CHAPTER 12
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. _________ is an attitude formed by a long-term, overall evaluation of a firm’s
performance.
a. customer satisfaction
b. negative disconfirmation
c. positive disconfirmation
d. service quality
e. customer retention
2. __________ is a short-term, transaction specific measure.
a. customer satisfaction
b. focus group interviews
c. noncustomer research
d. service quality
e. customer retention
3. Which of the following statements is correct?
a. customer satisfaction leads to perceived service quality
b. service quality leads to customer satisfaction
c. service quality leads to increased purchasing behavior
d. customer satisfaction leads to increased purchasing behavior
e. the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction and how
these two concepts relate to purchasing behavior remains largely unexplained
4. The distance between a customer’s expectations of a service and perception of
the service actually delivered is called:
a. service gap
b. knowledge gap
c. standards gap
d. delivery gap
e. communication gap
5. The firm’s increased research orientation and enhanced upward communication
will assist the firm in decreasing which one of the following gaps?
a. knowledge gap
b. standards gap
c. delivery gap
d. communications gap
e. confirmation gap
6. Understanding the customer is a critical step toward minimizing or completely
eliminating the:
a. knowledge gap
b. standards gap
c. delivery gap
d. communications gap
e. confirmation gap
7. A hotel may feel that its customers prefer comfortable rooms, when, in fact,
the majority of the hotel’s customers spend little time in their rooms and are
more interested in on-site amenities such as the pool, spa, and restaurants.
This hotel is suffering from a:
a. knowledge gap
b. standards gap
c. delivery gap
d. communications gap
e. confirmation gap
8. As a service organization’s hierarchy becomes more complex and more levels
of management are added, the firm is more likely to experience a:
a. knowledge gap
b. standards gap
c. delivery gap
d. communications gap
e. confirmation gap
9. The difference between management perceptions of customer expectations and
and standards specifying service to be delivered is called the:
a. knowledge gap
b. standards gap
c. delivery gap
d. communications gap
e. service gap
10. The firm’s overemphasis on cost reduction and short-term profits will increase
the size of the:
a. knowledge gap
b. standards gap
c. delivery gap
d. communications gap
e. confirmation gap
11. Management’s inability to translate what consumers want into a written business
plan will increase the size of the:
a. knowledge gap
b. standards gap
c. delivery gap
d. communications gap
e. confirmation gap
12. The __________ occurs between the actual performance of a service and the
standards set by management.
a. knowledge gap
b. standards gap
c. delivery gap
d. communications gap
e. service gap
13. Which of the following is NOT a factor influencing the delivery gap?
a. willingness to perform
b. employee-job fit
c. role ambiguity
d. overpromising
e. inadequate support
14. Employee willingness to perform and employee-job fit are directly related to
which of the following service quality gaps?
a. knowledge gap
b. standards gap
c. delivery gap
d. communications gap
e. service gap
15. Minimizing the amount of role conflict and role ambiguity experienced by
employees will help reduce the size of this gap.
a. knowledge gap
b. standards gap
c. delivery gap
d. communications gap
e. confirmation gap
16. The __________ is the difference between the service the firm promises to
deliver through its external communications and the service it actually delivers
to its customers.
a. knowledge gap
b. standards gap
c. delivery gap
d. communications gap
e. service gap
17. According to the text, when competing firms begin to overpromise in order to
top one another, a __________ is likely to occur.
a. knowledge gap
b. standards gap
c. delivery gap
d. communications gap
e. service gap
18. Which of the following statements pertaining to the SERVQUAL scale is
correct?
a. SERVQUAL compares perceptions to what customers would normally expect.
b. SERVQUAL is a 22-item scale
c. SERVQUAL consists of four service quality dimensions
d. SERVQUAL compares perceptions to what a customer should expect from a
firm the delivers high-quality services.
e. All the above statements are incorrect
19. Which of the following statements pertaining to the SERVQUAL scale is
incorrect?
a. The SERVQUAL dimensions were obtained through extensive focus group
interviews
b. SERVQUAL is a 44-item scale
c. SERVQUAL consists of five service quality dimensions
d. SERVQUAL compares perceptions to what a customer should expect from a
firm the delivers high-quality services.
e. The smaller the gap score for each of the service quality dimensions, the lower
the level of service quality provided.
