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Article
Publication date: 12 August 2014

Arash Shahin, Hadi Balouei Jamkhaneh and Sayedeh Zahra Hosseini Cheryani

The major aim of this investigation is to propose a novel approach for evaluating the implementation of the European Quality Award, i.e. the model of European Foundation for…

2586

Abstract

Purpose

The major aim of this investigation is to propose a novel approach for evaluating the implementation of the European Quality Award, i.e. the model of European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM).

Design/methodology/approach

The EFQM model includes both enablers and results, while in the service quality gaps model, only the gaps between the organization and customer are studied. In this paper, a new approach has been proposed to assess seven determined gaps in implementing the EFQM model based on the concepts of the service quality gaps model and the ServQual approach. The new approach to the EFQMQual has been examined in Isfahan Province Gas Company using different viewpoints of senior and middle managers and senior experts on four elements of determined gaps. These include perceptions of goals, expectations of goals, perceptions of assessment and expectations of assessment.

Findings

Findings indicate that leadership and key results criteria have the lowest and the highest gap values, respectively. In addition, the fifth gap, i.e. the difference between expectations of assessment and perceptions of assessment, has the lowest average, while the seventh gap, i.e. elements of the EFQM model, has the highest average. With regard to the correlation among the seven gaps, it became obvious that there is a significant correlation among the first, fifth and sixth gaps; and also between the fourth and fifth gaps. Finally, based on the Pareto rule, the priority of the criteria related to each of the gaps has also been determined.

Research limitations/implications

One of the limitations of this study is the complexity of the concepts in the questionnaires, which makes it difficult for respondents to understand the items of the questionnaires. To overcome this, therefore, the researcher has attached a guideline to the distributed questionnaires.

Originality/value

As the literature review indicates, there has not been any research on integrating the concepts of the service quality gaps model, the ServQual approach, and the EFQM model, while also analyzing the weak and strong results obtained from implementing the EFQM model based on such an integrated approach. The significance of the study lies further in the fact that based on an approach similar to the proposed EFQMQual, such concepts can be applied for evaluating the implementation of other quality award systems.

Details

Measuring Business Excellence, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1368-3047

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1999

Ronald James Ferguson, Michèle Paulin, Charles Pigeassou and Romain Gauduchon

This study assessed the technical (tangible) and functional (human interaction) quality of services in a first‐class international health resort and related these to service

2730

Abstract

This study assessed the technical (tangible) and functional (human interaction) quality of services in a first‐class international health resort and related these to service management effectiveness. Service management is effective when customers judge the overall service quality to be good, they are highly satisfied, they are willing to recommend the firm to others and they intend to re‐purchase or are predisposed to purchase additional services from the firm. The technical and functional aspects of services quality and their relation to service management effectiveness, were found to be different between the core and supplementary services, between customers and service personnel and between customers with and without experience. The results support the statement that competitive advantage in this industry can be obtained by improving the functional aspects of services management, by better performance of supplementary services and by reducing the gap in perceptions between customers and contact personnel.

Details

Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, vol. 9 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-4529

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 October 2007

Robert Spencer and John Hinks

The purpose of this paper is to report on a study based around a commercial facilities management (FM) service provider's creation of an internal benchmark of how services for an…

1499

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on a study based around a commercial facilities management (FM) service provider's creation of an internal benchmark of how services for an acute hospital perform in terms of service quality.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents findings of a hard and soft FM application of the widely‐recognised SERVQUAL performance assessment tool; including its use and usefulness in a healthcare FM context. The paper proceeds to a conceptual discussion on emergent issues. It offers a questioning framework which the authors identify requires further study and debate but raises potentially profound issues for FM. Further replication‐related and conceptual development research is underway.

Findings

Principally, the paper discusses the emergence and significance of the psychological phenomenon of cognitive dissonance within the datasets for the private finance initiative hospital case study. The paper also briefly discusses the scope for using the service consumers' zone of tolerance as a management datum.

Practical implications

The paper concludes with a discussion on the implications of cognitive dissonance, which we believe poses radical and hitherto‐unaddressed questions about the appropriateness of some core aspects of POE, satisfaction measurement used in FM contract management, and the wider FM performance management paradigm. This appears to open a whole new perspective for soft FM and FM service integrators.

Originality/value

The paper challenges the conventions and major assumptions of the FM service quality assessment paradigm. It suggests cross disciplinary implications for the FM research field, and is relevant to suppliers, clients, facilities managers, service consumers, and customers, including procurement manager. Overall, the paper raises a lot of questions about the FM service quality management paradigm(s) and assumption(s).

