| Author: | Chan, Woon-keung Patrick |
| Title: | A study into clients' perceptions of quality in quantity surveying services commissioned by competitive fee tendering |
| Degree: | M.Sc. |
| Year: | 1999 |
| Subject: | Quantity surveying -- China -- Hong Kong -- Quality control Quantity surveyors -- China -- Hong Kong -- Fees Customer services -- China -- Hong Kong -- Quality control Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | Multi-disciplinary Studies Department of Building and Real Estate |
| Pages: | vi, 122 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | This research attempts to establish whether there is any evidence to suggest that a) clients of the consultant Q.S. in Hong Kong have perceived a decline in standards of service quality due to competitive fee tendering, and b) clients have perceived a better service quality if good practices for fee tendering are implemented by clients. The aim of establishing evidence is to influence government and professional institutions to legislate to prevent excessive undercutting. In the absence of such evidence, there is little chance of such action being taken. The research commences with a literature review of characteristics of professional services, service quality, fee competition and procurement of competitive fee tendering. The research then adapts Hoxley 1998's measuring scale called SURVEYQUAL to measure service quality perceived by the clients from professional Q.S. firms in Hong Kong that were commissioned through : competitive fee tendering, negotiation, or direct appointment. This scale has 28 statements and measures quality across five parameters : tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. Half (50%) of the consultants commissioned by the respondents were appointed by competitive fee tendering. The result of the research is that there is no strong evidence that clients' perception of service quality are lower for competitive fee tendering appointment method. There is, however, evidence that the satisfaction of the service quality by the client in the incidence of competitive fee tendering is less than that in the other two types of appointment method (i.e. negotiation and direct appointment) although another result of the research indicates that most of the respondents have 'good' willingness to recommend their Q.S. consultant to others. The research also found that service quality is higher when the service has been well specified and when care has been taken in pre-selection of tenderers. The research recommends that the implication of fee competition on consultant Q.S. service quality should not be overlooked by the Q.S. profession. The Q.S. professional firms, in order to survive, have to increase their efficiency, accept reduced profit levels, diversify their services and expand their client base. The Q.S. profession should not allow fee competition to compromise their professionalism. The Q.S. profession should follow the lead of other professions and legislate to prohibit excessive fee undercutting. On the other hand, the client should make a balance of quality and price in their evaluation and selection of a Q.S. consultant. Suggestions for further research on this subject are also made. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b14800688.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 3.86 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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