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Article
Publication date: 1 June 2006

Lawrence O. Hamer

The paper seeks to provide a theoretical and empirical investigation of the relationship between consumer expectations and consumer perceptions of service quality.

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Abstract

Purpose

The paper seeks to provide a theoretical and empirical investigation of the relationship between consumer expectations and consumer perceptions of service quality.

Design/methodology/approach

The theory of cognitive reference points, adaptation‐level theory, and assimilation‐contrast theory are used to formulate hypotheses concerning the relationships between perceived service quality, consumer expectations, and perceptions. These hypotheses were empirically investigated through an experiment that manipulated expectations and perceptions while measuring perceived service quality.

Findings

The principal finding is that consumer expectations are positive predictors of perceived service quality (i.e. higher expectations lead to higher perceptions of quality). Another finding is that the relationship between expectations and perceived service quality is much stronger than prior literature suggests.

Practical implications

The practical implication of this study is that practitioners should seek to actively manage their customers' expectations to increase those expectations.

Originality/value

This paper is valuable to practitioners who are seeking to use expectations to achieve higher perceptions of quality among their customers. It is also valuable to researchers who are seeking to understand the relationship between expectations and quality perceptions.

Details

Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 20 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0887-6045

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 April 2016

Jun Ye and Jesse King

Although many service organizations have adopted a productivity orientation to respond to increasing market challenges, the unanticipated downside effect of such an orientation is…

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Abstract

Purpose

Although many service organizations have adopted a productivity orientation to respond to increasing market challenges, the unanticipated downside effect of such an orientation is not well understood. For managers, it is interesting to know if this strategic initiative is working and how to implement it more successfully.

Design/methodology/approach

The theoretical model used in this paper is tested with a survey of 879 frontline employees from five different health-care organizations.

Findings

The authors find evidence of a trade-off when a productivity orientation is adopted. A productivity orientation improves frontline service employee productivity performance but indirectly harms quality performance and job satisfaction. The authors find further evidence that trust in management helps to mitigate these negative effects.

Research Limitations/implications

This paper suggests that a productivity orientation must be managed carefully. Efficiency improvements may be overshadowed by reduced quality and job satisfaction. Limitations arise from the self-reported survey data.

Practical Implications

The results suggest that employees who trust their managers are better able to cope with the stressors arising from increased productivity demands.

Originality/value

To the authors’ best knowledge, no research has systematically examined the process and potential hazards of implementing a productivity orientation from a frontline employee perspective. The current paper reveals the mechanisms by which a productivity orientation influences frontline employees’ change perceptions and performance and shows that employee trust in management may buffer the downside effects of a productivity orientation.

Details

Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 30 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0887-6045

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 September 2017

Sheila Roy and Indrajit Mukherjee

The purpose of this paper is to develop a tool, “The Excellence Grid,” to categorize attributes on the basis of their ability to impact customer perception of “excellence” in…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a tool, “The Excellence Grid,” to categorize attributes on the basis of their ability to impact customer perception of “excellence” in service compared to perception of “good” service. In addition, provide a three dimensional (3D) model for excellence-performance analysis, which can aid managers in formalizing the strategies for building perceptions of excellence about the service.

Design/methodology/approach

The positive zone of performance is analyzed through a two-function modeling technique of ordinal logistic regression (OLR) with the non-proportional odds to categorize attributes on grid. Tool is applied to two case studies to validate and establish the asymmetric impact of attributes on perceptions of “good service” and “excellent service.”

Findings

Similar to the Kano model for impact of attributes on positive and negative performances, findings from cases confirm the asymmetric impact of attributes on the positive zone of performance and establish “Excellence Grid” as a means to categorize attributes as drivers of excellence.

Practical implications

The “Excellence Grid” tool is expected to empower managers to focus on strategies directed toward the goal of “service excellence” and recommends that managers should not only strive for process improvement, but also sharpen the external communication of service excellence.

Originality/value

The “Excellence Grid” and the “3D Excellence-Performance model,” proposed in this research, are expected to enrich the body of knowledge on operational tools to achieve service excellence. Using parameter estimates of the two-function model of OLR for service quality has not yet been reported in open literature.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 34 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 May 2009

William Nance and Darin White

The purpose of this study is to examine how service performance and procedural justice are related and how this relationship is moderated by family life cycle (FLC) and culture…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine how service performance and procedural justice are related and how this relationship is moderated by family life cycle (FLC) and culture. While it has long been assumed that customer perceptions of fair treatment by service providers are related to service quality perceptions, there has been little research that explicitly examines this relationship. Previous research has established that justice is an influential antecedent of behavior and attitudes in many different settings.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a 42‐item survey instrument combining the SERVPERF scale, a procedural justice scale and several demographic measures, responses were obtained from 717 individuals from Central and Eastern Europe and the USA. A 2×2 factorial design was used to evaluate the relationship between service performance and justice perceptions, and the moderating impacts of FLC position and culture on these perceptions.

