SERVICE QUALITY AND ITS CONCEPTUAL ADVANCEMENT: A HOLISTIC REVIEW
Keywords:
Services, Services Marketing, Service Quality, Servqual, Customer Satisfaction
Abstract
The entire gambit of business performance in the last decade-and-a-half has faced a paradigm shift, with quality consistently being considered as one of management’s top-most competitive priorities and a prerequisite for sustenance and growth. Quality is proposed as the most potent tool for enhanced business performance. In today’s world of fierce competition, rendering quality service is a key for subsistence and success in any organisation, more so in a service organisation in the airline sector. The cardinal accent of both academia and business focused essentially on ascertaining the customers’ perceptions of service quality and subsequently contriving strategies to meet and surmount customer expectancies. The study aims to contribute to the research on service quality via discussion of the principal literature relating to the evolution of service quality by analysing almost 35 years’ research on the subject. Major international academic databases have been consulted. The paper summarises some theoretical-conceptual and methodological-operational critical aspects identified by various scholars within the existing mass of knowledge of the theme of study. The study primarily intends to present a conceptual overview of service quality, its applicability, and benefits together with understanding the various facets of service components. The paper sums up by discussing the conclusions of this study along with scope for future research.
References
Anderson, W. T., Cox, E. P. & Fulcher, D. G. (1976). Bank selection decision and market segmentation: Determinant attribute analysis reveals convenience- and sevice-oriented bank customers. Journal of Marketing, 40(1), 40-45. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224297604000107
Babakus, E., & Mangold, W. G. (1991). Service quality: The front‐stage vs. the back‐stage perspective, Journal of Services Marketing, 5(4), 59-70. https://doi.org/10.1108/08876049110035675
Bahia, K., & Nantel, J. (2000). A reliable and valid measurement scale for the perceived service quality of banks. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 18(2), 84-91. https://doi.org/10.1108/02652320010322994
Beckett, A., Hewer, P., & Howcroft, B. (2000). An exposition of consumer behaviour in the financial services industry. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 18(1), 15-26. https://doi.org/10.1108/02652320010315325
Bitner, M. J. (1990, April). Evaluating service encounters: The effects of physical surroundings and employee response. Journal of Marketing, 54, 69-82.
Brown, T. J., Churchill, G. A. Jr. & Peter, J. P. (1993). Improving the measurement of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 69(1), 127.
Buttle, F. (1996). Servqual: Review, critique, research agenda. European Journal of Marketing, 30(1), 8-32. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090569610105762
Bygstad, B., & Lanestedt, G. (2009). ICT based service innovation – a challenge for project management. Int. J. Project Management, 27, 234-242.
Chase, R. B. (1978). Where does the customer fit into the service operation? Harvard Business Review, 56, 37-42.
Churchill, G. A., & Surprenant, C. (1982, November). An investigation into the determinants of customer satisfaction. Journal of Marketing Research, 14, 491-504.
Collins, R. (1996). Total quality management, effective management. New Zealand: C.C.H. International.
Cowell, D. (1984). The Marketing of Services. London: Heinemann.
Cronin, J. J. Jr., & Taylor, S. A. (1992). Measuring service quality: A reexamination and extension. Journal of Marketing, 56(3), 55-68. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299205600304
Cronin, J. J. Jr., & Taylor, S. A. (1994). Servperf versus servqual: Reconciling performance-based and perceptions-minusexpectations measurement of service quality. Journal of Marketing, 58(1), 125-131. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299305700402
Dabholkar, P. A., Shepard, C. D. & Thorpe, D.I. (1996). A comprehensive framework for service quality: an investigation of critical conceptual and measurement issues through a longitudinal study. Journal of Retailing, 76(2), 139-173. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4359(00)00029-4
Dabholkar, P. A., Thorpe, D. I., & Rentz, J. O. (1996). A measure of service quality for retail stores: Scale development and validation. JAMS, 24(1), 3-16. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02893933
Dotchin, J. A., & Oakland, J. S. (1994). Total quality management in services – Part 1: understanding and classifying services, Int. J. Quality and Reliability Management, 11(3), 9–26.
