Based on theory from consumer behavior and cognitive psychology, the purpose of this paper is to discuss and test corporate image and customer satisfaction as two routes to customer loyalty. Based on data from 600 individual customers categorized as having high or low service expertise of three companies within the package tour industry, a conceptual model is proposed and tested empirically using structural equation modeling. The data used in the study are included in The Norwegian Customer Satisfaction Barometer. The paper concludes by claiming that for complex services, corporate image and customer satisfaction are not two separate routes to customer loyalty. Corporate image impacts customer loyalty directly whereas customer satisfaction does not. This finding was consistent with high and low service expertise. These results challenge the disconfirmation paradigm which predicts customer satisfaction as the primary route to customer loyalty. From a managerial perspective, information regarding the relative strength of the two routes is vital with regard to resource allocation in order to improve customer loyalty.

Customer loyalty and complex services: The impact of corporate image on quality, customer satisfaction and loyalty for customers with varying degrees of service expertise

Modelling perceived quality, visitor satisfaction and behavioural intentions at the destination level

This study examined the relationships between three determinants of quality dimensions (predictors: food, service, and physical environment), price (moderator), and satisfaction and behavioral intention (criterion) in quick-casual restaurants. Despite the importance of foodservice quality, academics and managers know relatively little about how the combined effects of quality (food, service, and physical environment) elicit customer satisfaction which, in turn, affects behavioral intention. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis with interactions showed that quality of food, service, and physical environment were all significant determinants of customer satisfaction. In addition, perceived price acted as a moderator in the satisfaction formation process. Finally, the results indicated that customer satisfaction is indeed a significant predictor of behavioral intention. The findings may provide restaurateurs with a guideline for enhancing customer satisfaction and behavioral intention level.

Influence of the Quality of Food, Service, and Physical Environment on Customer Satisfaction and Behavioral Intention in Quick-Casual Restaurants: Moderating Role of Perceived Price:

Festivalscapes and patrons' emotions, satisfaction, and loyalty

Customer retention in the medical tourism industry: Impact of quality, satisfaction, trust, and price reasonableness

Deals with three issues in the area of perceived service quality. First, it compares the gap model with the performance model. Second, it investigates the direction of causality between service quality and satisfaction. Finally, it examines whether the influences of some dimensions of service quality vary across service industry types. Three service firms were selected and respondents were interviewed in each firm. As hypothesized, the performance model appeared to be superior to the gap model. In addition, the result shows that perceived service quality is an antecedent of satisfaction, rather than vice versa. Finally, tangibles appeared to be a more important factor in the facility/equipment‐based industries, whereas responsiveness is a more important factor in the people‐based industries. Managerial implications and future research directions are discussed.

Haksik Lee

Papers

The determinants of perceived service quality and its relationship with satisfaction