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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
1

Revisiting the conceptualization and measurement of service quality

Yap, Zhi Wei (David) January 2009 (has links)
Since the 1980s, industries and researchers have sought to better understand the quality of services due to the rise in their importance (Brogowicz, Delene and Lyth 1990). More recent developments with online services, coupled with growing recognition of service quality (SQ) as a key contributor to national economies and as an increasingly important competitive differentiator, amplify the need to revisit our understanding of SQ and its measurement. Although ‘SQ’ can be broadly defined as “a global overarching judgment or attitude relating to the overall excellence or superiority of a service” (Parasuraman, Berry and Zeithaml 1988), the term has many interpretations. There has been considerable progress on how to measure SQ perceptions, but little consensus has been achieved on what should be measured. There is agreement that SQ is multi-dimensional, but little agreement as to the nature or content of these dimensions (Brady and Cronin 2001). For example, within the banking sector, there exist multiple SQ models, each consisting of varying dimensions. The existence of multiple conceptions and the lack of a unifying theory bring the credibility of existing conceptions into question, and beg the question of whether it is possible at some higher level to define SQ broadly such that it spans all service types and industries. This research aims to explore the viability of a universal conception of SQ, primarily through a careful re-visitation of the services and SQ literature. The study analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the highly regarded and widely used global SQ model (SERVQUAL) which reflects a single-level approach to SQ measurement. The SERVQUAL model states that customers evaluate SQ (of each service encounter) based on five dimensions namely reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy and responsibility. SERVQUAL, however, failed to address what needs to be reliable, assured, tangible, empathetic and responsible. This research also addresses a more recent global SQ model from Brady and Cronin (2001); the B&C (2001) model, that has potential to be the successor of SERVQUAL in that it encompasses other global SQ models and addresses the ‘what’ questions that SERVQUAL didn’t. The B&C (2001) model conceives SQ as being multidimensional and multi-level; this hierarchical approach to SQ measurement better reflecting human perceptions. In-line with the initial intention of SERVQUAL, which was developed to be generalizable across industries and service types, this research aims to develop a conceptual understanding of SQ, via literature and reflection, that encompasses the content/nature of factors related to SQ; and addresses the benefits and weaknesses of various SQ measurement approaches (i.e. disconfirmation versus perceptions-only). Such understanding of SQ seeks to transcend industries and service types with the intention of extending our knowledge of SQ and assisting practitioners in understanding and evaluating SQ. The candidate’s research has been conducted within, and seeks to contribute to, the ‘IS-Impact’ research track of the IT Professional Services (ITPS) Research Program at QUT. The vision of the track is “to develop the most widely employed model for benchmarking Information Systems in organizations for the joint benefit of research and practice.” The ‘IS-Impact’ research track has developed an Information Systems (IS) success measurement model, the IS-Impact Model (Gable, Sedera and Chan 2008), which seeks to fulfill the track’s vision. Results of this study will help future researchers in the ‘IS-Impact’ research track address questions such as: • Is SQ an antecedent or consequence of the IS-Impact model or both? • Has SQ already been addressed by existing measures of the IS-Impact model? • Is SQ a separate, new dimension of the IS-Impact model? • Is SQ an alternative conception of the IS? Results from the candidate’s research suggest that SQ dimensions can be classified at a higher level which is encompassed by the B&C (2001) model’s 3 primary dimensions (interaction, physical environment and outcome). The candidate also notes that it might be viable to re-word the ‘physical environment quality’ primary dimension to ‘environment quality’ so as to better encompass both physical and virtual scenarios (E.g: web sites). The candidate does not rule out the global feasibility of the B&C (2001) model’s nine sub-dimensions, however, acknowledges that more work has to be done to better define the sub-dimensions. The candidate observes that the ‘expertise’, ‘design’ and ‘valence’ sub-dimensions are supportive representations of the ‘interaction’, physical environment’ and ‘outcome’ primary dimensions respectively. The latter statement suggests that customers evaluate each primary dimension (or each higher level of SQ classification) namely ‘interaction’, physical environment’ and ‘outcome’ based on the ‘expertise’, ‘design’ and ‘valence’ sub-dimensions respectively. The ability to classify SQ dimensions at a higher level coupled with support for the measures that make up this higher level, leads the candidate to propose the B&C (2001) model as a unifying theory that acts as a starting point to measuring SQ and the SQ of IS. The candidate also notes, in parallel with the continuing validation and generalization of the IS-Impact model, that there is value in alternatively conceptualizing the IS as a ‘service’ and ultimately triangulating measures of IS SQ with the IS-Impact model. These further efforts are beyond the scope of the candidate’s study. Results from the candidate’s research also suggest that both the disconfirmation and perceptions-only approaches have their merits and the choice of approach would depend on the objective(s) of the study. Should the objective(s) be an overall evaluation of SQ, the perceptions-only approached is more appropriate as this approach is more straightforward and reduces administrative overheads in the process. However, should the objective(s) be to identify SQ gaps (shortfalls), the (measured) disconfirmation approach is more appropriate as this approach has the ability to identify areas that need improvement.
2

