Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10397/1304
PIRA download icon_1.1View/Download Full Text
Title: Customer heterogeneity in operational e-service design attributes : an empirical investigation of service quality
Authors: Sousa, R
Yeung, ACL 
Cheng, TCE 
Issue Date: 2008
Source: International journal of operations and production management, 2008, v. 28, no. 7, p. 592-614
Abstract: Purpose – This study aims to empirically examine whether heterogeneity in personal customer profiles translates to heterogeneity in the valued operational e-service design attributes. It focuses on a key operational e-service design attribute – service quality – by investigating whether customers with different profiles (demographics, pattern of use of the service, and pattern of channel use) attach different levels of importance to different dimensions of web site quality.
Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on path analysis of data collected from multiple sources in a commercial e-service setting (e-banking): data from an online survey of the customers of the e-service; data stored in the transaction and log files generated by the operation of the e-service over time; and data from the e-service provider's customer database and back office IT systems.
Findings – The results suggest that: customer demographics, pattern of service use, and pattern of channel use have no influence on the importance attached by customers to web site quality dimensions; and customer demographics affect the pattern of use of an e-service.
Practical implications – Service providers may not need to employ customization at the level of web site quality dimensions. The findings support the existence of the concept of an “optimal” web site design for quality.
Originality/value – The paper answers calls for an increased understanding of the design of high quality e-services and for multidisciplinary research in the field of services management, in particular, incorporating operations management perspectives.
Keywords: Online operations
Service levels
Services
Quality
Internet
Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Journal: International journal of operations and production management 
ISSN: 0144-3577
EISSN: 1758-6593
DOI: 10.1108/01443570810881776
Rights: International Journal of Operations & Production Management © 2008 Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Appears in Collections:Journal/Magazine Article

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 
FullPaper_Final.pdfPre-published version531.61 kBAdobe PDFView/Open
Open Access Information
Status open access
File Version Final Accepted Manuscript
Access
View full-text via PolyU eLinks SFX Query
Show full item record

Page views

81
Last Week
0
Last month
Citations as of Mar 24, 2024

Downloads

177
Citations as of Mar 24, 2024

SCOPUSTM   
Citations

29
Last Week
0
Last month
0
Citations as of Mar 28, 2024

WEB OF SCIENCETM
Citations

19
Last Week
0
Last month
1
Citations as of Mar 28, 2024

Google ScholarTM

Check

Altmetric


Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.