Assessing service quality in secondary schools: the case of Jordan

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 1207-1226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rateb Sweis ◽  
Hannah Diab ◽  
Firas Izzat Mahmoud Saleh ◽  
Taghrid Suifan ◽  
Samer Eid Dahiyat

Purpose – Since conducting the literature review revealed that assessing quality in secondary schools has been an unexplored territory, and where most educational service quality research studies have mainly focussed on assessing quality from a student’s perspective in higher education, comes into play with a two-fold objective: first, to identify the quality dimensions most vital to students in a developing country such as Jordan, and then to develop a framework consisting of these dimensions; and second, to investigate the extent of satisfaction of students enrolled into international qualifications in Jordan by measuring the gap between expectations and perceptions. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – A focus group meeting consisting of experts in the field of secondary school education, specifically in internationally recognized qualifications, was conducted. These expert’s objective input helped develop the framework for assessing quality in secondary schools. Findings – A framework was developed specifically to suit private secondary schools in Jordan with reference to the SERVQUAL model. The resulting questionnaire is intended to be distributed to over 200 students enrolled in an international qualification program among private schools in Jordan. Research limitations/implications – The framework could be considered as a form of reality check for schools supplying school administrations in Jordan with a suitable tool to measure whether they are exceeding their students’ expectations. This framework might not be applicable to public schools in Jordan, since it was customized to be applied in schools who have adopted international qualification(s). Originality/value – This study contributes to quality service research that addresses the context of high schools in a developing Middle-Eastern country.

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 152-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerson Tontini ◽  
Júlio Cesar da Silva ◽  
Eliane Fátima Strapazzon Beduschi ◽  
Elis Regina Mulinari Zanin ◽  
Margarete de Fátima Marcon

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the nonlinear impact of online retail stores’ quality dimensions on general customer satisfaction and loyalty. Design/methodology/approach – Using a quantitative approach, 429 online users answered a closed questionnaire regarding their present satisfaction with 26 service attributes, their general satisfaction and loyalty. Using factorial analysis with Varimax rotation, five service-quality dimensions are studied: service accessibility/speed, fault recovery, buying reliability, service and site flexibility and site interaction/feedback. Penalty and reward contrast analysis identifies the Kano model classification of the service-quality dimensions, and the nonlinear impact of these dimensions, and customer satisfaction, on customer loyalty. Findings – The results show that there is a nonlinearity between quality dimensions, customer satisfaction and loyalty. The dimension “service accessibility/speed” has a one-dimensional impact on customer satisfaction, but with higher reward impact than penalty impact. “Fault recovery” is a “must-be”, “buying reliability” and “service flexibility” are “attractive” and “site interaction/feedback” is one-dimensional. Besides, the dimension “service accessibility/speed” has also a direct impact on loyalty if achieving above-average performance, thus reinforcing general customer satisfaction. Originality/value – Few previous papers explore this nonlinearity in online retail services. So, future studies should lead to a theoretical and practical understanding of managing these services. Understanding this nonlinearity may help companies to better identify what improve or offer to customers.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 411-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rishi Kant ◽  
Deepak Jaiswal

Purpose In the present competitive scenario in the Indian banking industry, service quality has become one of the most important facets of interest to academic researchers. The purpose of this paper is to determine the dimensions of perceived service quality and investigate their impact on customer satisfaction in the Indian banking context, with special reference to selected public sector banks in India. Design/methodology/approach On the basis of the empirical study, the authors validate a measurement model using structural equation modeling for investigating the impact of perceived service quality dimensions on customer satisfaction. The study sample consists of 480 respondents in the National Capital Region (NCR) of India; the data were collected through a structured questionnaire utilizing a seven-point Likert scale while implementing a purposive sampling technique. Findings The perceived service quality dimensions identified were tangibility, reliability, assurance, responsiveness, empathy, and image. The empirical findings revealed that “responsiveness” was found to be the most significant predictor of customer satisfaction. On the other hand, “image” (corporate image) has a positive but the least significant relationship with customer satisfaction followed by all other constructs. The exception is “reliability,” which is insignificantly related to customer satisfaction in Indian public sector banks. Research limitations/implications The study cannot be generalized in the context of Indian banking sectors, as it only focused on the public sector. The findings of this study suggest that the six dimensions of perceived service quality model are a suitable instrument for evaluating bank service quality for public banks in India. Therefore, bank managers can use this model to assess the bank service quality in the context of Indian public sector banks. Originality/value There is dearth of research focusing on corporate image as a dimension of perceived service quality and its effect on customer satisfaction in the Indian banking context. Furthermore, similar studies were rarely found in the Indian context, especially within the public banking sector. Hence, this paper attempts to accomplish the research gap by empirically testing the satisfaction level of a large sample of the population in NCR toward six dimensions of perceived service quality rendered by selected public sector banks in India.