Findings

Strong evidence was found to support the notion that fair treatment of customers affects service performance perceptions across both FLC position and culture.

Research limitations/implications

Only one service industry (higher education) was used. This study should be replicated in other industry settings to provide validation across industries.

Originality/value

From both empirical and theoretical standpoints, this study bridges the gap between two separate but related literature streams of service performance and procedural justice.

Details

Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 23 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0887-6045

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 February 2015

Bekir Bora Dedeoğlu and Halil Demirer

Studies in the service quality evaluation literature have generally attempted to determine the service quality perception level of customers by mainly focusing on customers’…

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Abstract

Purpose

Studies in the service quality evaluation literature have generally attempted to determine the service quality perception level of customers by mainly focusing on customers’ quality evaluations. However, the nature and characteristics of differences in service quality perceptions among customers, managers and employees are not sufficiently researched. In this study, the differences in service quality perceptions among the aforementioned stakeholders are examined.

Design/methodology/approach

Multivariate analysis of variance was used to test the significant differences between stakeholder’s perceptions of service quality, using a sample of 845 hotel stakeholders (customers, employees and managers).

Findings

The findings showed that employees perceived service performance to be at a high level, while customers perceived it to be at a low level. According to the post-hoc test, even though managers’ perception of service quality performance was lower than that of employees, no significant difference was found between them. In addition, it was determined by second-order confirmatory factor analysis that the lowest explanation ratio was the tangible dimension in SERVQUAL.

Originality/value

One major shortcoming in the concept of service quality is that stakeholders perceive service quality differently. In particular, a hotel business that lacks service quality may face issues such as negative customer satisfaction, lack of customer loyalty and lower competitive advantage. However, while most of the studies on the hotel sector in the literature focus mainly on the evaluation of customers for service quality, other stakeholders’ (employees’ and managers’) perceptions have been ignored. Therefore, the current study’s contribution to the literature explores the differences in stakeholders’ perceptions of the hotel industry.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 27 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 December 2021

Qin Chen, Jiahua Jin and Xiangbin Yan

Although online health communities (OHCs) and online patient reviews can help to eliminate health information asymmetry and improve patients' health management, how patients write…

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Abstract

Purpose

Although online health communities (OHCs) and online patient reviews can help to eliminate health information asymmetry and improve patients' health management, how patients write online reviews within OHCs is poorly understood. Thus, it is very necessary to determine the factors influencing patients' online review behavior in OHCs, including the emotional response and reviewing effort.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on expectation-disconfirmation theory, this study proposes a theoretical model to analyze the effects of service quality perception (i.e. outcome quality and process quality perceptions) and disconfirmation (i.e. outcome quality and process quality disconfirmations) on patients' emotional response and reviewing effort. The authors test the research model by using empirical data collected from a popular Chinese OHC and applying ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and zero-truncated negative binomial (ZTNB) regression models.

Findings

Both service quality perception and disconfirmation have a positive effect on patients' positive emotional intensity in textual reviews, and disease severity enhances these relationships of process quality. Moreover, there is an asymmetric U-shaped relationship among service quality perception, disconfirmation and reviewing effort. Patients who perceive low service quality have higher reviewing effort, while service quality disconfirmation has the opposite relationship. Specifically, patients' effort in writing textual reviews is lowest when perceived outcome quality is 3.5 (on a five-point scale), perceived process quality is 4 or outcome quality and process quality disconfirmations are −1.

Originality/value

This study is the first to examine patients' online review behavior and its motivations and contributes to the literature on online reviews and service quality. In addition, the findings of this study have important management implications for service providers and OHC managers.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 35 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 March 2015

Johan Bruwer and Kathleen Kelley

The purpose of this paper is to examine the links between perceived festival service performance quality, satisfaction, buying wine at the event, and the first-time/repeat tourist…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the links between perceived festival service performance quality, satisfaction, buying wine at the event, and the first-time/repeat tourist dynamic.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was conducted on 368 attendees at a major wine festival in the northeast USA using intercept face-to-face interviews.

