Abstract:
A meta-analysis was performed on 15 studies that measured the perception of the five SERVQUAL dimensions in the healthcare sector. The studies were conducted in eight countries using Parasuraman et al. (1988) 22Item Service Scale or modified versions. The findings showed that significant heterogeneity existed in the true effect sizes of all five service quality dimensions of responsiveness, tangibles, reliability, empathy, and assurance. Meta-regressions were performed between the five service quality dimensions and Hofstede's six cultural dimensions with individualism and indulgence attributing to 29% and 43% of the real dispersion, respectively. Individualism showed an R2 = 29% with ?values equal to 0.02 for both responsiveness and reliability while indulgence showed an R2 = 43% with a ?-value equal to 0.00 for tangibles. Hofstede's cultural dimensions of individualism and indulgence contributed to a significant proportion of the observed real variance between the 15 studies selected. Hofstede's other cultural dimensions of power, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, and a long-term orientation, in combination with the service quality dimensions did not show significant proportions of the observed real variances. The findings promote the need for further research on how the changes in culture influence the perception of service quality in the healthcare sector.
Page(s):
13-23
DOI:
DOI not available
Published:
Journal: Science International, Volume: 33, Issue: 1, Year: 2021