2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Elina Jaakkola ◽  
Harri Terho

PurposeThe quality of the customer journey has become a critical determinant of successful service delivery in contemporary business. Extant journey research focuses on the customer path to purchase, but pays less attention to the touchpoints related to service delivery and consumption that are key for understanding customer experiences in service-intensive contexts. The purpose of this study is to conceptualize service journey quality (SJQ), develop measures for the construct and study its key outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a discovery-oriented research approach to conceptualize SJQ by synthesizing theory and field-based insights from customer focus group discussions. Next, using consumer survey data (N = 278) from the financial services context, the authors develop measures for the SJQ. Finally, based on an additional survey dataset (N = 239), the authors test the nomological validity and predictive relevance of the SJQ.FindingsSJQ comprises of three dimensions: (1) journey seamlessness, (2) journey personalization and (3) journey coherence. This study demonstrates that SJQ is a critical driver of service quality and customer loyalty in contemporary business. This study finds that the loyalty link is partially mediated through service quality, indicating that SJQ explains loyalty above and beyond service quality.Research limitations/implicationsSince service quality only partially mediates the link between service journey quality and customer loyalty, future studies should examine alternative mediators, such as customer experience, for a more comprehensive understanding of the performance effects.Practical implicationsThe study offers concrete tools for service managers who wish to understand and develop the quality of service journeys.Originality/valueThis study advances the service journey concept, demonstrates that the quality of the service journey is a critical driver of customer performance and provides rigorous journey constructs for future service research.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Schill ◽  
Delphine Godefroit-Winkel

Purpose Drawing on the stimulus–organism–response (S-O-R) framework, this study presents an original model examining the influence of environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR), luxury and service quality dimensions on consumer emotions that in turn influence consumer attitudes towards the shopping mall. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling is applied to data from a sample of 706 French consumers to test the hypotheses. Findings The results highlight the importance of environmental CSR, luxury and service quality dimensions as stimuli influencing positively consumer emotions, which in turn positively influence consumer attitudes. Research limitations/implications This study extends prior work in the field of services marketing and the S-O-R framework while considering environmental CSR, luxury and service quality dimensions as relevant stimuli. It further contributes to the literature of the shopping mall while examining relevant and unexplored antecedents to consumer emotions. Practical implications This paper provides tailored recommendations for shopping mall managers. It details how managers can use environmental CSR and luxury dimensions besides service quality as relevant stimuli in their positioning strategies to enhance consumer emotions and attitudes. Originality/value This study provides novel insights into shopping mall dimensions, i.e. environmental CSR, luxury and service quality, influencing consumer responses.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 292-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kostantinos Alexandris ◽  
Nicholas Theodorakis ◽  
Kiki Kaplanidou ◽  
Dimitra Papadimitriou

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: to investigate if the three service quality dimensions (service environment, interaction and outcome quality), proposed by Brady and Cronin (2001), influence the development of event loyalty, among runners of the “‘Alexander the Great’ International Marathon”, and to test if running loyalty moderates the relationship between event quality and event loyalty. Design/methodology/approach In all, 368 runners participated in the study and filled the Sport Event Quality Questionnaire (Theodorakis et al., 2015) and an adjusted version of the Leisure Involvement Questionnaire (Kyle et al., 2010). Findings The results indicated that only the service environment and outcome dimensions contributed significantly to the prediction of event loyalty, while, and in contrast to other sport services, interaction quality was not shown to be an important determinant for the development of event loyalty. Furthermore, running involvement was shown to play a moderating role in the relationship between event quality and event loyalty. Service quality is more important for the development of event loyalty among low- than high-involved runners. The theoretical and applied implications of these results are discussed. Research limitations/implications The study provided results on how high- and low-involved runners perceive event quality, and for which of these groups the event quality is an important antecedent for the development of event loyalty. Practical implications Investigating the moderating role of involvement on the relationship between service quality and loyalty has also applied value. While committed runners have been traditionally seen as a key target group for event marketing professionals, the majority of runners in city marathons today are more leisure oriented. The increase in the number of leisure runners is actually the reason for the rapid growth of city marathons in the last few years. Meeting the needs of these leisure runners and increasing their loyalty levels is therefore a key task for marathon marketers today. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature, as for the first time it explores the moderating role of involvement on the relationship between service quality and loyalty in the context of a sport event.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yousef Mohamed Endara ◽  
Asbi B. Ali ◽  
Mohd Shukri Ab Yajid

PurposeConsidering the importance of current Libyan business environment, this paper aims to understand the influence of culture on perceived service quality that leads to customer satisfaction in the Libyan banking industry. In addition, it would be interesting to explore which type of banks, e.g. public or private banks, moderate the relationship between perceived service quality and customer satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from the customers who are receiving services from the top three private and top three public banks in the cities of Tripoli and Misurata, Libya. About 329 samples were obtained and Smart PLS was used for the statistical analysis.FindingsThe results show that perceived service quality is strongly predicted by collectivism, masculinity and uncertainty avoidance. Perceived service quality also leads to customer satisfaction among the Libyan banking customers. Further, public bank is more concerned on customer satisfaction compared to private banks.Practical implicationThe research has greater implication for the Middle-Eastern bank managers who are pursuing possibilities of newer business strategies.OriginalityThe study provides an interesting viewpoint of the banking service in Libya, especially in the economic uncertainty post-war and political instability. Its focus on culture as a strong influence to the delivery of service quality in such context is admirable especially in relation with the embedded Islamic culture.


