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ASSESSMENT ITEM 2: PROJECT REPORT

Executive summary

Rick Shores is a famous name among the Australian Coastal restaurants. The restaurant is famous for its services and management. The company has seen some degradation in the customer service activities of the company and it has affected the reputation of the company. A research was done to understand the exact ways the services of the company were deteriorating. Extracting feedback from the customers of the company and understanding thief perspectives helped to know the facts that are degrading the fame of the company. Based on the philosophy of realism and following the deductive research approach, the research started taking place. With the descriptive research design, the primary qualitative data has been analyzed. The feedback forms that were filled up by the customers, helped in developing the strategies that can be followed to upgrade the customer services. The findings of the research showed that there are problems regarding the food texture, lighting of the restaurant, the lack of parking slots assuring customers safety and in maintaining hygiene in the post-pandemic situation. This participant has a high score in the distance section. The participant has stated that the distance from the public transport is very close. The recommendations have been made to improve the facilities of the restaurant to satisfy the expected values and quality services desired by the customers. It can be said that the company can solve the issues regarding the mentioned problems by following the recommended measurements. The recommendations are efficient enough to solve the problems regarding the customer service and hospitality management of the restaurant promoting the required facilities of healthy and safe tourist.

Introduction

Background

Rick Shores is a famous name in the Australian coastal areas. It is famous for the food quality and the customer service it provides to the customer. People from all over around the world come to visit this restaurant to experience the delicacies of pan-Asian flavors (rickshores.com, 2021). With a wide range of sea-food and other delicacies, the restaurant provides the best desired restaurant services to the visitors. With the posh dining experience, this restaurant is able to take a person to the peaceful world of tasty food in the lap of nature. The restaurant provides the uninterrupted bonding with nature if connected properly. People love to find this place with the beautiful view of the ocean.

Importance of Service Quality in Hospitality Industry

Customer Service is a sensitive issue. The development of an organization depends on how the company provides services to its customers. The satisfaction of the customer about the service helps in the growth of the company. Managing the customers, providing customers the services they have expected and outperforming the general standard of the customer-service relationship can help an organization to reach the standard of well recognition and fame.

Rick Shores has been prudent in providing the best customer service to the customers. It is famous for its beautiful set up, the appreciated view of the ocean and the fine delicacies (rickshores.com, 2021). The customers from all over the world come to visit this place. The customer service and the hospitality management of the company is lacking some of the qualities that are making it go down on the chart of finest dining facilities. This proposal will be providing the ideas and recommendations for improving the customer service so that the customers will be pleased with the provided services. It will bring happy smiles on the faces of the customers along with the restaurant owners.

After evaluating the customers responses and finding the flaws in the customer service or hospitality management of the restaurant, this proposal will suggest ways that can develop the services of the company. It will help the company to rise in the statement of good services and customer care facilities and bring back the lost face of the company.

A company can be well recognized when its services and management are on point. Analyzing the Customer Relationship Management Theory , this proposal will discuss the customer relationship with the company. It will help in understanding the factors where the company is lacking. After finding the flaws, it will be helpful to find out the ways to nullify the set back. It will also help in forming strategies and future policies of the company to lead the company at its highest peak. The proposal can also enlighten the aspect of being democratic while deciding for the restaurant services on the part of the management of the company; based on the Democratic Theory . It will develop the scopes for the company to run the restaurant in a way that will develop the name and fame of the company along with the satisfaction of the customers of the restaurant. The feedback questionnaire was formed based on the research premises and objectives. The aim of the research was to find the perspectives of the customers of the restaurant who come to visit Rick shores. Their experience and feedback are used as the primary qualitative data that has led the research to find the setbacks in the functions of the restaurant. Some of the customers have found the food quality and texture not up to the expected taste standard of them. Some of the customers have found the problem in the lighting of the restaurant. Some of them have praised the customer service and behavior whereas some of the customers are not satisfied with the hygiene and cleanliness of the restaurant in the post pandemic situation. This proposal will be providing the recommendations that can be used as necessary steps to overcome the situation. Their feedback helped in understanding the desired customer care service and hospitality upbringing by the customers. Knowing their perspectives will help the management of the company to enhance their quality services and feed the customers with their desired and expected restaurant services.

