PurposeThe purpose of this research is to empirically develop a service‐driven market orientation construct and test its relationships with service quality.Design/methodology/approachThe researcher employs Critical Incident Technique to generate items for the survey instrument. Then, the quantitative‐based descriptive research uses structured questionnaires to capture the perceptions of 558 university students from Malaysia which are used to understand the nature of the customer‐perceived market orientation and its relationship with service quality.FindingsThe results show that the service‐driven market orientation (SERVMO) that consists of six components (customer orientation, competitor orientation, interfunctional orientation, performance orientation, long‐term orientation, and employee orientation) has a significantly strong and positive relationship with service quality.Research limitations/implicationsThe SERVMO scale is developed using data from the higher education sector and is yet to be validated in other industries.Practical implicationsThe proposed strategic construct and current findings on its relationships with service quality provide practical insights for service managers to monitor their service orientation and enhance service quality.Originality/valueThe newly developed SERVMO scale is originally derived from the customer perception data in the Malaysian higher education sector.

Purpose – This empirical survey research aims to identify the dimensions of service excellence culture for hospitals. Ultimately, a measurement tool was developed for hospital service excellence (i.e. HospiSE scale). Design/methodology/approach – The survey research involved qualitative and quantitative approaches in the scale development process. The structured questionnaire was carefully designed after literature review and focus groups discussions. The respondents were employees from the public and private hospitals in Malaysia. A total of 1,558 usable questionnaires were used for the quantitative analysis. The HospiSE scale was empirically tested for reliability and validity through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Findings – This measurement-oriented research had identified three dimensions of service excellence culture for hospitals, namely: employee orientation, patient orientation and competitor orientation. The multi-dimensional measure consists of 21 items. Research limitations/implications – Longitudinal research is required to provide evidence of the causal effects of HospiSE on employee satisfaction and loyalty. The HospiSE scale also requires further verification and refinement. Practical implications – The parsimonious scale can serve as a strategic and practical measure to evaluate and manage service excellence culture at hospitals. Reliable and valid information can be obtained for fast and cost-effective diagnosis of the service culture for continuous improvement. Social implications – The new scale is expected to be an important diagnostic to understand and measure service excellence culture at hospitals. The patients and society at large will benefit from the improved hospital service management. Originality/value – The multi-item measurement tool is new and it can provide insights into service management, resource allocation and human resource management for excellent hospital service. The measurement development process is contextualized for the hospital services.

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Purpose -The main purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of individual-level cultural dimensions on Generation Y consumers' expectations of service quality. Design/methodology/approach -Service quality and individual-level cultural values were measured using existing scales from the literature. Factor analysis was conducted to verify the factor structures of both constructs while structural equation modeling was employed to examine the measures for cultural values and service quality dimensions. Findings -Four out of the five hypotheses are supported and the last one is partially confirmed in terms of directional support. Service quality expectations are positively related to uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation but negatively related to power distance. Masculinity and collectivism did not have a significant relationship. Service quality was found to be a three-factor construct consisting of tangibles, reliability and responsiveness/empathy/assurance. Cultural values were confirmed to consist of five dimensions according to Hofstede's typology. Generation Y consumers are found to be low in power distance and have high expectations of service quality.Research limitation/implications -The main limitations are that the study did not distinguish between different types of full-service restaurants in its analysis and the sample consisted of undergraduate students only. Practical implications -The findings indicate the importance of measuring individual-level cultural values which may be used as a segmentation variable to guide service delivery and resource allocation. Originality/value -The study contributes to the scant research on service quality among Generation Y consumers in developing countries. It also assesses the five-factor structure of the SERVQUAL scale in a new country setting, that is, Malaysia.

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PurposeThis paper attempts to explore different approaches of franchisee satisfaction within an academic setting, develop and validate a new measuring instrument, examine the key factors and the intention to remain in the network, and eventually manage the franchise network for long‐term continuity.Design/methodology/approachThe survey instrument was drawn from a multi‐stage process involving extensive review of literature, focus group interviews, pilot testing and validation by the experts before being administered to a sample population consisting top managers of franchised colleges. The new instrument was empirically tested for unidimensionality, reliability and validity using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.FindingsThe findings suggest five dimensions of franchisee satisfaction namely social interaction, service support, financing, assurance and competence. Results also indicate that the dimension “competence” which relates to possession of required skills, knowledge and the right attitude to perform franchise services has significantly influenced the overall satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsThe five dimensions of franchisee satisfaction may be specific to academic setting.Practical implicationsAcademic institutions should be able to ascertain the level of services provided, and to determine which dimensions need improvement. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of these dimensions and their relative influence may result in better allocation of resources so as to provide a better service to the franchised colleges.Originality/valueAnother contribution to the franchising literature by advancing a new 23‐item measuring instrument, specifically tailored for academic franchising. This is a tool that academic institutions could use to improve their performance in the light of increased competition with the development of global academic franchising.

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