28231 - Evaluation of Service Quality

Learning outcomes

This course deals with the modeling and evaluation of service quality. As such, the objectives of this course are twofold: 1) to explore conceptual frameworks and models which will assist you to analyze service management and quality in an extensive set of environments, including profit and non-profit organizations; 2) to help you acquire practical experience in dealing with the development and use of an analytical service quality model. Throughout the course, we will move beyond the necessary conceptual models and analytical techniques, and provide you with a hands-on experience. A group project work will help you to translate and apply the analytical models learnt during the course lectures to a real-life situation.

Course contents

1. Service quality management: characteristics and specificity.

2. Evolution of the quality concept

3. Quality measurement processes: the main components.

4. Validity and reliability of measures.

5. Development and validation of multi-item scales.

6. Service quality models: a review.

7. The SERVQUAL model: a critical review.

8. Project work: designing and implementing a service quality survey

Readings/Bibliography

P. Corbetta, Metodi di analisi multivariata per le scienze sociali. I modelli di equazioni strutturali, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2002.

P. Eiglier, E. Langeard, Il marketing strategico nei servizi, McGraw-Hill Italia, Milano, 2003, chapters 1, 2 and 5.

G. A. Churchill, "A paradigm for developing better marketing constructs", Journal of Marketing Research, 16 (1), 1979.

A. Parasuraman, V.A. Zeithaml, L.L. Berry, “SERVQUAL: a multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality”, Journal of Retailing, 64 (1), 1988.

J. Carman, “Consumer perceptions of service quality: an assessment of SERVQUAL dimension”, Journal of Retailing, 66 (1), 1990.

J. J. Cronin, S.A. Taylor, “Measuring service quality: a reexamination and extension”, Journal of Marketing, 56 (July), 1992.

R.A.Peterson, W.R. Wilson, "Measuring Customer Satisfaction: fact and Artifact", Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 20 (1), 1992.

S.A. Taylor, T.L. Baker, "An assessment of the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction in the formation of consumers' purchase intentions", Journal of Retailing, 70 (2), 1994.

M. K. Brady, J. J. Cronin Jr., "Some New Thoughts on Conceptualizing Perceived Service Quality: A Hierarchical Approach", Journal of Marketing, 65 (July), 2001.

Teaching methods

Classroom lectures/discussions, statistical laboratory seminars, student projects

Assessment methods

For attending students, the assessment of learning is based on the development of a group project work (maximum 6 members per group, minimum 4), which allows students to apply all the knowledge acquired during the course. The objective of the project—consistent with the course's placement in the second year of the Master’s program—is to acquire (and demonstrate) operational skills in designing and conducting a professional-level research study on the topic of service quality evaluation.

The project involves several stages: defining the research subject, analyzing information needs, conducting a literature review, carrying out the exploratory phase of the research (including in-depth interviews and focus groups), developing an appropriate measurement tool (questionnaire), defining a sampling plan, collecting data, and, of course, analyzing the data using multiple methods (traditional multivariate analysis and structural equation modeling). The final deliverable also includes a professionally structured PowerPoint presentation.

The project work is graded according to the following scale:

• 28–30 with honors: correct, thorough, and sufficiently complex project demonstrating full mastery of the course topics and consistent execution skills, with at most minimal inaccuracies

• 24–27: project not entirely correct and/or incomplete, but showing a good level of understanding of the course content and solid execution skills

• 18–23: project with significant methodological errors or major analytical weaknesses, yet showing just sufficient execution ability

• 0–17: project inadequate in terms of methodology and data analysis

The group grade is subject to peer evaluation, where each group member evaluates their peers based on both their factual contributions and idea generation throughout the project. If a student's peer evaluation score is more than 10% below the group average, their individual grade will be reduced by the same percentage, up to a maximum penalty of 15%.

Non-attending students or those dissatisfied with their project work grade may, of course, take the oral exam during the regular exam sessions.

The purpose of the oral exam is to assess the student’s ability to apply their knowledge and make logical and deductive connections. The grading criteria are as follows:

• Preparation on a very limited number of course topics, with analytical skills emerging only with the instructor’s assistance; overall correct language use → 18–19

• Preparation on a limited number of topics, with independent analytical ability limited to procedural issues; correct language use → 20–24

• Preparation on a wide range of course topics, with the ability to make independent critical assessments and good command of specific terminology → 25–29

• Comprehensive preparation on all course topics, with the ability to independently conduct critical analysis and make connections, full command of terminology, and strong argumentation and self-reflection skills → 30–30 with honors

Teaching tools

Transparencies, PC, Website visitations, statistical and IT labs

Office hours

See the website of Gian Luca Marzocchi

See the website of Marco Visentin