeå. 18 May 2008. Alexandersson, Katja. ”Kroglivet går på högvarv i Umeå”. Restauratören. 19 January 2007. Swedish newspaper regarding hotels and restaurants. 4 April 2008. Student.nu. Nöjesguiden E-Puben. 18 May 2008. ; Westfal, Staffan. ”Anrika Skytten i konkurs”. VK. 5 March 2007. Västerbottens Kuriren. 4 April 2008.
7.4 Oral sources
Bylund, Lisa. Personal interview. 24 April 2008. Cooper, James. Personal interview. 21 April 2008. Gerdin, Peter. Personal interview. 22 April 2008. Kågström, Anton. Personal interview. 21 April 2008. Pettersson, Andreas (Adde). Personal interview. 24 April 2008. Respondent A. Personal interview. 22 April 2008. Respondent B. Personal interview. 22 April 2008. Vom Dorp, Mishka. Personal interview. 21 Arpil 2008. Wallin, Michael (Micke). Personal interview. 29 April 2008.
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Appendix A
A.1 English interview manual
Before we start the interview we would like to give a brief introduction on the purposes of our c-thesis. The interview will regard vocational training within the service sector and the subsequent influences on the business and its employees. From now on vocational training will be referred to as training. If you wish, we will keep you and the company anonymous……… The interview will take somewhere between 30 minutes and one hour. The interview will mainly be conducted by one of us, but the side-interviewer might intervene. After transcribing the interviews a copy of the summary will be sent to you in order for you to verify or possibly correct any misunderstandings. Questions to employees/employer: Age Years/Months of employment Position and Title Position – part-time/full-time Email address to where we can send the summary 1. What do you see as the importance in your ability to deliver quality service? 2. In what way do you think that Service Quality improves the value of the business? 3. How do the company values and aims of the business you work for affect you? 4. In your opinion what is your idea of training? Formal/informal. 5. How is training beneficial in your line of work? 6. Do you feel you learn better by doing or being shown/taught? Why? 7. In your opinion how important is previous training to you as criteria for getting a customer contact-job? 8. In your opinion how important is it to receive training when getting a customercontact-job? 9. How skilled should you be when it concerns technical ability compared to product knowledge; are they equally important? 10. What kind of training do you think is important in a restaurant?
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11. Have you received any of this type of training from this employer? If yes, go on to question 12. If no, go on to question 14. 12. What was good with this training? 13. How has training helped you in serving customers? Give examples/practical experiences. 14. How could training have helped you in serving customers? 15. In your eyes how does training help you meet customer expectations better? 16. What areas of training do you feel could be improved? 17. How does training influence the customer experience? 18. The following questions regard whether it is important for you to associate yourself with the brand image: a. Can you explain why you are (are not) happy to be associated with the company? b. What makes you proud to work for this company? c. What are your concerns when telling people where you work? d. How do you feel about your commitment to the company? e. In what way would you see training changing these feelings? Explain how or why? Do you have any other comments? Anonymous?
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A.2 English closed-questions questionnaire
In your opinion, how important is training in the following aspects? Teambuilding Very ? ? ? Not at all ? Not at all ? Not at all ? Not at all ?
?
Listening/Attentiveness Very ? ? ? ? Awareness Very ? ?
?
?
Communication skills Very ? ? ?
?
Problem solving/Creative thinking Very Not at all ? ? ? ? ? Product knowledge Very ? ? ? Not at all ?
?
Employee empowerment – freedom and power to make decisions on your own Very Not at all ? ? ? ? ? Knowing Standards/Policies and procedures (e.g. meeting customers, complaints, waiting time) Very Not at all ? ? ? ? ? Development programmes Very ? ? ? ? Job rotation Very ? ? Not at all ? Not at all ?
?
?
Does training improve your affiliation to the company you work for? Very Not at all ? ? ? ? ?
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A.3 Swedish interview manual
Innan vi börjar med intervjun vill vi like kort presentera syftet med vår c-uppsats. Intervjun kommer att handla om arbetsrelaterad träning/upplärning inom servis sektorn och hur det i sin tur påverkar företaget och dess anställda. Från och med nu kommer vi bara att referera till träning när vi pratar om arbetsrelaterad träning. Om du önskar, kommer vi att hålla dig och företaget anonyma i vår studie…. Intervjun kommer att ta mellan 30 minuter och en timme och kommer att utföras av mig, Emma, men Laurence kommer att inflika om han har några övriga tankar eller funderingar. När transkriberingen är klar kommer du att få en kopia på sammanställningen av intervjun för verifiering och eventuella ändringar. Intervjun utförs på svenska, men kommer inför tryckning att översättas till engelska.
