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This study aims to develop an assessment scale for university service quality (university SQ) and examine University Service Quality assessment model (UNIQUAL) of higher education during the pandemic.

Two studies applied a mixed-method design to develop and validate the UNIQUAL scale. In-depth interviews and literature reviews were conducted to refine the initial dimensions and items of UNIQUAL in Study 1. Item analysis, EFA and CFA were then conducted to purify item refinement, scale refinement, purification and validation in Study 2. Finally, a confirmed UNIQUAL model was analyzed via partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using Smart-PLS 4.0.

The research confirms the four-factor structure of UNIQUAL, with a total of 16 items, to be a valid and reliable scale for the assessment of the service quality (SQ) of universities. Having adopted the bias-corrected and accelerated (BCa) bootstrap approach to study 5,000 subsamples from 27 countries, the authors found “responsiveness” and “empathy” to be significantly associated and have positive relationships with students' satisfaction with university SQ. Furthermore, university SQ and satisfaction were mediated by “health and safety” concerns.

The newly developed UNIQUAL scale would be of value to educators and authorities of higher education to assess the SQ of their universities to enhance the effectiveness of student learning. The improvement in satisfaction with higher education's SQ ultimately helps in retaining both international and local students amidst concerns about traveling and studying during the pandemic.

COVID-19 has affected the private and public sectors worldwide. Millions of students have been affected by schools being shut down and substituted with distance-learning programs. Thus, the assessment of the quality of university services has become an important support mechanism for retaining the sustainability of higher education.

The UNIQUAL scale provides a conceptual model and validates an assessment tool. The research hypotheses confirm the relationship between university SQ and satisfaction from the perspective of international students.

The purpose of this paper is to characterize pressure non‐uniformity in a wafer‐to‐wafer bond chamber using pressure sensitive paper.

Pressure non‐uniformity in a wafer‐to‐wafer bond chamber is characterized using pressure sensitive paper. The effect of poor pressure uniformity is discussed, and the non‐uniformity corrected for use in a eutectic Au/Sn based wafer‐to‐wafer bond.

Several types of under solder metallization were also investigated, with Nb/Au seed metal providing the best overall result with good solder compression, liquid proof seal and minimal solder spill‐out. Solder compression versus pressure applied was studied to achieve an excellent gap control (2‐3 μm) between the bonded substrates.

This paper shows that characterization of applied pressure measured directly at the substrate is an important aspect in the development of high yielding bond processes.

The purpose of this paper is to study of services of front desk staff using SERVQUAL aims to measure the perception and expectations of the library users. The librarians, keeping in view the expectations will get an idea that how much the services should be improved while the users will have an idea that what they want, and what are they provided with. In additions, the difference between the perception and expectations of the male library users and female library users is explored to give an idea to the librarians that what dimension of the services they need to explore.

Quantitative research method was used to conduct this study. The SERVQUAL instrument was used to measure the levels of perception and expectation through a structured questionnaire at the five points Likert scale. The tool was used with the permission of the author Berry et al. (1985). All the libraries of affiliated medical college with the University of Health Sciences were the population for this study. Through random sampling technique, 20 questionnaires per medical colleges were filled by the students of medical colleges. In total, 202 questionnaires returned and were analyzed after data entry in Statistical Package for Social Science version 19.

Mean of the total respondents indicate that the improvement in all the five dimensions of the service quality is required as the expectations found to be higher in all the five dimensions as compared to the perceptions. Perceived values are higher among female library users, so the library front desk staff requires increasing the perceived values of male users through improving their services to male library users. While comparing the expectations between male and female users, the results indicate that male library users want more responsiveness and reliability from the staff.

This study measures the perceptions and expectations of the student library users of the medical college affiliated with University of Health Sciences, Lahore. Only main libraries excluding the small departmental libraries are included in this study. This study can be generalized in other private medical colleges as well as other researchers can study further in their own environment.

