Development and Validation of a Perceived Business Quality Measurement Instrument

The objective of this article is to propose a methodology for the construction and validation of a measurement instrument for perceived business quality (PBQ). To this end, the authors first suggest the development of the PBQ concept. Second, based on the methods of service quality measurement, the authors develop and validate a measurement instrument through the use of the structural equations models methodology. Final results point to the existence of three dimensions on PBQ: perceived product quality, perceived service quality, and business orientation toward quality. These three dimensions, although correlated, appear as differentiated traits of PBQ. Furthermore, with regard to the measurement instrument, several different tests show the existence of a high degree of reliability and construct validity, which justifies its suitability as a measurement of PBQ. It will allow the practitioner to evaluate the business quality level and use it to test the influence of business quality on customer behavior (consequents) and the determinants of business quality (antecedents).

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