Quality Assurance Certification for Hospitality Marketing,Sales and Customer Services

The article proposes that there is a need to extend quality assurance schemes to encompass marketing and customer services. The hospitality industry's involvement in the consideration of quality assurance schemes is discussed and the degree to which they have been accepted. An explanation of the Marketing Quality Assurance Scheme (MQA) is presented with detailed examples of the objectives to be met in assuring the quality of marketing, sales plans and customer service. The study concludes that quality assurance schemes for services and marketing are essential for the hospitality industry, in order to guarantee the quality of provision and to offer a bridge from quality assurance to the concept of Total Quality Management.     

Relationships and impacts of service quality,perceived value,customer satisfaction,and image: an empirical study

In today's world of intense competition, satisfying customers is only the base line and may not be sufficient for survival. Management should focus on gaining customer loyalty by enhancing customer perceptions of service quality and increasing as perceived by the consumer value. Although previous studies have addressed the importance of service quality, satisfaction, perceived value, and image, the precise nature of the relationships that exist between these constructs and the understanding of their effect on customer behaviour still remains a key issue. This empirical study seeks to understand the relationships that exist between service quality and perceived value and how they impact customer satisfaction, corporate image, and behavioural intentions. The proposed model indicates that delivering high quality service and creating superior customer value can result in achieve high customer satisfaction, thus effecting the firm's corporate image, and ultimately leading to consumer retention.     

How does the EU non-financial directive affect the assurance market?

The objective of this paper was to determine the impact produced by Directive 2014/95/EU on companies’ decisions regarding the assurance of non-financial information statements and the quality parameters under which this service is contracted. Following an analysis based on institutional theory, the results obtained for the reports issued by an international sample of 600 multinational companies in the period 2011–2018 show that the institutional pressures associated with this Directive contributed to an expansion of the assurance market, although they had only a moderate impact on the contractual conditions of the service. Complementary analyses suggest that the adoption of a limited scope in these assurance services may reflect the conservative outlook of auditors, as providers whose service is favoured in the new scenario. Additionally, we find that the influence of this legal framework is different in the United Kingdom from that in the other European countries. The research contributes to the literature by offering a novel understanding of the behaviour of assurance providers and of the quality of the service obtained.     

Service Recovery,Justice Perception,and Forgiveness: The “Other Customers” Perspectives

ABSTRACT

While extant research has examined the effects of service recovery on customer attitude and behavior, little is known about whether customers react differently to the same recovery depending on whether they are victims or observers of a service failure. Adopting the “other customers” perspectives, this study used a quasiexperimental design using scenarios in a professional services context with 267 U.S. respondents recruited from Qualtrics national online panel. We found that when compensation is offered, victims will perceive a higher level of distributive justice than observers. However, the effects of service recovery on forgiveness intention is stronger among observers than victims.     

The impact of free and exaggerated prices on perceived quality of services

Previous research in the price-quality area has largely limited its focus to the normal price range and has concentrated on physical goods almost entirely. This study examines the effect of offering a service for free and at an exaggerated price on the perception of its quality. Consistent with the theory developed in this paper, the experimental results suggest that when the tested services are offered for free and for exaggerated prices, they are perceived as lower in quality than when they are offered in a normal price range.     

Management of perceptions of information technology service quality

The present study evaluates the perception gaps of service quality between information technology (IT) service providers and their clients. IT services require high investments, which make analyzing its effectiveness increasingly important. To do this analysis, this study uses the instrument SERVPERF of the SERVQUAL model. The research took place in a large Brazilian retail bank, which identified gaps in perceptions between IT service providers and its clients. The findings suggest opportunities for improvement in the quality of IT services from a strategic alignment perspective, particularly in the following dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. The study also indicates some enhancements for the SERVQUAL model.     

Key service drivers for high-tech service brand equity: The mediating role of overall service quality and perceived value

Abstract

This study investigates how different aspects of service quality could have effects on overall perception of service quality, perceived value, and service brand equity. Based on a survey of active users of mobile telecommunications services in Taiwan, we obtained the following findings. First, we found that empathy, network quality, reliability, and assurance, but not tangibles and responsiveness, have a significant effect on service quality and value perception. Second, the effect of overall service quality on brand equity is partially mediated by perceived value. Third, overall service quality has differential mediation effects on the relationships between specific service quality dimensions and perceived value. Finally, empathy and network quality have direct effects on brand equity. For managers, our study suggests the importance of identifying key service drivers for building strong service brand for high-tech service firms. The identification of key service drivers could then enable these firms to make strategic decisions on services investments. It also demonstrates the importance of the humanisation of technology for services firms. This study is original in that it explores the path from specific services qualities to service brand equity.     

