Nancy Bouranta, Leonidas Chitiris and John Paravantis
The purpose of this paper is to provide experimental evidence supporting the view that internal service quality has a direct effect on external service quality.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide experimental evidence supporting the view that internal service quality has a direct effect on external service quality.
Design/methodology/approach
The study focuses on the restaurant industry in Greece. Waiters are considered as internal customers and kitchen personnel as internal suppliers. Inferential analysis included factor analysis on individual waiter and customer data as well as canonical correlation analysis on a restaurant level.
Findings
Factor analysis of external service quality revealed six factors including product, organizational image, safety and choice, empathy, reliability as well as responsiveness. Internal service quality factors, additional to those found in external service quality research, included professionalism and internet. Canonical correlation revealed that the internal service quality dimensions of safety, reliability and internet exert a direct positive influence on the external service quality dimensions of organizational image, empathy and responsiveness.
Originality/value
The paper shows that service firms should focus on internal service quality in order to improve external service quality.
Details
Keywords
Gary M. Fleischman, Eric N. Johnson and Kenton B. Walker
Purpose: We examined whether the five-service quality dimensions described by SERVQUAL (SQ) and SERVPERF (SP) are consistent with perceived dimensions of management accounting…
Abstract
Purpose: We examined whether the five-service quality dimensions described by SERVQUAL (SQ) and SERVPERF (SP) are consistent with perceived dimensions of management accounting (MA) service quality and we compared responses from users and providers.
Design/methodology/approach: We surveyed experienced providers and users of MA services to learn their perceptions and expectations of accounting service quality using SQ/SP adapted to an MA context. We used principal components analysis (PCA) to investigate service quality dimensions.
Findings: Participant responses identified three dimensions of MA service quality. There was a high degree of correspondence in dimensions of service quality between users and providers, but with notable differences in service priorities. A performance-only (SP) approach seems to provide a better measure of overall service quality than performance minus expectations (SQ).
Research limitations/implications: Participants self-selected to participate. Respondents were not matched by organization. The SQ/SP instrument may not capture important organization specific attributes. Our approach may serve as a guide for future studies of accounting service quality.
Practical implications: SP may be more useful to managers who wish to evaluate overall service quality. SQ may be more useful to identify specific gaps between user perceptions and expectations. SQ/SP assessments may help to improve the quality of MA service delivery and provider-user communications.
Originality/value: This is the first empirical study to our knowledge that reports on MA service quality dimensions using both the SQ and SP instruments. This study investigated perceptions and expectations of MA service users and providers. Our sample is a cross-section of experienced professionals.
Details
Keywords
Sara M. Martins, Fernando A.F. Ferreira, João J. M. Ferreira and Carla S.E. Marques
The prosthodontics sector is facing major challenges because of scientific and technological advances that imply a clearer definition of lines of action and decision making…
Abstract
Purpose
The prosthodontics sector is facing major challenges because of scientific and technological advances that imply a clearer definition of lines of action and decision making processes. Measuring quality of service in this sector is a complex decision problem since the perceptions of three main players need to be considered: patients, dentists and dental technicians. This study sought to develop an artificial-intelligence-based (AI-based) method for assessing service quality in the dental prosthesis sector.
Design/methodology/approach
Using strategic options development and analysis (SODA), which is grounded on cognitive mapping, and the measuring attractiveness by a categorical based evaluation technique (MACBETH), a constructivist decision support system was designed to facilitate the assessment of service quality in the dental prosthesis sector. The system was tested, and the results were validated both by the members of an expert panel and by the vice-president of the Portuguese association of dental prosthesis technicians.
Findings
The methodological process developed in this study is extremely versatile and its practical application facilitated the development of an empirically robust evaluation model in this study context. Specifically, the profile analyses carried out in actual clinics allowed the cases in which improvements are needed to be identified.
Originality/value
Although already applied in the fields of AI and decision making, no prior work reporting the use of SODA and MACBETH for assessing service quality in the prosthodontics sector has been found.
