A multidimensional and hierarchical model of service quality in the participant sport industry

In the current literature of sport management and marketing, there is a gap among scholars in conceptualizing service quality. To gain a better understanding of the construct, this study: (a) proposed and tested a conceptual model of sport consumers' perceived service quality, (b) identified the causal relationship between service quality, satisfaction, and repurchase intention, and (c) tested the scale of service quality in participant sport (SSQPS) which was developed based on the conceptual model.;The proposed research model was based on the current conceptualization of service quality which suggested that service quality is a multidimensional, hierarchical construct (e.g., Brady & Cronin, 1999; Dabholkar, Thorpe, & Rentz, 1996). In the proposed model, service quality consisted of four generic dimensions (i.e., quality of program, interaction, outcome, and physical environment). Each of the dimensions was defined by several corresponding subdimensions: (a) program quality---range of program, operating time, and information, (b) interaction quality---client-employee interaction and inter-client interaction, (c) outcome quality---physical change, valence, and sociability, (d) environment quality---ambient condition, design, and equipment. In addition, the causal relationships between service quality, satisfaction, and purchase intention were included as a part of the model.;The research model was tested using the two-step approach of structural equation modeling where the structural model and measurement model were separately analyzed. In particular, three second order factor models were separately tested to examine the hierarchical nature of the proposed model. The model was tested using AMOS 4.0.;The results support that each of the three structural models and a competing model fit the data. Therefore, it is concluded that the whole model was supported. In addition, the results of the study indicated that service quality and satisfaction were equally important variables for a sport consumer's future purchase intention. A series of measurement model tests indicated that the SSQPS which was developed in this study was reliable and valid. To increase the generalizeability of the scale, further investigations need to be completed. This study advanced the knowledge base of service quality in the field of sport management, and provides implications for practitioners within the participant sport industry.