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Article
Publication date: 22 September 2017

Anand Kumar Jaiswal and Jos G.A.M. Lemmink

The purpose of this paper is to examine the superiority of comparative evaluation or relative attitudinal measurement approach in which the respondent evaluates one object with…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the superiority of comparative evaluation or relative attitudinal measurement approach in which the respondent evaluates one object with direct comparison with other objects. The study uses comparative and non-comparative approaches to examine the effects of service quality, value, and customer satisfaction on attitudinal loyalty in a service setting.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses the data collected from the survey of 300 customers of two large Indian banks.

Findings

The results provide partial support to the superiority of the comparative evaluation over non-comparative evaluation. Additionally, results indicate that service quality positively affects customer value, and both service quality and customer value have a direct positive effect on customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction drives attitudinal loyalty which in turn leads to customers’ willingness to pay more.

Research limitations/implications

In the study, two banks were used for comparative evaluation. Since consumers’ consideration set can consist of more than two alternatives, future studies can include more than two objects.

Practical implications

Non-comparative measurements do not always adequately explain customer loyalty and superior performance of firms. This could potentially lead to misinterpretations of effects of service quality improvement programs and thus sub-optimal management decisions. Managers should use comparative evaluation approach for measuring marketing variables wherever possible.

Originality/value

Although the use of comparative evaluation is suggested in the literature (Dick and Basu, 1994), extant research has not systematically examined its superiority over non-comparative evaluation. This study empirically tests the comparative evaluation approach against the non-comparative approach by examining a comprehensive model involving the interrelationships among service quality, value, customer satisfaction, and their impact on attitudinal loyalty and willingness to pay more.

Details

Marketing Intelligence & Planning, vol. 35 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-4503

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 April 2018

Hong Xu, Yuqing Liu and Xingyang Lyu

This study aims to examine how the degree of value co-creation affects Chinese customers’ evaluations of new tourism and hospitality services, and how the outcome quality

2268

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine how the degree of value co-creation affects Chinese customers’ evaluations of new tourism and hospitality services, and how the outcome quality moderates this relationship under different conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed hypotheses are tested using a self-reporting questionnaire-based survey and two experimental designs. Data analysis entailed hierarchical multiple regression analysis, a simple slope test and a two-way ANOVA.

Findings

Three component studies assessed boundary conditions for the positive effects of the degree of value co-creation on customers’ evaluations of new services. Studies 1 and 2 indicated that unequivocal high-quality outcomes amplified positive effects, which were reversed by unequivocal low-quality outcomes. Study 3 demonstrated that in Chinese contexts of ambiguous outcomes, the relationship between the degree of co-creation and new service evaluation was positively mediated by self-integration in private contexts and negatively mediated by loss of face in public contexts.

Practical implications

This study identifies critical factors influencing successful service innovation in China within different contexts. Its finding of context-dependent customer engagement in value co-creation has managerial implications for facilitating favorable new service evaluations.

Originality/value

This exploratory study addresses a research gap regarding service innovation, offering insights into positive and negative influences of customer value co-creation on new service evaluation, under different outcome quality conditions in the domestic Chinese hospitality and tourism sector.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 30 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2005

Pratibha A. Dabholkar and Jeffrey W. Overby

To examine precisely how service process and service outcome are related to service quality and customer satisfaction evaluations, and to look for consistent patterns in the…

9431

Abstract

Purpose

To examine precisely how service process and service outcome are related to service quality and customer satisfaction evaluations, and to look for consistent patterns in the relationships between these four concepts.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical framework is proposed to suggest links between the four concepts. The study is conducted in the real estate industry, and the focus is on home sellers' evaluations of the real estate agent's service. In‐depth interviews and a short survey are used to collect the data. A combination of content analysis and statistical tests is used to look for patterns in the data.

Findings

As proposed, process factors are closely linked with service quality, and outcome factors are closely linked with customer satisfaction. Also, as proposed, service quality evaluations precede customer satisfaction for normal service evaluations, but the opposite causal order is found for extreme service evaluations.

