A new approach of social media analytics to predict service quality: evidence from the airline industry

Measuring SERVQUAL dimensions and their importance for customer-satisfaction using online reviews: a text mining approach

Purpose

The extant literature has utilized the SERVQUAL scale to measure service quality dimensions and their importance towards customer-satisfaction using close-ended survey-based questions and not open-ended questions and/or user-generated qualitative responses. On the other hand, while measuring customer-satisfaction drivers from user-generated content (UGC), extant studies have majorly used overall or aspect-wise evaluations and not evaluations specific to SERVQUAL dimensions. In this study, the authors try to bridge the gap.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors suggest a methodology consisting of text mining, machine learning and econometric techniques that can measure consumer evaluations of SERVQUAL dimensions. The authors used qualitative and quantitative UGC obtained from 27,052 online reviews on 362 airlines by reviewers of 158 nationalities for our analysis.

Findings

The authors established a unique method which combines qualitative and qualitative UGC to measure service quality. The authors have also uncovered the comparative importance of such dimensions in creating customer-satisfaction and recommendation in the context of the airline industry.

Originality/value

The paper is one of the pioneering studies that try to find measures of SERVQUAL dimensions from online consumer reviews and their influence on customer satisfaction.

How does entrepreneurial orientation and SDG orientation of CEOs evolve before and during a pandemic

Purpose

Aligning business innovation with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) creates immense opportunities to solve societal challenges along with business growth and productivity. This study aims to understand the evolution of Fortune firms' strategic addressing of SDG on social media as a step towards post-pandemic recovery. Using attribution theory as a theoretical lens, the authors try to investigate how entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and SDG orientation evolve with the crisis and affect the appreciation and advocacy of the SDG-related posts.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed methodology of machine learning and Social media analytics such as content analysis, sentiment analysis and space–time analysis have been used, followed by multivariate analysis to validate the findings.

Findings

An evolution in CEOs’ strategic focus surrounding SDG dimensions was found, from economic in pre-pandemic phase to social and environment during the pandemic. The SDG disclosure on social media by the Fortune CEOs seems to have an influence on their social media reputation, whereas EO has no impact on social media reputation.

Research limitations/implications

Wise practice of EO in information diffusion by CEOs on social media may lead to a healthy relationship with the stakeholders and better firm performance. The SDG adoption at organisation level contributes towards a sustainable society and helps tackling the challenges faced during the pandemic.

Originality/value

This study analyses the contribution of the Fortune firms to achieve a sustainable society in a pandemic environment by strategic adoption of SDGs and effective use of digital platforms.