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Article
Service Quality Perceptions and Customer Satisfaction: Evaluating the Role of Culture
The Journal of International Marketing (2004)
  • Michel Laroche
  • Linda C. Ueltschy, Bowling Green State University
  • Shuzo Abe
  • Mark Cleveland, The University of Western Ontario
  • Peter P. Yannopoulos
Abstract
The authors examine the influence of culture on the measurement of service quality and satisfaction in dentists’ office settings. Respondents from the United States, Canada, and Japan participated in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment in which the authors manipulated both expectations (high/low) and service performance (high/low) in a series of scenarios. With partial metric invariance, latent mean comparisons revealed that regardless of expectations, Japanese respondents reported lower quality perceptions and satisfaction ratings when performance was high and higher satisfaction ratings when performance was low than did their U.S. and Canadian counterparts. Thus, there is some evidence that Japanese consumers are more conservative in their evaluations of superior service but are less critical (or more forgiving) of inferior service. The authors also discuss managerial implications and future research directions.
Keywords
  • Cross-cultural,
  • Service quality,
  • Satisfaction,
  • International marketing,
  • Measurement
Publication Date
Fall 2004
Citation Information
Michel Laroche, Linda C. Ueltschy, Shuzo Abe, Mark Cleveland, et al.. "Service Quality Perceptions and Customer Satisfaction: Evaluating the Role of Culture" The Journal of International Marketing Vol. 12 Iss. 3 (2004)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/mark_cleveland/10/