The Effect of Service Quality of Medical Tourism on Perceived Value, Satisfaction, and Word of Mouth -Chinese Customers Perspective- = The Effect of Service Quality of Medical Tourism on Perceived Value, Satisfaction, and Word of Mouth -Chinese Customers Perspective-

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This research is conducted to investigate the effects that different types of service quality have on perceived value, satisfaction and word of mouth (WOM) for Chinese cosmetic surgery consumers in South Korea. This study models the relationships among service quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction, and word of mouth. The study further subcategorizes service quality service into three dimensions and determines that each dimension has differing levels of effects on satisfaction and perceived value. The results of this study indicate that satisfaction and perceived value have a direct effect on positive word of mouth, but satisfaction has a relatively higher net influence. The practical implications of the results of this research can be used by the medical tourism industry to establish promotion strategies for attracting Chinese patients. Hospitals can use the results to improve their operations for specific qualities or to customize their marketing approach. One result of the study indicates that improving communication with Chinese customers would directly lead to both satisfaction and perceived value, and thus positive word of mouth. Hospitals should thus focus on advertisements to consumers attempting to convey a positive image of interaction service quality. Another result of the study indicates that plastic/cosmetic surgery hospitals that cannot offer optimum interior or physical environments can focus on outcome quality to improve changes of higher perceived value. This research can assist managers in understanding how Chinese customers assess the different types of service quality experiences and be used as guidance to enhance customers` service experiences.

참고문헌 (Reference)