Bakgrundsfrågor: Ålder Position och titel Position – heltid/deltid År/Månader som anställd Email dit vi kan skicka sammanställningen 1. Hur viktig är din förmåga att leverera service med hög kvalitet tycker du? 2. På vilket sätt tror du att service med hög kvalitet höjer värdet på företaget? 3. Hur tror du att värderingar och mål på företaget där du jobbar påverkar dig? 4. Vad innebär arbetsrelaterad träning i din mening? Formell/informell. 5. Ger sådan träning någon nytta i ditt arbete? 6. Känner du att du lär dig lättare praktiskt eller teoretiskt? 7. När någon anställs till en tjänst med kundkontakt, hur viktigt är tidigare träning som ett kriteria i din mening? 8. När någon anställs till en tjänst med kundkontakt, hur viktigt är det att få träning när man börjar i din mening? 9. Hur mycket teknisk kunskap jämfört med produktvetskap anser du att man bör ha i ditt jobb? Anser du att dessa två är lika viktiga? 10. Vilken typ av träning tycker du är viktig i en restaurang?
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11. Har du fått någon av den träning vi tidigare diskuterat där du är anställd nu? Om ja, gå till fråga 12. Om nej, gå till fråga 14. 12. Vilka områden inom träningen var bra? 13. Hur har det hjälpt dig att servera kunder? Hur? Ge exempel/upplevelser. 14. Om du hade fått mer träning, hur hade det kunnat hjälpa dig i din uppgift att servera kunder? Ge exempel på när och hur. 15. I dina ögon hur hjälper träning dig att möta kunders förväntningar bättre? 16. Vilka områden inom träning kan förbättras? 17. Anser du att träning påverkar kundens upplevelse? Hur och varför? 18. Följande frågor rör om det är viktigt att du kan associera dig med det företag du jobbar på och dess varumärke/image: a. Kan du förklara varför du är eller varför du inte är nöjd med att associeras med företaget idag? b. Vad gör dig stolt över att jobba där du gör? c. Vad tycker du om att prata med andra om vart du jobbar? d. Hur känner du dig över ditt åtagande / dina förpliktelser gentemot företaget? e. Hur anser du att träning på något sätt skulle påverka några av dessa känslor? Förklara varför och hur? Har du något övrigt att tillägga? Anonym?
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A.4 Swedish closed-questions questionnaire
I din mening, hur viktigt är träning inom följande områden? Teambuilding Mycket ? ? ? Inte alls ? ?
Lyhördhet/uppmärksamhet Mycket Inte alls ? ? ? ? ? Medvetenhet Mycket ? ? Inte alls ? ?
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Kommunikativa färdigheter Mycket Inte alls ? ? ? ? ? Problem lösning/kreativt tänkande Mycket Inte alls ? ? ? ? ? Produkt vetskap Mycket ? ? ? Inte alls ? ?
Auktoritet att kunna fatta egna beslut och ta egna initiativ Mycket Inte alls ? ? ? ? ? Vetskap om standarder eller principer/riktlinjer om tillvägagångssätt vid vissa vanliga händelser (t.ex. att möta en kund, klagomål, väntetid) Mycket Inte alls ? ? ? ? ? Utvecklings program Mycket ? ? ? Jobb rotation Mycket ? ? Inte alls ? ? Inte alls ? ?
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Förbättrar träning din anknytning till företaget du jobbar åt? Mycket Inte alls ? ? ? ? ?
