Post on 12-Oct-2020
7
MAKALEBeykoz Akademi Dergisi,2(1),s.7-28.10.14514/BYK.m.21478082.2014.2/1.7-28
QUALITY VARIABLES IN HOUSE AND OFFICE MOVING INDUSTRY: A STUDY IN TERMS OF SERVICE PROVIDERS AND CUSTOMER
PERCEPTION(1)
İSMAİL BİLGE ÇETİN(2), A. GÜLDEM CERİT(3)
ABSTRACT
The aimof this study is to evaluate the services of house andofficemoving industryand to determine the quality variables from the perspective of service providers andcustomers. In the study, after the literature review, the process of house and officemoving service distribution system was analyzed. With the actors in the process, aqualitative research techniquenamely focusgroupwas conductedand servicequalityvariablesweredetermined.Houseandofficemovingindustryserviceproviders,publicandprivate institutions,personnel fromtransportationcompaniesandrepresentativesof customers joined the study. The results showed thatmaindeterminants of servicequalityinhouseandofficemovingindustrycanbecategorizedasvehicles,equipments,packagingmaterials,personnelandreliabilityonthemovingcompany.
Keywords:Houseandofficemoving,servicequality,logisticsJEL Codes: M31,R41
EV VE OFİS TAŞIMA ENDÜSTRİSİNDE KALİTE DEĞİŞKENLERİ: SERVİS SAĞLAYICI VE MÜŞTERİ ALGISI ÇERÇEVESİNDE BİR İNCELEME
ÖZ
Bu çalışmanın amacı evden eve eşya taşımacılığı endüstrisinde sunulan hizmetlerindeğerlendirilmesivehizmetkalitedeğişkenlerininortayakonmasıdır.Çalışmada,literatürtaramasıyapılmışveevdeneveeşya taşımacılığıhizmetsürecianalizedilmişveevdeneve eşya taşımacılığında hizmet kalitesi değişkenlerinin tespiti amacıyla, hizmet süreci
1ThispaperisarevisedversionofanearlierpaperpresentedatVIII.InternationalLogistics&SupplyChainCongressheldinMaltepeUniversity,Istanbul-Turkey,4th-5thNovember2010.Thepreviousversionofthispaperwaspublished inthecongressproceedingunderthetitleof“QualityVariables InHouseAndOfficeMovingIndustry:AStudyInTermsOfServiceProvidersAndCustomerPerception”.2Doç.Dr.,DokuzEylülUniversity,ismail.cetin@deu.edu.tr3Prof.Dr.,DokuzEylülUniversity,gcerit@deu.edu.tr
8
içerisindebulunanaktörlerleodakgrupçalışmasıdüzenlenmiştir.Çalışmayaevdeneveeşya taşımacılığı yapan işletmeler, özel ve kamu kuruluşlarından katılımcılar, taşımaişletmeleritemsilcileriveevdenevetaşımahizmetialmışmüşterilerkatılmıştır.Çalışmasonucunda,kullanılanekipmanlar,paketlememalzemeleri,personelvetaşımacılıkyapanişletmeyeduyulangüvenanahizmetkalitesibelirleyicileriolarakortayaçıkmıştır.
Anahtar Kelimeler:Evdeneveeşyataşımacılığı,hizmetkalitesi,lojistikJEL Kodları:M31,R41
9
1. Introduction
Homemoving has been performed by the people since years. Inmost cases,movingrepresentsanexcitingtimeinaperson’slife.Forteenagersgoingtocollegeoruniversity,movingmeansnewfound independence.Fornewlymarriedcouplesmoving into theirfirstflat,thismeansthestartofabrand-newlifetogether.Familiesmovingintoadreamhomerepresentgrowth.Forcareer-drivenpeoplewhoarerelocatedtoadifferentplaceaspartofapromotion,movingsignifiessuccess.Incircumstancessuchasthese,movingisalwaysseenasahappyevent.Inothercircumstanceshomemovingcancreateproblems(Irolis,2010).
Homemoving isnot justaboutpacking for themoving. Inorder togethousemovingdone,youhavetosortoutallyourbelongingsandcategorizewhichonesyouwilltakewithyoutoyournewhome,whichonesyouwillthrowawayandwhichonesyouwillputintostorage.Notonlythat,youwouldalsoneedtomakeaninventoryofyourbelongingsandthenpackthemincratesandboxeswiththehopethatnothingwouldbelost,brokenormisplaced(Irolis,2010).
Today instead of having the homemovedby the people themselves,more andmorehouseandofficemovingcompaniesgivehouseandofficemovingservices inordertofacilitatethe lifeofpeople.Althoughtheygivethesimilar typesofservices,qualityofservicesdiffers. Since thequality is anessential competitiveelement, the concern forqualityinhouseandofficemovingindustryisevident.
Since the eighties, service quality has been one of themost important issues in theliterature and is considered as a vital element inmanagement strategies in order tosucceed and/or to outlive in competitive environments. The pressure of competitioninmost industrieshas forcedmanagers to look forways toenhancetheircompetitiveposition.Manyhavedecided to improve servicequality in order todifferentiate theirservicesfromthoseoftheircompetitors(Parasuramanetal.,1985).