The results indicate that the expectations are higher. Keeping in view, the librarians will work to meet the expectations of the users. The expectation of the female users are higher in tangibility and empathy dimensions, while the male users expect more in reliability, responsiveness and assurance dimensions. In short, all the results showed that the expectations were higher than the perceptions. Keeping this study in view, the librarians can improve their weak areas of front desk staff services to meet the expectations of the users.

It is the first study of its type to measure the service quality of front desk staff. The service quality of front desk staff is never been measured in medical colleges using SERVQUAL in Lahore. The results of this study provide the guidelines to satisfy library users. The difference between the perception and expectations provides librarians and library managers with a road map to develop the service quality of front desk staff to meet the expectation level of the user’s for their satisfaction. This study can be generalized to the medical colleges other than Lahore.

This paper aims to investigate international students’ perception and satisfaction towards Turkish universities’ service quality.

This paper used modified version of SERVQUAL questionnaire for education purpose to collect data. Data were collected from 168 international students studying in public and private universities in Turkey.

Based on findings of this study, there is negative gap between perception and expectation for all 35 items in questionnaire among international students.

This study adds on educational service quality literature in developing country, specifically in Turkey. Additionally, decision-makers, institutions, etc. can use findings of this study to overcome the dissatisfactions and difficulties faced by international students in Turkey.

This study fulfills identified need to study international students’ perception and satisfaction towards Turkish universities.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the service quality of wireless telecommunication services in the UAE.

This study uses the five dimensions of SERVQUAL instrumentation (reliability, assurance, tangibility, empathy and responsiveness) that are believed to represent service quality to approach a result of service quality level through comparing customers’ expectations to their perceptions. A SERVQUAL survey was constructed and distributed among a total number of 100 Etisalat users from four different age groups.

The results showed a significant difference between users’ expectations and the current level of quality of services in tangibility dimension of quality. The other variables were ranked in this order, assurance, reliability, responsiveness and empathy in service quality.

The research findings encompass individuals from society only and may not be practical to generalize the findings to business organizations or industries as they have special offers and packages designed for their nature of the study.

This research is intensely valuable for Etisalat telecommunication company as it reflects and rates their service provided to the individuals of the society (citizens and residents) from five different critical dimensions. Consequently, it offers the firm the chance to improve the negative gaps in their services. Thus, higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.

This study demonstrated that a multi-cultural society could influence customers’ expectations and perceptions of service quality. The study results showed opposing expectations and perceptions to the same dimension from people of the same age group. The highest gaps were found to be in the tangibility and assurance dimensions whilst the lowest gap was found in the empathy dimension.

This paper aims to investigate the microstructure, hardness and tribological properties of hypoeutectic (Al-7Si) matrix reinforced with fixed quantities of 3 Wt.% graphite (Gr) and x Wt.% SiCp (x = 3, 6 and 9) hybrid composites.

The composites were fabricated by stir cast technique. The microstructure, hardness and tribological measurements were carried out on the base alloy and composites. The tribological investigation was carried out on pin-on-disc wear testing machine under dry sliding condition.

The wear rate decreases with the increase of SiCp into A356-3Gr composites. The composite containing A356-9SiCp-3Gr had better hardness and good wear resistance compared to the base alloy. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electro dispersive spectrometry (EDS) images were used to study the reinforcement distribution and worn-out surface of the specimens.

The present paper brings out a clear picture of the various events that take place under the worn-out surfaces leading to the generation of mechanical mixed layer.

There has been immense pressure exerted by healthcare service consumers and other stakeholders for trusts to purchase, manage and deliver care service at the optimum cost. Many are searching for sustainable strategic options which would proactively redesign, revitalise and manage the effectiveness of their clinical and non‐clinical services. This study evaluates how a facilities management partnering arrangement in the National Healthcare Services (NHS) trust could lead to cost savings and improved customer focused service provision in NHS trust hospitals. It investigates how a modern day approach of managing non‐core related services under one umbrella, facilities management, has brought about innovation, competitiveness, and entrepreneurial skills to reduce some of the escalating costs in the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary. Concludes that facilities management partnering arrangements can secure added value to the healthcare sector and therefore enhance service quality and improve the corporate image.