Collecting primary data requires the attention of the researcher as the privacy of the live population matters. In this research, the ethics of the research are maintained. All the participants of the research interviews, the customers of the restaurants, were asked for permission before doing the interviews. They were asked to fill in the feedback forms to know what they think about the services of the restaurants. Nobody was pressurized and compelled to answer the questions on the feedback forms. The customers provided their own perspectives without any pressure.

Methodology

Rick Shores has been a well appreciated name in the restaurant service of Australia. However, ups and downs are inevitable in the business world. Not all of the customers that come to visit the restaurant from different countries of the world find it satisfactory all time. Their responses show that the company has some of the setbacks that are blocking the ways of success of the restaurant (rickshores.com, 2021).

Research Design

Research philosophy

Understanding the flaws of the restaurant services of Rick Shores is done after conducting the research on the customer s services of the company and its hospitality management procedures. It is very significant to choose the appropriate research philosophy to make the research successful. There are three kinds of research philosophies that are commonly used in the research. They are Realism , interpretivism , and positivism .

Figure 1: Research Philosophy

(Source: Naumov, 2019)

The Philosophy of Realism is based on the true nature of the existing things. According to Nayak and Singh (2021), the independent features and characteristics of the existing things that can influence the related existences are dealt with in this philosophy.

The philosophy of interpretivism interprets the ideas and observations of the society or the premises of the research. As suggested by Naumov (2019), it helps in analyzing the factors that are related to the research topic and discusses the amount of influences that are felt by the research topic due to it.

The philosophy of Positivism, leads a research in a way that confines the data and discusses its validity. In this research, the philosophy of Realism is used. It helped in understanding the value of the collected data from the customers (based on the study of Valsiner, Chaudhary and Benetka, 2017). Based on the real data, this philosophy has led the research to find out necessary steps that need to be taken to solve the occurred problem.

Research approach

The research approach decides the way that the research would take and reach its consequences. Usually two kinds of research approaches are used. They are inductive and deductive research approaches.

Following the Inductive Research Approach , the research follows the way to create new hypotheses to support the findings of the research. It is used to develop new techniques and ideas that would complement the methods of the research.

Figure 2: Research Approaches

(Source: Weber, 2017)

The Deductive Research Approach follows the available data and collected information. According to Weber (2017), it leads the research to the way of completion based on the real data. The researcher filters the unnecessary data set and leads the research based on the compact data set.

In this research, the deductive approach of research has been used. This helped in conducting the research based on the limited but exact data set that complemented the objectives of the research to find out the flaws in the hospitality management and customer care services of Rick Shores.

Research design

The research design sketches out the pathway of the research. It is very important to decide the way of conducting the research. There are three kinds of research designs. As suggested by Gale (2018), they are exploratory , explanatory and descriptive . The exploratory research design is used to form and collect the data that are used to create the foundation of the research that has not previous data set. In the explanatory research design, the variables are selected to explain their influence on the research topic. It analyses the data set and discusses how it influences the research premises. In the descriptive research design, the research describes the datasets and discusses their effectiveness. The way a variable influences the population, situation and natural phenomenon are discussed in this research design.

Figure 3: Research Design

(Source: Laaksonen, 2018)

In this research, the descriptive research design has been used. It has helped in understanding the influencing factors and commodities that are involved in the customer care service and hospitality management of the restaurant.

Data Collection Method

A research progresses successfully when the collected data are correct and proper to complement the research work. Based on the study of Laaksonen (2018), the data collection process is the most significant part for the research. It leads the research to meet its findings. There are two kinds of data. They are primary data and secondary data. The sources that are developed to complement the data types are the next significant factors for the research. The data sources contain qualitative data and quantitative data. Accumulating the data sources and data types, the primary qualitative data , secondary qualitative data , primary quantitative data and secondary quantitative data are formed (Kumar, 2018). In this research, primary qualitative data has been used. For collecting the primary qualitative data, the interviews of the customers who came to visit the Rick Shores restaurant were taken.