Edvardsson, B., Gustafsson, A. & Roos, I. (2005). Service portraits in service research: a critical review, Int. J. Service Industry Management, 16(1), 107–121.
Garvin, D. A. (1983). Quality on the line. Harvard Business Review, 61:65–75.
Gebaver, H., Kremple, R. & Fleisch, E. (2008). Service development in traditional product manufacturing companies, European Journal of Innovation Management, 11(2), 219–240.
George, W. R., & Barksdale, H. C. (1974, October). Marketing activities in the service industries. Journal of Marketing, 65-70.
Godlevskaja, O., van Iwaarden, J., & van der Wiele, T. (2011). Moving from product-based to service-based business strategies:
Services categorization schemes for the automotive industry, Int. J. Quality and Reliability Management, 28(1), 62–94.
Gronroos, C. (1982). An applied service marketing theory. European Journal of Marketing, 16(7), 30-41.
Gummersson, E. (1987). Lip service: A neglected area in services marketing, Journal of Services Marketing, 1(1), 19–23.
Holbrook, M. B., & Corfman, K. P. (1985). Quality and value in the consumption experience: Phaedrus rides again. In: J. Jacoby & J. Olson, Perceived quality: How consumers view stores and merchandise (pp. 31-57). Lexington, Massachusetts: D. C. Heath.
Hope, C., & Muhlemann, A. (1997). Service operations management strategy, design and delivery. London: Prentice Hall.
Howcroft, B. (1992). Customer service in selected branches of a UK clearing bank. The Service Industries Journal, 12(1), 125- 142. doi:10.1080/02642069200000009
Karwan, K. R., & Markland, R. E. (2006). Integrating service design principles and information technology to improve delivering and productivity in public sector operations: The case of the South Carolina DMV. Journal of Operations Management, 24(4), 347–362.
Katzan Jr., H. (2008). Service science: Concepts, technology, management. A guide to service science for academicians and practitioners. New York, NY: i Universe Inc.
Kotler, P., & Turner, R. E. (1993). Marketing management: Analysis, planning, implementation and control, (7th Canadian ed.). Scarborough: Prentice-Hall.
Levitt, T. (1981). Marketing intangible products and product intangibles. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 22(2), 37-44.
Lewis, R. C., & Booms, B. H. (1983). The marketing aspects of service quality. In: L. Berry, G. Shostack & G. Upah, Emerging perspectives on services marketing (pp. 99-107). Chicago, Illinois: American Marketing Association.
Liu, C. H., & Wang, C. C. (2008). Forecast competitor’s service business strategy with integrative service taxonomy and CI data. European Journal of Marketing, 42(7 and 8), 746–765.
Lovelock, C. H. (1983). Classifying services to gain strategic marketing insights. Journal of Marketing, 47(Summer), 9–20.
Lovelock, C. H., & Wirtz, J. (2004). Services marketing: People, technology, strategy. New Delhi, India: Pearson Education, 9.
Lovelock, C. H., & Wirtz, J. (2007). Service marketing: People, technology, strategy (6 ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Pearson Prentice-Hall.
Lusch, R. F., & Vargo, S. L. (2008). ‘The service-dominant mindset’, In: B. Hefley and W. Murphy (Eds.), Service science, management and engineering, education for 21st century. New York, NY: Springer.
Mayer, K. J., Bowen, J. T., & Moulton, M. R. (2003). A proposed model of the descriptors of service process, Journal of Service Marketing, 17(6), 621–639.
Maynes, E. S. (1985). Quality as a normative concept: A consumer economist’s views. In: J. Jacoby & J. C. Olson, Perceived quality (pp. 193-206). Lexington, Massachusetts: Lexington Books.
