Factors Influencing the Reputation of Assistive Technology Resources Center: An Example from Yunlin County, Taiwan

Abstract

By the end of 2020, a total of 34 multifunctional Assistive Technology Resources Centers (ATR centers) were set up in 22 counties and cities in Taiwan. This study examines the perceptions of the users and their caregivers of the government-established ATR centers in Taiwan and examines the impact on the reputation of the public institution. The research framework and hypotheses were developed by examining the factors of “service convenience”, “center-related factors”, “justice”, and “perceived value” and using “perceived value” as a mediating variable. The data were collected through a questionnaire survey, and the structural equation model was used to test the model and verify the hypotheses. Research data was collected in various townships in Yunlin County A total of 320 questionnaires were collected. Of these respondents, 22% were aged 51–60. All the research hypotheses were positively and significantly verified. Of these, justice was the most important factor affecting the value of the ATR center’s services compared to convenience and center-related factors. Of convenience, service value and justice, service value was the most important factor affecting the perceived reputation of the public institution. According to the findings of this study, it is beyond expectation that the convenience of ATR is not the main factor influencing the service value, but rather the perceived justice is the most important factor. Therefore, ATR should be prioritized from the perspective of the service recipient, especially the perceived justice of the service, in order to best enhance the value of the service and improve the reputation of the public institution.

A User’s Perspective on the Factors Influencing the Satisfaction of Assistive Technology Resources Centers’ Built Environment Services

“…In a study on the impact of ATR center services on the reputation of public agencies by T.-Y. Chang and Huang [16], it was pointed out that assistive device users value service convenience, service convenience has a positive impact on the reputation of public agencies, and both have a positive impact on the perceived value of services.…”

“…In a study on the influence of reputation in assistive technology service centers, it was found that service convenience has a direct influence on reputation. On the other hand, ATR center-related factors such as brand, service environment, or service system design have an indirect impact on reputation [16]. Image and reputation, both representing positive quality in a company's external public relations, belong to the structures of asymmetric and symmetric models, respectively [35,36].…”

“…Parasuraman et al [37] proposed a conceptual model of service quality that divides it into five major dimensions: reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles. In a study of factors affecting the reputation of ATR centers [16], it was found that the space, equipment, information conveyed, professionalism, friendliness, and reliability of the brand provided by the center for assistive devices, which serves people with disabilities or elderly people who have lost their ability, have a direct or indirect impact on the perceived value or reputation of the center by users.…”

“…Additionally, Chang [16] and Diallo [38] have demonstrated the positive impact of service quality on CSR. González et al [69], in their study on the hotel industry, concluded that CSR has a stronger influence on non-financial performance indicators, such as customer satisfaction.…”

“…Many countries also adjust their own public sector business from the perspective of serving customers, increasing interaction with the public and caring about their feelings [15], hoping to provide more convenient services by simplifying relevant administrative procedures or shortening waiting times for public affairs. Chang and Huang [16] pointed out in their research on the impact of ATR center services on the reputation of public units that assistive device users care about service convenience, and service convenience also has a positive impact on the reputation of public units, and they have a similarly positive view on enhancing the perceived value of services.…”