The role of emotions in utilitarian service settings: The effects of emotional satisfaction on product perception and behavioral intentions

The role of emotions in hedonic service settings is well established, but their role in utilitarian service settings has received scant attention. This research attempts to fill this gap by investigating the effects of customers’ perceptions of service quality and servicescape on their emotional reactions, and their perceptions of product quality and subsequent behavioral intentions. Data are collected from 189 clients/patients who visited an optometry clinic. The study reports that perceived service quality (reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy) and service environment (atmosphere and layout) both increase positive emotional satisfaction. In turn, positive emotional satisfaction leads to a high perception of product quality, high recommendation, patronage intention, and likelihood of purchase. Additionally, product quality perceptions have a significant positive impact on behavioral intentions.     

Part-time restaurant employee perceptions of management practices: An empirical investigation

The UK hospitality industry increasingly relies on part-time rather than full-time employees to provide more flexible and cost-effective operations with potential trade-offs for service quality. Part-time employees can be divided into two distinct groups – permanent and temporary – each with very different employment rationales. This study compares full-time and part-time employee perceptions of management practices across twelve Cardiff-based restaurants using a self-administered questionnaire. There were significant differences between full-time and part-time employees but no difference between temporary and permanent part-time employees who were equally dissatisfied with management practices, job attitudes and job behaviours. The qualitative data showed the two part-time employees' sub-groups had different needs. Despite this they were treated as a homogenous group by managers. Lack of management understanding of part-time staff impacts on how they are treated and ultimately on service quality and customer satisfaction.     

Effects of Personality on Service Quality in Business Transactions

This study describes the relationships among a salesperson's personality, similarity in terms of personality between salesperson and purchase representative (rep), and service quality perceived by purchase reps. The following findings were obtained: (1) agreeableness of a salesperson was negatively related to the responsiveness perceived by purchase reps; (2) salesperson neuroticism was negatively related to purchase rep perceptions of assurance, empathy, and overall service quality; and (3) the similarity in extraversion between salesperson and purchase reps was negatively correlated with purchase rep perceptions of reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and overall service quality.     

Towards an Improved Understanding of Industrial Services: Quality Dimensions and Their Impact on Buyer-Seller Relationships

ABSTRACT

The rapidly growing field of services marketing has had a strong focus on consumer services. This article deals with industrial services, i.e., services provided by a manufacturing company to organizational customers. The authors suggest a triangular model of industrial service quality involving a distinction between structural, process-related, and outcome-related aspects. These three quality dimensions are shown to have strong impacts on the customer's trust, satisfaction, and commitment. The authors discuss theoretical and managerial implications of their findings.     

The impact of service innovation on firm performance

This study empirically examines the impact of service innovation on performance in developing countries such as China. We construct a more integrative model linking service innovation, service quality and performance and collect 277 samples in the Chinese tourism sector. The findings are: First, service innovation affects firm performance through direct and indirect paths where service quality plays a positive mediating role, and the direct impact is larger than the indirect one; Secondly, the innovation mode is cost-reductive, which focuses on eliminating internal cost rather than improving service quality; Third, the assessment of service quality emphasizes the dimensions of assurance and reliability.     

Examination of the Factorial Structure of Service Quality: A Multi-Firm Analysis

To date, there is no consensus regarding the dimensionality of the service quality construct. Parasuraman, Berry and Zeithaml [1991] suggest that when consumers evaluate a 'specific company', they may rate items coming from two distinct dimensions the same or similarly. The authors further note that factor analysis translates such responses into fewer than five dimensions (as originally proposed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry [1988]). The authors suggest that verifying the conceptual meaningfulness of the SERVQUAL framework is an important area for future research. Accordingly, the current study examines the factor structure of service quality in two 'multi-firm' samples using service performance measures. The empirical findings suggest that service quality, in general, is comprised of two factors: interaction quality and tangibles.     

