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PurposeThe aim of this paper is to compare perceptions of bank service quality among Tunisian and Canadian customers, and to determine which dimensions of service quality make the greatest contribution to overall customer satisfaction and loyalty.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using self‐administered questionnaires from two convenience samples of bank customers (250 in Canada and 222 in Tunisia). Service quality was measured using the five SERVQUAL dimensions of tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, ANOVA and linear regression.FindingsRespondents in both countries reported high levels of perceived service quality in banks. However, Canadians reported higher perceived service quality than Tunisians for all five SERVQUAL dimensions, and for 21 of the 22 individual items. In the Canadian sample, empathy and reliability were found to be the most important predictors of satisfaction and loyalty, while in the Tunisian sample, reliability and responsiveness were the most important predictors of satisfaction and loyalty.Practical implicationsCanadian bank managers should recognize the importance of “empathy” in service delivery by implementing appropriate customer‐oriented strategies. Tunisian bank managers should focus on performing promised services dependably and accurately.Originality/valueDespite the large number of studies on individual countries, few studies compare bank service quality among different countries. The present study compares perceptions of bank service quality between consumers in two countries – Canada and Tunisia – that have different economic and cultural environments.

A model for the prediction of behavior from attitudinal components, developed by Triandis, was tested with samples of U.S. and Mexican women, and with fertility relevant behaviors. The elements of the model are etic, but the operationalizations of the various variables were done emically. Results support the model in both cultures. While the predictive utility of the model is equivalent in two cultures, there are social class differences on which component of the model is most emphasized. The U.S. upper-middle-class sample and the Mexican upper-middle-class sample emphasized the person's attitude toward the act, while the Mexican lower SES (socio-economic status) sample emphasized the person's normative beliefs (moral obligations).Pike (1966) has contrasted two approaches to the study of cultural phenomena. The "emic" approach attempts to describe items of behavior occurring in a particular culture utilizing only concepts employed in that culture. The "etic" approach attempts to describe behavior using external criteria imposed by the researcher. A researcher adopting an emic approach may obtain a very accurate within culture description but, by definition, he cannot do cross-cultural research. One who adopts an etic methodology imposes universal categories on his data and can, therefore, make cross-

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is the most widely distributed trematode-affecting humans. The Andes Mountains are highly endemic for fascioliasis. We report results of a cross-sectional study evaluating the epidemiology of Fasciola among children in 26 agricultural communities in the Cusco region of Peru. Children 3 to 16 years old were enrolled in preschools and schools. Blood from participants was tested for complete blood counts, transaminases, and Fasciola antibodies. Stool samples were tested for Fasciola and other parasites. A total of 2,515 children were included in the analysis and the mean age was 9.6 years (±3.6). Ten percent (253) of the children had at least one positive test for Fasciola, 6% had chronic infection, and 0.4% acute infection. The rest of the subjects had only antibodies against Fasciola. The prevalence of infection varied from 0% to 20% between communities. Children with evidence of Fasciola exposure were older, lived at higher altitudes, and had a lower socioeconomic status than children without infection. The logistic regression analysis showed that children from Ancahuasi district, older children, and children with higher measures of poverty were more likely to have Fasciola exposure. Fascioliasis is common in the Cusco region and associated with poverty. However, the distribution varies markedly between communities.