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1. Introduction
Quality, as a concept, is generally easier to define in a manufacturing setting. However, the concept is much more difficult and complex to define in the service sector, which is generally referred to as Service-Quality. In the current socioeconomic context, the service sector has become progressively more important (Seth et al., 2005). Continuous improvement of customer (user) service is essential for successful development of business in today’s highly competitive, dynamic and complex business environment (Bolton et al., 2004; Kotler, 2000). There is no escape from it even for philanthropic areas, leave alone higher education.
Higher education plays a vital role in the development of a country, as it enhances social, cultural and economic development and promotes active citizenship while inculcating ethical values in the citizens. Numerous studies have identified the importance of service quality and its measurement, in higher education (O’Neill and Palmer, 2004; Parri, 2006; Quinn et al., 2009). However, there is no consensus about the dimensions and antecedents of student perceived service quality (Sultan and Wong, 2012).
There has been rapid development in higher education in India in the past two decades (Gupta and Gupta, 2012). At present, there are over 700 universities in the country and University Grants Commission (UGC) plans to establish more in the near future. Unfortunately, this expansion comes with a variety of problems, such as inconsistent quality of education, lack of resources and capacity, regulatory difficulties, etc. But, yet, the future holds great potential and the Indian Government is rightly focusing on improvement and growth of the higher education system. Though this aggressive growth is satisfying the market demand, it has certain lacunas also. The Indian education system has to guarantee quality and excellence in education which cannot be compromised at any cost. In this context, the present study explores the factors affecting the quality of higher education and provides a framework to measure service quality. The study also aims to develop a structural model to identify the relationships between the student perceived service quality, satisfaction, loyalty and motivation.
Service quality in the educational sector has been the subject of numerous studies, given its ability to influence the outcome. Quality in higher education is a complex and multi-faceted concept, and there is no...