28231 - Evaluation of Service Quality

Academic Year 2023/2024

  • Moduli: Gian Luca Marzocchi (Modulo 1) Marco Visentin (Modulo 2)
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures (Modulo 1) Traditional lectures (Modulo 2)
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Statistics, Economics and Business (cod. 8876)

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

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