The Effect of Employee Service Mind on Customer Orientation in Elementary School Foodservice

The purposes of this study were to measure the service mind and customer orientation of employees and to identify the effect of service mind on customer orientation in elementary school foodservices. The questionnaires were distributed to foodservice employees of the 19 elementary schools, but collected from 12 schools in Gwangju, Gyeonggi. The statistical data analysis was completed using SPSS (ver. 18.0) for the independent sample t-test, ANOVA, Cronbach's alpha, principal component analysis, hierarchical & K-means cluster analysis, Pearson' correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. Foodservice employees highly rated their service mind (3.94 out of 5 points), especially their perceptions on the importance of service (4.13 points). The effort to provide service was significantly different depending on the serving place (P<0.05). Employees had a high level of customer orientation (4.02 points), which was significantly influenced by age, position, or career (P<0.05), and cook license (P<0.01). As a result of cluster analysis for service mind, employees were divided into two groups: a low-service mind group (cluster 1) and a high-service mind group (cluster 2). Cluster 2 had a significantly higher overall customer orientation than cluster 1 (P<0.001). The pride in providing services (beta=0.390, P<0.01) and the perception of the importance of services (beta=0.297, P<0.05) showed a significant and positive effect on customer orientation.

Relationship between Students' Foodservice Satisfaction and Foodservice Employees' Job Satisfaction at Elementary Schools

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between student's foodservice satisfaction and foodservice employee's job satisfaction at elementary schools. The survey was conducted on 5th and 6th grade students and foodservice employees at 19 elementary schools in Gwangju, Gyeonggi. Statistical data analysis was completed using SPSS ver. 17.0 for descriptive analysis, frequency analysis, independent sample t-test, and ANOVA. Students were highly satisfied with 'variety of menu' (3.78) and 'food taste' (3.75). The healthy group and no plate waste group showed significantly higher satisfaction levels on seven items, except 'sanitary utensil' as compared to others. Foodservice employees had high levels of satisfaction with human relationships and their jobs, but they were dissatisfied with their wages. Older employees had a high level of satisfaction with 'relationship with a dietitian' (P<0.05), whereas employees with a low level of education exhibited higher 'respect and reflection of his/her opinion on the duty' (P<0.01) and 'current duties' (P<0.05) as compared to others. The group with higher student satisfaction showed significantly higher employee job satisfaction for 11 items, including 'cooperation with co-workers' (P<0.01), 'relationship with a dietitian' (P<0.05), and inversely, the group with higher job satisfaction exhibited significantly higher student foodservice satisfaction for all nine items. Therefore, foodservice satisfaction and job satisfaction have a mutually positive influence on each other.