Findings

The facility-related quality aspects are a stronger predictor of buying behaviour than activity-related aspects and amenities. A relationship between performance quality perception and satisfaction could not be found. 35-year and older repeat visitors are the highest yielding festival visitor group from a financial viewpoint. First-timers are far more short-term oriented than repeat visitors when making the final decision to attend the festival event.

Research limitations/implications

It is very important to achieve a high degree of repeat festival attendance as this directly influenced the financial gains in selling more wine. The nature and types of activities offered at a festival must be cohesive with the theme of the event. The festival activities offered should be continually evaluated for signs of wear out, and renewed, or replaced if necessary.

Originality/value

The research provides a new perspective to festivalscape knowledge in that it identifies the first-time and repeat visitor dynamic as a strong predictor of actual buying behaviour at a festival. The higher the proportion of repeat visitors, the higher the likelihood of (wine) buying.

Details

International Journal of Event and Festival Management, vol. 6 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1758-2954

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 November 2000

Juan Carlos Bou Llusar and César Camisón Zornoza

This paper verifies the adequacy of perceived quality measurement instruments by comparing the SERVPERF and EP methods. After a discussion of the differences between the two…

2861

Abstract

This paper verifies the adequacy of perceived quality measurement instruments by comparing the SERVPERF and EP methods. After a discussion of the differences between the two methods, a quality perception measurement instrument for the company is developed and applied to a sample of ceramic company clients. The methods are compared by analyzing the multitrait‐multimethod matrix using the structural equation model methodology. Results indicate that SERVPERF has greater reliability, greater convergent and discriminant validity, explains variance more completely, and consequently introduces less bias.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 17 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 April 2010

Lola C. Duque and John R. Weeks

The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to introduce a conceptual model for assessing undergraduate student learning outcomes and satisfaction that involves concepts drawn…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to introduce a conceptual model for assessing undergraduate student learning outcomes and satisfaction that involves concepts drawn from the services marketing and assessment literatures; second, to illustrate the utility of the model as implemented in an academic department (geography) within a large American university, and third, to demonstrate the applicability of the model by replicating the study at different scales: an entire undergraduate program (business administration) in a large Spanish university and another program (nursing) involving various universities of a Spanish region.

Design/methodology/approach

A multi‐method approach is used which comprises quadrant analysis, ANOVA tests and structural equation modeling techniques. A questionnaire was designed for data collection.

Findings

The main finding is the support found for the proposed model at different scales. Results of the multi‐method approach provide specific guidelines to departments using this approach to improve student learning outcomes and satisfaction.

Practical implications

The paper provides a conceptual model and supporting tools that can be used by other academic departments or higher education institutions to assist in the evaluation of how students perceive their learning outcomes and satisfaction with their undergraduate program.

Originality/value

The value of this multi‐method approach is that it is simple to implement, and at the same time provides a richness of information for diagnosis and decision‐making. The model was tested with data collected in different undergraduate programs and different countries, allowing the authors not only to find support for the model, but also to consider cultural differences among student perceptions.

Details

Quality Assurance in Education, vol. 18 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-4883

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 December 2020

Assadej Vanichchinchai

The objectives of this research are to investigate service quality expectation, perception and satisfaction in outpatient departments and to propose the priority nonconformity…

Abstract

Purpose

The objectives of this research are to investigate service quality expectation, perception and satisfaction in outpatient departments and to propose the priority nonconformity index (PNCI) to assess overall prioritization of efforts in relation to expectations.

Design/methodology/approach

SERVQUAL has five dimensions: tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. It was used to gather data from multiple-responding care providers in 220 Thai hospitals nationwide. Paired-samples t-test and importance-performance analysis (IPA) were used for analysis. The PNCI was initiated to evaluate the overall conformity between expectation and perception and to suggest strategies for improvement.

Findings

It was found that assurance is the most important and the best performed dimension with the least dissatisfaction. Tangibility is the least important and the least performed dimension with the most dissatisfaction. From gap analysis, there are significant negative gaps in overall service quality, all dimensions and all indicators. IPA found assurance and responsiveness as strengths, and this suggests transfer of excessive resources from empathy to enhance reliability. PNCI of Thai hospitals is 0.8 and this has suggested similar strategies to IPA.

Originality/value

Findings from this study can be employed to develop strategic policy to improve Thai hospitals as a whole. The newly developed PNCI can be used as an indicator to assess efficiency of resource allocation to fit better with customer requirements.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. 33 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2731

Keywords

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