Morris, B., & Johnston, R. (1987). Dealing with inherent variability: The difference between service and manufacture, The International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 7(4), 13–22.
Newman, K. (2001). Interrogating SERVQUAL: A critical assessment of service quality measurement in a high street retail bank. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 19(3), 126-139. https://doi.org/10.1108/02652320110388559
Oppewal, H., & Vriens, M. (2000). Measuring perceived service quality using integrated conjoint experiments. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 18(4), 154-169. https://doi.org/10.1108/02652320010349049
Parasuraman, A., Berry, L. L., & Zeithaml, V. A. (1993, Spring). More on improving service quality measurement. Journal of Retailing, 69(1), 140-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4359(05)80007-7
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1985). A conceptual model of service quality and implications for future research. Journal of Marketing, 49(Fall), 41-50.
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(Spring), 12-40.
Quinn, J. B., Baruch, J. J., & Paquette, P. C. (1987). Technology in services, Scientific American, 257(6), 50–58.
Sasser, W. E., Olsen, R. P., & Wyckoff, D. D. (1978). Management of service operations. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Schmenner, R. W. (1986). How can service businesses survive and prosper?. Sloan Management Review, 27(3), 21–32.
Schmenner, R. W. (2004). Service business and productivity, Decision Sciences, 35(3), 333–347.
Shostack, G. L. (1977, April). Breaking free from product marketing. Journal of Marketing, 41, 73-80.
Spreng, R. A., & Mackoy, R. D. (1996). An empirical examination of a model of perceived service quality and satisfaction. Journal of Retailing, 72(2), 201-214. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4359(96)90014-7
Stanton, W. J. (1986). Fundamentals of marketing. Singapore: McGraw-Hill.
Taylor, S. A., & Baker, T. L. (1994). An assessment of the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction in the formation of consumers’ purchase intentions. Journal of Retailing, 70(2), 163-178. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-4359(94)90013-2
Teas, R. K. (1993). Consumer expectations and the measurement of perceived service quality. Journal of Professional Services Marketing, 8(2), 33-54. 10.1300/J090v08n02\_05
Teas, R. K. (1993). Expectations, performance evaluation, and consumers’ perceptions of quality. Journal of Marketing, 57(4), 18-34. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299305700402
Wemmerlov, U. (1990). A taxonomy for service processes and its implications for system design. Int. J. Service industry Management, 1(3), 20–40.
Zeithaml, V. A., Bitner, M. J., Gremler, D. D., & Pandit, A. (1996). Services marketing – Integrating customer focus across the firm (4 ed.). New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Education Private Limited. 4–6.
Babakus, E., & Mangold, W. G. (1991). Service quality: The front‐stage vs. the back‐stage perspective, Journal of Services Marketing, 5(4), 59-70. https://doi.org/10.1108/08876049110035675
Bahia, K., & Nantel, J. (2000). A reliable and valid measurement scale for the perceived service quality of banks. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 18(2), 84-91. https://doi.org/10.1108/02652320010322994
Beckett, A., Hewer, P., & Howcroft, B. (2000). An exposition of consumer behaviour in the financial services industry. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 18(1), 15-26. https://doi.org/10.1108/02652320010315325
Bitner, M. J. (1990, April). Evaluating service encounters: The effects of physical surroundings and employee response. Journal of Marketing, 54, 69-82.
Brown, T. J., Churchill, G. A. Jr. & Peter, J. P. (1993). Improving the measurement of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 69(1), 127.
Buttle, F. (1996). Servqual: Review, critique, research agenda. European Journal of Marketing, 30(1), 8-32. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090569610105762
Bygstad, B., & Lanestedt, G. (2009). ICT based service innovation – a challenge for project management. Int. J. Project Management, 27, 234-242.
Chase, R. B. (1978). Where does the customer fit into the service operation? Harvard Business Review, 56, 37-42.
Churchill, G. A., & Surprenant, C. (1982, November). An investigation into the determinants of customer satisfaction. Journal of Marketing Research, 14, 491-504.