This research aims to describe the influence of weight per cent of graphite (Gr), applied load and sliding speed on the wear behavior of aluminum (Al) alloy A356 reinforced with silicon carbide (SiC) (10 Wt.%) and Gr (1 Wt.% and 5 Wt.%) particles. The objective is to analyze the effect of the aforementioned parameters on a specific wear rate.

These hybrid composites are obtained by means of the compo-casting process. Tribological analyses were conducted on block-on-disc tribometer at three different loads (10, 20 and 30 N) and three different sliding speeds (0.25, 0.5 and 1 m/s), at the sliding distance of 900 m, in dry sliding wear conditions. Optimization of the tribological behavior was conducted via the Taguchi method, and ANOVA was used for the analysis of the specific wear rate. Confirmation tests are used to foresee and check the experimental results. Examined samples were analyzed via a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Regression models for predicting specific wear rate were developed with Taguchi and ANN (artificial neural network) methods.

The biggest impact on value of specific wear rate has the load (43.006%), while the impact of Wt.% Gr (31.514%) was less. After comparison of the results, i.e. regression models, for predicting the specific wear rate, it was observed that ANN was more efficient than the Taguchi method. The specific wear rate of Al alloy A356 with SiC (10 Wt.%) and Gr (1 Wt.% and 5 Wt.%) decreases with a decrease in the load and weight per cent of Gr-reinforcing material, as well as with a decrease in sliding speed.

The results obtained in this paper using the Taguchi method and the ANN method are useful for improving and further investigating the wear behavior of the SiC- and Gr-reinforced Al alloy A356.

Facilities management (FM) as a strategic management tool has been an attractive research topic among scholars and practitioners alike for decades. The primary purpose of this paper is threefold: to assess the extent of use of FM roles (strategic, tactical and operational); to examine user satisfaction of service quality performance; and to analyse the influence of FM roles on service quality performance using data from Nigeria’s banking sector.

Relying on exploratory cross-sectional survey, 350 copies of a structured questionnaire were purposively distributed to senior management staff, bank staff, FM supervisors and bank customers in Lagos, Nigeria. One hundred and forty valid responses were returned to give a response rate of 40%. Data collected were analysed using descriptive, Spearman rank correlation and Kruskal–Wallis tests.

It was discovered that strategic facilities planning, IT planning strategy and real estate decisions are the most important FM roles at the strategic level; resource management, data control and planning change at the tactical level; and implementations, building operations and emergencies at the operation level. Findings equally revealed that visual appealing of materials associated with services (tangibles), insisting on error-free records (reliability), willing to help (responsiveness), having the knowledge to answer questions (assurance) and giving individualised attention (empathy) were the most important service quality performance indicators. Furthermore, the study revealed that strategic FM roles significantly influenced tangibles, reliability and responsiveness of staff and the services. Besides, tactical FM roles significantly influenced all service quality indicators except assurance, while operational FM roles had significant influence on tangibles, responsiveness and empathy.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study has provided first ever insight into the extent of FM strategic roles in the banking sector and influence of FM roles on service quality performance.

This study seeks to extend knowledge of care pathways through describing the conception and development of them within a children’s hospital. The care pathway was conceived by the nurse manager as a tool to improve care to children with minor injuries, and to their families. More specifically, it was developed as a tool to multi‐skill experienced nurses in a children’s emergency department to assess and treat children with minor injuries. It is argued that the conception of care pathways aligned with the purposes of the manager, and integrated rather than reflected national NHS policies. Prospective managers are not confined to developing care pathways as prescribed; the care pathway tool may be used for varying management initiatives.