Thefocusofthispaperistodeterminetheservicequalityvariablesinordertomeasuretheservicequalityinthehouseandofficemovingindustry.Manybusinessorganizationshavefeltthecriticalneedtouseatoolforevaluatingservicequalityinordertoappropriatelyassess and improve their service performance. The result of the study showed thatthereareseveralservicequalityvariablesinhouseandofficemovingindustry.Themaindeterminantsofservicequalityinhouseandofficemovingindustrycanbecategorizedas vehicles, equipments, packagingmaterials, personnel and reliability on themovingcompany.
10
2. Literature Reviewa. Service quality
Service quality is considered an essential strategy for success and survival in today’scompetitiveenvironment.However,unlikegoodsquality,whichcanbemeasuredwithsomeobjectivity,servicequalityisabstractandelusive.Theuniquefeaturesofservicessuch as inseparability of production and consumption, intangibility and heterogeneitymakemeasurementofqualityaverycomplexissue.Intheabsenceofobjectivemeasures,firmsmustrelyonconsumers’perceptionofservicequalitytoidentifytheirstrengthsand/orweaknesses,anddesignappropriatestrategies(Karatepeetal.,2005).
The complex feature and the importance of service quality attracted the attention ofresearchers and practitioners all over the world (Chowdhary and Prakash, 2007) andtheyhaveincreasinglyfocusedtheirattentiononcustomerserviceandhowtoimprovethequalityofexternalserviceencountersbetweenthecontactemployeeandexternalcustomer. While some researchers were interested in the physical surroundings thatimproveserviceencounters,Parasuramanetal.(1988;1991)focusedonminimizationoforganizational‘‘gaps’’thataffectcustomersatisfaction.However,internalservicequalityis equally important because an organization’s ability to meet the needs of externalcustomers relies on employees’ internal capabilities to satisfy the needs of internalcustomers.
Whiletheliteratureonservicequalityisreviewed,itisseenthattwoschoolsofthoughtdominatetheextantthinking.OneistheNordicschoolofthoughtbasedonGrönroos’stwo-dimensionalmodel.AndtheotheristheNorthAmericanschoolofthoughtbasedonParasuramanetal.’sfivedimensionalSERQUVALmodel.ChowdharyandPrakash(2007)indicatesthatothersignificantconceptualandempiricalworks(models) intheservicequalityareacanbeencompassedasfollows:(1)customer’sexperienceswiththetangibles,reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy aspects of services delivered by afirm;(2)technicalandfunctionalquality;(3)serviceproduct,serviceenvironment,andservicedelivery;and(4)interactionquality,physicalenvironmentquality,andoutcomequality.Allthesefourmodelsshareacommonfeature:Theyproposeamultidimensionalservice quality conceptualization that it is inherently linked to the measurement ofconsumerqualityperceptions.Therefore,servicequalitymodelsofferaframeworkforunderstandingwhatservicequalityis,aswellashowtomeasureservicequalityineachproposedconceptualization(MartinezandMartinez,2010).
Theservicequalitymodelscanalsobecategorizedinthreedistinctgroups,showingthelimitationsofeachconceptualization:(1)MultidimensionalreflectivemodelsuchasRSQS-RetailServiceQualityScale(Dabholkar,ThorpeandRentz’sModel).(2)Multidimensional
11
formativemodelssuchasGM(Grönroos’Model),ROM(RustandOliverModel),SERVQUAL(Parasuraman,Zeithaml,andBerry’smodel)andSERVPERF(CroninandTaylor’sModel).(3) Multidimensional formative–reflective model such as BCM (Brady and Cronin’smultidimensionalandhierarchicalModel)(MartinezandMartinez,2010).
Intheliterature,itisseenthatmanystudieshasbeenperformedindifferentindustriesregarding service quality. However, there are very limited studies in logistics and nostudy has been encountered on service quality in house and officemoving industry.Someofthestudiesintheliteraturerelatedtoservicequalityareasfollows:Measuringservicequalityinthehotelindustry(Akbaba,2006;Briggsetal.,2007;Ekincietal.2003;Haywood,1983;TsaurandLin,2004;Wilkinsetal.,2007;),inbanking(Choudhury,2008),inretailindustry(MagiandJulander,1996;Vazquezetal.,2001),inautomobilerepairandmaintenanceindustry(AndaleebandBasu,1998),inairlineservice(ChangandYeh,2006;ChenandChang,2005;Chen,2008;Nathanail,2008), inshipping(Chen,2009), inretailtransportation(CaroandGarcia,2007),ine-business(HoandLee,2007),inrestaurants(HaandJang,2010;inrailwaytransportation(HaandJang,2010),inhealthcareservices(Lee and Yom,2007; Li, 1997; Teng et al., 2007), in telephone service quality (Ai andSappington,2005).