Collins, R. (1996). Total quality management, effective management. New Zealand: C.C.H. International.
Cowell, D. (1984). The Marketing of Services. London: Heinemann.
Cronin, J. J. Jr., & Taylor, S. A. (1992). Measuring service quality: A reexamination and extension. Journal of Marketing, 56(3), 55-68. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299205600304
Cronin, J. J. Jr., & Taylor, S. A. (1994). Servperf versus servqual: Reconciling performance-based and perceptions-minusexpectations measurement of service quality. Journal of Marketing, 58(1), 125-131. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299305700402
Dabholkar, P. A., Shepard, C. D. & Thorpe, D.I. (1996). A comprehensive framework for service quality: an investigation of critical conceptual and measurement issues through a longitudinal study. Journal of Retailing, 76(2), 139-173. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4359(00)00029-4
Dabholkar, P. A., Thorpe, D. I., & Rentz, J. O. (1996). A measure of service quality for retail stores: Scale development and validation. JAMS, 24(1), 3-16. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02893933
Dotchin, J. A., & Oakland, J. S. (1994). Total quality management in services – Part 1: understanding and classifying services, Int. J. Quality and Reliability Management, 11(3), 9–26.
Edvardsson, B., Gustafsson, A. & Roos, I. (2005). Service portraits in service research: a critical review, Int. J. Service Industry Management, 16(1), 107–121.
Garvin, D. A. (1983). Quality on the line. Harvard Business Review, 61:65–75.
Gebaver, H., Kremple, R. & Fleisch, E. (2008). Service development in traditional product manufacturing companies, European Journal of Innovation Management, 11(2), 219–240.
George, W. R., & Barksdale, H. C. (1974, October). Marketing activities in the service industries. Journal of Marketing, 65-70.
Godlevskaja, O., van Iwaarden, J., & van der Wiele, T. (2011). Moving from product-based to service-based business strategies:
Services categorization schemes for the automotive industry, Int. J. Quality and Reliability Management, 28(1), 62–94.
Gronroos, C. (1982). An applied service marketing theory. European Journal of Marketing, 16(7), 30-41.
Gummersson, E. (1987). Lip service: A neglected area in services marketing, Journal of Services Marketing, 1(1), 19–23.
Holbrook, M. B., & Corfman, K. P. (1985). Quality and value in the consumption experience: Phaedrus rides again. In: J. Jacoby & J. Olson, Perceived quality: How consumers view stores and merchandise (pp. 31-57). Lexington, Massachusetts: D. C. Heath.
Hope, C., & Muhlemann, A. (1997). Service operations management strategy, design and delivery. London: Prentice Hall.
Howcroft, B. (1992). Customer service in selected branches of a UK clearing bank. The Service Industries Journal, 12(1), 125- 142. doi:10.1080/02642069200000009
Karwan, K. R., & Markland, R. E. (2006). Integrating service design principles and information technology to improve delivering and productivity in public sector operations: The case of the South Carolina DMV. Journal of Operations Management, 24(4), 347–362.
Katzan Jr., H. (2008). Service science: Concepts, technology, management. A guide to service science for academicians and practitioners. New York, NY: i Universe Inc.
Kotler, P., & Turner, R. E. (1993). Marketing management: Analysis, planning, implementation and control, (7th Canadian ed.). Scarborough: Prentice-Hall.
Levitt, T. (1981). Marketing intangible products and product intangibles. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 22(2), 37-44.
Lewis, R. C., & Booms, B. H. (1983). The marketing aspects of service quality. In: L. Berry, G. Shostack & G. Upah, Emerging perspectives on services marketing (pp. 99-107). Chicago, Illinois: American Marketing Association.
Liu, C. H., & Wang, C. C. (2008). Forecast competitor’s service business strategy with integrative service taxonomy and CI data. European Journal of Marketing, 42(7 and 8), 746–765.