Research limitations/implications

The study is conducted in the USA and is based on a relatively small sample, but sufficient for qualitative (and simple statistical) analysis. The differential links proposed and found between the four concepts advance researchers' understanding of the basis for service evaluations.

Practical implications

Managers can focus more on either service process or service outcome based on their specific objectives and/or resource constraints in different situations.

Originality/value

It is the first study to propose and empirically support the idea that service process is closely linked with service quality evaluations, whereas service outcome is closely linked with customer satisfaction evaluations.

Details

International Journal of Service Industry Management, vol. 16 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0956-4233

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 August 2021

Chang Hwa Baek, Seong-Young Kim, Sung Uk Lim and Jie Xiong

This paper aims to develop a quality evaluation model for artificial intelligence (AI)-based products/services that is applicable to startups utilizing AI technology. Although…

1354

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to develop a quality evaluation model for artificial intelligence (AI)-based products/services that is applicable to startups utilizing AI technology. Although AI-based service has risen dramatically and replaced many service offerings, in reality, startups are rarely to develop and evaluate AI services. The features of AI service are fundamentally different from the properties of existing services and have a great influence on the customer's service selection.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reviews startups' development process, existing quality evaluation models and characteristics of services utilizing AI technology, and develops a quality evaluation model for AI-based services. A detailed analysis of a survey (application of the model) on customer satisfaction for AI speakers is provided.

Findings

This paper provides seven key features and 24 evaluation items for evaluating AI-based services.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the growing need for methodologies that reflect the new era of AI-based products/services in quality evaluation research.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 29 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 February 2016

Rodrigo Guesalaga, Meghan Pierce and Daiane Scaraboto

– The purpose of this paper is to explore cultural sources of variation on consumers’ expectations and evaluations of service quality within local emerging markets.

3003

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore cultural sources of variation on consumers’ expectations and evaluations of service quality within local emerging markets.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors employ a multi-method approach. The multi-method research design utilizes: first, netnography to examine foreign consumers’ blogs and online communities; second, interviews with local and foreign consumers to unveil critical incidents in service encounters; and third, an online survey of 139 foreign consumers living in Chile and 460 Chilean consumers to map differences in their expectations and evaluations of services.

Findings

A general analysis of local and foreign consumers living in an emerging market reveals that these two groups do not differ significantly in their expectations of service quality. The authors also find that differences in expectations and evaluations of service quality within a local emergent market are only partially explained by aggregating consumers according to their country or region of origin. Finally, the findings demonstrate that examining cultural differences at the individual level generates a better understanding of how cultural factors impact consumer expectations and evaluations of service quality within emerging markets.

Research limitations/implications

The research is limited to one emerging market (Chile) and focusses largely in one industry (banking). Further research should be conducted to examine the findings in other contexts, including developed markets, and to identify how other cultural differences (e.g. language mastery) within local markets may impact consumer expectations and evaluations of services.

Practical implications

Service companies operating in emerging markets should account for cultural differences when determining service standards and protocols. These differences may cut across the local-foreign divide and suggest that profiling foreign customers depending on their country of origin is not the most adequate approach for providing excellence in service and enjoying the benefits that follow.

Social implications

Foreign consumers living in a local market are frequently considered a homogeneous group distinct from local consumers, and are treated as such by public and private service providers. The study demonstrates that foreign consumers may be more or less similar to local consumers depending on their cultural values, and should not be considered as a uniform group.

Originality/value

The findings extend research on consumer expectations and evaluations of service quality to account for cultural diversity within local emerging markets. The authors demonstrate that a cluster-approach to examining consumer expectations and evaluations of service quality better accounts for variations due to cultural values within local markets.

