The goal of this paper is to report on the SERVQUAL gap which causes unsuccessful service delivery at a University of Technology in South Africa. Using a quantitative research design, the study adopts a SERVQUAL model adapted to a tertiary environment containing five dimensions of service quality (tangibles, responsiveness, empathy, assurance, and reliability). A convenience sampling technique was applied, the data were collected from 280 respondents at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), and the results and discussion are presented. The findings reveal that, on average, customers had high expectations in tangibles, reliability, and assurance dimensions and their highest perceptions were found in the assurance dimension. This study will benefit management of higher education institutions in identifying cost-effective ways of reducing service quality gaps.

Orientation: It is impossible to accurately determine the detailed costs of running courses offered at South African technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges, as none of them practises activity-based costing (ABC). The perceptions and knowledge of their finance staff regarding ABC adoption are unknown, making it impossible also to know their reasons for non-adoption.Research purpose: This article reports the awareness of and attitudes towards ABC held by finance staff at six TVET colleges in KwaZulu-Natal and proposes a novel model for its successful adoption.Motivation for the study: The lack of empirical studies demanded understanding of those factors that address ABC adoption at South African public TVET colleges. This study therefore assessed finance staff members’ perceptions of those factors that would support the introduction of this costing system.Research approach/design and method: This study ascertained these opinions and knowledge by surveying 30 members of the finance staff at six TVET colleges using a questionnaire.Main findings: The study’s population perceived that lack of top management support, the colleges’ cost structure and technical factors are barriers to the implementation of ABC in their institutions.Practical/managerial implications: South African public colleges should address those obstructing factors as the successful adoption of ABC will facilitate the accurate calculation of their operational costs.Contribution/value-add: The study identifies those factors that would facilitate the adoption of ABC and proposes a model that would assist in the implementation of this costing system in South African public colleges.

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A university as an institution has a distinct identity and has a meaningful role to play in society. A university in its entirety is a system comprising of many sub-systems. The universitys stakeholders represent various systems, viz. students, parents, government, donors, public, etc. It is the interaction of these systems that is critical for the successful measure of service quality. This paper focusses on three objectives. Firstly, the notion of service and the classification of education as a service are discussed. Secondly, service as a system is discussed, with particular reference to the Work System Framework (WSF) and the application thereof to a university. Thirdly, the Interact-Serve-Propose-Agree-Realize (ISPAR) Model, and application of the ISPAR model to a university, are reported. It is evident from this paper that service is a major factor in tertiary institutions, and specifically in South Africa, service cannot be overlooked.

In an economic climate characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, organizational productivity plays a more central role in determining success. There are many factors that impinge upon employees in their daily execution of duties that affect output. The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that influence organizational productivity, specifically, from the viewpoint of its employees. The study draws upon a quantitative paradigm using a non-probability sampling technique. Data were collected from a total of 161 employees using a structured questionnaire across two different office sites in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Statistical correlation tests were administered, and the findings indicate an association between organizational policies and employee benefit; organizational policies and performance appraisal; and performance appraisal and employee benefit. This research also confirms the findings of others, more significantly, in terms of reinforcing the perceptions of leadership and work-life balance as influential factors