Validity

The aim of the research was to find out the flaws in the restaurant service of Rick Shores. The research philosophy of realism helped the research to prosper based on the real data set. The deductive research approach helped in filtering out the necessary data that would develop the foundation of the research. The research design of positivism helped in conducting the research discussing and analyzing the influence of the features that are relevant to the research. Collecting primary qualitative data in the form of feedback of the customers, helped in knowing their perspectives about the performance of the organization.

Ethics

Ethics is a sensitive issue. It is necessary to be maintained while doing the research work. It maintains the transparency of the research. The validity of the research work depends on the maintained ethics of the research. There are certain things that the researcher needs to maintain during performing in the deeds of the research.

Findings

Customer service experience refers to the situation where customer preferences are accounted for by a company s support. It can be seen that 3 participants have been selected for a feedback survey for the restaurant, Rick Shores. The findings are discussed below;

Service

In the observation form, it can be seen that participants have rated the restaurant s services according to their taste and preferences. Participants 1, 2 and 3 have rated 7, 9 and 8 out of 10 respectively for the behavior of the staff. According to the participants response, the staff of the restaurant is well behaved. They are quite punctual about their services. Moreover, the customers are satisfied with their services. Baek, Choe and Ok (2020) have stated that service is counted as the most important key for a successful restaurant. As a result, the service feedback from the restaurant depicts that customers are welcomed and taken care of.

A good service represents a restaurant s businesses compassion towards the work (Breiby et al. 2020). This hospitality industry is quietly dependent on the services. The role of the service is very important in this industry. The feedback has stated that the employees are prompt and attentive. Moreover, they have a friendly nature, which is quite impressive for a restaurant. Good manners attract more customers than any other factor. The restaurant has a sufficient number of employees. This indicates that the restaurant has availability of service for each customer sitting in the restaurant. Buhalis and Sinarta (2019) have stated that the exceptional services have indicated a quite impressive result for the restaurant.

Ambience

The ambience of the restaurant plays a crucial role in shaping a business. The restaurant has an average lighting facility that can attract customers easily. Moreover, the furniture is comfortable with a modern twist. This indicates that the restaurant is trying to cope up with the trend. In addition, two out of three participants have rated a high score in this section. de Freitas Coelho et al. 2018) have said that the average feedback also indicates that not only the restaurant is trying to keep up with the trend but have also succeeded to maintain the customers perceptions. Besides, with more people coming into the restaurant, Rick Shores is succeeding in retaining the customers.

According to the data collection method, it can be seen that the restaurant has an average ambience facility for its services. One out of the three participants has claimed that the lighting is too bright for the eyes. The restaurant is failing to change the lighting according to the time. In simple words, people have senses that constantly stimulate them from time to time. It is a general issue. The issue can easily be solved with some adoption into its features. The other factors of the ambience are quite good for the restaurant. For example, the space and scale of this restaurant is spacious. This section is important for the restaurant to retain the customers. The ambience of the restaurant has made the customers keep coming back into the restaurants.

Figure 4: Results from ratings of Participant 1

The above figure indicates the results from the ratings of the participant 1. This participant has depicted the overall image of the restaurant. The participant has stated that the restaurant has an overall good image for its business. It can be seen that the services are quite good. The factors for this participant are suitable. The basic requirements of the restaurant are fulfilled by the factors. The participant is quite satisfied with all overall characteristics of the restaurant. However, there is only one thing the participant has complained about. The food texture was not good in the Rick Shores.

Food quality

The food quality of a restaurant represents a restaurant s image. Besides ambience and services, it creates a trust between a restaurant and the diner (Farkic, 2018). The feedback from the customers has indicated that the restaurant may have tasty food. However, it has failed to maintain the texture of the food. All the participants have complained about the texture of the food. It is quite concerning for the restaurant. In order to maintain the customer base, the restaurant needs to maintain a good quality food for the customers. The complaints from the restaurant may lead it to a loss of certain profit.

The data from the feedback has identified that the restaurant has an issue regarding the texture of the food. All the participants have stated that the food texture is not very satisfactory in this restaurant. The restaurant provides healthy and sustainable food to its customers. However, this does not mean that the restaurant does not provide fast food. The results have shown that the restaurant is quite food for its fast food services.