Details
Keywords
Konstantinos Koronios, Antonios Travlos, John Douvis and Andreas Papadopoulos
The present study is an initial attempt to assess the impact of motivators and constraints on individual's intention for sport media consumption. The advancement of sport media…
Abstract
Purpose
The present study is an initial attempt to assess the impact of motivators and constraints on individual's intention for sport media consumption. The advancement of sport media consumption has been underlined by the academic literature during the past few years. In fact, one of the most conspicuous concerns that experts in the sport industry face nowadays is the fans' preference to stay home and watch sport events. The objective of this research is to determine the impact of motivations and constraints for individuals' sport media consumption intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative method was used for the purpose of this study, and a sum of 1,704 fulfilled questionnaires were obtained and analyzed by means of SPSS and AMOS
Findings
According to the results, internal and external motivators such as attachment to team, achievement, social, drama, role model and promotion observed to have a considerable impact on participants' consumption intention. Moreover, results pointed out a significant impact of structural and intrapersonal constraints on consumption intention.
Originality/value
The aim of the present research was to analyze the link between the constraints of spectator purposes and actual media consumption. In addition, there is an examination of generation-based factors among the spectators within the scope of possible contrasting aspects, a variable which has not been examined in any previous studies until now.
Details
Keywords
Carles Mulet-Forteza, Juanabel Genovart-Balaguer, José Maria Merigó and Emilio Mauleon-Mendez
The International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management is a leading international journal in the field of hospitality and tourism management. It was started in 1989, and…
Abstract
Purpose
The International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management is a leading international journal in the field of hospitality and tourism management. It was started in 1989, and it turns 30 years old this year. To celebrate this anniversary, this paper presents a bibliometric overview of the publication and citation structure of the journal over the past 30 years. The purpose of this paper is to identify the relevant issues in terms of keywords and topics and who is achieving better results in terms of authors, universities and countries.
Design/methodology/approach
The Scopus database is used to collect the bibliographical material. A graphical mapping of the bibliographic data is developed by using VOSviewer software. It produces graphical maps with several bibliometric techniques, including co-citation, bibliographic coupling and co-occurrence of keywords.
Findings
The results indicate that English-speaking countries are producing the highest number of articles in the journal, followed by Asian institutions, with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University as the most productive institution.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there are no papers that present a general overview of the publication and citation structure of this journal. Its 30th anniversary is a good moment to develop this study.
Details
Keywords
Qi Yan, Hanqin Zhang and Mimi Li
Programming of festivals is more and more becoming a source from which the competitive advantages of the festivals may originate. This study aims to conceptualize the…
Abstract
Purpose
Programming of festivals is more and more becoming a source from which the competitive advantages of the festivals may originate. This study aims to conceptualize the dimensionality of programming quality of festivals and empirically test it and its relationships with the satisfaction and behavioral intention levels of festival visitors.
Design/methodology/approach
Structured interviews were conducted with 350 visitors to a cultural festival. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized in the data analysis.
Findings
The programming quality of festivals was found to consist of six dimensions, namely diversity, stakeholder balance, incrementality, simultaneity, flexibility and linkage. Meanwhile, the positive effects of festival programming quality on the satisfaction and behavioral intention levels of festival visitors are confirmed.
Research limitations/implications
This study is limited for possible inexhaustiveness of the dimensions proposed and examined. Future research is needed to make the current measurement more rigorous, succinct and comprehensive.
Practical implications
This study can offer some valuable insights for festival planners and organizers to better design, operate and manage their festival to such an extent that the experiences of festival visitors are maximized, visitor satisfactions are enhanced, and re‐visits to future festivals facilitated.
Originality/value
This study makes its contribution to better understanding of festival programming quality, where artistic, emotional and technological aspects are integrated. This study aims to delineate the entirety of programming quality of festivals and its relationships to the satisfaction and behavioral intention levels of festival visitors.
Details
Keywords
Carmen Padin and Goran Svensson
The purpose of this paper is to describe a framework and illustration to assess and manage the perceived content and experiences in hospitality processes through the lens of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe a framework and illustration to assess and manage the perceived content and experiences in hospitality processes through the lens of teleological actions. Teleological actions are movements into the future that are believed to move either towards a predictable/known or unpredictable/unknown state or condition: transformative – ad hoc and present-based actions; formative – pre-determined and past-based actions; and rationalist – goal-directed and future-based actions.
Design/methodology/approach
A framework of teleological actions and its underlying logic illustrates how critical hospitality processes may be assessed and managed in both research and practice.