b. Theories and studies on house moving industry
Although no direct study has been confronted regarding service quality in house andofficemovingindustry,therearesomestudiesonhousemoving.Thetopicofhouseandofficemoving isdiscussed inthe literatureas“housemoving”andthistopichasbeenformulated as ‘residentialmobility’ and has been examined frommore psychological,economicandpolicyorientedperspectives.Thestudiesinthisareahavetendedtousemorequantitativemethodsinordertoexaminethecausesandeffectsofsuchmobility.Moreover,theyhavetendedtoconceiveresidentialmobilityasaproblem,asopposedtothenormofastablehome,wheremobilitywasintimatelytiedtopoverty,inadequatehousingandill-health,aswellasfamilyandcommunitybreakdown(Metcalfe,2006).ThispathologisationofmobilitywasonlytemperedbyRossi’spioneeringstudywhicharguedthatresidentialmobilitywasinfactnormalandcouldbeseenasaneffectoftransitionsinthefamily life-cycle.Theearlytheoryonhousingmobility istheso-called‘‘lifecyclemodel’’.Accordingtothismodel,frequencyofmobilitywillincreaseinconnectionwithchanges in lifestages,e.g.finishingeducation,marriage,divorce,newjob,retirement,children leavinghome,deathof spouse,or infirmity. Further studies confirm that thepropensitytoconsidermovingandactuallytomove ishigheratsuchtimes(Metcalfe,2006).Anothertheoryonhousingmobilityistheso-called‘‘stressthresholdmodel’’firstdeveloped byWolpert (1965; 1966) and later developed further by Brown andMore(1970), Speare (1974)andFokkemaetal. (1996).Metcalfe (2006) states thatWolpert
12
assumes thatadecisiononmoving is a functionofwhathe calls the location’sutilityto the person in question. The location is not just the dwelling, but also the physicalsurroundingsandthesocialenvironment.Iftheutilityofalocationishigh,thereisnoreason tomove,even though theutilityof another locationmightbehigher. If utilitydecreases for some reason, thepersonwill feel a certain stress.However, only if thisfeeling of stress is sufficiently high and exceeds a certain threshold, will the personconsidermoving.BrownandMore suggest that thereare twosteps:first, to considermovingand,secondly,thedecisionastowheretomove(Metcalfe,2006).
Beside the theories explaining why people move their house, following studies havelookedatthetopicsfromsimilarperspective.Someofthestudiesencounteredrelatedto house moving are as follows: The reasons of older people’s decision on movingtheirhouse(HansenandGottschalk,2006),thepsychiatricsymptomsofmovinghouseon children (Hall, 1966), children’s understanding ofmoving house andhomelessnessexperience (Van Blerk and Ansell, 2006), home moving and children’s homelessnessexperience(Kirkmanetal.2010),hehealthcomplaintsandannoyanceaftermovingintoanewofficebuilding(Hutteretal.2006),theinterrelationofcongestionandresidentialmoving behavior (Larsen, 2008) and the familymoving home and social stratification(Gayle,2008).
Allprevioustheoriesandstudiesdealwiththereasonsandtheresultsofhousemoving.However,noaccessiblestudyhasdealtwiththehouseandofficemovingindustryfromtheservicequalityperspectiveoflogisticsserviceproviders.
3. Logistics Services in House and Office Moving Industry
Houseandofficemovingservicesarenotdifferentfromthelogisticsservicesandquitesimilaractivitiesarecarriedout (SeeFigure1).The servicesgiven inhouseandofficemoving industry can be categorized as transportation (both intracity and intercitytransportation),transportationinsurance,expertise(supervising),packing,wrappingandstretching, elevator services, loading, unloading, stuffing into the truck, assembly anddisassembly,warehousing and storage, supplying garment rails for clothing, supplyingcartonsandpackagingmaterialsandtrackingsystems.
Thehouseandofficemovingprocess startswith theorderof the customers and it iscompletedbyreachingthecargotoitsdestination.Betweenthesetwopointsaseriesoflogisticalactivitycarriedoutbytheserviceprovidersandmajorityoftheseactivitiesarethesameaslogisticsactivities.
13
Customer’sapplicationtothecompany
Bookingthecustomer’srequests
Sendingasurveyortothecustomer’shouse
Determiningthematerialsandequipmentsneededandtruckcapacityused
Disassemblingthefurnitures,packaging,stretchingandstrapingtheitems
Negotiationwiththecustomerandsigningthemovementcontract
Byconsideringallcostitems,determiningtheprice
Loadingtheitemsintothetruckbyusingelevatorsandsecuringtheminthe truck
Transportingtheitems to the destination(warehouseornewhouse)
Insuringthe items
Storingtheitemsinthewarehouseifdemanded Unloadingtheitemsfromthetruckatnewhouse
Unpackingtheboxes,casesandassemblingandplacingthemintheirplace
Figure 1:The Process of House and Office Moving Activities
a. Authorized parties deal with home and house moving activities
Therapiddevelopmentsof transportanddevelopments ineconomic,commercialandsocial life in Turkey cause house and officemoving industry to have a stronger legalinfrastructure.Consequently,RoadTransportActNumbered4925wasacceptedandhascomeintoforcebySublimeParliamentinordertocorrecttheirregularitiesintheindustryandtoordertheindustryinlinewiththeneedsofeconomic,technical,commercialandsociallife(MinistryofTransportation,2010).
Accordingtothearticleno.6ofRoadTransportActNumbered4925,theonlyauthorizedpartywhocancarryoutthehomeofficemovingactivitiesinTurkeyisthepartieswhohaveK3 certificate. Inorder toobtaining theK3certificates,partieshave to fulfill thegeneralconditionsstatedinthearticle12andspecialconditionsstatedinArticle13ofRoadTransportActNumbered4925.AccordingtoArticle13,thepartyapplyfortheK3certificatehastohavethevehicleswhichhavethetotalcarryingcapacityofatleast30tonsandtheequitycapitalof5,000TurkishLiras.AccordingtoArticle80oftheregulation,thepartywhoappliesfortheK3certificateforintracityhouseandofficemovingactivitieshastopayTL6,471forthecertificates.