Hygiene

This factor is considered one of the most important points to ensure a business. In order to maintain good quality hygiene the restaurant should keep the environment of the restaurant healthy and safe. This will benefit both the employees and the customers. Godovykh and Tasci (2020) have stated that maintaining good hygiene may lead to better and safe health practices for the restaurant to prevent bacteria from spreading so that both the customers and the employees will not get sick. It can be seen that participants have rated an average score for the hygiene section. This indicates that Rick Shores has average hygiene maintenance. A good safety and hygiene maintenance indicates an effective element for a checklist.

In recent times, the covid-19 scenario has forced businesses to maintain a good and healthy environment (Hou, Zhang and Li, 2021). There have been certain rules regarding this issue. The rules are such as social distancing and disinfecting rules for the customers. The pandemic has imposed the restrictions on movement. However, with businesses opening up, the restaurants are maintaining good safety and hygiene (Johnson, Park and Bartlett, 2018). Moreover, the restaurant is using a proper ventilation technique to establish its visibility for a clean environment. However, the restaurant should frequently disinfect the areas of the restaurants. It can be seen that the situation has made it difficult for the restaurant to maintain a proper and clean environment.

Figure 5: Results from ratings of Participant 2

The above figure indicates the responses from the second participant. The respective participant has stated that the restaurant has an overall good image in this industry. The restaurant has quite impressive characteristics in this business. Moreover, this participant has also identified that the food texture is not that good for the restaurant s business. The business is facing issues in this area. The food quality is degrading which is really quite concerning for the business. The participant has represented good feedback for this restaurant. The hospitality industry relies on its food services. The bad food service is leading the restaurant to a downfall.

The data from the feedback may indicate that Rick Shores will lead a failed business because of this issue. While all the restaurants are trying to reopen their businesses, this restaurant should focus on this area. This may affect the competitiveness of the restaurants.

Location

Location indicates a better impact on the businesses. A good location indicates a better profit. The feedback from the participants has indicated that Rick Shores is located in a good place. The restaurant is near to the subway. This has indicated that the restaurant has focused on various factors to decide a good location. Each restaurant requires a target market to start a business. This restaurant has selected a targeted market for its business. It is located in a high traffic area which indicates a desired location for any restaurant. It is quite visible for the customers to locate the business. This has increased the chances for the restaurant to attract people off the street.

It is easily accessible and has good visibility. It is easy for people to access from the subway. Most customers of this restaurant are from the nearby locations. The feedback has also represented that people who live far away from the restaurant can also come to this restaurant by the subways. It is very close to public transport. However, the restaurant has no personal parking zone. Koc and Boz (2020) have stated that unavailability of parking zones may lead to an issue for this restaurant. Customers need to park their vehicles at the public parking zones. The nearby restaurants have personal parking zones. This is affecting the competitiveness of the markets. Lai et al. (2018) have stated that the other establishments from the restaurant may lead to a worse situation for the restaurant. For example, the food vehicles may affect the businesses. However, the data from the feedback has indicated that the restaurants may have a benefit in the section.

Figure 6: Results from ratings of Participant 3

The above figure indicates the responses for the third participant. The participants have also stated that the food quality is not up to the mark for this restaurant. This participant has a high score in the distance section. The participant has stated that the distance from the public transport is very close.

Conclusion and Recommendation

The proposal has discussed the problems that the organization is going through. Identifying the problems made the finding of the solutions easier. The interview of the customers of the company has found out that there are some issues regarding the food quality, hygiene and lighting of the restaurant. The parking zone is the biggest issue that is highlighted in the findings. The restaurant has to be very efficient and attentive in nullifying these issues to overcome the setbacks of the company. The research has been conducted to bring changes to the structure of provided services of the company. Making changes in the service process and bringing the solution through them will be beneficial for the company and its reputation. The research has shown that some of the customers are not happy with the texture of the food. The texture of the food depends on the cooking time and technique of the restaurant. The dissatisfaction of the customers must be taken under consideration to bring changes to the food texture. The problem regarding the lights has to be brought under consideration too. The customers like the pleasant atmosphere of the restaurant. A person making comments on the disappointment of the lights can bring down the atmosphere of the restaurant. The company must pay attention to this fact to help the customers feel at ease in the premises of the customers. The outside dining must have the proper technical outset to please the expected features of the restaurant. The parking issue has to be solved in a proper way. The slot for parking has to be made to provide ample space for the customers to keep their belongings (cars) there. The problem regarding hygiene in the post-pandemic situation has to be considered properly to satisfy the anxious customers.

