Service Quality Perceptions of Foreign Direct Investors

ABSTRACT

In this article, the potential disparity between foreign direct investment (FDI) clients' service quality expectations and the actual service experienced (Gap 5) and how these impacts FDI inflows are investigated. Methodological triangulation encompassing quan-titative and qualitative methods is used. Contrary to the quantitative findings, the qualitative findings indicate that Gap 5 exists among the FDI clients. This is the first time the service quality model (performance-based construct) has been used to study FDI issues. Rather than applying the predominant “inside-out” mindset, the model adopts an “outside-in” mindset that uses perceived (actual) service as a reference point for clients' evaluation of service quality.     

The Dimensions of Service Quality: The Original European Perspective Revisited

The early pioneers of services marketing in Europe, especially the Nordic School, argued that service quality consists of two or three underlying dimensions. Lehtinen and Lehtinen [1985] referred to physical and interactive quality while Christian Grönroos [1984] identified a technical dimension, a functional dimension and the firm's image as a third dimension. In later years, Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry [1988] published empirical evidence from five service industries which suggested that five dimensions more appropriately capture the perceived service quality construct. This study uses an exploratory factor analysis approach to investigate the empirical factor structure of the SERVQUAL instrument developed by Parasuraman et al. [1988] to measure perceived service quality. Based on the results of five exploratory analyses performed on five SERVQUAL data sets, a model for SERVQUAL is proposed. It suggests that the SERVQUAL difference scores are measures of two factors termed ‘intrinsic’ and ‘extrinsic’ service quality. The model is then fitted to the SERVQUAL data obtained from five samples of clients who evaluated the services of five service industries or companies by means of confirmatory factor analysis. The results of this study provide empirical support for the European authors who, in the early 1980s, argued that service quality perceptions are largely determined by two (rather than five) dimensions.     

Determining Relationship Quality in the Development of Business-to-Business Financial Services

ABSTRACT

The quality of relationships built with customers during the New Service Development (NSD) process is a current concern of researchers in relationship marketing (and NSD) and is particularly important in a highly competitive environment characterised by rapidly changing customer needs like the one of financial services. The primary relationship analyzed in relationship marketing is the one between seller and buyer, but the focal type of relationship for new product and service development is the one termed “the knowledge relationship” (Gummesson 2002), a relationship used to create knowledge. This paper reports the results of in depth qualitative research on the factors that impact on the quality of such relationships developed between new service developers and their customers during the NSD process of business-to-business financial services. Results show that the most important factors that affect relationship quality are: communication quality of the relationship; the development of strong relationship bonds; the quality of relationship partners; a strong customer orientation in NSD based on a proactive approach of relationship partners during the NSD process, and proficiency in knowledge brokering.     

Gender Differences in Service Quality Expectations in the Fast Food Industry

Abstract

Services marketers can influence the evaluation of service quality by “managing” customer expectations. Expectations can also provide insights into market segmentation strategies. Gender is often used as a segmentation variable since it is easily identifiable, accessible, and profitable. The purpose of this study was to examine if there are any gender-based differences in the expectations of service quality in the fast food industry. Hypotheses on gender differences in expectations were tested by an ANOVA, where the composite scores of each of the five dimensions of fast food service were used as dependent variables. The expectations of women were significantly higher than men in four of the five dimensions of fast food service quality.     

Quality Measurement in Professional Services Firms

The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of the association between service quality as perceived by consumers and its determinants. In particular, the SERVQUAL instrument is discussed and then it is demonstrated how it can be adapted 1.0 fit the needs of small professional services firms using a CPA firm as an example. The entire analysis can be performed with a spreadsheet package and the results are easy to interpret. The results are presented and the managerial implications are discussed.     

Service Quality Expectations: Exploring the Importance of SERVQUAL Dimensions from Different Nonprofit Constituent Groups

Given the multiplicity of “customers” in the nonprofit sector, the need for nonprofits to ensure that quality service delivery matches customer expectations is difficult yet paramount. Nonprofit organizations serve several constituent groups: the service recipient, donor, volunteer, and general public at large. While each constituent group may not be perceived as a customer in the general sense, each group is making quality assessments that may affect performance evaluations, donations, volunteerism, and brand equity decisions. Hypothesis support was found, distinguishing between the importance of the different SERVQUAL dimensions and the perspective roles played within the nonprofit scenarios. Respondents playing the role of volunteer rated Empathy and Assurance highest and Tangibles lowest. Respondents playing the role of donor rated Reliability and Tangibles highest and Empathy lowest. Respondents playing the role of recipients rated Empathy and Responsiveness highest and Tangibles lowest. Finally, respondents playing the role of volunteer rated Assurance and Reliability highest and Tangibles lowest.     