14
4. Methodology
The main aim of this study is to evaluate the services of house and office movingindustryandtodeterminethequalityvariablesfromtheperspectiveofserviceprovidersandcustomers.Aqualitativestudy isaimedandthemethodologyused is focusgroupdiscussion.Afocusgroupisadistinctivetypeofgroupintermsofpurpose,size,compositionandprocedures.Participantswhodonotexceed10-12innumberareselectedbecausetheypossesscertaincharacteristicsincommonthatrelatetothetopicorthemeoftheresearch.Focusgroupinterviews,originatinginmarketingresearch,weredevelopedinthe1930s.Differingfromthetraditionalinformationgatheringtechniques,focusgroupdiscussion is a qualitative methodology where around 10 open-ended questions aredirectedtowardsthegroupofparticipantsinanaverageofonehourperiodwiththehelpofamoderatortostate,explainandsharetheirexperiences,attitudesandopinionswithnoinfluenceorboundaries(Cerit,2001;Garrisonetal.,1999).
Figure2summarizesthefocusgroupdiscussionprocedures.Thestepsintheprocedurearequestiondevelopment,groupcompositionandrecruitment,interviewprotocolandlogistics, implementing the focus group discussion and data analysis (Garrison et al.,1999;Mears,1995)
a. Data collection forms and question contents
Twoseparateformsareusedfortheresearch.Thefirstoneaimstocollectinformationonthedemographicprofileof theparticipantsandthesecondone is themoderator’sdiscussionguidewithblanksundereachquestiontorecordkeyideas.Theformsearchingthe demographic profile of the participants covers questions on the gender, age,occupation, education, etc.Whendeveloping thequestions, bothParasuramanet al’sfivedimensionalSERQUVALmodelandfourmarketingmixelementswhich isproduct,price,place,promotionweretakenintoaccount.Thequestionsincludedvariablesrelatedtothehouseandofficemovingindustry.
15
Question Development • OpeningQuestion • IntroductoryQuestions • TransitionQuestions • KeyQuestions • EndingQuestions • Summary
Group Composition and Recruitment
Interview Protocol and Logistics
Implementing the Focus Group Discussion
Data Analysis
Figure2: Focus Group Discussion Procedures
b. Group composition and recruitment
Thefocusgroupiscomposedof9people.Peopledirectlyrelatedwithhouseandofficemovingindustrysuchasserviceproviders,customersandpeoplefromtheChamberofTruckDriverswhichisthememberofIzmirChamberofTradesmanandCraftsmanwereincludedintothegroup.TheprofilesoftherespondentsaregiveninTable1.
Table 1: Profile of the Focus Group Participants
GenderMaleFemale
9EducationPrimarySchoolHighSchoolUndergraduate
432
OccupationPublicsectorPrivatesectorEntrepreneur
2
7
Age20-3536-4546-over
423
16
The participantswere selected in a differentiatedway to represent the qualificationsappropriatefortheobjectivesofthestudy.Inadditiontothesequalificationstheprobableactivitylevelforthefocusgroupdiscussionwasalsotakenintoaccount.InTable2thecompanyororganizationoftheparticipantsareclarified.
Table 2: Company or Organization of the Participants
Participant No. Company or Organization1 AkdoğanNakliyat(AkdoğanTransport)2 İzmirKamyoncularOdası(İzmirChamberofTruckDrivers)3 İzmirKamyoncularOdası(İzmirChamberofTruckDrivers)4 SalmanoğluNakliyat(SelmanoğluTransport)5 DokuzEylulUniversity(Homemovingservicetaker)6 DokuzEylulUniversity(Homemovingservicetaker)7 SihirliHouseandofficemovingCompany8 SihirliHouseandofficemovingCompany9 DünyaNakliyat(DunyaTransport)
c. Interview protocol and logistics
The logistics of the focus group discussion include the location and scheduling. Thebuilding of the Chamber of Truck Drivers was chosen as a place that is easy for theparticipantstofindandtoaccess.Theparticipantswerecontacted15daysbeforethesession,thenatureofthestudywasexplainedandtheywereinvitedtothemeetingatthespecifieddayandhour.Alloftheparticipantsreachedthemeetingplacebytheirownmeans.2assistantmoderatorsjoinedthemeetingtoassistthemoderatorinhandlingtheoperationalorenvironmentalconditionsandlogistics.
Themeetingroomwasorganized inamannerthatthemoderator’stablestood inthemiddleandtheassistantmoderatorssatbehindthemoderator,andaroundthemoderatorthe participants’ seatswere designed in a circle. Beverages and cookieswere servedbefore thediscussion started.Questionnaires anddiscussion guideswereprepared innecessarynumbersbeforehand.Thefocusgroupdiscussionwasrecordedbyvideotapingandalsobywrittennotes.Alltherelatedequipmentwascheckedbeforethemeetingtomaintainefficientoperatingconditionsduringthemeeting.