On the Quality and Online user¡¦s Satisfaction with Carnews .com.tw via the e-Service Quality Model

Lee, Yun-Hsuan 21 August 2007 (has links)
Enterprises have to think about how to let their customers trade on their websites to gain profits. Therefore¡A good electronic service quality is even more important to the customers now¡A this research is trying to explore the standard of electronic service quality . According to what Zeithaml et al. (2002) proposed as ¡§e-SQ model¡A¡¨ we set up the "e-SQ model¡¨ of the website of Carnews.com.tw¡A and bring up five dimensions as ¡§efficiency and reliability¡A¡¨ ¡§fulfillment and compensation¡A¡¨ ¡§contact and responsiveness ¡A¡¨ ¡§privacy¡A¡¨ and ¡§system availability¡A¡¨ to prove the proposition that ¡§Information Gap¡A¡¨ and ¡§Fulfillment Gap¡¨ do exist during the process of e-service quality delivery¡A especially among the manager¡A and the online-user. Through the method of interview and e-questionnaire¡A we confirm these propositions successfully. The Carnews.com.tw can enhance service quality by improving the listed five dimensions. This study proposes certain suggestions from the dimensions of ¡§efficiency and reliability¡A¡¨ ¡§fulfillment and compensation¡A¡¨ ¡§contact and responsiveness¡A¡¨ and ¡§privacy¡A¡¨ in order to bridge the gap between the manager and online-user. Moreover¡A this thesis hopes to benefit the exercise and service quality of Carnews website and online-user¡¦s satisfaction. The performance of service and customer satisfaction is not significantly affected by ¡§expectation of service¡A¡¨ however¡A online-user¡¦s perceived ¡§performance of service¡¨ and ¡§gap between expectation and performance¡¨ has significant impact on customer satisfaction. Furthermore¡A the performance of service has greater power to interpret the variation of customer satisfaction. Finally¡A we hope to provide suggestions to the enterprises in this field or the ones that want to participate in to upgrade their electronic service quality and gain profits. Besides¡A from the perspective of management¡A this research also hopes that through the questionnaire¡A managers of the E-commerce can understand more about the way of the customers use to evaluate electronic service.
3

A Study of Medical Service Quality - The Case of China Steel Coporation Employee Clinic

