Microsoft Word Volume 2 Service and Service Quality Final docx

A Proposed Service Quality Model 
Our conceptualisation of service and review of service quality models suggests that the hierarchical 
model proposed by Brady and Cronin (2001), which builds upon and integrates earlier generic service 
quality model attempts, provides a sound conceptual foundation upon which we can develop our 
model. It comprises the major dimensions that align with our definition and scope of service: the 
interaction quality measures the interaction aspect of our service definition; the outcome quality 
addresses the benefit or value to consumers; while the environment quality measures the remaining 
aspects of consumers’ experience in a service encounter. 
However, as reviewed earlier, the Brady and Cronin’s model was developed mainly with traditional 
services in mind and did not taken into account some of the quality aspects associated with electronic 
and multi-channelled services as identified by other researchers.
We thus propose a model of service quality that is adapted from the Brady and Cronin model; whereby 
we include an integration quality dimension alongside the interaction quality, outcome quality, and 
environment quality dimensions. This new dimension includes the four sub-dimensions as proposed 
by Sousa and Voss (2006): breadth of channel choice, transparency of channel service, content 
consistency and process consistency.
We also propose, however, that the actual dimensions used in a particular context will depend on 
whether the service in question 
is delivered
over the traditional channel or multiple channels. If it is 
the former, then we exclude dimensions that pertain to the electronic channel (i.e. Integration Quality). 
Furthermore, the type of service for which quality is being measured, also influences the sub-
dimensions to be included in the model. If the service is delivered only over the traditional channel, 
the sub-dimensions under interaction quality are those of the original model, i.e. attitude, behaviour 
and expertise. If the service is delivered entirely over electronic channel, we replace the behaviour and 
attitude sub-dimension with security/privacy and recovery sub-dimensions. If a service is delivered 
over multiple channels, then we include behaviour, attitudes, expertise, security, and recovery in the 
interaction quality dimension.