17
d. Implementing the focus group discussion
Beforestartingthediscussion,theobjectiveofthemeetingwasbrieflyexplainedtotheparticipantsandthequestionnairesrelatedtotheparticipants’demographicprofileweredistributedandaskedtobecompleted.Afterwardsthefocusgroupdiscussionguidewastakenintoaccountandeveryquestionintheguidewasaskedtoeachparticipantorally.Thereplieswererecordedinwrittennotesandbyvideotaping.Theassistantmoderatorstookpartinassistingthemoderatorwiththeseoperationsandalsowarnedthemoderatorbywrittennoteswherenecessary.After thecompletionof the structuredquestionsaperiodof15minuteswasmaintainedforunstructureddiscussionamongtheparticipantsandthisdiscussionwerealsorecorded.Completionoftheparticipants’questionnaires,thediscussionguideandtheunstructureddiscussionperiodlastedinatotalof1hourand45minutes.
e. Data analysis
After the discussion themoderator and the assistantmoderatorsmet to analyze thediscussion briefly and to find out the common and conflicting points reached by theparticipants.Afterwardsthedatacollectedbythevideotapesandaswrittennotesaretranscribed,codedandanalyzed.Thusthemoderatorhasidentifiedthemajoroutcomesofthediscussion.
f. Overview of results
Thesequenceofthequestionsinthefocusgroupdiscussionguidewerepreparedinamannerthatitwasaimedtoreceivetheopinionsoftheparticipantsonhouseandofficemovingindustry,particularly,servicesprovidedbythehouseandofficemovingindustry,thenewdevelopmentsintheindustry,economic,socialandenvironmentaleffectsoftheindustry,theadequacyofregulations,factorseffectingthedeterminationofthequalityofservices,theadequacyofwarehouses,trucksandequipments,thecompetencyoftheworkforce,thetransportationinsuranceandtransportationcostsetc.Inthismannerthe initial questionwasdirectlyrelatedtowhatservicesareprovidedbyhouseandofficemovingcompaniesandwhatservicesarereceivedbythecustomers.
Houseandofficemovingconsistsofaseriesofprocesses.Theinitialpointoftheprocessisthatthecustomercallsthecarrier.Uponreceiptofthiscall,thecarriersendsandsurveyorfreeofchargetoaddressofthecustomer,consideringthefeatureofthedemand.Thesurveyorcarriesoutadetailed investigationonsuchaspects regarding thecarriageasthequantityof the items tobe carried, the amountof thepackagingmaterials tobeused(e.g.crafts,barrels,hangingwardrobes,etc.),theplantobedesignedonhowtocarrytheitems,andthefreighttobechargedforthecarriage.Followingthecompletion
18
ofthecontract,thetransportstaffdetachtheitemstobemoved,packagethemwithinthenewpackagingmaterials inashygienicmanneraspossible, stretch,placethem inthewardrobeswithhangers,andusingtherelevantelevatormovethemout.Theitemsof carriage then are loaded on the carrier to be taken to the destinationwhere theyareunloadedandreinstalled.Inthemeantime,thehomeandofficeitemsarestoredinwarehousesdesignedparticularlyforsuchitems.
The primary points considered by the customers are receiving the service on time incompliancewiththeagreementandtheperiodagreedon,gettingjustifiablycompensatedforthedamagemadeontheitemscarriedandonthehome,beingassuredthatnofurtheramountswillbecharged,duringtheshipmentandnoextraamountwillbechargedfortheelevatortobeused.
Still another point of consideration on the part of the customers is receiving propersurveyingservice.TheystatethatsuchcarriageistobecarriedoutbythosecompanieswithK3certificatesexpertisedexclusivelyinthisfield.
The second question was related to the most important developments/innovationsrecentlyintroducedinhouseandofficemovingindustry.Participantsstatedthatelevators,packagingmaterials,expertiseservices,promotionthroughinternet,employingfurnitureproducersorcarpenterswithinthecompanies,increaseinthequalityofthepackagingmaterials,carriers’assuranceincarriagerisksandenhancementoforganizationskillsinfactorymovingarethemostimportantdevelopmentsintheindustry.
The third questionwasrelatedtoifhouseandofficemovingindustrytodaymanagesthecarriageandwarehousingbusinessmoreeffectively,whencomparedwiththeconventionalone.Theserviceprovidersthinkthatthroughprovidingsurveyingservicefreeofcharge,aconsiderablephaseaccomplishedinfavorofprovidingabetterandfasterhomeandofficemovingservice.Thevehicles,apparatus,andmaterialsusednowarea lotmoremodernized.Theystatedthatthepackagingprocessesarenowmuchmorebetter,saferandproper.Anotherplus favoringamoresatisfyingservice is introducingtheelevatorwithinthesystem.Stillanotherfactoraffectingandimprovingthecustomersatisfactionis thequalitywarehousingsystem,throughwhichthe itemsarestoredoutdoor in thewarehousesortheyareplacedincertainexclusivelydeployedboxesortrunks.
The fourth questionwas related to the roleofhouseandofficemoving industry andthestressesexperiencedbytheservicereceivers.Professionalhouseandofficemovingcompanies havediminished the carriage anxiety to a great extent. Inmost cases, theservicereceiversarenotinvolvedintheprocess,theyarenotrequiredtogetpreparedforthecarriage,thehomeandtheofficeismovedbythecompanyasawholeandthe
19
furnitureisreplacedandreinstalledatthedestination.Theexperiencegainedandtheequipmentusedhavedecreasedthestressonthepartoftheservicereceivers.Priortoreinstallment,incaseofnecessity,ahousecleanerisprovidedbythecarriertocleanthehouse.
