Anzeige
Erschienen in:
2016 | OriginalPaper | Buchkapitel
A Cross-National Study on Culture and Perceived Service Quality: A Multi-Dimensional, Hierarchical Framework
verfasst von : Sean Chung, Jikyeong Kang
Erschienen in: Let’s Get Engaged! Crossing the Threshold of Marketing’s Engagement Era
Aktivieren Sie unsere intelligente Suche, um passende Fachinhalte oder Patente zu finden.
Wählen Sie Textabschnitte aus um mit Künstlicher Intelligenz passenden Patente zu finden. powered by
Markieren Sie Textabschnitte, um KI-gestützt weitere passende Inhalte zu finden. powered by
Abstract
The main objectives of the study were to examine the role of culture in consumers’ perceptions of service quality in both a developing and a developed country context and to ascertain the implications, if any, for service quality model building in context.
An exploratory, cross-national, qualitative approach was adopted, utilizing semi-structured interviews. This approach allowed the authors to explore the phenomenon of service quality from the consumers’ viewpoint without a priori assumptions in both developing and developed country contexts.
Analyses of the data led to the emergence of a holistic, multi-dimensional hierarchical framework called Conceptualization of Service Quality in Cultural Context (CSQCC). The models in both contexts were structurally similar and demonstrate that there are universal aspects that consumers in both countries utilize in their evaluations of service quality, although importance weightings may differ.
Nevertheless, we found that culture has an over-arching influence on all elements deemed necessary by consumers in their service quality perceptions. More specifically, unique ‘cultural triggers’ were found to exert a strong influence on service quality. In addition, aspects of human resources and operational variables emerged as key elements within the CSQCC framework.
A key limitation of the current study is that the CSQCC is a conceptual model and thus requires operationalization and testing. Furthermore, the interactions between marketing, human resources, and operational interfaces potentially make measurement tasks somewhat more complex and challenging.
Culture and human behavior are deeply intertwined, and the marketplace tends to exhibit consumer behaviors that are not ‘culture free’. Therefore, multinationals and global firms need to be environmentally sensitive, identify the ‘cultural triggers’ in potential markets, and assess their likely impact on service quality delivery. The CSQCC in its current state but especially when operationalized would be a useful tool in this regard.