Searching for a consensus on the antecedent role of service quality and satisfaction: an exploratory cross-national study

This study employs a cross-cultural perspective to explore the antecedent role of service quality and satisfaction in the development of service customers' behavioral intentions. Specifically, due in large part to the differing theories offered in the literature as to the relationship between service quality and satisfaction and their effects on behavioral intentions, we examine the extent to which the causal order of service quality and satisfaction is robust across national borders. The overriding objective is to determine whether the effects of service quality and satisfaction on such behavioral outcomes as repurchase intentions, loyalty, and word of mouth are context-specific or uniform across varying service environments. Competing theories are tested and the results indicate that the effect of service quality on behavioral intentions is mediated by a consumer's level of satisfaction and that this relationship is consistent across cultures. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.