The fifth questionwasrelatedtoeconomic,social,culturalandenvironmentaleffectsoftheindustry.Theparticipantsthinkthatthehouseandofficemovingindustryprovidesa great deal of equipments andmaterials; e.g. trucks, auxiliary parts, fuel-oils, boxes,packingmaterialsetc.,frommanyotherindustries.Thisisakindofeconomiccontributiontotherelevantcountry.Stillanothercontributiontotheeconomy is thetaxespaidbythisindustry.Besides,theindustryemploysaround15personspereachcompany,thuscontributestotheemployment. Intermsofculturalcontribution,however,houseandofficemovingindustryhasnotyetbeenpopularizedandfavoredtoasatisfactoryextentinTurkey.Asaresultofsuchunfortunateandinadequatefameoftheindustry,certainoveragedtruckswithnopropercertificatesusedinhouseandofficemovingwhichconsumelowerqualityfuel-oilcauseenvironmentalpollution.
The sixth questionwasrelatedtoregulationsandcompensationofthedamagesrelatedto house and office moving industry. The participants believe that the regulationspertaining to house and officemoving are adequate. According to these regulations,thesecompanieswithK3certificateareauthorizedtocarryouthouseandofficemoving.Alongwith such companieswith K3 certificates, however, there aremanyother oneshavingnosuchcertificatebutcarryingoutthisjob.Suchcompaniesarenotunfortunatelyinspectedtoasatisfactoryextent,benefitfromanunjustifiedcompetitionthroughlowqualityservicetheyprovideandlowerpricestheyoffer.
Regarding the carriage contracts, carriage agreements are issued for the carriagesfulfilledby the the companieswithK3 certificates. In accordancewith theagreementrequirements,thecarriersareresponsibleforanydamagescaused.Incaseofhavingnosuchagreement,however,thecustomerhasnolegalrightstoclaimforanycompensation.Carriersmeetthosedamagesstatedwithintheagreementclausesonly.
Customersarenotwellinformedaboutthecontents/clausesofthecarriageagreements.Unless the carriers provide the customerswith such agreement forms, no agreementis issued and in case of suffering any damages, customers are vulnerable and unabletoclaimforanycompensation. Intermsofprotectingtherightsofthecustomers,theChamberofTruckDrivershavenolegalpoweronmakingthecarrierscompensatethedamagescausedduringhouseandofficemoving.
20
The seventh questionwasrelatedtothefactorsdeterminingthequalityofserviceprovidedinhouseandofficemovingindustry.Theexpertiseserviceprovided,theequipmentused,thepersonnelandtheelevatoraretheseenthemaindeterminantofquality.
The eighth questionwasrelatedtothestandardsofwarehouses,trucks,equipmentsandthecompetencyoftheemployees.Theparticipantsthinkthattherehasbeennoproblemabout thephysical competencyof theprofessional companieswithK3certificate.Thetrucksandthewarehousesofsuchcompaniesareingoodconditionprovidedwithproperequipment.Theirpackagingmaterialsarequalityandadequate.
AccordingtotheRoadTransportRegulationArticleNo.17,theageofthetruckstobeusedbythenewentrantstotheindustryforhouseandofficemovingshouldnotexceed22.Whentrucksofthesecompaniesalreadyworkingintheindustryreachattheageof22,theyaretopassthevisainvestigationprocedures,iftheyaretobekeptinworkingathouseandofficemoving.Atpresent,thetrucksbeingusedincitytocityhouseandofficemovingarerelativelyyoungandmostly2006-2007model.Thoseworking intheintracitytransportsarearound10-15yearsold,equippedwithisolatedcases,whichareasimportantasthetrucksthemselvesandarequitecostly.
Professionalcompaniesworkinginthisindustryhavepermanentlyemployedcompetentand professionally specialized personnel. Throughout the whole industry present anoverallpicturerevealingthatthosewithK3certificatehavequalifiedpersonnel.
On the other hand, however, within this industry there have been a great numbersubstandardcompanieswithnoK3certificate.Theemployeesofsuchcompanies,withinadequate and incompetent vehicles and equipment, are temporarily employed andunqualifiedones.
The ninth questionwas related to transportation insuranceand transportationprices.Participantsstatethatallcustomerswanttobeprovidedwithinsurancecertificates.Suchcertificates,however,areissuedforintercitytransportsbutnotforthoseintracityones;thedamagescausedduringthelatter,nevertheless,aremetbycarriers.Theclausesoftheinsurancepoliciesarenotusuallycarefullyexaminedbythecustomers.Theinsurancecompaniescompensatenotalltypesofdamagesbutonlythosecausedduringcarriagewhiletherelevanttruckisonroute.
ThereappearsanunfaircompetitionwithintheindustrybetweenthecompaniesowningK3certificatewiththosewhodonothaveit.Theoverallprofitrateearnedinthisindustryis around5-10%. ThosewithnoK3 certificatesusually tend tooffer lowerprices. Forinstance,whilethecostofanintracitymovingcarriedoutbyacompanywithK3certificateisabout600TL,anothercompanywhichdonothavethiscertificatecanoffertodothe
21
samecarriagefor300TL.Suchanunfaircompetitionpreventsthecertificatedcompaniesfromdoingtheirjob.
The tenth questionwasrelatedtothecompanieswhichofficiallycarryoutthehouseandofficemovingactivities inTurkey. It isstatedthatsuchactivitiesarecarriedoutbythecompanieswithK3certificatesinTurkey.