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Appendix B
B.1 Quotes in original language
1. Jag är företaget i mångt och mycket i och den enda kontakt med företagsledningen eller pub ägarna är återkommande pubchefs möte två gånger om året… vårt varumärke bli så starkt att det är många som kommer för produkten Bishops Arms. 2. Det styrs av hotellkedjan… För att jag ska kunna förbättra utbildning krävs det att andra ställen också gör det. 3. Att få personalen att känna sig trygg i vad de gör och vad de kan om produkter och hur vi jobba… Då kan man nog tackla de flesta problem… 4. Utbildning genererar mer försäljning, så det borde ligga i företagets intresse att utbilda sina chefer och sina övriga personal. 5. …det skulle även göra att personal vill komma hit för att man vet att här utbildar man sin personal och tar väl hand om sina anställda och det är det som jätteviktigt. 6. Idealet är att anställa någon som har erfarenhet av någon form av kundkontakt, helst restaurangbranschen… 7. Du säljer mer helt enkelt 8. Vi är i en service bransch och det är själv grunden i det vi gör, att kunna leverera service… Positivt bemötande är grunden för service och sen kanske att göra lite mer än vad gästen förväntar sig. 9. … det är som alla branscher att det är upp till dig som anställd, att du har en vilja att utvecklas. 10. Jag tror att du har det i dig mycket, att du får en introduktion och sen får du prova dina vingar. 11. Jätteviktig, nästan det viktigaste, både för personal eftersom de tittar på vad jag gör och gästerna tittar och bedömer. 12. Utbildning genererar mer försäljning, så det borde ligga i företagets intresse att utbilda sina chefer och sina övriga personal. 13. … det är kärnan i det jag jobbar med. 14. Produktkunskapen har gett mig mest nytta. Ingen formell utbildning i just service, det ligger mer i personligheten hur man bemöter kunder. 15. Jag är 100 % lojal, självklart så associeras jag med Bishops… Kan du inte känna stolthet eller identifiera dig med ditt företag så bör du syssla med något annat. 16. Jag har valt det ansvar jag känner själv, just att hålla bra ordning och en viss standard… tror att det uppskattas av företaget. Känner även liknande ansvar utanför jobbet. 17. Jag är stolt för att jag vet att man måste kunna något för att jobba som bartender på Bishops. Bartender kan många vara men utan att kunna något. Sedan är jag även stolt för att vi arbetare håller hög nivå på kunderna, det reflektera tillbaka både på en själv som serverings ansvarig och på företaget i sig, det är därför viktigt att hålla bra ordning och bra standard både på gäster och kunnande i baren. En bra koncern, positivt och välvårdat varumärke.” 18. … Ja, olika moment, bland annat whisky utbildning, budget utbildning, öl utbildning, i lönesystem. 76
19. Jag känner stort ansvar för att den här verksamheten ska vara igång och att det ska fungera, men det är inte betungande. 20. Vad gör dig stolt over att jobba där du gör? Historiken i företaget… jag känner att jag har support i ryggen… en stabil arbetsgivare… att det är en högklassig pub. Vi är marknadsledande och jag vet att min personal är duktigare än all annan personal i stan… 21. Jag skulle absolute vilja blir associerad med det här stället… Vi har ett fint hotell, bra standard, det är verkligen top of the line… 22. jag ser att personalen trivs… att personalen mår bra… att det är roligt att komma hit och att de (personalen) har roligt på jobbet. Det är det viktigast för mig och då blir jag stolt. 23. Jag associeras ju med det här stället, så faller det så faller jag. 24. Inte så mycket som gör mig stolt, jag är 27 år nu och inte riktigt nått till mina egna mål. 25. Jag tycker att vi har fått en bra image. Den är en väldigt speciell pub… Det är kul att jobba på ett ställe där storstark inte finns längre. 26. Jag känner väldigt stora förpliktelser till företaget, jag får ta tag i väldigt mycket i och med min placering son barchef. 27. När jag jobba känner jag ingen ansvar förutom att göra gästen glad och leverera maten; att sköta mina arbetsuppgifter. 28. Är jag där vill jag absolute göra ett bra jobb, göra mitt bästa. 29. Jag vet inte om jag kan säga att jag är just stolt. Mer stolt och nöjd över mig själv att jag lyckats lära mig mycket. 30. Jag tror inte att träning kan hjälpa mig så mycket i det, det är nog något man måste bara ha. 31. Så ju mer utbildning eller ju mer träning du får … hjälper att påverka mitt välmående inom företaget. Det gör att jag skulle prata ännu godare om företaget. 