Journal of Service Science and Management, 2018, 11, 657-690 http://www.scirp.org/journal/jssm ISSN Online: 1940-9907 ISSN Print: 1940-9893 DOI: 10.4236/jssm.2018.116045 Dec. 28, 2018 657 Journal of Service Science and Management Assessment of Beef Quality Determinants Based on Consumer Preferences Joseph Tenson Mwashiuya 1 , Samwel Victor Manyele 2 , George Mwaluko 1 1 Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 2 Department of Chemical and Mining Engineering, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Abstract This study presents the assessment of beef quality determination based on the consumer preferences, established in the beef retailing shops. The aim was to establish correlation between the customers’ preferences and quality attribute cues affecting their preferences. Systematic review approach was used to identify studies connected with beef quality determination, leading to sec- ondary data. The primary data on consumer preferences was collected from 208 and 98 customers in Dar es Salaam and Mbeya cities in Tanzania. Quality attribute cues that impact customer preference were collected using a Likert scale technique and analyzed by using Kruskal-Wallis one way ANOVA by ranks, after checking the reliability by multiple regression model. Tenderness, price, juiciness, breed’s information and fat content were observed to be the five topmost overall ranked quality cues that impact customers’ preferences. With respect to relative ranking, the highest relatively ranked beef quality cues in search, experience and credence attributes were price, tenderness and breed’s information. Based on primary data, the assessed quality cues were positively accepted as the factors that influence consumers’ preferences on butcher’s location (73.5% and 72.6%), personal relation with sellers (69.4% and 69.7%), beef color (70.4% and 70.2%) and fat content (69.4% and 69.2%) in Mbeya and Dar es Salaam, respectively, and noted to be very comparable between the cities. With exception of the photo of choice standard graded beef, the responses of customers in Mbeya were relatively higher than in Dar es Salaam, with type of cut and beef cleanliness being the two highest pointed quality cues. Keywords Beef Quality Determination, Customer Preferences, Photos of Standard Graded Beef, Quality Attribute Cues, Butcher Location, Beef Cleanliness, Beef Color, Beef Cut Type, Beef Fat, Beef Certification How to cite this paper: Mwashiuya, J.T., Manyele, S.V. and Mwaluko, G. (2018) Assessment of Beef Quality Determinants Based on Consumer Preferences. Journal of Service Science and Management, 11, 657-690. https://doi.org/10.4236/jssm.2018.116045 Received: October 18, 2018 Accepted: December 25, 2018 Published: December 28, 2018 Copyright © 2018 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Open Access