Error Reduction in Distributed DSS Through Coordination of Modeling Activities: Simulation Study

It is well known that the “lemon” problem can cause market failure. Because difficulties in quality discovery of nonstandardized and complex products will increase transaction costs, it was predicted that the “electronic market” would prevail only with less complex and more standardized goods. However, it has been observed that there are many successful electronic (auction) markets for seemingly typical “lemon” goods such as used cars, raw minerals, and agricultural products. It is argued that in such markets, the equilibrium price of electronic trading appeared higher than in the nonelectronic market. Many speculative explanations have been offered for this, but to the best of our knowledge, no analytical studies have been presented. This study is an attempt to fill this gap. In this paper, we look at the problem of quality discovery in the electronic trading of physical goods especially when the goods are not standardized. The information asymmetry between buyer and seller creates the possibility of a “lemon” in the nonstandardized market. To mitigate this problem, several auction markets have devised third party quality grading systems and limited auctions to only relatively higher quality products. Through analytical modeling, we rationalize these mechanisms; that is, the intervention of an impartial third party for quality inspection, market segmentation by quality measure, and the sellers' willingness to pay the cost of quality inspection.     

A Gap Analysis of a CPA Tax Service and the Implications for Enhancing Service Quality

ABSTRACT

Certified Public Accounting (CPA) firms are “pure” services where the customer is buying the knowledge and expertise of the accounting professional. Marketing the “expertise” of certified public accounting firms is challenging because the client's expected and perceived levels of service quality is not clearly understood. This article presents a service blueprint of an income tax service and highlights potential failure points that can impact process and outcome qualities. Some recommendations are made for improving the tax service to achieve higher levels of service quality.     

Customer loyalty to newly opened cafés and restaurants in Malaysia

An extended review of the literature indicates that there is an insufficient number of past studies which test the SERVQUAL model (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy) in the food and beverage industry. Therefore, this research attempts to provide new insight into the impact of service quality on customer loyalty in the food and beverage industry. The purpose of the research is to determine the impact of service quality and price fairness on customer loyalty in the food and beverage industry in Penang, Malaysia. This article surveyed the customers of newly opened cafés and restaurants in Penang, Malaysia, by using a structured questionnaire. The research revealed that service quality (tangibles, reliability, assurance, and empathy) and price fairness have a positive relationship with customer loyalty. However, responsiveness had no relationship with customer loyalty. This article includes an additional independent variable, price fairness, to investigate customer loyalty.     

Measuring Service Quality in a Corporatised Public Sector Environment

ABSTRACT

Using a modified SERVQUAL scale, this paper measures perceived service quality in a corporatised public sector environment. Five factors were identified: personalised proficiency, empathic professionalism, reliability, tangibles and access; explaining 61% of overall variance. Further analysis using multiple regression also indicated that 45% of the variability in customer satisfaction and 43% of the variability in overall service quality was explained by the five factors. The research was conducted in response to calls for the application of this measure and following a review of extant literature that indicated the limited number of studies undertaken within the public sector that assessed service quality.     

整体产品质量对品牌-顾客关系质量的影响

顾客对产品质量的感知是对整体产品的抽象判断和评价,不同于企业对产品质量的客观设计与预期。研究顾客对整体产品质量的感知判断标准及结构,对企业维系与顾客的长期品牌关系,实现顾客对产品品牌忠诚的市场效应,具有重要的现实意义。     

我国房地产经纪业服务质量评价研究

为了清楚了解我国房地产经纪业的服务质量现状,以SERVQUAL模型为基础,开发出了衡量我国房地产经纪业服务质量的量表,并利用该量表对我国房地产经纪业的服务质量进行评价。研究结果表明,我国房地产经纪服务业为顾客提供的服务质量较低,主要体现在信号显示机制不健全、服务过程质量与服务效用差三方面。     

Service Quality Measurements in a Developing Economy

Abstract

The relative practicality and usefulness of alternative measures of service quality is being debated in the marketing literature. This research tests measuring performance perceptions only (SERVPERF) against measuring customer expectations and performance (SERVQUAL) in the context of a developing economy. In addition, both SERVPERF and SERVQUAL scores are weighted with measurements of the importance of service attributes to customers. Findings confirm that SERVPERF and SERVQUAL each contribute different valuable information; however, weighting the measures adds no new information.     

