Management perception of service quality in the hospitality industry

2
 
Literature Review 
The purpose of this literature review is to go through theoretical work from a series of 
authors in order to reach an understanding on the key concepts of managing service 
quality. Furthermore within this chapter, the research questions proposed in the 
previous chapters would be answered and proper insight would be reached for the 
development of research objectives. A research objective would regard managerial 
related issues relating to the topic of this thesis. 
2.1
 
Defining service quality 
First of all, what is service quality? Understanding how service and quality are related 
to each other will be the first key concept to understand. 
2.1.1
 
Service 
Grönroos (1990, 25) states that any physical product can be turned into a service to a 
customer if the one person selling the service provided the service is made into a 
solution to meet the demand of a customer
Blois (1974, 157, in Gronroos 1990, 26) points out that services are activities offered 
for sale which for the buyer presents benefits and satisfaction. 
Stanton (1974, 545, in Gronroos 1990, 26 ) defines services as intangible activities 
which provide satisfaction when marketed to consumers which are not tied to the sale 
of a product or another service. 
As there are a vast amount of definitions made on service throughout literature, 
Grönroos (1990, 27) blended from the several definitions which is more identifiable: 
 “A service is an activity or series of activities of more or less intangible nature that normally, but not 
necessarily, takes place in interactions between the customer and service employees and/or physical 
resources or goods and/or systems of the service provider, which are provided as solutions to customer 
problems. 

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14 
In order to further understand what service actually means and entails, table 1 is there 
for proposed to shine light on this matter. 
Table 1. Characteristics of service. (Gronroos, 1990, 26)