CHAPTER 3: THEORYIn this chapter, we review relevant literature connected to our topic. This will involvebringing up the theories that we are using our study. We discuss issues on servicequality and customer satisfaction and define relevant concepts in order to enhance ourunderstanding of the topic and provide answers to our research questions. Summarily,this theoretical framework will enable us build a conceptual model that will be the roadmap for our empirical observations.3.1 Choice of Theories Our topic which is mainly focused on service quality, customer satisfaction and theSERVQUAL model in particular are all phenomena in reality implying the theories arebased on observations perceived through a person’s senses. We our research questionsare how customers perceive service quality and what dimensions of service quality theyare satisfied or dissatisfied with. In this regard, we prefer to use the SERVQUAL modelin order to assess their expectations and perception of services. This model measuresservice quality by evaluating the gap between expected service and perceived service.We therefore, will discuss relevant concepts such as services, quality, customersatisfaction, models of service quality, customer satisfaction, relationship betweensatisfaction and service quality and measurement of service quality and customersatisfaction.Also, we review literature on the applicability of the SERVQUAL model in variousindustries and thereby try to identify the relevant dimensions and items that will relate
to our study. In order to obtain a better understand of service quality and customer
satisfaction, we will acknowledge previous studies carried out on these constructs.
3.2 Service Concept
A study carried out by Johns, (1998, p.954) points out that the word ‘service’ has many
meanings which lead to some confusion in the way the concept is defined in
management literature, service could mean an industry, a performance, an output or
offering or a process. He further argues that services are mostly described as
‘intangible’ and their output viewed as an activity rather than a tangible object which is
not clear because some service outputs have some substantial tangible components like
physical facilities, equipments and personnel.
An example is the services offered by the grocery stores, which involve mostly retailing
goods to customers do have tangibles such as sales assistances, computers, self-service
equipments. We consider the tangible components (servicescape) when assessing retail
activities offered by grocery stores in order to better understand service activities. This
is because, according to Gummesson, (1994, p.77-96), a service design which details a
service, service system and the service delivery process must consider customers, staff,
technology, the physical environment, and the consumption goods. In summary, it is
eminent for service firms to consider the physical aspects of quality in order to offer
high service quality.
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