Developing a Scale for Measuring Service Quality Perceptions in Distance Education

Abstract

The emphasis of quality in distance education in the last decade tended to place on operational efficiency under the concepts of quality control and quality assurance. This tendency has shifted towards a student's perspective in the wake of greater competitive pressure and heightened students' expectations. This paper reports the results of a study to identify service quality determinants based on the students' perceptions. The results of an exploratory factor analysis of 25 items and a regression analysis produce five dimensions in the following priority: (1) learning facilities, (2) quality of course materials, (3) studying atmosphere, (4) capability of tutors, and (5) center arrangement for tutorials. This study highlights the pressing need for a distance education institution to pay attention to physical facilities and course materials which represent the core of the service offering and are relatively easier to evaluate than other service elements.     

Serving unfair customers

Companies commonly adopt “the customer is always right” maxim as a basic premise for delivering quality service. A close examination of customer behavior, however, reveals that customers can be not only wrong but also blatantly unjust. Unfair customers take advantage of being “always right” by demanding unwarranted privileges and compensation, adversely affecting companies and, in some cases, employees and other customers. Companies can actually strengthen their ability to deliver quality service by dealing effectively with unfair customers.     

The Customer,Co-Worker,and Management Burnout. Distinction in Service Settings

ABSTRACT

Academic research indicates that distinct types of workplace burnout exist in service settings, including management burnout (MBO), customer burnout (CUBO), and co-worker burnout (CWBO). Each type of burnout can have detrimental influences on important service outcomes. As managers attempt to improve service quality, it is important that they consider the impact of each burnout dimension. The current work extends previous work on the psychological antecedents of burnout by considering the effects of personality traits on these distinct types of burnout and by considering the extent to which each type of burnout influences customer contact behaviors and propensity to leave the service organization. The researchers present the results of an empirical study that included survey data obtained from banking employees. The results support several hypothesized relationships that relate personality traits to each burnout facet, as well as the hypothesized influence of the burnout dimensions on customer contact performance and intentions to leave the service firm. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

What drives competitive webrooming? The roles of channel and retailer aspects

ABSTRACT

Competitive webrooming, the phenomenon in which consumers gather product information online but ultimately purchase the product in an offline store of a competing retailer, has gained traction and become a major threat for retailers. To gain a deeper understanding of its drivers, we surveyed 1081 retail customers about their most recent consumer electronic product purchase to examine the impact of channel-related aspects as well as retailer-related aspects – a dual approach that has not been applied previously. A channel’s anticipated after-sales service and price level are the strongest predictors for webrooming. Moreover, retailer aspects determine whether customers simultaneously switch retailer when webrooming. A retailer’s assurance of delivery, including payment modalities, return policies, and product obtainment, as well as competitive product prices motivate consumers to switch retailer when webrooming. These results suggest that customers have a fundamental need for certainty within and after the buying process, which can be satisfied by both channel and retailer. Additionally, this is the first study to empirically test for interactions between channel and retailer aspects, as they are likely to occur in real shopping situations. We identified two interactions: First, a retailer’s assurance of delivery can compensate for an anticipated lack of a channel’s after-sales service, dampening the impact of the latter on competitive webrooming. Second, retailer’s price attractiveness acts in a similar vein. Hence, to steer customers into channels and/or keep them with the company, retailers should emphasize their price attractiveness as well as assurance of delivery.     

Professional service quality A step beyond other services?

The management and measurement of professional service quality is particularly problematic. To enable managers of legal practices to improve service quality they must understand the service attributes their clients consider important. Drawing on a series of focus groups conducted in the UK, this study provides insights into the assessment of legal services by commercial and corporate clients. A review of literatures pertaining to the evaluation of professional service quality, the concepts of quality and value, and dimensions relating to outcome and process is presented. The results of a series of focus groups are considered in the context of continuing research.     

服务质量与服务忠诚的多维度关系研究

本文选择北京地区接受餐饮业服务的消费者为调研样本,运用因子分析、结构方程模型等计量手段,从多维度角度研究服务质量与服务忠诚的关系。研究结果表明:服务质量由有形性、可靠性、响应性、保证性和移情性五维度构成,服务忠诚由情感忠诚和行为忠诚两维度构成;服务质量不仅对服务忠诚存在着显著的直接正向影响,而且通过顾客满意对服务忠诚存在着显著的间接正向影响;服务质量各维度对服务忠诚各维度的影响机理与程度各不相同。研究结果同时引申出若干有关我国服务业如何提升服务质量以达到提升服务忠诚的启示。