Servicing service quality in higher
education: quest for excellence
Roland K. Yeo
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the importance of service quality as a means of
achieving long-term competitive advantage in higher education. It further seeks to explore the
influences of customer expectation, course design and delivery as well as learning support on service
quality.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents the findings of a qualitative study conducted in
a Singapore tertiary institution where in-depth interviewing was employed and 12 academics were
involved.
Findings – The study finds that perception of tertiary students as either customers or products will have
a direct impact on the dynamics created within and outside a learning space. Quality service in higher
education should aim at offering experiences that promote dialogue, inquiry and reflection in the long
term.
Practical implications – Instructors should learn to balance the expectations of students without
compromising on academic rigor. Curricula should be kept updated by consulting industry and
economic trends. Learning support should be complemented by being student-centered rather than
merely task-driven.
Originality/value – The strategic framework utilized by the Singapore institution has proven to be useful
in achieving different aspects of service quality. It provides a starting model for a variety of contexts and
paradigms to be built on.
Keywords Customer satisfaction, Consumer behaviour, Perception, Customer services quality,
Higher education, Singapore
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
While you are not able to serve men, how can you serve spirits [of the dead]? . . . While you do not
know life, how can you know about death? (Confucius, Chinese philosopher and reformer, 551
BC
-479
BC
; The Confucian Analects, Book 11:11)
In a world where branding becomes the basis for competition of unique products and
services in attracting a larger market share for ultimate profitability, consumers are largely
spoilt for choice. How does one decide which product or service is better than others? While
a multitude of factors may contribute to the decision process, the one (underlying) factor that
differentiates itself and taps into the direct experience of the consumer is ‘‘service quality’’
(Cronin and Taylor, 1992).
More so for the education sector where no real products are conceivably involved; services
provided will, therefore, be perceived as the competitive demarcation between institutions in
terms of their superiority in creating unique experiences. Teaching is a service while learning
is an experience. Dichotomizing the two will only complicate what it is to define quality
education. As such, a simplified yet integrative perspective needs to be encouraged when
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VOL. 16 NO. 3 2008, pp. 152-161, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1074-8121 DOI 10.1108/10748120810901459
Roland K. Yeo is Assistant
Professor of Management,
College of Industrial
Management, King Fahd
University of Petroleum
and Minerals, Dhahran,
Saudi Arabia.
The author appreciates the
comments of the Editor and
reviewers, and is grateful to
Andy Kwek for his help in the
data collection. The author also
acknowledges the support
given by King Fahd University
of Petroleum and Minerals in the
preparation of this article.