Of Servqual Model Improvement And Application Of The Method Of Conjoint Analysis

Service has become increasingly important in social economy leading to people's widespread concerns. But the research of theories and methods of service quality lags behind relatively. In this paper, researches supported by National Natural Fund (70125004) and National excellent Youth Fund (70125004), closely focusing on current popular models and analytical methods of service quality , mainly produce fruits in three aspects:First, an empirical study on SERVQUAL scale is conducted and further, modified model is developed. SERVQUAL scale is one of the most widely accepted instruments to gauge perceived service quality , a subjective concept manifested in terms of a set of dimensions . Different people with different intents, needs or even cultural backgrounds may perceive different levels of quality. The dimensionality problem should thus be addressed with respect to these different issues. Unfortunately, most studies in the SERVQUAL literature have chosen to overlook them , especially, the issue of cultural effects on quality perceptions. In order to generate more insights to the understanding of cultural differences in terms of service quality, the present study challenges the assumption of the five generic service dimensions solution of the SERVQUAL, with respect to the Chinese consumers in Shanghai.Second, a new method is put forward to measure the relative importance of service attributes. Two popular methods that are currently used are "gap analysis" of expectation minus performance and linear regression of the overall satisfaction rating on the ratings for the attributes. Unfortunately , both these methods have shortcomings ,so a new method ,based on a conjoint analysis of nine hypothetical service scenarios , is developed .This information is used to fit a satisfaction response model as a function of the component service attributes .In turn ,the current service level is plotted on the response surface and the "path of steepest ascent "in the direction of maximum customer satisfaction gives the best "direction" for management to plan a quality improvement program .We compare the proposed method with those currently being used and find it is more responsive to changes in attribute performance as a firm's quality improvement strategy evolves.Third , an integrative model of service quality ,customer value ,and customer satisfaction is proposed. Using a sample from the hotel industry, this study provides preliminary results supporting a holistic approach to customers'postpurchase decision-making process, which not only examines the relationship of customer value with price, perceptions of performance, service quality, customer satisfaction, and intentions to repurchase and to recommend ,But also appears to possess practical validity as well as explanatory ability.