Recommendation

Table 1: SMART Recommendation

Analysis

The recommendations are given along with the process of attaining them. It can be said that the recommended objectives can bring positive changes to the service qualities of Rick Shores. It will develop the customer services along with the hospitality management of the restaurant.

References

References

Books

Gale, K., 2018. Madness as methodology: Bringing concepts to life in contemporary theorising and inquiry. UK. Routledge.

Kumar, R., 2018. Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners. UK. Sage.

Laaksonen, S., 2018. Survey Methodology and Missing Data. Germany. Springer.

Naumov, N., 2019. The impact of robots, artificial intelligence, and service automation on service quality and service experience in hospitality. UK. Emerald Publishing Limited.

Nayak, J.K. and Singh, P., 2021. Fundamentals of Research Methodology Problems and Prospects. India. SSDN Publishers & Distributors.

Valsiner, J., Chaudhary, N. and Benetka, G., 2017. From methodology to methods in human psychology. Germany. Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Weber, M., 2017. Methodology of social sciences. UK. Routledge.

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Baek, J., Choe, Y. and Ok, C.M., 2020. Determinants of hotel guests service experiences: an examination of differences between lifestyle and traditional hotels. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 29(1), pp.88-105.

Breiby, M.A., Duedahl, E., ian, H. and Ericsson, B., 2020. Exploring sustainable experiences in tourism. Scandinavian journal of hospitality and tourism, 20(4), pp.335-351.

Buhalis, D. and Sinarta, Y., 2019. Real-time co-creation and nowness service: lessons from tourism and hospitality. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 36(5), pp.563-582.

de Freitas Coelho, M., de Sevilha Gosling, M. and de Almeida, A.S.A., 2018. Tourism experiences: Core processes of memorable trips. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 37, pp.11-22.

Farkic, J., 2018. Outdoor guiding as hospitality work. Ann. Tour. Res, 73, pp.197-199.

Godovykh, M. and Tasci, A.D., 2020. Customer experience in tourism: A review of definitions, components, and measurements. Tourism Management Perspectives, 35, p.100694.

Hou, Y., Zhang, K. and Li, G., 2021. Service robots or human staff: How social crowding shapes tourist preferences. Tourism Management, 83, p.104242.

Johnson, K.R., Park, S. and Bartlett, K.R., 2018. Perceptions of customer service orientation, training, and employee engagement in Jamaica s hospitality sector. European Journal of Training and Development.

Koc, E. and Boz, H., 2020. Development of hospitality and tourism employees emotional intelligence through developing their emotion recognition abilities. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 29(2), pp.121-138.

Lai, I.K., Hitchcock, M., Yang, T. and Lu, T.W., 2018. Literature review on service quality in hospitality and tourism (1984-2014). International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.

Law, R., Chan, I.C.C. and Wang, L., 2018. A comprehensive review of mobile technology use in hospitality and tourism. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 27(6), pp.626-648.

Madera, J.M., Dawson, M., Guchait, P. and Belarmino, A.M., 2017. Strategic human resources management research in hospitality and tourism: A review of current literature and suggestions for the future. International journal of contemporary hospitality management.

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Paulauskaite, D., Powell, R., Coca‐Stefaniak, J.A. and Morrison, A.M., 2017. Living like a local: Authentic tourism experiences and the sharing economy. International Journal of Tourism Research, 19(6), pp.619-628.

So, K.K.F., Li, X. and Kim, H., 2020. A decade of customer engagement research in hospitality and tourism: A systematic review and research agenda. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 44(2), pp.178-200.