SERVICE QUALITY MEASUREMENT IN TANZANIAN BUSINESS SCHOOLS

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Esther-R. Mbise

Abstract

The extended SERVQUAL instrument is examined and validated for measuring business schools’ service quality in Tanzania-an emerging economy. The relative weights that students attach to various dimensions of the service quality in business schools are established and compared in two periods of time, pre and post graduation. A longitudinal survey was conducted with final year students from two business schools-the College of Business Education and the Institute of Accountancy Arusha. The validity of the extended SERVQUALinstrumentis excellent-α >0.95. A new Process Outcome dimension in the extended SERVQUAL is more important than other dimensions.It is suggested that the extended SERVQUAL instrumentbe used by managers of business schools to identify factors which students use to assess the quality of the education services they receive. Knowledge of these factors will enable business schools’ managers set priorities while allocating scarce resources to improve quality per school and in higher education, in general. Regulatory bodies should make use of this model as a supplement to the traditional performance measures.

Issue Section: Business Education

Article Details

References

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