Details

Journal of Facilities Management, vol. 5 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-5967

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 June 2014

Marlene Amorim and Fatemeh Bashashi Saghezchi

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the existence of differences in service quality assessments across distinct retail store formats. We address customers’ quality

1665

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the existence of differences in service quality assessments across distinct retail store formats. We address customers’ quality assessments for physical aspects, personal interactions, reliability and policies dimensions in hypermarkets and supermarkets to analyse the impacts for satisfaction and loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

The study builds on previous scales for service retail quality to develop a survey addressing customers of hypermarkets and supermarkets in Portugal. Data analysis addressed 248 complete questionnaires and involved statistical testing to explore differences in service quality expectations across retail store formats. The regression analysis was used to estimate impacts of each service quality dimension for customer satisfaction and loyalty intentions.

Findings

The results support the existence of differences in customers’ service quality assessments across retail store formats, notably for the expectations about different quality dimensions. Differences were also observed on the impacts for customer satisfaction and loyalty, in particular for the dimensions of reliability and personal interaction.

Research limitations/implications

The results suggest that managerial decisions regarding service in stores should be adjusted to the characteristics of each retail format. The generalizability of the results should be assessed by means of further investigation in other retail contexts.

Originality/value

Retail customers patronize multiple types of retail stores that compete on diverse service attributes. Building on existing service measurement scales, this paper provides a contribution to understand customer’s quality assessments across distinct store types to inform retail quality and service differentiation strategies.

Details

International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, vol. 6 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-669X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2006

Antonia Stefani, Bill Vassiliadis and Michalis Xenos

Distance learning has been widely researched the past few years, nevertheless the focus has been more on its technological dimension. Designing, developing and supporting a large…

Abstract

Distance learning has been widely researched the past few years, nevertheless the focus has been more on its technological dimension. Designing, developing and supporting a large scale e‐learning application for Higher Education is still a challenging task in many ways. E‐learning is data‐intensive, user‐driven, and has increasing needs for multiculturalism, efficiency, adaptivity and competiveness. Although the complexity of such systems has increased exponentially, the design process still lacks a systematic quality control procedure. In this work we address the increasing need for new methods that maximize usability, and thus end‐user satisfaction. We analyse the technological, managerial and economic factors that affect the design and deployment of a large e‐learning platform with advanced services and propose a set of new metrics for assessing its quality. The metrics are based on the four external quality characteristics (functionality, usability, efficiency and reliability) of the ISO9126 standard for software systems.

Details

Interactive Technology and Smart Education, vol. 3 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-5659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 February 2022

Mark Christopher Springer and Craig K. Tyran

This study aims to describe the development and validation of a student survey instrument to assess academic advising services. The instrument was based on the SERVQUAL scale, a…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to describe the development and validation of a student survey instrument to assess academic advising services. The instrument was based on the SERVQUAL scale, a well-known instrument for service quality.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative methodology was used. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire using a survey instrument adapted from SERVQUAL. Survey responses were collected from 457 students at a large public university in the USA. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to validate and develop the assessment instrument.

Findings

A validated assessment scale for academic advising services was generated, which consists of three distinct advising service dimensions: information resources, reliability and empathy. For the study participants, information resources and empathy were found to significantly influence satisfaction with advising.

Practical implications

This study describes the development and validation of a concise nine-item survey instrument that may be used by practitioners to evaluate three distinct dimensions of advising service quality: information resources, reliability and empathy.

Originality/value

This research develops and validates a survey instrument to assess academic advising services based on the SERVQUAL scale using structural equation modeling.

Details

Quality Assurance in Education, vol. 30 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-4883

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 May 2022

Jitesh J. Thakkar, Shashank Thanki and Sunita Guru

The present situation of COVID-19 pandemic has put the health-care systems under tremendous stress and stringent tests for their ability to offer expected quality of health-care…

Abstract

Purpose

The present situation of COVID-19 pandemic has put the health-care systems under tremendous stress and stringent tests for their ability to offer expected quality of health-care services, as it decides the sustainability and growth of health-care service providers. This study aims to deliver a quantitative framework for service quality assessment in the health-care industry by classifying the health-care service quality parameters into four balanced scorecard (BSC) perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach

To determine the service quality for the Indian health-care system, decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory and analytical network process are integrated in a fuzzy environment to contemplate the interaction among BSC perspectives and respective performance measures.

Findings

The results indicate “internal processes” perspective assumes the key role within BSC perspectives, while performance measures “nursing staff turnover” and “staff training” play the key roles. The results also signify that “patient satisfaction” is the most vital issue and can be strongly influenced by measures belonging to the “learning and growth” perspective. In “learning and growth” perspective, “staff training” is the most decisive criteria, very highly influencing “patient satisfaction”, highly influencing “profitability,” “change of cost per patient (both in and out patients)” and “outpatient waiting time” while moderately influencing “staff satisfaction,” “bed occupancy” and “nursing staff turnover”. Moreover, “staff training” criteria have a positive influence on “nursing staff turnover.”

