An Assessment of the Operational Performance of Supermarkets in ...

organizations should plan and conduct relevant training to improve the customer careskills of the employees.Survey results indicate that that customer‟s perception with regards to the speedobjective is not favorable to some extent for two parameters namely speed of customerservice and immediate availability of goods. Supermarkets should therefore lay moreemphasis on reviewing the effectiveness of their operational procedures with regards toservice delivery. Any changes in the procedures should then be communicated to theemployees. If this is properly implemented, the employees will be in a better position toperform their respective work in a more effective and efficient manner. Furthermore,supermarkets should closely monitor the stock level of their items on a regular basisand should also study the consumption pattern of their products. This will help thesupermarkets forecast to a good degree of accuracy the demand of their products bothin the short-term and long-term.Research results have shown that 20% of the respondents perceive that queuing time isnot reasonable. The findings have also revealed that customer‟s perception is notfavorable to some extent in relation to the ability of the organization to adjust to thenumber of customers served during busy periods, as 35% of respondents perceive thatthe supermarkets have difficulties in managing crowds on peak days. To improve theirdependability and volume flexibility, the supermarkets should lay greater emphasis onadjusting their capacity to meet customer‟s demand by, for instance, recruiting part-timestaff for less than the normal working day on peak days or during busy periods. Thismethod is extensively used in service operations such as supermarkets and fast-foodrestaurants (Slack et al., 2010). The supermarkets should also encourage job flexibilityin the work place, they should train the workers to be multi-skilled so that during busyperiods staff from other sections could serve on idle check-out counters to reducequeuing time to a minimum. The adoption of this flexible approach could further bereinforced by promoting teamwork in the organization. Finally, the supermarkets shouldalso consider the option of investing in technological improvements such as self checkoutpoints to speed up check-out processes and reduce long waiting queues.7.0 ConclusionThe aim of this research was to make an assessment of the four performanceobjectives of quality, speed, dependability and flexibility in a retail organization such asa supermarket. For the purpose of this study, five well known supermarkets in Mauritiuswere chosen. Quality as an operating objective has a major influence on customersatisfaction and loyalty. This has been supported by both literature and empiricalfindings that define a good quality service as availability of branded products, fresh fruitsand vegetables and good hygienic and sanitary conditions. Being able to do things fastis another performance objective highly demanded by customers who, armed withinformation, expect faster service and consistent responses. Based on survey findings,it has been found that supermarkets in Mauritius achieve such aim by providing a well-