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Sundbo

Purpose – This paper aims to analyse the movement in the focus on customers within service management and marketing theories and service research that has taken place during the past three decades. The paper addresses the question: How did we, in service research, change from emphasizing quality to emphasizing experience? Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyses developments in service and experience theories. Experience has come onto the theoretical agenda, both in its own right and as a concept within service marketing and management theory. Findings – Experience has increasingly been a concept that has replaced quality in service marketing theories. However, an independent experience economy paradigm has also emerged. Recently, the societal emphasis on productivity may lead back to functional quality re-emerges in theories; however, it will most likely be in a new version. Originality/value – This analysis is a profound theory-critical analysis of the actually very widely used concept experience in service theories. The analysis present an understanding of what experience means in these theories and how it relates to the quality concept. This is an original contribution to a deeper understanding of service marketing and service quality theories.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tejas R. Shah ◽  
Tejal T. Shah

Purpose The purpose of the study is to explore and analyze m-car rental service quality dimensions. Design/methodology/approach Exploratory factor analysis method is applied to explore the m-car rental service quality dimensions. Further, confirmatory factor analysis is done to prove the reliability and validity of the factors using AMOS 22.0. Findings The results reveal the m-car rental service quality dimensions: ambient quality, technical quality, comfort, safety and employee service, mobile convenience, mobile responsiveness, mobile efficiency and reliability and mobile safety and billing. Research limitations/implications The explored dimensions of car rental services are in Indian environment. So, these dimensions can be further validated in other similar cultural context. Practical implications The proposed measurements can also be applied to measure and compare the service quality performance of car rental firms. Originality/value Current literature does not confirm the stable factor structure of m-car rental service quality. This study confirms the reliable and valid dimensions of care rental service through mobile app.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruoqing Zhang ◽  
Minjoon Jun ◽  
Sergio Palacios

PurposeThe present study seeks to identify the salient mobile shopping (m-shopping) service quality dimensions as perceived by mobile shoppers (m-shoppers) and examines the linkages between the derived m-shopping service quality dimensions, customer trust and customer loyalty.Design/methodology/approachThe research instrument is developed based upon the mostly validated measures of prior studies. A pretest of the questionnaire is conducted to assess the content validity of the measurement scales. An online survey is used to collect the required data. We employ structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze data collected from 286 m-shoppers.FindingsWe identify five key m-shopping service quality dimensions: responsiveness, personalization, ease of use, aesthetics and perceived risk based on an extensive review of relevant literature. The SEM results show that all the five m-shopping service quality dimensions significantly impact, directly and/or indirectly, customer loyalty. Moreover, the results show that trust plays a partial mediating role in the effects of responsiveness and personalization on loyalty; a full mediating role in the effects of aesthetics and perceived risk on loyalty and no mediating role in the effect of ease of use on loyalty.Practical implicationsMobile retailers (m-retailers) can use the quality measurement tool developed in this study to detect service quality weaknesses and strengths. Based on their quality assessment, m-retailers can effectively allocate corporate resources to the important service quality attributes uncovered by this study, thereby improving their overall service quality performance and in turn expanding their loyal customer base.Originality/valuePrior studies have demonstrated that service quality and customer trust play a pivotal role in enhancing customer loyalty in both offline and online settings. Unfortunately, no research has empirically examined the relationships between service quality dimensions, trust and loyalty in the context of m-shopping. Therefore, a major contribution of this study is to address this research gap and add knowledge to the limited body of post-adoption m-shopping research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 402-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lamya Abbas Darwish Abdulla Lari ◽  
Shilpa Iyanna ◽  
Fauzia Jabeen

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify dimensions of theme park quality from an Islamic perspective and develop a framework to examine the interrelationships between theme park service quality dimensions, visitor delight and visitor loyalty in theme parks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a detailed literature review and analysis of visitors’ comments on TripAdvisor.com about their experience in theme parks in the UAE. Findings Theme park service quality can be assessed across 4 main dimensions (physical environment, interaction, consumables and access) and 13 sub-dimensions. A relationship is proposed between these dimensions and visitors’ delight, with visitor loyalty a consequence of visitor delight. Nationality is proposed to have a moderating effect on the delight–loyalty relationship. Originality/value This study attempts to propose a model for theme park service quality that reflects both traditional dimensions of service quality and dimensions related to Islamic attributes. It is one of very few attempts to investigate theme park visitors’ perception of service quality and its relation to delight and loyalty in the UAE. It is also, as far as the authors are aware, the first study to investigate the moderating effect of nationality on the delight–loyalty relationship.


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