Lovelock, C. H. (1983). Classifying services to gain strategic marketing insights. Journal of Marketing, 47(Summer), 9–20.
Lovelock, C. H., & Wirtz, J. (2004). Services marketing: People, technology, strategy. New Delhi, India: Pearson Education, 9.
Lovelock, C. H., & Wirtz, J. (2007). Service marketing: People, technology, strategy (6 ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Pearson Prentice-Hall.
Lusch, R. F., & Vargo, S. L. (2008). ‘The service-dominant mindset’, In: B. Hefley and W. Murphy (Eds.), Service science, management and engineering, education for 21st century. New York, NY: Springer.
Mayer, K. J., Bowen, J. T., & Moulton, M. R. (2003). A proposed model of the descriptors of service process, Journal of Service Marketing, 17(6), 621–639.
Maynes, E. S. (1985). Quality as a normative concept: A consumer economist’s views. In: J. Jacoby & J. C. Olson, Perceived quality (pp. 193-206). Lexington, Massachusetts: Lexington Books.
Morris, B., & Johnston, R. (1987). Dealing with inherent variability: The difference between service and manufacture, The International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 7(4), 13–22.
Newman, K. (2001). Interrogating SERVQUAL: A critical assessment of service quality measurement in a high street retail bank. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 19(3), 126-139. https://doi.org/10.1108/02652320110388559
Oppewal, H., & Vriens, M. (2000). Measuring perceived service quality using integrated conjoint experiments. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 18(4), 154-169. https://doi.org/10.1108/02652320010349049
Parasuraman, A., Berry, L. L., & Zeithaml, V. A. (1993, Spring). More on improving service quality measurement. Journal of Retailing, 69(1), 140-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4359(05)80007-7
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1985). A conceptual model of service quality and implications for future research. Journal of Marketing, 49(Fall), 41-50.
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(Spring), 12-40.
Quinn, J. B., Baruch, J. J., & Paquette, P. C. (1987). Technology in services, Scientific American, 257(6), 50–58.
Sasser, W. E., Olsen, R. P., & Wyckoff, D. D. (1978). Management of service operations. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Schmenner, R. W. (1986). How can service businesses survive and prosper?. Sloan Management Review, 27(3), 21–32.
Schmenner, R. W. (2004). Service business and productivity, Decision Sciences, 35(3), 333–347.
Shostack, G. L. (1977, April). Breaking free from product marketing. Journal of Marketing, 41, 73-80.
Spreng, R. A., & Mackoy, R. D. (1996). An empirical examination of a model of perceived service quality and satisfaction. Journal of Retailing, 72(2), 201-214. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4359(96)90014-7
Stanton, W. J. (1986). Fundamentals of marketing. Singapore: McGraw-Hill.
Taylor, S. A., & Baker, T. L. (1994). An assessment of the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction in the formation of consumers’ purchase intentions. Journal of Retailing, 70(2), 163-178. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-4359(94)90013-2
Teas, R. K. (1993). Consumer expectations and the measurement of perceived service quality. Journal of Professional Services Marketing, 8(2), 33-54. 10.1300/J090v08n02\_05
Teas, R. K. (1993). Expectations, performance evaluation, and consumers’ perceptions of quality. Journal of Marketing, 57(4), 18-34. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299305700402
Wemmerlov, U. (1990). A taxonomy for service processes and its implications for system design. Int. J. Service industry Management, 1(3), 20–40.
Zeithaml, V. A., Bitner, M. J., Gremler, D. D., & Pandit, A. (1996). Services marketing – Integrating customer focus across the firm (4 ed.). New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Education Private Limited. 4–6.
How to Cite
Harish D. N., & Dr. Nagma Sona. (2018). SERVICE QUALITY AND ITS CONCEPTUAL ADVANCEMENT: A HOLISTIC REVIEW. International Journal of Applied Service Marketing Perspectives, 7(02), 3320-3331. Retrieved from https://asmp.gfer.org/index.php/asmp/article/view/8
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