物流服务质量评价模型与方法研究综述

高质量的物流服务已经成为企业全球化的战略安排,如何通过评价进而改善企业的物流服务质量是实现此战略安排的重点。为更好地梳理物流服务质量评价模型与方法的研究现状,把握物流服务质量评价的未来研究方向,使用关键词“物流服务”“服务质量”和“物流服务质量”搜索Scopus and Web of Science(WoS),共获得发表于1992—2018年的76篇文献。在对相关文献的数量、时间、地区等进行简要统计性描述的基础上,运用文献分析法开展述评研究。其中,从服务提供商、客户、服务提供商和客户相结合三个维度评述物流服务质量评价模型及其指标体系,同时考虑供需双方的评价指标体系构建已成为学术界共识;物流服务质量评价方法重点评述了实证检验、确定指标权重以及将客户“声音”转化为质量属性的数理统计方法,发现将客户声音转化为质量属性的评价方法是重点关注领域。已有研究存在以下三方面的不足:一是在企业能力范围内考虑客户需求的物流服务质量评价模型及其指标的难题未解;二是集成各种评价方法对物流服务质量开展科学评价的难题还没有满意的答案;三是平衡评价模型及其指标的通用性与不同部门间的差异性的问题仍未得到有效解决。这三方面缺陷也是未来物流服务质量评价领域的重点研究方向。     

基于利益相关者关系质量改进的商业模式价值创造分析

从利益相关者关系质量、连续质量改进理论出发,采用理论分析和逻辑推理方法,考察了利益相关者关系质量、质量维度、维度层次性,提出了利益相关者关系质量连续改进的构想,并建立由焦点企业、利益相关者及跨越二者边界活动所组成的关系质量改进框架。在此基础上,分析了关系质量改进下的价值创造逻辑、过程和机制,阐释了关系质量改进对焦点企业与利益相关者之间的产品和服务交易效率、资源和能力互补、业务和活动锁定以及网络价值传递的影响,为企业商业模式创新和价值创造实践提供借鉴。     

Interpersonal Relationship,Service Quality,Seller Expertise: How Important Are They to Adolescent Consumers?

Drawing upon social capital theory and psychosocial development theory, this paper argues that a true buyer–seller relationship is a key determinant of favorable consumer behaviors for adolescent consumers of hairstylist services. Other important determinants include quality of the service delivery process (i.e., service quality as measured by the five SERVQUAL factors) and quality of the core service (in this case, the hairstylist's expertise). A survey of 350 adolescent consumers confirms these predictions. It shows that a true interpersonal relationship negatively moderates the positive effects of service quality on consumer satisfaction with, and overall assessment of the hairstylist. This negative moderating effect is labeled resource substitution benefit and the argument made that this is the fourth social capital benefit. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Customer satisfaction and qualities in public service: an intermediary customer perspective

From an intermediary customer perspective, this study empirically investigates the causal relationships between service quality, relationship quality, design quality, and customer satisfaction in the public service value chain. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from social work, childcare, and healthcare services and were analyzed using structural equation modeling. It is found that all the quality dimensions are antecedents to customer satisfaction and relations between quality dimensions show distinctive patterns. The results show that relationship quality does not directly affect customer satisfaction, but can indirectly influence satisfaction through the mediation of both service and design qualities. The effect of the relationship and design qualities on customer satisfaction is stronger than that of service quality.     

混合服务质量对双线服务忠诚的影响——线上线下融合视角

传统服务质量和电子服务质量已广受关注,但同时基于人-人交互和人-技术交互的混合服务质量还缺乏深入探索。文章基于我国线上线下融合情境构建并实证分析了混合服务质量对双线服务忠诚的影响模型。实证分析表明,实体服务质量、电子服务质量、整合服务质量对感知价值和线上忠诚有积极影响,实体服务质量、整合服务质量对关系质量和线下忠诚有积极影响;感知价值和关系质量对线上线下忠诚均有积极影响;并且,感知价值和关系质量在混合服务质量三维度与线上线下忠诚之间起到一定程度的中介作用。此外,跨渠道质量不一致负向调节了电子服务质量、整合服务质量对感知价值的影响,负向调节了实体服务质量、整合服务质量对关系质量的影响;渠道使用模式负向调节了电子服务质量、整合服务质量对感知价值和关系质量的影响。研究从线上线下融合视角深入挖掘了混合服务质量影响服务忠诚的顾客心理机制和多渠道异质性特征,对混合服务提供商的服务质量和顾客忠诚管理有一定启示作用。     

Superior Service Quality in Indian Cellular Telecommunication Industry

Abstract

This study deals with the measurement of service quality at cellular retail outlets in the Indian environment with a focus on perception and expectation of service quality from the customer's perspective. The research was conducted via a structured questionnaire based on the SERVQUAL model. A literature review was conducted on service quality and its potential offering competitive advantage. This study provides evidence supporting the proposition that customers distinguish between the performance cues of the customer-contact employees. Service delivery systems should create positive moments of truth by ensuring that the point of customer's contact is reduced to minimum.