Operationalizing the Service Quality Construct

ABSTRACT

Previous research works have suggested that, for it to have practical utility, the service quality construct should not only be industry specific, but also be operational (non-global) in nature. This paper builds on that premise and utilizes a methodology suitable to produce operational measures for the service quality construct in the lodging industry. Of the four dimensions (Responsiveness, Recovery, Tangibles, and “Reliability/Trust mixed with Accessibility/Flexibility”) identified by an exploratory factor analysis, the present study finds that the first three appear to be distinct in the minds of the customers. Further confirming the above, regression analyses suggest that the overall perceived service quality in the lodging industry is significantly and positively associated with three dimensions: (1) Responsiveness, (2) Recovery, and (3) Tangibles, in that decreasing order of importance.     

Service Orientation and Small Business Marketing

ABSTRACT

In an environment of ever increasing competition, small businesses are beginning to recognize that adopting a strong service orientation in their marketing efforts not only gives them a differential advantage, but is also fast becoming a prerequisite for their survival. This study introduces a classification scheme which identifies firms by their degrees of involvement in service orientation. This typology was validated in a nationwide survey of retail nurseries. The findings supported the hypotheses that a strong service orientation does have a dramatic impact on a business's marketing decisions. It is hoped that recognition of these distinctions will offer strategic insights for small business practitioners in making marketing and promotion decisions.     

The Effect of Market Orientation on Service Quality

Abstract

The authors explore the effect of market orientation on service quality based on a survey on Taiwanese security brokerage firms. The results indicate that market orientation and service quality have a positive relationship, but fail to support the proposition of a curvilinear, diminishing function. An ad hoc investigation on the effects of individual components revealed that, among the four market orientation components, only customer orientation and profit expectation have a more consistent and significant effect on overall service quality and the five service quality components. Important managerial and future research implications are offered.     

The Impact of Scale. Characteristics on the Dimensionality of the Service Quality Construct

Many studies focusing on the dimensionality of the service quality construct have adopted frameworks developed within the marketing literature. This study, involving interviews with 200 repeat attenders at a specialist family planning clinic, suggests that earlier frameworks developed by patient satisfaction researchers go further in explaining the resu1ts of factor analytical studies. Analyses of data relating to two suppliers illustrate that scale characteristics i.e. scale length and the level of variation introduced into the data, have little impact on a factor structure which distinguishe between two key dimensions of expressive/instrumental qualities and access/convenience.     

Working Towards Empirically-Based Continuous Improvements in Service Learning

This empirical study reports the implementation and assessment of service learning in management education. Principles of Management students worked in teams to support Campus Kitchens, a national program affiliated with colleges and universities, in recovering surplus food and delivering it to community members. Student perceptions regarding civic engagement and social responsibility, application of skills, and professional development were assessed. Two complete cycles of implementation and assessment are chronicled. The sample size for Cycle 1 was 123 students and for Cycle 2 the sample size was 91 students. The authors describe how empirical as well as anecdotal data drove the changes made to improve the service-learning experience.     

将社会责任视为企业的基因 中化集团：立足三农构建全方位农化服务体系

近期极端性灾害天气引发了对全球小麦减产的担忧,国际小麦期货大肆飙升,粮食紧缺的预期引发国际化肥需求的增加。据悉,国际尿素价格近期出现大幅上扬,并拉动了国内出口订单的增长,前期低迷的国内尿素价格也已出现反弹。     

加大财政投入构筑投资促进服务新体系

<正>财政在鼓励投资促进服务方面存在的问题(一)政策缺位目前财政在投资促进方面的扶持政策存在两种现象,一方面财政在招商引资方面的财税优惠政策泛滥;另一方面财政在投资促进服务方面的鼓励政策几近空白。各地在投资促进方面的财政扶持政策也仅局限于税收优惠、招商指标完成奖励、招商活动补贴等方面。没有在完善政策、加大投资、创新机制、强化监督等深层次上下功夫。     

Assessing the Quality of the Conference Hotel Service Product: Towards an Empirically Based Model

This is the report of a study which has sought to take steps towards increasing both our knowledge of how consumers assess the service product offered by conference hotels, and, at the same time, our understanding of the dimensions of service quality and how they may be measured. The authors seek to show how their approach to measuring service quality was developed and refined. Some preliminary findings of the final stage of the study are presented, which identify the key elements that go to make up the perceived quality of the conference hotel service product, utilising the notion of ‘net service quality’.     

构建我国服务贸易创新发展长效机制的路径

我国通过不断探索服务贸易创新发展的新机制和新模式,提高我国服务贸易的国际竞争力,以推动我国货物贸易和服务贸易协调发展、挖掘经济增长新动能。从我国服务贸易现状入手,指出我国服务贸易存在的关键问题及面临的发展机遇,提出构建服务贸易创新发展的长效机制的路径。     

Self-Efficacy Toward Service, Civic Participation and the Business Student: Scale Development and Validation

This paper presents the development andvalidation of new measurement tools to exploreself-efficacy toward service and toward civicparticipation. We developed and administereda survey to 851 students in an AACSB-accreditedcollege of business at a comprehensive publicuniversity located in the Midwest. Traditionalscale development methodologies plusconfirmatory factor analysis and simultaneousfactor analysis in several populations wereused to analyze both a primary sample and aholdback sample. Results strongly support thevalidity and reliability of the surveyinstrument. Future use for the instrumentincludes verification of the effectiveness ofpedagogies designed to increase self-efficacytoward service and motivation for civicparticipation in business students.     