32. Efter varje utbildning känner jag mig mer stolt över att företaget satsar på anställda, men även gladare över att jobba där … och känner en större vilja att driva företaget framåt … kan även fungera som motivation för andra på det sättet att om man jobbar länge och jobbar bra får man åka på liknande utbildningar. 33. Jag tror att om du skickas på utbildningar och ser att ditt företag satsar, då blir du ännu mer trogen ditt företag … givetvis blir du mer motiverad och mer lojal. 34. …absolut skulle mer träning kunna få upp den positiva känslan. Lär du dig mer kan du känna dig mer stolt och det smittar av sig på allt det andra. 35. Mycket i allt, jag som chef kräver och behöver att företaget ska ha mål och vilja nå upp till dem på bästa sätt. 36. Det finns tydliga mål inom företaget. 37. Jag vet ärligt talat inte vad målet är exakt. 38. Det är bra för en arbetsgrupp att arbeta/sträva efter ett gemensamt mål. Det fungerar som en sporre att kämpa mot något och är jätte positivt med ett utstakat mål. 39. … att visa vår tanke med stället, vad vi tycker är viktigt. 40. Vad vill stället med dig, vad vill de förmedla, veta standarden och kraven. 41. Hur man trivs och vilken organisationskultur man skapar är viktigare än träning…
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42. Det hänger mycket ihop med organisationskulturen och samspel med dem man jobbar med. 43. För man sätter riktlinjerna tillsammans, hur man vill arbeta. 44. Träning kan även påverka kulturen i och med att man lär sig av hur de andra arbetar och tar på ett sätt de andras åsikter, hur saker ska göras just på det stället. 45. Det borde finnas riktlinjer för vad man bör kunna och lära sig för att förenkla arbetet, så att man vet ifrån början då man kommer till jobbet och vad som förväntas av en. 46. Den viktigaste träningen man kan få då man börjar är rutinerna på stället. 47. De ska känna att de vet var saker och ting finns och hur det funkar. 48. ... får du inte den rätta introduktionen på det nya stället dit du kommer är du nog rätt lost. 49. … just i baren är det viktigt att tidigt få veta att man har rätten att säga nej till en kund. 50. Bra att kunna klara sig själv, att inte behöva vara beroende av någon annan. 51. Det blir en drivkraft att vilja prestera. 52. … det är drivkraften att utvecklas och då är all sådan träning bra. 53. Man ska fortfarande försöka få de anställda att prestera sitt bästa, men en väldigt viktig hållhake är borta, den ersättningen. 54. … den nya ska känna sig välkommen och vilja fortsätta. 55. Det blir roligare att jobba då man kan mer. 56. Det är trevligt att kunna lära gästen något, vilket de ofta uppskattar. 57. Om man ser det som träning varje gång man jobbar så möter man olika situationer hela tiden och lär sig ta kunderna bättre. 58. ... man ska kunna läsa av varje individuell gäst. 59. Det kan jag inte lära ut till någon, men man måste kunna bidra till det, man lär sig med erfarenheter. 60. … visst utbildar du dig hela tiden du arbetar. 61. ... man behöver många år på nacken innan man kan jobba bra som bartender. 62. ... man måste jobba för att lära sig. 63. … vi som fått utbildning försöker förmedla våra kunskaper. 64. Man får ofta börja jobba direkt och lära sig eftersom … man lär lättare genom att göra… viktigt att lära sig av varandra. 65. För just E-Puben är det mest learning by doing, det är det enda egentligen 66. Produktkunskapen har get mig mest nytta. Ingen formell utbildning i just service, det ligger mer i personligheten… 67. Det är jätte viktigt för ett företag att har rutiner som man lär ut, för lär man sig dessa lär man sig jobbet på ett bättre sätt. 68. Av de fasta anställda som jobba mycket så pratar vi egentligen samma språk och de nya hakar efter… 69. Det är jätte viktigt för ett företag att ha rutiner som man lär ut, för lär man sig dessa lär man sig jobbet på ett bättre sätt än om man bara skulle göra allt på sitt sätt. 70. … alla ställen har olika rutiner. Då är det viktigast att få fram vad vi står för, vad vi vill och hur vi jobbar. Då blir det mindre missförstånd. 71. Man kan ha riktlinjer att gå efter, men man ska kunna avvika från dessa. 78
72. Jag tror mycket på att man lär sig genom att göra fel, men man kanske skulle ge träning i vad som händer om man gör fel”. Som åtgärder t.ex. om man spiller vin. 73. … det är upp till dig som anställd, att du har en vilja att utvecklas. 74. Om personen inte har någon utbildning eller erfarenhet, men med en stark vilja att lyckas och mycket positiv energi kan man lära sig yrket. 75. Man kan ha riktlinjer att gå efter, men man ska kunna avvika från dessa. 76. Företagets värderingar påverkar men vi utformar även våra egna värderingar på golvet.
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