Findings
The lens of teleological actions offers a non-traditional and unusual, potentially unique, perspective on hospitality processes. It reveals additional insights to assess and manage critical incidents in hospitality processes between service providers and service receivers.
Research limitations/implications
Assessing and managing hospitality processes through the lens of teleological actions makes both a contribution to and provides opportunities for further research in the field of hospitality management.
Practical implications
It opens up the possibility of examining different hospitality processes based upon the lens of teleological actions. It provides interesting and valuable insights in relation to contemporary approaches to assess and manage critical incidents in the literature of hospitality processes.
Originality/value
It sheds a different and additional light upon current theory and practice in hospitality management. It explicitly addresses the meaning of time and how to relate to the content and experiences of previous, current and forthcoming hospitality processes.
Details
Keywords
Pavanpreet Kaur and Maninder Singh
In the era of Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0, the integration of digital technologies, automation and data-driven insights has generated a broad wave of transformation across all…
Abstract
Purpose
In the era of Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0, the integration of digital technologies, automation and data-driven insights has generated a broad wave of transformation across all industries, including the insurance sector. The study focuses on determining how the adoption of these technologies (InsurTech) is changing the life insurance industry, ultimately enhancing the level of customer satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
The data analysis has been performed with 304 useable responses from the policyholders of life insurance in the north-west region of India. The methodology adopted for this study is partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling (SEM). To investigate the predictive relevance of customer satisfaction, the PLS predict technique has been used. Also, importance performance map analysis (IPMA) has been applied to assess the important and performing dimensions of customer satisfaction.
Findings
The outcomes show that the adoption of InsurTech has a positive impact on customer satisfaction. Customer service management and policy management are among the strongest predictors of customer satisfaction, and the predictive relevance is reported to be moderate. IPMA results have suggested that improvements in online distribution of insurance services and customer service management lead to higher customer satisfaction.
Research limitations/implications
The conceptual model can be tested with the moderating effect of different demographic factors (age, gender etc.), and future research can be done to analyze the mediating role of customer satisfaction between InsurTech adoption and customer loyalty.
Practical implications
The study offers valuable contributions to the marketing literature, shedding light on the influence of InsurTech adoption on customer satisfaction within the Indian life insurance sector. The research offers a practical approach that could help marketing professionals and policymakers comprehend the utilization of online insurance services, and this understanding can help industry experts to develop customer-oriented products and services.
Originality/value
This research is the first of its kind to test the association between InsurTech adoption and customer satisfaction in the life insurance sector in the Indian context. Research also provides novel insights for policymakers to enhance the satisfaction of customers towards using online insurance services in the near future in developing countries like India.
Details
Keywords
Efstratios Loizou, Fotios Chatzitheodoridis, Anastasios Michailidis, Meropi Tsakiri and Giorgos Theodossiou
The purpose of this paper is to reveal the dynamics of the Greek energy sector. As energy sectors contribute substantially to a national economy and stimulate national output and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to reveal the dynamics of the Greek energy sector. As energy sectors contribute substantially to a national economy and stimulate national output and employment, it is important to identify their upward and downward linkages and interrelations with the other sectors of the economy.
Design/methodology/approach
To do this and capture such relations in the economy, a general equilibrium model is used. In specific, input–output (I–O) analysis is used and a model is specifically built for the Greek economy to examine in detail the energy sectors. Multiplier and linkage analysis is performed to assess their dynamics in terms of output, household income and employment.
Findings
Results indicate that the three energy sectors’ multipliers and elasticities, though are not ranking in the first places, are enough high indicating their strong linkages in the economy and their potentials to enhance the economy’s total output, employment and household income.
Research limitations/implications
Further disaggregation of the economy’s energy sectors is needed to make clearer the separation among renewable and non-renewable sector, to identify and compare the dynamics and contribution of each category in the economy. Additionally, an environmental I–O model would indicate consequences on the environment and not just pure economic benefits.
Practical implications
Through the analysis, it can be seen that energy sectors and secondary energy products have the ability to drive a country’s economic activity through exports and intersectoral linkages, even if it is not a crude petroleum producing economy. Thus, knowledge of the economic impacts of such sectors is a valuable information.
Originality/value
The current study provides significant information of an economy’s energy sectors regarding their ability to support economic activity and employment. A general equilibrium model is used, examining the whole economy, to assess direct and indirect interrelationships.