Understanding the Influence of Cues from Other Customers in the Service Experience: A Scale Development and Validation

During most consumer exchanges, particularly in service and retailing settings, customers are “in the factory” and, as a result, the presence of other customers can have a profound impact on customer experiences. Despite studies demonstrating the importance of managing the customer experience and customer portfolios, the marketing literature lacks a comprehensive scale that can be used to assess individuals’ perceptions of other customers during commercial transactions. This study conceptualizes a three-dimension, Other Customer Perception (OCP) scale to address this gap. Using a seven-step scale development process, the multi-dimensional conceptualization is supported and validated and the research demonstrates the impact of the OCP dimensions on consumers’ approach and avoidance intentions. The findings provide a clearer understanding of how other customers can indirectly influence assessments of a customer exchange and can assist in the measurement of other customer perceptions in future research efforts.     

The Influence of Client Orientation on New Users' Satisfaction with an On-Line Information Retrieval Service

This study provides an empirical test for the impact of client orientation on new users' satisfaction with an on-line infor- mation retrieval service. Using a laboratory simulation of the service purchase encounter, four dimensions of the service encounter are varied-(1) the client's level of expectations for the professional librarian's friendliness, (2) the actual level of the librarian's friendli- ness towards the client, (3) the client's expectations for the degree of speed in the delivery of the bibliography via the on-line search ser- vice, and (4) the actual speed of the search service. All four dimen- sions are varied in friendly and unfriendly as well as fast and slow combinations. The client's satisfaction is measured both at the end of the service delivery when it is paid for and later on after the printout produced by the service has been used and the client is ready to recommend or criticize the service to some other potential user. The impact of client orientation on satisfaction - through ex- pectations of friendly performance and actual friendliness in the ser- vice delivery-is evaluated for the client's immediate reaction to the service encounter using ANOVA and then again using MANOVA for the unfolding process of satisfaction during and after service delivery.     

建设可持续发展的社会经济

发展经济和保护环境、关系到人类的前途和命运,成为全球普遍关注、亟待解决的重大问题.只有有效地保护生态环境,发展绿色经济,进行绿色开发,变掠夺式经济发展模式为可持续发展的经济模式,才是中国经济发展的前途所在.     

Board Members in the Service Industry: An Empirical Examination of the Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility Orientation and Directorial Type

One area of business performance of particular interest to both scholars and practitioners is corporate social responsibility. The notion that organizations should be attentive to the needs of constituents other than shareholders has been investigated and vigorously debated for over two decades. This has provoked an especially rich and diverse literature investigating the relationship between business and society. As a result, researchers have urged the study of the profiles and backgrounds of corporate upper echelons in order to better understand this relationship.There is ample evidence that corporations have in recent years increased the proportion of outside directors on their boards. This has been partly in reaction to increased interest in the corporate social responsiveness of business organizations and suggestions that the board of directors could play a unique role in this area. The expectation on the part of practitioners, researchers, and governmental regulators is that outside directors will advocate greater corporate responsiveness to society's needs by playing a more active role in overseeing managerial decisions.The purpose of this study is to partially fill a void in the literature by determining whether or not these expectations are justified, particularly in the service industry. Data were collected as part of a larger cross-national study of corporate social responsibility. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) of the results of a survey of 307 board members (198 outside and 109 inside directors) indicates that outside directors exhibit greater concern about the discretionary component of corporate responsibility and a weaker orientation toward economic performance. No significant differences between the two groups were observed with respect to the legal and ethical dimensions of corporate social responsibility. Some explanations as well as limited generalizations and implications are developed.     

构建社会创新生态圈——2014芯世界社会创新韩国首尔之旅随笔

深秋十月,北京雾霾浓重,首尔空气清新,＂2014芯世界社会创新韩国首尔之旅＂在反差中启程。 抵达首尔开始的一天半,泡在首尔市政厅里,参观、介绍、交流,首尔推动社会创新的理念、政策和措施让人耳目一新,但心里依然有疑问：其实际效果到底如何？临行当天是周六,再次回到首尔市政厅,眼前的场景打开心中疑惑：市政厅广场以及市政厅内的所有开放的场所都是市民开展的各类分享、体验、交流活动——社会创新正在首尔焕发着迷人的魅力。     

The Effect of a Market Orientation on Business Performance: A Study of Small-Sized Service Retailers Using MARKOR Scale

Conventional marketing wisdom holds that a market orientation provides a company with a better understanding of its customers, competitors, and environment, which subsequently leads to superior firm performance. While researchers have explored the relationship between market orientation and business performance in different organizations, such studies in small-sized service retailers are scarce. This study investigates potential influences of market orientation on small-sized service retailer performance. Data for this study were collected through personal interviews, and Kohli, Jaworski, and Kumar's market orientation scale was used to specify the dimensions of a market-oriented organization. Results indicated that Kohli, Jaworski, and Kumar's market orientation scale provided a good measure of market orientation in this setting. Also, the results of analyses indicated a significant link between market orientation and small-sized service retailer performance. The managerial implications are discussed.     

The Carryover Effect of Customer Satisfaction on Service Quality Focused on Moderating Effect of Customer Trust and Cooperative Orientation

The current study is intended to provide a novel contribution in regards to the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction by focusing on carryover effects of satisfaction judgment on perceived service quality of the subsequent transaction. In addition, we probe the role of customer trust in the relationship between customer satisfaction and service quality. The results indicate a cycle of customer satisfaction and perceived quality over time, which validates the concept of cycle of satisfaction. The results also indicate trust toward a service provider has a moderating role on the relationship between customer satisfaction and perceived service quality.     

构建精益物流来组织合理运输

精益物流作为一种全新的现代化管理思想,它所强调的客户至上、及时准确、整体优化、不断改善与勇于创新的理念是符合现代物流发展趋势的,是运输企业继续生存和发展所必须具备的根本思想。引入精益物流思想,有利于我国运输业改变粗放式的管理观念,并有效地组织合理运输,必将对我国的物流业和国民经济发展产生深远的影响。