20. Which of the following is not one the five dimensions that is measured by the
SERVQUAL SCALE?
a. tangibles
b. employee satisfaction
c. responsiveness
d. assurance
e. empathy
21. The SERVQUAL dimension that measures consumer views of the firm’s
personnel and communication materials is the ________ dimension.
a. tangibles
b. employee satisfaction
c. responsiveness
d. assurance
e. reliability
22. Employees of excellent companies will be neat in appearance is a typical
statement within the __________ dimension of the SERVQUAL scale.
a. tangibles
b. reliability
c. responsiveness
d. assurance
e. reliability
23. The __________ dimension is an assessment of the firm’s consistency and
dependability in service performance.
a. tangibles
b. empathy
c. responsiveness
d. assurance
e. reliability
24. Excellent companies will perform the service right the first time is a typical
statement within the __________ dimension of the SERVQUAL scale.
a. tangibles
b. empathy
c. responsiveness
d. assurance
e. reliability
25. __________ refers to the service firm’s commitment to providing its services
in a timely manner.
a. tangibles
b. empathy
c. responsiveness
d. assurance
e. reliability
26. The SERVQUAL dimension that measures consumer views that reflect the
security of the firm’s operations is the ________ dimension.
a. tangibles
b. employee satisfaction
c. responsiveness
d. assurance
e. reliability
27. Excellent companies will have the customer’s best interest at heart is a typical
statement within the __________ dimension of the SERVQUAL scale.
a. tangibles
b. empathy
c. responsiveness
d. assurance
e. reliability
28. Which of the following is a major criticism of the SERVQUAL scale?
a. short questionnaire
b. validity of the five service quality dimensions
c. does not predict consumer purchase intention
d. contact personnel
e. none of the above
29. Research that examines the customer’s perspective of a firm’s strengths and
weaknesses is called:
a. customer research
b. employee survey
c. noncustomer research
d. customer complaints
e. service quality survey
30. The SERVQUAL dimension that is typically noted as the least important by
customers is the __________ dimension
a. tangibles
b. empathy
c. responsiveness
d. assurance
e. reliability
31. The SERVQUAL dimension that is typically noted as the most important
by customers is the __________ dimension
a. tangibles
b. empathy
c. responsiveness
d. assurance
e. reliability
32. Which of the following is not a component of a service quality information
system?
a. mystery shopping
b. customer retention interviews
c. after-sale surveys
d. employee surveys
e. total market service quality surveys
33. The component of a firm’s service quality information system that is used
specifically to assess employee performance is:
a. solicitation of customer complaints
b. customer focus group interviews
c. employee surveys
d. mystery shopping
e. total market service quality survey
34. The component of a firm’s service quality information system that
assesses the firm’s and competitor’s service quality ratings is:
a. solicitation of customer complaints
b. customer focus group interviews
c. employee surveys
d. mystery shopping
e. total market service quality survey
35. Which of the following is NOT a key component that needs to be built into every
service quality system?
a. listening
b. reliability
c. servant leadership
d. individual play
e. service design
SHORT-ANSWER ESSAYS
36. Explain how providing poor service can actually increase a country’s Gross
Domestic Product (GDP).
37. Explain why the productivity of education and government services is notoriously
difficult to measure.
38. Provide a brief description for each of the five gaps within the Conceptual Model
of Service quality.
39. List the five dimensions of service quality. Which dimension is typically rated by
customers as the most important? Which is typically rated as the least important?
40. In general, service quality information systems focus on two types of research:
customer research and noncustomer research. List the components of the service
quality information system under the appropriate research heading.