The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of perceived service quality provided by banks on young adults’ perceptions of general societal and context-specific inequality, and negative emotions. Four laboratory experiments are designed and conducted to test these relationships. Results show increased context-specific inequality perceptions and negative affects on receiving lower quality service. Societal income inequality perceptions influenced preferences and recommendation likelihood for credit unions through attitudes towards them. A key role of knowledge about credit unions was found—whereby individuals with greater awareness provided more favorable evaluations for credit unions. Information received from friends was also trusted more than through ads. Theoretically, this research draws connections between literatures on service quality, social inequality, and information processing. Results found here have practical implications for both the functioning of banks as well as that of credit unions.

Many services fail. Failures are those encounters during which the user assesses the service as flawed (Maxham & Netemeyer, 2003; Palmer, Beggs, & Keown-McMullan, 2000), or improper (Maxham, 2001). An emergent service failure literature has determined that such failures play an important role in user perceptions and subsequent behaviours. The present study sought to discover the ways in which possible users responded to an ambiguous service failure. The purpose of the study was to twofold: (a) to understand the situational, emotional, and dispositional factors which influence users??? likelihood of complaining behaviours; (b) to develop connections between these factors and users??? preferences for service recovery. We were guided by several research questions including: RQ1: When the cause of the failure is ambiguous, to what/whom do users attribute blame? RQ2: How well do attribution of blame and perceived failure severity predict negative emotions? RQ3: What is the relative influence of each negative emotion in predicting the likelihood of each complaining behavior? RQ4: Does user disposition intervene in the relationship between emotion and complaining? RQ5: What is the role of appraisals and emotion in determining service recovery preferences? Borrowing from the service quality, consumer behaviour, health, and therapy literatures, we develop a conceptual framework for answering our questions. Consistent with recent research, we conceptualized that negative emotions following service failures were dependent on users??? appraisals of the situation. Specifically, we looked at the effects of failure severity and attribution of blame on anger, frustration, shame, guilt, regret, and dissatisfaction. We then conceptualized complaining behaviour as a coping mechanism for these negative emotions, and preferences for service recovery as manifestations of immediate desires users would have to address their emotions. To test our theory, an experiment with hypothetical scenarios and a survey instrument was developed. We manipulated two conditions (time lost and money lost) at different points in the survey while participants while self-selected into an attribution of blame condition (Self, provider, other). Undergraduate students at the University of Waterloo (n=288) served as the sample. The questionnaire assessed such variables as attitudes towards complaining, locus of control, tendency for avoidance, emotional response, complaining behaviours, and preferences for service recovery. Results from multivariate analyses confirmed that appraisals help predict negative emotions, and that negative emotions influence complaining behaviours. Results also demonstrated that appraisals and emotions do begin to explain variance in service recovery preferences. Contrary to the interactionist approach, results failed to support the notion that personal dispositions (such as attitudes and personality traits) moderate the relationship between situational factors and behaviour. Finally, conclusions for the study are made, and implications for future research and the design of service recovery strategies are discussed.

IS quality is an important concept. Basing their model on information communication theory, DeLone and McLean formulated Information Quality and System Quality as two quintessential elements in their 1992 IS Success Model. In recent years, DeLone and McLean (2003) added Service Quality to form a triumvirate of antecedents to success. Unfortunately, the addition of this construct has unintentionally uncovered an overall lack of coherence in the theoretical modeling of IS Success. Research to date on IS Service Quality has largely ignored the impacts of Information Quality and System Quality when service is delivered through an information system (IS). We believe deeper theoretical insights are needed to reconceptualize Service Quality and rationalize IS quality. After reviewing related literature, we apply marketing exchange theory as a reference framework to redefine service related terms and identify possible scenarios of delivering service through systems. Thereafter, we model IS quality in a new way, based on analysis of alternative scenarios. In validating our proposed model, we discuss our research methods and data analysis that will serve as empirical evidence. In particular, we focus on content validity, construct validity, nomological validity, and unidimensionality of the three IS quality dimensions: System Quality, Information Quality, and Service Quality. By furthering our understanding of IS quality, we hope to initiate coherent theory development; this exercise should then lead to a theory that integrates IS quality elements and helps organizations implement effective strategies for using IS to deliver service. Through the empirical validation of IS quality model, we contribute an empirical assessment of content, construct, and nomological validity of the IS quality constructs, as proposed by DeLone and McLean in their 2003 updated IS success model.