Details

International Marketing Review, vol. 33 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-1335

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 September 2014

Shuiqing Yang, Yan Wang and June Wei

Attracted by tremendous market opportunities of mobile business, many web services providers have started to expand their web services from traditional PC-based environment into…

1449

Abstract

Purpose

Attracted by tremendous market opportunities of mobile business, many web services providers have started to expand their web services from traditional PC-based environment into the mobile-based environment. However, success in the web services cannot guarantee the success in the mobile services. The purpose of this paper is to identify factors that influence consumer evaluation and use of mobile shopping services in a web-mobile service extension context.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on categorization theory, this paper focusses on the role of integration and consistency between web and mobile services. A research model was created and empirically tested on data collected from 298 mobile shopping users in China.

Findings

The structural equation modeling analysis indicates that evaluation of source (web service quality) positively affect evaluation of target (perceived mobile service quality and flow in mobile services). The study also found that the relationships between source and target (perceived integration and perceived consistency) play an important role in determining evaluation of the target, which in turn shapes intention to use mobile services.

Research limitations/implications

The survey is based on mobile shopping consumers. Caution is required in any effort to generalize the findings to other research contexts. Factors influencing a consumer's extension or adoption decisions in regard to different mobile services may not be the same, or the degree of influence may differ. Continued studies can test and compare our findings in different mobile services contexts.

Practical implications

The results of the findings provide specific methods for managing the process of web-mobile service extension. The results also indicate the importance of perceived consistency in shaping consumers’ evaluation of the extended mobile services in practical environments.

Originality/value

The present study extends the categorization theory to a multi-channel context and examines mobile services adoption from a cross-environment perspective. It considers evaluation of source, evaluation of target, and the relationships between source and target, which enriches the innovation adoption literature by providing a holistic insight into the evaluation and use of mobile services.

Details

Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 114 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-5577

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 20 September 2014

Hui Zhang, Shu Cole, Xiucheng Fan and Myungja Cho

As the hospitality industry is shifting its focus from service to experience, customers are becoming co-creators of the perceived value of a hospitality service because…

Abstract

As the hospitality industry is shifting its focus from service to experience, customers are becoming co-creators of the perceived value of a hospitality service because experiences customers obtained when consuming a hospitality service involve the participation of the customers. Thus, more research is needed to examine the relationships among consumer’s personal factors and their evaluations of hospitality services. This study developed and tested hypotheses that examined the effects of customers’ intrinsic characteristics on their evaluations of a restaurant service. Data were collected from college students in the United States (n = 220) and China (n = 254) using a scenario approach. Findings reveal that customers’ gender, personality, and cultural background had significant effects on their evaluations of a restaurant service. Specifically, female customers rated the same service higher than male customers on the reliability dimension of service quality and overall service quality; customers with personalities of extroversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness rated the service higher than customers with neuroticism personality on the responsiveness dimension; and customers in individualistic cultures rated the service higher than those in collectivistic cultures on most of the service evaluation measures. Implications of the study’s findings are discussed.

Details

Advances in Hospitality and Leisure
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-174-9

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 December 2019

Jingyi Wang, Run Yuan and Hongwei Shi

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the service quality of university library more accurately and dynamically and improve the service efficiency of library. The paper…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the service quality of university library more accurately and dynamically and improve the service efficiency of library. The paper realizes quantified representation of library service quality and overcomes the shortcoming of the traditional library evaluation system, which does not consider reader’s identity and cannot be evaluated separately. In addition, according to the function configuration of each department of library, a relation between library evaluation parameter and its organization structure is built. According to the evaluation results and the chain of relations, some suggestions for improving library service can be put forward; thus, it can improve the quality of library service and management efficiency.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a four-dimensional (4-D) representation method is put forward to express four kinds of parameters, namely, the category of participants, the number of people evaluated, the rating level and the weight of parameters, which is expressed by chromaticity and a three-dimensional column coordinate space. Considering the existing evaluation methods such as LibQUAL+TM, the content of evaluation parameters, the grade of evaluation parameters and the weight of evaluation parameters are modified. Using the volume and the equivalent number of people under this evaluation system, the evaluation grade can be quantified and the total results can be evaluated quantitatively.

