Quest for Excellence in Business Education: A Study of Student Impressions of Service Quality

This paper undertakes a case study of a business school within a leading university in the Middle East, which has implemented a quality system and has gained accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. The paper reviews the development of the quality system and examines the concept of service quality in business education. The aim of this study is to address the paucity of service quality research in business education in this region. Empirical research is used to determine the factors that influence student evaluation of service quality. With data collected from 310 students, the study identifies six factors that influence students’ evaluations of service quality. Research implications of the study are then discussed.

[1]  William Beaver,et al.  Is TQM Appropriate for the Classroom , 1994 .

[2]  Michael R. Solomon,et al.  Predictability and Personalization in the Service Encounter , 1987 .

[3]  C. Grönroos A Service Quality Model and its Marketing Implications , 1984 .

[4]  Joseph P. Cannon,et al.  Developing a Curriculum to Enhance Teaching of Relationship Marketing , 1994 .

[5]  Nha Nguyen,et al.  Searching for excellence in business education: an exploratory study of customer impressions of service quality , 1997 .

[6]  L. Coate,et al.  Implementing total quality management in a university setting , 1991 .

[7]  D. Morgan Focus groups for qualitative research. , 1988, Hospital guest relations report.

[8]  P. Herbig,et al.  A model of reputation building and destruction , 1994 .

[9]  F. Buttle SERVQUAL: review, critique, research agenda , 1996 .

[10]  A. Parasuraman,et al.  Delivering quality service : balancing customer perceptions and expectations , 1990 .

[11]  A. Parasuraman,et al.  More on improving service quality measurement , 1993 .

[12]  Y. K. Shetty Product quality and competitive strategy , 1987 .

[13]  A. Parasuraman,et al.  SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. , 1988 .

[14]  J. Carman Consumer perceptions of service quality: an assessment of the SERVQUAL dimensions , 1990 .

[15]  J. L. Fisher,et al.  Higher education and total quality management , 1998 .

[16]  Kimberly M. Rennie Exploratory and Confirmatory Rotation Strategies in Exploratory Factor Analysis. , 1997 .

[17]  A. Parasuraman,et al.  Refinement and reassessment of the SERVQUAL scale. , 1991 .

[18]  Mary Jo Bitner,et al.  The Service Encounter: Diagnosing Favorable and Unfavorable Incidents: , 1990 .

[19]  Lawrence A. Crosby,et al.  Relationship Quality in Services Selling: An Interpersonal Influence Perspective: , 1990 .