Survey timing and consumer perceptions of service quality: an overview of empirical evidence

Factors affecting domestic tourists' repeat purchase intention towards accommodation in Malaysia

The hospitality and tourist industries depend on homestays and accommodations. Different factors, i.e., promotion strategies, service quality, cleanliness, and perceived health risks, influence tourists' repeat purchase intention for accommodation. This study highlights different variables influencing domestic tourists' accommodation repurchase decisions in Malaysia. Around 304 respondents from this quantitative survey are tourists who have already experienced choosing their accommodations during travel. Statistical Packages of Social science software (SPSS-23.0) were used to examine the data through multiple regression and descriptive approaches. The finding suggests that promotion, and services, can positively affect visitors' purchasing decisions. However, there is a negative but statistically significant link between perceived health risk and repurchase decisions. Furthermore, the result revealed that the predictors of purchase decisions significantly influence selection. This study observed the undervalued quality of services and facilities provided by the hotel industry. The results identified that sustainable practices could enhance the impressive recovery of the tourism industry during and after the pandemic. Furthermore, cleanliness and cost are vital to be considered a primary quality service factor, reducing the perceived health risk, even if there is a pandemic. The study suggested that lodging providers could upgrade on-site facilities and acquire better promotion strategies. The study's conclusions can increase satisfaction to avoid health risks in any circumstance and promote tourism.

Analysis of the Factors Affecting Sustainable Electronic Supply Chains in Healthcare Centers

To improve their long-term performance, organizations must maintain their business operations and practices over time. They can do so by engaging in sustainable practices aimed at meeting the interests of the enterprise, and of its suppliers, employees, and customers in the long run. Not surprisingly, the implementation of sustainability practices has expanded in the healthcare industry. Information technology (IT) is a way to promote quality, security, and efficiency in healthcare. IT brings vital information, and so important support to the care point for decision-making. It also allows the assessment of everyday quality turn into as a measured reality. In the present study, the factors affecting the sustainability of electronic supply chains in healthcare centers were identified using library methods and a keyword review of the literature. Then, the relationships between these factors were analyzed using an interpretive- structural modeling approach. The results reveal that infrastructure management and technology management should be considered the most important factors affecting the sustainability of electronic supply chains in healthcare centers.

Effective customer experience management in health-care sector of Nigeria

Purpose

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to introduce the concept of customer experience management (CEM) as a supportive construct in customer loyalty building. In support of Smith and Wheeler (2002) stance, Cronin (2003) argued that organizations should deviate from outdated quality → value → satisfaction → loyalty paradigm to a modern and more flexible paradigm for loyalty building.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses an archival survey of the extant literature to confirm or debunk the position of CEM protagonists within the context of the health-care sector of developing countries, especially Nigeria.

Findings

This paper presents a new conceptualization on CEM that includes three dimensions of CEM (functional clues, mechanic clues and humanic clues) on customer loyalty in the health-care sector of Nigeria. Therefore, when a health-care organization consciously and effectively makes CEM a strategic priority, it largely leaves a long-lasting impression in the mind of the customers, which invariably retain and build customer loyalty.

Research limitations/implications

The authors emphasized the importance of how CEM can be used to build loyalty and the need to properly adapt CEM approach in an extremely sensitive service sector, i.e. the health-care sector in developing countries, especially Nigeria. The recommended framework initiates fresh streams of researches for the concept to be carried out empirically in developing countries.

Practical implications

To retain and build customer loyalty, particularly in the health-care sector of Nigeria, health-care organizations need to understand and adopt CEM clues so as to keep customers loyal in an extremely sensitive service sector.

Originality/value

Although there are studies on CEM and customer loyalty in the health-care sector of developed countries, research on CEM is very limited in developing countries such as Nigeria. By contributing to the body of knowledge in this area, this research adds significant value. Moreover, the research gives important information on the Nigerian health-care sector, which probably new to several readers.

Assessing the influence of switching barriers on patients' expectations and tolerance zone

PURPOSE

The purpose of this paper is to look at the influence of switching barriers on patients' private general practitioner (GP) service expectations and tolerance zone

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

From 750 questionnaires distributed to a convenience sample, 257 were completed and returned, yielding a 34 per cent response rate.

FINDINGS

There was a significant association between switching barriers and what patients expected from their GPs. Switching barriers did not have a significant association with the tolerance zone.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Private GPs can develop strategies to overcome switching barriers. For example, they can develop personal relationships with their patients, re-familiarise themselves with the patient's medical history before the consultation and provide better services to patients who perceive high switching barriers and hence higher adequate expectations.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

This study contributes to the existing literature relating to healthcare service quality.