The SRA Symposium - College of Medicine

In an effort to better comprehend and track financial processes the 2004 survey instrument was
modified, whereby the ‘administrative processes’ attribute was removed and replaced by two questions,
one focusing on ‘financial processes’ and the other on ‘legal processes’. The results of the
2004 survey project show that the gaps (importance v performance) are smaller than the gap for
the previously included ‘administrative processes’. Future surveys will assist in reinforcing these
results, however, preliminary investigations suggest that 2004 survey respondents have had a better
experience in relation to this aspect of UniSA’s service provision.
Conclusion
Papers
Australian education continues to be faced with a number of challenges as it strives to provide the
nation with advanced knowledge and innovative research and development (Australian Vice-
Chancellors’ Committee, 2004). As a consequence of increased challenges and pressures universities
are acknowledging they belong to a ‘market’ that will become increasingly competitive. One
area of university operations that has historically been overlooked in the ‘quality’ forum is that
of research. The Government currently measures performance based upon successful research
student completions, research publications and research income. The latter is equally reliant upon
private and public funding, which can involve substantial resource inputs by the partner. Devoid
in the evaluation process to date has been the consideration of the services provided to the
research partner. Prior to 2001 there existed no systematic way for Australian higher education
research managers to measure the level of service quality provided to their clients.
The development of this formal quality framework, which includes the ongoing objective measurement
of client feedback, enables UniSA’s Research and Innovation Services Office to identify
its strengths and address areas requiring attention as perceived by its external clients. Through this
measurement we are then able to improve our services by reviewing and where appropriate re-engineering
the processes that support the management of research and consultancy projects.
The survey discussed in this paper is a cost-effective source of manager and decision maker
friendly information that enables us to better understand the service perceptions and expectations
of our clients. Competitive advantage or superior market positioning is thus achieved through this
identification of client values and demands – thus giving rise to a sustainable future. The survey
and the quality framework that grounds it provide UniSA with the ability to consistently, accurately
and strategically evaluate service quality.
2005 Symposium Proceedings Book 93