Originality/value

The contributions of this study are in two folds in the domain of quantification of service quality for the health-care system. First, it delivers an assessment framework for Indian health-care service quality. Second, it demonstrates an application of the framework for a case situation and validates the proposed framework.

Details

Journal of Modelling in Management, vol. 18 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5664

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 February 2014

Deise de Araújo Batista and Denise Dumke de Medeiros

Improvements in quality have a very important role to play in services because such improvements add greater flexibility and give clients greater confidence in the services

Abstract

Purpose

Improvements in quality have a very important role to play in services because such improvements add greater flexibility and give clients greater confidence in the services provided. Therefore, this paper aims to describe a framework for measuring quality in the provision of the service by using a SERVQUAL scale and fuzzy operators.

Design/methodology/approach

In this approach, a framework to assess quality in service provision is put forward which applies the SERVQUAL scale as an instrument of data collection. Fuzzy set theory is proposed and applied within this framework as a technique to make a quantitative assessment of the quality of the provision of services. A case study is used to illustrate how to apply this framework for this purpose. The data were processed and transformed into a fuzzy environment, and fuzzy numbers and operators were applied to the analysis of customers' assessment with regard to the dimensions of quality in the service provided.

Findings

The study demonstrated the differences between evaluations of the dimensions of quality assessed, and differences of the same customer in relation to these dimensions. The main points raised were the importance given by customers to the dimensions, and the gaps between customers' perceptions and expectations, when fuzzy numbers were used to assess levels of service quality, and to evaluating the prioritization of service quality.

Originality/value

This paper proposes the use of fuzzy theory within a framework by making a linguistic analysis when dealing with data collected in a SERVQUAL scale so as to assess service quality. The data were measured by examining the gap between customers' perceptions and expectations. The framework describes the phases of this assessment, and uses fuzzy operators.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 April 2011

Zahid Hossain Shoeb

This paper seeks to investigate the overall service quality of the library system of Independent University, Bangladesh, a top‐ranked private university in Bangladesh. A survey is…

1711

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to investigate the overall service quality of the library system of Independent University, Bangladesh, a top‐ranked private university in Bangladesh. A survey is conducted among the library users specifically faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students.

Design/methodology/approach

A modified version of the SERVQUAL questionnaire was used for data collection. The gap differences between perceived and desired services were calculated and ranked which could indicate what services meet, exceed or fall short of the users' expectations. The mean values of desired service levels were ranked and compared among three groups of users. A Kruskal‐Wallis test was done to examine the differences in desired level of service quality by different groups. The method zone of tolerance was applied to find out the range between perceived and minimum service levels. Finally, the underlying dimensions of service quality were identified through exploratory factor analysis of level of desired services.

Findings

It has been revealed that perceived services were lagging behind the desired services and attributes of service quality which fall short of user perception though the gaps were not much higher. It has also been observed that there were some significant differences in desired services received by the users. The overall scenario of tolerance zone was inside the tolerable level by all users and only one attribute was problematic.

Originality/value

The concept of library service quality and assessment is new in Bangladesh. The author of this paper first started to study on this area among public and private university libraries. This study will no doubt encourage and foster further research in this area for the effectiveness and the better performance of academic libraries in Bangladesh.

Details

Library Review, vol. 60 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0024-2535

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 November 2019

Mahdad Pourmadadkar, Mohammad Ali Beheshtinia and Kamran Ghods

The purpose of this paper is to introduce an integrated approach using failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), multiple-criteria decision making (MCDM), mathematical modeling…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce an integrated approach using failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), multiple-criteria decision making (MCDM), mathematical modeling and quality function deployment (QFD) techniques, for risk assessment and service quality enhancement in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) as a treatment for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).

Design/methodology/approach

First, the disruptions in the CABG process are identified and prioritized following FMEA instructions, using two MCDM techniques, called analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and TOPSIS. Consequently, several corrective activities are identified and weighted on the basis of QFD. Finally, a mathematical model is established to determine the most cost-effective activities for implementation. The approach is developed in a fuzzy environment to reflect the uncertainty and ambiguity of human reasoning.

Findings

Regarding the CABG process disruption, a total of 30 failure modes in four main categories were identified and prioritized. Moreover, eight corrective activities were devised and ranked according to their impact on the failure modes. Finally, considering a limited amount of budget, a sensitivity analysis on the mathematical model’s objective function indicated that using 30 percent of the total budget, required to implement all corrective activities, was enough to cover more than 70 percent of the effects of corrective activities on the failure modes.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the quality risk assessment knowledge by introducing an integrated approach to evaluate and improve healthcare services quality. Also, the case study conducted on the CABG process has not been done by other related studies in the literature.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 37 no. 9/10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

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