Purpose – This paper aims to develop and empirically test a hierarchical model for measuring service quality in higher education. Design/methodology/approach – The first phase of the study consisted of qualitative research methods and a comprehensive literature review, which allowed the development of a conceptual model comprising 53 service quality attributes. Quantitative methods were used for the second phase so as to test the dimensionality of the measurement instrument and assess its validity and reliability. A sample of 207 students was surveyed, and data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha test. Findings – The results of the factor analysis revealed the presence of sub-dimensions. A hierarchical model was therefore considered most appropriate. The final model consisted of five primary dimensions, which are administrative quality, physical environment quality, core educational quality, support facilities quality and transformative quality. The instrument contained a total of 48 items. Each scale was satisfactorily tested for validity and reliability. Research limitations/implications – This empirical study made use of data collected in Mauritius only, a developing country. Practical implications – This study provides a framework and an instrument that can be used by higher education institutions in view of continuously improving educational quality. Originality/value – The study adopted a holistic approach by considering both the functional and technical aspect of service quality in higher education. Moreover, technical quality was operationalised by considering the notion of transformative quality.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to validate the higher education service quality (HESQUAL) scale using a confirmatory approach and test an improved structural model that predicts student loyalty from image, perceived value, satisfaction and service quality. In addition to validating the HESQUAL scale using a confirmatory approach, two other main limitations in the extant literature are addressed. Design/methodology/approach The model is tested using data collected from 501 students enrolled in different higher education institutions in Mauritius. A two-stage approach to structural equation modeling is used whereby the measurement model is first tested using confirmatory factor analysis and followed by the assessment of the structural model. Findings Importantly, results indicate that student satisfaction is influenced by technical service quality, image and perceived value, but not by functional service quality. Both dimensions of service quality however are significant predictors of image and perceived value. The study uses a comprehensive measure of service quality and demonstrates that it is worthwhile to consider functional service quality as higher-order model and clearly distinguish between functional and technical quality, as both the technical and functional aspects play an important role in shaping students’ perceptions and behaviors. Originality/value First, in the existing literature, service quality has not been considered as a second-order factor model in structural models of student satisfaction and loyalty, thus lacking either precision or parsimony. Second, the transformative quality aspect of higher education has been largely neglected in previous research testing such predictive models. The model delineates service quality into the functional and transformative (technical) aspects and treats functional service quality as a second-order factor comprising nine sub-dimensions.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this study was to critically analyse the factors that affect the motivation of public primary school teachers and also to investigate if there is any relationship between teacher motivation and job satisfaction in Mauritius. Design/methodology/approach -Simple random sampling method was used to collect data from 250 primary teachers who are members of the Government Teachers Union (GTU). Chi-square test was used to test the hypotheses. Findings -The findings have shown similar results to the integrated cognitive-motivational model for the study of teachers' professional motivation by Jesus and Lens. However, some results seem to contradict the literature review. On the whole, Mauritian primary teachers have a good motivational level. Research limitations/implications -Owing to time and financial constraints, a larger sample size could not be taken to carry out the survey. Practical implications -There is a need for educational leaders to take immediate actions pertaining to the improvement of teachers' motivation. Originality/value -Despite the fact that many research studies have been carried out on job satisfaction and motivation of teachers worldwide, there is hardly any study that has focused solely on the concept of motivation as far as the Mauritian context is concerned.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to investigate into the usage of information technology (IT) to support the various quality management (QM) processes through empirical analysis. Design/methodology/approach -This research has analysed in depth the data collected through questionnaire survey consisting of 180 ISO 9001:2000 certified organisations, so as to assess the impact of IT on the various QM dimensions. Factor analysis and other statistical analyses were carried out using the SPSS software. Findings -It was found that IT does actually have a substantial impact on QM. Subsequently other analysis was conducted to understand better how IT actually impacts on QM and to investigate the situation in Mauritius through a comparative study, such as between manufacturing and services firms, among others. Research limitations/implications -There is scope to assess in more depth the impact of IT on QM by conducting case studies, in support of this empirical study and there is scope also to go more in depth in this research by analysing the usage of IT in specific QM tasks and IT applications. Originality/value -This research has empirically demonstrated the impact of IT on the different QM processes; it is thus hoped that it will contribute by increasing awareness of the actual importance of IT in the success of QM initiatives and encourage intelligent investment in IT which is geared towards effective use in supporting QM processes.

PurposeThe paper provides a step-by-step guide in the guise of a roadmap for service improvement initiatives using importance performance map analysis (IPMA).Design/methodology/approachTo empirically illustrate how IPMA can be applied to any service industry, three sectors are considered; sports and fitness (study A), hospitality (study B) and higher education (study C). Following the proper selection of measuring instruments and their evaluation using structural equation modeling-partial least squares (Smart-PLS), IPMA is applied to identify those attributes having strong total effects (high importance) over the targeted construct (satisfaction) but which also have low average latent variable scores (low performance).FindingsFor sports and fitness (study A), the physical aspects and programme quality require managerial attention. For the hospitability sector (study B), it is service commitment, interaction quality and internal sense of happiness. Whereas for higher education (study C), it is administrative quality as well as the element of transformative quality, namely the university’s role in adding to its students’ emotional stability, which needs the attention of the top management.Originality/valueThis study provides researchers and practitioners with a roadmap for applying PLS-SEM and IPMA for continuous service quality improvement. The roadmap extends upon Ringle and Sarstedt’s (2016) work. It highlights critical decisions that need to be considered in the pre-analytical stages of the IPMA application, i.e. at the research design phase in selecting the most appropriate service quality measurement model specifications. It not only contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing empirical evidence to advance theory development in the quality management field but also has implications for the practitioners in any service sector on where to focus their attention for an effective service improvement.