Chen, Chin-liao 30 May 2006 (has links)
The range of definitions involving ¡§service¡¨ is wide. For example, plumbers or lawyers offer technique or profession; consultants or teachers offer knowledge or information; meeting room or car rental agencies as well as people in movie industries offer facilities or space. Of course, a particular place like a hospital provides more than one service, including profession, skills, knowledge, space, etc. In Taiwan, the employment rate in service industry reached 50.2% in 2000. It was the first time the percentage exceeded the one in labor industry, and it is increasing gradually every year. The development of service industry is predicted to influence the economy in the future. The most important factor in service industry is the quality of service. Some even connect service quality with customer satisfaction as well as employees¡¦ rewards. Medical care is a kind of service, too. However, the complication and variation make it hard to measure the quality, especially when it is related to the quality of technique (result). The researchers have a lot of issues about the structures of service quality. In the earlier documents, people agreed with using SERVQUAL to measure the quality. However, European scholars have considered other aspects of service quality. They pointed out that there should be three aspects of service quality for customer satisfaction, including functional (procedure), technological (result), and impressional (image), etc. Although most of the scholars agreed that service quality has multi-structures, they don¡¦t have the same opinion about the essence and the content of it. In Taiwan, most of the people who study for the quality of medical service adopt the theory of P.Z.B. However, my report is trying to use Ward et al (2005) to study the chart of medical service quality. This is to test if the medical service quality of a particular clinic meets the expectation, then we can analysis the relationship of overall quality (patients¡¦ satisfaction) and service quality. Thus we can establish the pattern of prediction, and provide the particular clinic with the references to evaluate the medical service quality. China Steel established a particular clinic in order to respond to ¡§Employee Health Protection Regulation¡¨. The aim of having this clinic is to take care of the employees¡¦ health. The first priority is to provide the basic medical service for them. China Steel has about 8600 employees. The market has about 30 thousand people, including sub-manufacturers and families. Therefore, the clinic is designed to be much bigger than the average ones, and it has 24 staff. This clinic doesn¡¦t have to be responsible for whether it is making money or not. The results of service became the only standard to evaluate the operation. The development of pattern for measuring service quality is necessary for evaluating the results of it. In addition, it can be used to improve the service and promote the welfare of the employees¡¦ physical and mental health.
4

Truck Driver Determinants of Service Quality as Perceived by Commercial Cargo Recipients

Kennedy, Jeff William 25 May 2010 (has links)
Trucking firms play a fundamental role in connecting supply chain elements inmany U.S. market channels, and firms of all kinds depend on trucks to pick up and deliver goods. Even though many products move almost entirely by way of ship, train, or airplane, almost everything is carried by a truck at some point during the delivery process (Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, 2009). Because of this, it is critical that managersin trucking firms continually strive to meet and exceed customer and shipper customer service requirements and expectations (Meixell & Norbis, 2008). While a review of the literature shows that many researchers addressed numerous aspects of transportation performance quality, few of these investigations addressed therole and impact that truck drivers have on service-quality perceptions (Vansickle, 2002). The purpose of this research was to examine whether cargo handling by truck drivers had aneffect on a company's service quality perceptions as perceived by the recipients ofcommercial cargo. The SERVQUAL instrument was used to measure the gap between truck drivers' determinants of service quality as perceived by the recipient of the goods fromthese truck drivers.The findings from the study suggest that it becomes necessary for managers to train these truck drivers in more than merely following a route or delivering goods. They needreal marketing and
5

A Study of Electronic Service Quality on Fitness Firms: A Customer Perspective

Vivekanandan, Sivas 14 August 2015 (has links)
Electronic service quality (ESQ) and customer orientation (CO) have become key tools to succeed in the competitive marketplace. Thus, the purpose of this research was to study how CO as perceived by the customers impacts their perception about the firm’s ESQ and to study the impact of this perceived ESQ on the outcomes at the customer level. There has been minimal research conducted on the components of ESQ in the fitness industry. Therefore, this research was focused on fitness firms wherein the participants for this study were the everyday gym goers. A quantitative survey was conducted in order to collect the data, and regression analysis was used to test the validity of the proposed model. The findings showed that there is a positive relationship between perceived CO and perceived ESQ, and a positive relationship between perceived ESQ and customer level outcomes such as customer satisfaction, customer trust and word-of-mouth.
6

Service Quality in Higher Education : An empirical study at the Jönköping International Business School