• 1 Bauer HH, "eTransQual : A Transaction Process Based Approach for Capturing Service Quality in Online Shopping" 59 : 866-875, 2006
• 2 Etgar M, "Why and How Service Quality Perceptions Impact Consumer Responses" 19 (19): 474-485, 2009
• 3 Tabachnick BG, "Using Multivariate Statistics" Allyn & Bacon 2001
• 4 Hutchinson J, "Understanding the Relationships of Quality, Value, Equity, Satisfaction, and Behavioral Intentions Among Golf Travelers" 30 : 298-308, 2009
• 5 Pawitra TA, "Tourist Satisfaction in Singapore-A Perspective from Indonesian Tourists" 13 (13): 399-411, 2003
• 6 Bigne EJ, "Tourism Image, Evaluation Variables and After Purchase Behaviour : Inter-Relationship" 22 (22): 607-616, 2001
• 7 Bitner MJ, "The Service Encounter: Diagnosing Favorable and Unfavorable Incidents" 54 : 71-84, 1990
• 8 Crompton LJ, "The Predictive Validity of Alternative Approaches to Evaluating Quality of a Festival" 34 : 11-24, 1995
• 9 Hudson S, "The Measurement of Service Quality in the Tour Operating Sector: A Methodological Comparison" 42 : 305-312, 2004
• 10 Grove SJ, "The Impact of Other Customers on Service Experiences : A Critical Incident Examination of Getting Along" 73 (73): 63-85, 1997
• 11 Garcia-Altes M, "The Development of Health Tourism Services" 32 (32): 262-266, 2005
• 12 Lee H, "The Determinants of Perceived Service Quality and Its Relationship with Satisfaction" 14 (14): 217-231, 2000
• 13 Wang Y, "The Antecedents of Service Quality and Product Quality and Their Influences on Bank Reputation: Evidence from the Banking Industry in China" 13 (13): 72-83, 2003
• 14 Fornell C, "The American Customer Satisfaction Index : Nature, Purpose, and Finding" 60 (60): 7-18, 1996
• 15 Bollen K, "Testing Structural Equation Models" Sage 1993
• 16 Gronroos, C, "Strategic Management and Marketing in the Service Sector" Helsingfors, Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration 1982
• 17 Brady MK, "Some New Thoughts on Conceptualizing Perceived Service Quality: A Hierarchical Approach" 65 : 34-49, 2001
• 18 Bitner MJ, "Servicescapes: The Impact of Physical Surroundings on Customers and Employees" 56 : 57-71, 1992
• 19 Maxham III JG, "Service Recovery’s Influence on Consumer Satisfaction, Positive Word of Mouth, and Purchase Intentions" 54 (54): 11-24, 2001
• 20 Rust RT, "Service Quality: New Directions in Theory and Practice" Sage Publications, Inc. 1-19, 1994
• 21 Mittal V, "Satisfaction, Repurchase Intent, and Repurchase Behavior : Investigating the Moderating Effect of Customer Characteristics" 38 (38): 131-142, 2001
• 22 Parasuraman A, "SERQUAL : A Multiple-Item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service Quality" 64 (64): 12-40, 1998
• 23 Parasuraman A, "Refinement and Reassessment of the SERVQUAL Scale" 67 (67): 420-450, 1991
• 24 Baker DA, "Quality, Satisfaction, and Behavioral Intentions" 27 (27): 785-804, 2000
• 25 Zeithaml V, "Problems and Strategies in Services Marketing" 49 (49): 33-46, 1985
• 26 Deloitte, "Medical Tourism: Consumers in Search of Value" Deloitte Center for Health Solutions 1-28, 2008
• 27 Leahy, AL, "Medical Tourism : the Impact of Travel to Foreign Countries for Healthcare" 6 (6): 260-261, 2008
• 28 Smyth, F, "Medical Geography : Therapeutic Places, Spaces and Networks" 29 : 488-495, 2005
• 29 Cronin JJ, "Measuring Service Quality: A Reexamination and Extension" 56 (56): 55-68, 1992
• 30 Johns N, "Measuring Service Quality of Travel Agents : Evidence from Northern Cypurs" 24 (24): 82-100, 2004
• 31 Fick GR, "Measuring Service Quality in the Travel and Tourism Industry" 30 (30): 2-9, 1991
• 32 Booms BH, "Marketing Strategies and Organization Structures for Service Firms" American Marketing Association 47-52, 1981
• 33 Brady MK, "Managing Behavioral Intentions in Diverse Cultural Environments: An Investigation of Service Quality, Service Value, and Satisfaction for American and Ecuadorian Fast Food Customers" 7 (7): 129-149, 2001
• 34 Woodruff RB, "Know Your Customer: New Approaches to Customer Value and Satisfaction" Blackwell 98-, 1996
• 35 Diamantopoulos A, "Introducing LISREL" Sage Publications 2000
• 36 Crompton JL, "Identifying Dimensions of Service Quality in Public Recreation" 9 (9): 15-27, 1991
• 37 Bitner MJ, "Evaluating Service Encounters: The Effects of Physical Surrounding and Employee Responses" 54 (54): 69-81, 1990
• 38 Hartline MD, "Employee Performance Cues in a Hotel Service Environment : Influence on Perceived Service Quality, Value, and Word of Mouth Intentions" 35 : 207-215, 1996
• 39 Crosby AL, "Effects of Relationship Marketing on Satisfaction, Retention, and Prices in the Life Insurance Industry" 24 : 404-411, 1987
• 40 Ryan C, "Do Travel Agencies Measure Up to Customer Expectations? An Empirical Investigation of Travel Agencies’ Service Quality as Measured by SERVQUAL" 6 (6): 1-31, 1997
• 41 Eggert A, "Customer Perceived Value: A Substitute for Satisfaction in Business Markets?" 17 (17): 107-118, 2002
• 42 Bitner MJ, "Creativity in Services Marketing" American Marketing Association 89-93, 1986
• 43 Sirdeshmukh D, "Consumer Trust, Value, and Loyalty in Relational Exchanges" 66 : 15-37, 2002
• 44 Crane FG, "Consumer Selection of Physicians and Dentist: An Examination of Choice Criteria and Cue Usage" 8 : 16-19, 1988
• 45 Carman JM, "Consumer Perceptions of Service Quality: An Assessment of the SERVQUAL Dimensions" 66 (66): 33-55, 1990
• 46 Want China Times, "China Nips and Tucks to 3rd Place in Plastic Surgery Cases"
• 47 Hunter-Jones P, "Cancer and Tourism" 32 (32): 70-92, 2005
• 48 Cronin JJ, "Assessing the Effects of Quality, Value, and Customer Satisfaction on Consumer Behavioral Intentions in Service Environments" 76 (76): 193-218, 2000
• 49 Heung VC, "Assessing Tourists’ Satisfaction with Shopping in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China" 38 (38): 396-404, 2000
• 50 Nadiri H, "An Investigation on the Factors Influencing Passengers’ Loyalty in the North Cyprus National Airline" 20 (20): 265-280, 2008
• 51 Babakus E, "An Empirical Assessment of the SERVQUAL Scale" 24 (24): 253-268, 1992
• 52 Parasuraman A, "Alternative Scales for Measurement Service Quality : A Comparative Assessment Based on Psychometric and Diagnostic Criteria" 70 (70): 201-230, 1994
• 53 International Medical Travel Journal, "ASIA: Asian Medical Tourism: Latest Statistics and Research"
• 54 International Medical Travel Journal, "ASIA: Asian Medical Tourism is Regional"
• 55 Gronroos C, "A Service Quality Model and Its Marketing Implications" 18 (18): 36-44, 1984
• 56 McDougall GHG, "A Revised View of Service Quality Dimensions : An Empirical Investigation" 11 (11): 189-209, 1994
• 57 Fornell C, "A National Customer Satisfaction Barometer : The Swedish Experience" 56 : 6-12, 1992
• 58 Sirohi N, "A Model of Consumer Perceptions and Store Loyalty Intentions for a Supermarket Retailer" 74 (74): 223-245, 1998
• 59 Dabholkar P, "A Measure of Service Quality for Retail Stores: Scale Development and Validation" 24 (24): 3-16, 1996
• 60 Yu JY, "A Cross Cultural Study of Perceptions of Medical Tourism Among Chinese, Japanese and Korean Tourist in Korea" 33 : 80-88, 2011
• 61 Parasuraman A, "A Conceptual Model of Service Quality and Its Implications" 49 (49): 41-50, 1985
• 62 Mackay KJ, "A Conceptual Model of Consumer Evaluation of Recreation Service Quality" 7 (7): 40-49, 1988
• 63 Dabholkar PC, "A Comprehensive Framework for Service Quality: An Investigation of Critical Conceptual and Measurement Issues Through a Longitudinal Study" 76 (76): 139-173, 2000
• 64 Childress DR, "A Comparison of Alternative Direct and Discrepancy Approaches to Measuring Quality of Performance at a Festival" 36 (36): 43-57, 1997