Service Quality Gap Measurement in Pharmaceutical Educational Institutes: An Empirical Analysis for Model Development

Abstract

Perspective: One can observe the sea changes that have been taken place in the Indian pharmaceutical business environment. There are challenges for this section and which is possible to overcome by quality human resources. In fact, we have experienced mushroom growth of pharmaceutical education institutes (PEIs) without producing of the employable graduates. Probably this is due to poor service offerings from PEIs. Objective: Hence, the purpose of the present research to develop service quality determinants for pharmaceutical education institutes (PESQ) and analyse the nature of the gap/s if it generates at all. Methods: We have selected six education institutes and their students randomly and based on the responses we have refined the prior facets of service quality identified from the literature. We have employed Principal component analysis (PCA) and other techniques of refinement of the construct. After the development of the facets, aggregatively we have compared between actual and expected to identify gaps in service quality. Conclusion: Our Research develops some important outcomes. Six facets quality model for pharmaceutical education has been developed, four of which were common with previous works and found two unique dimensions suitable to Indian environment. In addition, it was identified that said two dimensions result in higher gap in service quality.

Gap Versus Performance Based Measure of Pharmaceutical Education Service Quality: An Empirical Comparison

“…36 Singh 37 has referred to the absence of quality training and research as a possible cause behind. Gupta and Mandal 38 and Mandal and Gupta 39 have also opined identically. In the global context, Hold fold and Reinders 40 have stated the need for students' judgment for offering quality service.…”

“…Furthermore, we have reviewed five research works (Covering all most majority works available) exclu-sively to pharmaceutical education and where we have observed that only in three works authors have constructed a model for quality measurement. Even this small number of research works are heterogeneous in principle of measurement, one 39 followed perception minus expectation while Holdford et al 40,55 in two successive research works have taken a resort to performance only measure of the same. See Table 2 for a summary of the literature in relation to pharmaceutical education service quality.…”

“…Gupta and Mandal 38 have emphasized the mushroom growth of pharmacy education after 1980. Mandal and Gupta 39 have shown that the vicious cycle of unemployment and lack of industry readiness of the pharmacy graduates. Further, we have seen there are a few research works have taken place on the measurement of service quality in pharmaceutical sectors.…”

“…In the previous section, we have already critically analyzed that when to select which is better principle (Not the construct) of measuring service quality it is judicious to take a common construct employing which we need to compare both the principles (Performance only or gap measure). There are two major constructs namely Holdford and Patkar 55 and Holdford and Reinders, 40 both are based on performance only (SERVPERF) measure in the context of the USA and another one Mandal and Gupta 39 in the context of India, is based on gap (SERVQUAL) measure. Since we are working in the context of India, we have selected the later one.…”

Quest for a New Instrument for Measuring Academic Program Quality

“…Therefore, it is evident that the right curriculum and teaching pedagogy are crucial for an academic program. In this respect, Mandal and Gupta (2018) have opined that a course should be designed, developed and improved continuously in order to provide the students with knowledge as desired in the instructional goal.…”