Larsson, Johan January 1997 (has links)
No description available.
7

Service Quality of Thai Travel Agency, Thailand Resor AB, in Sweden

Lumyong, Rotjarek, Suksom, Suppalak January 2009 (has links)
<p>The customers perceived all 5 SERVQUAL dimensions; tangibles, reliability, assurance, responstiveness, and empathy, pertaining service quality performance at low level when compared with their expectation. Thailand Resor AB should fulfill these 5 gaps and pay attention at assurance dimension concerning conveying trust and confidence because of the highest gap. The dimension of tangibles (equipment, physical facilities, etc.), empathy (ability to see through the customer’s eyes), responstiveness (willingness to help and provide prompt service), and reliability (doing what company have promised) were adjusted consequencely. The respondents highlighted the following key quality factors of their expectations; be treated with respect, be listened to and be dedicated attention, more friendly staffs, get the accoracy information. Some respondent have fuzzy expectations that he company have to further discover the real expectations by providing gauidance to their staffs to encourage them to ask questions.</p>
8

Service Quality of Thai Travel Agency, Thailand Resor AB, in Sweden

Lumyong, Rotjarek, Suksom, Suppalak January 2009 (has links)
The customers perceived all 5 SERVQUAL dimensions; tangibles, reliability, assurance, responstiveness, and empathy, pertaining service quality performance at low level when compared with their expectation. Thailand Resor AB should fulfill these 5 gaps and pay attention at assurance dimension concerning conveying trust and confidence because of the highest gap. The dimension of tangibles (equipment, physical facilities, etc.), empathy (ability to see through the customer’s eyes), responstiveness (willingness to help and provide prompt service), and reliability (doing what company have promised) were adjusted consequencely. The respondents highlighted the following key quality factors of their expectations; be treated with respect, be listened to and be dedicated attention, more friendly staffs, get the accoracy information. Some respondent have fuzzy expectations that he company have to further discover the real expectations by providing gauidance to their staffs to encourage them to ask questions.
9

The Study of Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction for Power Industry- A case on the high voltage customer of Taiwan Power Company

Chang, Wen-chyi 25 May 2004 (has links)
Using SERVQUAL approach ,the research finds: 1.There is significant difference in satisfaction among them. The attribute of service person have higher customer satisifaction ,but the attribute of power quality and power reliability have the poor performance. 2.There are difference customer-satisfaction among different industries. Generally, tradition industries have higher customer satisfaction. 3.Person skill are the advantage of Taipower.Taipower must improve the power quality and power reliability immediately.
10

The Influence of Power Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction¡X An Empirical Study of Science Park Customers of Taipower Corporation

Sun, Chih-Min 11 June 2007 (has links)
Service quality plays an important role in business performance, low cost, customer satisfaction, customer royalty and making profit. Now, the free market of Independent Power Project has a significant impact on Taiwan Power Company (TPC), and TPC will have more competitions in the future. In order to retain the current customers, TPC should provide the service quality which meets the need of customer more, and raise the level of customer satisfaction thus. This research studies the correlation between the service quality of electricity industry and customer satisfaction. It is based on PZB model of service quality and customer satisfaction and the objects are the customers of TPC in Science Park. The mains conclusions are shown as the following: 1. For those customers in the Science Park, there is significant difference between the expected service quality and the perceived service quality in electricity industry. 2. There is no significant difference between the expected service quality from Science Park customers and the management perceptions of consumer expectations in electricity industry. 3. There are four dimensions are extracted to evaluate the service quality of electricity industry, including reliability, empathy responsiveness, convenience assurance, and tangibles. To evaluate the customer satisfaction, there are two dimensions extracted, including the staff service and total satisfaction and service value. 4. The convenience assurance and tangibles dimensions in perceived service have positive influence on customer satisfaction. 5. The convenience assurance dimension in expected service have positive influence on customer satisfaction. 6. The convenience assurance and tangibles dimensions in perceived service quality have positive influence on customer satisfaction. 7. This research compares two evaluating models of service quality, including the ¡§SERVQUAL¡¨ and ¡§SERVPERF¡¨. In the result of regression analysis, the ¡§SERVPERF¡¨ has higher interpretation ability in customer satisfaction (55.3%). 8. These statistic variable of customer population including ¡§Science Park site¡¨, ¡§contract capacity¡¨, ¡§use tally High tech industry SEMIF47 production machine¡¨, ¡§install prevents the voltage to plummet equipment¡¨, and ¡§install Uninterruptible Power Supply¡¨, have significant difference on customer satisfaction.

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