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The relationship between professional service providers and their clients is of great importance to many service industries including educational, financial, consulting and healthcare services. The aim of this research enquiry is to identify, generate and describe a theoretical explanation of how a client engages in and manages their relationship with their health professional over a period of time. Fifteen participants living with chronic medical conditions were interviewed over a period of four months with data collected via unstructured in-depth interview sessions, and analysed using thematic analysis. The analysis reveals three major themes, nature of relationship, degree of control and service satisfaction. Of central concern is the longevity of the relationship between the healthcare client and his/her service provider. If the service provider is willing to share their authority and relinquish some of the control to the client, the client feels empowered. The client is then willing to provide information and effort to co-create effective service episodes. This sharing of authority enables the client to have better control on their service consumption. The sharing of authority also has an impact on the client’s propensity to remain engaged with their service provider. The findings of this study have implications for our knowledge and understanding of professional service delivery and how it differs from the delivery of consumer services. The study clearly indicates a shift in the role of a client as an empowered entity who wants to be part of, not just the service consumption, but service production as well. The key lessons from this study may inform other types of services including financial, educational and consulting services.

The relationship between professional service providers and their clients is of great importance to many service industries including educational, financial, consulting and healthcare services. The aim of this research enquiry is to identify, generate and describe a theoretical explanation of how a client engages in and manages their relationship with their health professional over a period of time. Fifteen participants living with chronic medical conditions were interviewed over a period of four months with data collected via unstructured in-depth interview sessions, and analysed using thematic analysis. The analysis reveals three major themes, nature of relationship, degree of control and service satisfaction. Of central concern is the longevity of the relationship between the healthcare client and his/her service provider. If the service provider is willing to share their authority and relinquish some of the control to the client, the client feels empowered. The client is then willing to provide information and effort to co-create effective service episodes. This sharing of authority enables the client to have better control on their service consumption. The sharing of authority also has an impact on the client’s propensity to remain engaged with their service provider. The findings of this study have implications for our knowledge and understanding of professional service delivery and how it differs from the delivery of consumer services. The study clearly indicates a shift in the role of a client as an empowered entity who wants to be part of, not just the service consumption, but service production as well. The key lessons from this study may inform other types of services including financial, educational and consulting services.

The purpose of this study is to critically evaluate the performance of tour guides in Thailand and their impact on the tourist experience. The research objectives include a: review of the literature on service quality and tour guide performance; a survey of tourists’ expectations and satisfaction with tour guides in Thailand; a critical evaluation of tour operators’ and tourists’ perspectives on the variables that constitute a high standard of performance for tour guides; analysing how the performance of tour guides influences the experiences of foreign tourists; and understanding the attributes of tour guides that influence the satisfaction of foreign tourists. The sample in this research comprised 400 tourists in Thailand who were currently on or had previously been on a group package tour in Thailand within the past two years. The survey took place in 2014 between January 1 and July 31and was conducted in the cities of Bangkok and Chiang Mai. A convenience sampling technique was utilised, with respondents being requested to provide a range of demographic variables. Descriptive analyses of these variables were conducted to examine tourists’ demographic profiles in order to understand tourists’ characteristics and their behaviours. The results of the questionnaires were analysed using statistical methods including factor, regression and multivariate analyses. Based on the results, a tour guide service quality evaluating model (TGSQEM) was developed, composed of eight dimensions: reliability (informative); personal traits; empathy1 (service-oriented mind); assurance1 (knowledgeable); professionalism; attitude; assurance2 (able to generate an atmosphere of trust); and empathy. The results identified the various factors that affect tour guide performance whilst enhancing the understanding of the perceptions of tourists’ expectations of tour guide performance and associated service quality. Using quantifiable data, these were then calculated and plotted into a graph utilising the Important Performance Analysis (IPA) technique. This investigation of the variables that influence the service quality performance of tour guides in Thailand has subsequently been used to create a theoretical framework that can be utilized to enhance the service quality of tour guides and contribute to a more successful tourism industry in Thailand. The development of this model represents a furthering of the knowledge about the performance of tour guides and, whilst constituted in a specific cultural context, it is envisaged that it would have generic transferability to tour guiding elsewhere.

This article reports the results and managerial implications of a Turkish study which investigated relationships between service quality, background characteristics and, customer satisfaction and selected behavioral outcomes.

Sports organisations must continuously assess how better to meet or exceed consumer expectations and perceptions of their experience in order to maintain and increase the number of spectators and loyal fans attending their sporting events. This study aims to enhance our understanding of which characteristics of a service attribute will best define its quality and impact on spectator behaviour by understanding the causal relationship between perceived service quality (PSQ) and satisfaction.

Faculty of Engineering and Built Enviroment School of Mechanical,Industrial and Aeronamical Engineering 9901104p francisk@global.co.za / This research uses the SERVQUAL instrument developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry to evaluate the level of service quality perceived by customers at selected vehicle service dealerships in the country. In general, none of the dealerships’ performance meets or exceeds the customers’ expectation. The hypothesis of “customers view selected South African vehicle service dealerships as having equal levels of service quality” is not disproved. Findings of this research coincide with that of Cronin and Taylor; indicating that measuring perception scores has a higher internal consistency than measuring the difference between expectation and perception scores. In addition, respondents consider “reliability” as the most important aspect in service quality while dealerships perform the worst in this area. Finally, the discrepancy between customers’ expectations and managements’ perception on such expectations contribute partially to the overall service quality gap and further research should investigate the other gaps that broaden the overall service quality gap.