Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain the patients’ views towards private healthcare service providers. The study focussed on hospital service quality and analysed the relative significance of quality measurements in anticipating the patients’ satisfaction and loyalty. The mediating role of patient satisfaction is assessed between quality of hospital healthcare services and patient loyalty. Design/methodology/approach A total 611 patients (both indoor and outdoor) participated in a questionnaire survey from the six private hospitals of capital city, Islamabad, Pakistan. Data were analysed through descriptive statistics, common method variance, reliability, correlation and regression in order to investigate customer perceived service quality and how the quality of services stimulates loyalty intentions towards private service suppliers. Findings Findings depict that private healthcare service providers are attempting to deliver well improved healthcare services to their customers. Results confirmed that better quality of healthcare services inclines to build satisfaction and loyalty among patients. The healthcare service quality aspects (i.e. physical environment, customer-friendly environment, responsiveness, communication, privacy and safety) are positively related with patient loyalty which is mediated through patient satisfaction. Practical implications Findings will help the hospital managers to articulate effective strategies in order to ensure superior quality of healthcare services to patients. The study will induce hospital management to deliver attentions towards the quality of private healthcare service systems and improvements towards the deficient healthcare services. Furthermore, the study will present a clear picture of patient’s behavioural attitudes; satisfaction and loyalty intentions towards the quality of healthcare services. Originality/value The study provides the views and perceptions of patients towards the quality of healthcare services. The healthcare service quality dimensions, i.e., physical environment, customer-friendly environment, responsiveness, communication, and privacy and safety were assessed. Hospital healthcare service quality was examined in order to find out its effect on patient satisfaction and patient loyalty.

Purpose This study aims to explore the relationship between healthcare perceived service quality (HCSQ) and patient loyalty. Mediating role of patient satisfaction is also assessed between HCSQ and patient loyalty. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 600 was gathered using stratified random sampling technique from inpatients of public and private sector hospitals of Pakistan through self-administered questionnaire, and was analyzed through regression analysis. Findings Findings indicate that healthcare perceived service quality has a significant positive effect on patients’ loyalty. Patient satisfaction also mediates the relationship between HCSQ and patient loyalty. Findings state that there is a significant difference between HCSQ which is perceived by the patients of both public and private sector hospitals. Differences suggest that the patients of private sector hospitals were found more satisfied than their counterparts. Practical implications The results indicate that hospital managers should have knowledge about the perceptions and satisfaction of patients as it leads to a step towards introducing reforms in the quality of healthcare sector. Originality/value No such particular research in literature has been made earlier in Pakistan’s context which has assessed the perceptions of patients in terms of HCSQ dimensions as being addressed in this study. Thus, this study endeavors to fill that gap in terms of measuring healthcare services provided by both public and private sector hospitals. Outcomes of this study will enable hospitals’ managers to get a better understanding towards stronger as well as weaker aspects of service quality, and will help in observing factors which contribute towards patients’ satisfaction and patient loyalty in building long term relationships between hospital and patients.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between restaurant key attributes, customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions. The mediating role of customer satisfaction is assessed between restaurants’ key attributes of service quality and behavioral intentions. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from a sample of 296 customers dining in the fine dining restaurants of Pakistan through a self-administered questionnaire. The data were then analyzed through regression analysis and gap analysis. Model fitness was checked in SPSS AMOS through CFA. Findings The findings suggest that the key restaurant attributes have a significant positive effect on behavioral intentions. Customer satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between key restaurant attributes and behavioral intentions. The findings also suggest that there is a significant gap between the perceptions of customers regarding the importance and performance of key restaurant attributes. Practical implications The result indicates that food taste and environmental cleanliness are the cornerstones of fine dining restaurants’ success in Pakistan and are among the strongest predictor of customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions; while improvement efforts should be made in four key areas, i.e., healthy food option, food freshness, food safety and fair price. Originality/value No comparative study has been directed in fine dining restaurants of Pakistan with respect to the key restaurants attributes, i.e., food quality attributes, service quality attributes, atmospheric quality attributes, and other attributes which have been analyzed in the current study. This research was conducted to investigate the perceptions of customers toward the fine dining restaurants of Pakistan to measure the key restaurants’ attributes that influence customers’ satisfaction and their post-dining behavioral intentions. This study will facilitate restaurants’ managers to understand the stronger and as well as the weaker aspects of service quality and permit them to investigate the factors which contribute toward customers’ satisfaction and their post-dining behavioral intentions in order to build and maintain long-term relationship between restaurants and customers.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate patients’ views toward the perceived service quality of public and private healthcare service providers. Determinants of healthcare service quality were compared by carrying out a GAP analysis to equate perceived and expected services and examined differences in the service quality. Design/methodology/approach The study sample comprises 310 inpatients of public and private healthcare service providers. Self-administered questionnaires were used along a five-point Likert scale and analyzed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. GAP analysis was used to observe the difference between expectations and perceived service quality. Findings A cross-sectional study revealed significant quality gaps between the expected and perceived services of public and private healthcare service providers; conversely patients’ expectations are not fully met in both types of hospitals. Private hospitals surpassed in terms of overall perceived service quality from their counterparts. Perceived services were found better in terms of physician medical services in public sector hospitals, while rooms and housekeeping services were found better in terms of private sector hospitals. Practical implications The result can be used by both public and private healthcare service providers to restructure their quality management practices which could only be possible through effective management commitment, regular patients’ feedback and translucent complaint procedures. Originality/value The study conceptualizes the expected and perceived hospital service quality dimensions as an eight-dimensional framework. A comparison between public and private sector hospitals is made to get a better understanding about the differences in the perceived healthcare services among two sectors. Consequences of the study will aid hospital managers and policy makers to get a fuller picture of healthcare services in order to contrive enhancement practices.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the role of moderated mediation between innovation in service quality and customer loyalty in the hospitality industry for potential entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry. Design/methodology/approach The authors have collected data from customers of the hospitality industry of significant cities of Pakistan using 362 structured questionnaires. Structural equation modelling was used to find out moderated mediation between innovation in service quality and customer loyalty in the hospitality industry for potential entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry. Findings The results showed that the role of customer satisfaction as a mediator and the role of perceived price fairness as a moderator between service quality and customer loyalty is statistically significant. Customers are influenced by price, and it leads to their satisfaction in the hospitality industry. Research limitations/implications The results of this study can be used by managers of the restaurant industry to enhance customer loyalty by focusing on customer satisfaction and perceived price. Originality/value The evidence documented in this paper is first known to measure the role of a mediator and moderator between service quality and customer loyalty for potential entrepreneurs. This paper will add to the literature of service quality in the hospitality industry concerning the role of customer satisfaction and perceived price fairness for future and potential entrepreneurs.