Findings

The evaluation model proposed in this paper is a 4-D system that is based on content parameters to evaluate the number of participants, score segments, evaluation content weights and reader information. It gives full consideration to the good advice of many scholars and combines the actual operation of domestic libraries. The situation effectively integrates successful experience abroad. Both the undergraduate and teacher sampling evaluation results and their analysis in this paper show the accuracy and credibility of the method.

Originality/value

Although the satisfaction index model has a good effect in foreign countries, taking into account that readers of university libraries in China are different from those in foreign countries in the evaluation methods of the tutorial, professional multi-level evaluation will produce greater errors in practical applications. The traditional four-level method based on Chinese education evaluation (excellent, good, pass and fail) has reached consensus among teachers and students in practical application, and it is easy to achieve consistency. Therefore, this paper also adopts four-level evaluation, that is, very satisfied, satisfied, generally satisfied and very dissatisfied. The embedded application will be able to perform dynamic evaluation and thus can be used in China. The evaluation of service quality in university libraries provides an effective new method.

Article
Publication date: 30 October 2009

Anne Smith and Nina Reynolds

The purpose of this paper is to examine alternative approaches to measuring service evaluation across cultures. This paper aims to assess: differences between cognitive and…

2782

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine alternative approaches to measuring service evaluation across cultures. This paper aims to assess: differences between cognitive and affective measures and their ability to predict behavioral intentions and the impact of service features on these measures.

Design/methodology/approach

A self‐completion survey of African (East/West), Chinese, and English higher education students includes service quality, satisfaction, affect (emotions/feelings), and behavioral intentions scales relating to retail banking.

Findings

For all groups, overall quality, satisfaction, and positive affect predict behavioral intentions. Negative affect is significant for English consumers. Differences across cultures are identified in the determinants of service evaluation, for example, assurance and responsiveness, but these are antecedents of affect and not of overall service quality or satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

The sample is drawn from cultural groups (based on Hofstede's individualism continuum) of higher education students in the UK. The implications for generalizability of findings to wider populations and the need to recognize the considerable diversity within the cultural sample groupings is emphasized.

Practical implications

Service providers should include measures of affect in surveys which aim to assess the role of service features in overall evaluation and behavioral intentions towards the service. This will provide valuable data for managerial decision making and resource allocation. Cultural comparisons derived from cognitive‐based Western measures may fail to identify elements of service quality which impact on behavioral intentions.

Originality/value

No other studies have directly compared a range of alternative service‐related measures as predictors of behavioral intentions across cultures, or included African consumers who are rarely represented in service evaluation studies.

Details

International Marketing Review, vol. 26 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-1335

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 October 2007

Philippe Aurier and Béatrice Siadou‐Martin

This paper aims to investigate the role of perceived justice in service consumption/purchase experiences.

3633

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the role of perceived justice in service consumption/purchase experiences.

Design/methodology/approach

In an initial study, using the critical incident method, the authors show that customers are strongly concerned by perceived injustice. Their judgments involve the three components of justice described in organizational and service marketing literature: distributive, procedural and interactional justice. They also identify a macro‐level justice factor which characterizes the perception of collective practices at the industry level. In an experiment applied to the dining experience, the authors manipulate distributive, procedural and interactional justice perception to study their impact on service evaluation (quality, value), satisfaction and relationship quality (trust, commitment).

Findings

Contrary to the satisfaction literature, the authors observe a slight direct effect of justice on satisfaction, but rather indirect impacts through perceived quality (outcome and interaction) and value. Moreover, perception of justice has substantial effects on trust (credibility and benevolence) but not on commitment.

Originality/value

The paper studies the impact of justice in the context of a customer experience evaluation (service delivery) which is not limited to service recovery. It examines the entire evaluation process, including service evaluation (quality, value), satisfaction and relationship quality (trust, commitment).

Details

International Journal of Service Industry Management, vol. 18 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0956-4233

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 127000