The eleventh questionwasrelatedtoadvertisingandpromotionactivitiesforhouseandofficemoving industry. Theparticipants indicate that the companiesusually carryouttheiradvertisingactivitiesthroughinternetorthroughcertainprintedbrochures.Anothermeansofadvertisingisdonethroughdailypaperadsandstickers.Stillanothermeansmadeuseofinaccessingthepotentialcustomersistherecommendationsoftheexistingcustomers.Theattitudesandperformancesdisplacedbythecompanypersonnelonjobcouldalsobeanothersourceofadvertisementparticularlyforthepotentialcustomerswhoobservesuchattitudesandperformanceatwork.
Receivingatrademarkwithintheindustryissaidtoberatherdifficult,particularlyfortoogreatnumberofthecompaniesincludedintheindustry.Nevertheless,mostcompaniestendtohavetheirtrademarkmarksregistered,havetheirownlogos,receiveISO9001quality certificatesand refer their customers to certain carriages theyhavepreviouslyfulfilled.Suchatendencyisasteptowardsaccomplishingtrademark.
The twelfth questionwasrelatedtoeliminationoftheproblemscausedintheintracitytraffic by house and officemoving industry. The participants state that narrow roadsprevent large trucks from entering certain roads. Before the transport truck enters aroad,thecarsparkedalongthatroadaretakenaway.Transporttrucksarepermittedtoentercertainplacesatcertaintimeperiodsandtheyaretoreceivespecialpermissiontoentercertainplaces.Therefore,thedriversofsuchtrucksaretobecarefulaboutsuchpermittedtimeandtheyhavegottoreceivetherequiredpermissionintime.Besides,inordernottoblocktheroadsforalongtime,theloading/dischargingoperationsmustbecarriedoutrapidly.Inordertodothis,theelevatormustbeusedeffectivelyandtheitemstobeloadedmustbepreparedforloadingbeforehand.Furthermore,houseandofficemovingshouldnotbecarriedoutatnightandattherushhourfortheresidentsinvolved.
The thirteenth question was related to the efforts to improve the quality and thecustomersatisfactioninhouseandofficemovingindustry.Theparticipantsbelievethatintermsofenhancingthequalityservice,theprimaryfactorsareusingnewandadequatetruckandequipmentalongwithqualitypackagingmaterial.Moreimportant,however,isthecompetencyandreliabilityofthepersonnelcarryingoutthejob.Itmightbeimagedamaging to appoint for suchmoving incompetent personnelwho are likely tomake
22
undesirableandunacceptable impressions.Anotherpointwhichcausesthecustomersdissatisfiedisthedifferencesbetweenagreedpriceandpricesaskedduringtheloadingofthetruck.Sometransportationcompaniesincreasethepricewhileloadingtheitemsbyclaimingthatnumberofitemsismorethantheyexpected.Alsosomefirmssendsmalltruckswhichcannottakeallitemsandforremainingcargoanothertruckisappointedandextramoneyisrequested.Thisisalsoapointwhichdissatisfiesthecustomers.
In terms of increasing customer satisfaction, reliability seems to be one of themostimportantcriteria.Thoseemployeeswholackworkdisciplineandwhosewearingstyledoesnotcomplywith theworkcarriedoutcausesadissatisfactionon thecustomers.Besides,havingreceived ISO9001and ISO18001certificatesseemtobe important intermsof improving the servicequality. Still in this regard, another important point inimprovingtheservicetheservicequalityisthequestionnairesconductedtoassesstheservicequality.
g. Service quality determinants in house and office moving Industry
Bycarefullyanalyzingthefocusgroupstudyresults,29servicequalitydeterminantshavebeenextracted.Thesearegivenasfollows:
• Highqualityhygienicpackagingmaterials• Newandadequateequipment• Speciallydesignedelevators• Newvehicleandadequatevehiclecapacity• Goodwarehousesandstoragesequippedwithnecessaryequipments• HavingK3certificate• Havingatrademarkandlogo• HavingISOqualitycertificates• Givingsurveying/expertiseservice• Insuringtheitems• Givingturnkeyservices• Givinghousecleaningservices• Better,safer,properpackagingprocess• Planningthemovingoperationsverycarefullyfrombeginningtotheend• Havingorganizationalskillsinfactorymoving• Reliabilityofthemovingcompany• Supplyingtheserviceontime• Complyingwithperiodoftransportation• Competencyofthepersonnelcarryingoutthejob• Reliabilityofthepersonnelcarryingoutthejob
23
• Theexternalappearanceandclothesoftheemployees• Makingmovingcontractsandcomplyingwithagreement• Compensatingthedamages• Assuringthatonlytheamountsstatedinthecontractwillbecharged• Assuringthecustomeragainstcarriagerisks• Usingallkindofmediainreachingtothecustomer• Notgivingharmtotheenvironmentbyconsuminglowqualityfuel-oil• Preparingquestionnairesconductedtoassesstheservicequality• Price
5. Discussion
Whiletheliteratureonservicequalityisreviewed,itisseenthattwoschoolsofthoughtdominate theextant thinking.One is theNorthAmericanschoolof thoughtbasedonParasuramanetal.’sfivedimensionalSERQUVALmodel.AndtheotheristheNordicschoolof thoughtbasedonGrönroos’s two-dimensionalmodel.SERQUVALmodelconsistsoffive dimensions as follows (Rahaman et al., 2011): Tangibles which includes physicalfacilities,equipmentandappearanceofpersonnel.Reliabilityincludesabilitytoperformthepromisedservicedependablyandaccurately.Responsivenessmeanswillingnesstohelpcustomersandprovidepromptservice.Assuranceincludesincludingcompetence,courtesy,credibilityandsecurity;knowledgeandcourtesyofemployeesandtheirabilitytoinspiretrustandconfidence.Empathymeanscaringandindividualizedattentionthatthefirmprovides to its customers.Whencomparing the resultsof thestudywith thedimensionsoftheSERQUVALmodel,itisseenthatallthequalitydeterminantscanbecategorized within the tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathydimensionsoftheSERQUVALmodel.
On the other hand,Grönroos’model suggesting that service quality consists of threedimensions,technical,functionalandimage.Technicalqualityreferstotheresultortheoutcomeof the service,while functional quality refers to the process or theway theservicehasbeendelivered(LienandKao,2008:528)andimagefunctionsreferstoafilterinservicequalityperception.TheresultsofthestudyshowsthatthequalitydeterminantscameupinthestudymatchwithmainlyfunctionalandimagefunctionsoftheGrönroos’model.
6. Conclusion
House and officemoving activities have been carried out for years and almost everypersonexperienceditatleastonceinhis/herlife.Althoughitisseenanhappyeventfor
24
somepeopleifthepeoplemovetobetterplace,itcansometimescreatesheadacheifitcannotbedoneproperly.Foravoidingtheproblems,itisnecessarytohavethehomeandofficemovedbythecompanieswhichsupplyhighlevelofservices.Inotherwords,theservicequalityofthecompanymustbesatisfactory.Inordertounderstandifacompanies’servicelevelhighornot,theservicequalitydeterminantsmustbeknownandaccordingto these determinants service quality is evaluated. Although in many sector, servicequalityhasbeenstudiedandmanythoughtshavebeendevelopedlikeParasuramanetal’sandGrönroos,nostudyhasbeenencounteredonservicequalityinhouseandofficemoving industry. Inordertofill thisgapanddeterminetheservicequalityvariables,aqualitativestudynamelyfocusgrouphasbeencarriedoutbyhouseandofficemovingserviceprovidersandservicetakers.Thestudyshowedthattheonlyauthorizedpartiesdealswithhouseandofficemovingbusiness is thepartieswhichhaveK3Certificates.However, besides these companies some other companies are carrying out the jobillegallyinTurkey.TheresultsreflectthatthisindustryisinitsbeginningstageinTurkeyandwilldevelopbytheyears.Themostimportantpartofthestudyisthedeterminantsofservicequalityinhouseandofficemovingindustry.29variableshavebeenextractedfromthe focusgroupstudy.Someof themare:Highqualitypackagingmaterials,newandadequateequipment,usingspecialelevators,HavingK3certificate,givingexpertiseservice, reliability of the company, supplying the service on time, competency andreliabilityofthepersonnel,compensatingthedamagesetc.Thevariablesstatedherewillbevaluablefortheresearcherswhowillmakesimilarstudies.
When we looked the industry from the point of logistics, it is seen that house andofficemoving industry serves all logistical services to customers. Fromorder bookingto concluding service contract, from transportation to warehousing, from packagingto loading/unloading and stuffing, from insuring todamage compensation. Therefore,houseandofficemovingindustrycanbeseenasalogisticsserviceproviderindustry.
REFERENCES
Ai, Chunrong and David E.M. Sappington (2005) “Reviewing the Impact of IncentiveRegulationonU.S.TelephoneServiceQuality”,Utilities Policy,13(3),p.201-210.
Akbaba, Atilla (2006) “Measuring Service Quality in the Hotel Industry: A Study in aBusinessHotelinTurkey”,Hospitality Management,25(2),p.170-192.
Andaleeb, Syed Saad and Amiya K. Basu (1998)“DoWarrantiesInfluencePerceptionsofServiceQuality?:AStudyoftheAutomobileRepairandServiceIndustry”,Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,5(2),p.87-91.
25
Brady, Michael K. and Jr. Joseph Cronin (2001)“SomeNewThoughtsonConceptualizingPerceivedServiceQuality:AHierarchicalApproach”,Journal of Marketing,65(3),p.34-49.
Briggs, Senga, Jean Sutherland and Siobhan Drummond (2007) “Are Hotels ServingQuality?AnExploratoryStudyofServiceQuality intheScottishHotelSector”,TourismManagement,28(4),p.1006-1019.
Brown, Lawrence A. and Eric G. Moore (1970) “The Inter-UrbanMigrationProcess:APerspective”,Human Geography,52(1),p.1-13.
Caro, Laura Martinez and Jose Antonio Martinez García (2007) “MeasuringPerceivedServiceQualityinUrgentTransportService”, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,14(1),p.60-72.
Cerit, Ayşe Güldem (2001)“BölgeselKalkinmavePazarlamadaHalklaIliskiler:İzmirLimanıiçinbirOdakGrupAraştırması(RegionalDevelopmentandMarketingPublicRelations:AFocusGroupDiscussionforthePortofIzmir)”,6. Ulusal Pazarlama Kongresi (6th National Marketing Congress) Proceedings, Atatürk Üniversitesi Iktisadi ve Idari Bilimler Fakültesi Publication, 28 June-1 July 2001, Erzurum,p.267-279.
Chang, Yu-Hern and Chung-Hsing Yeh (2006) “ASurveyAnalysisofServiceQuality forDomesticAirlines”,European Journal of Operational Research,139(1),p.166-177.
Chen, Fang-Yuan and Yu-Hern Chang (2005) “ExaminingAirlineServiceQuality fromaProcessPerspective”,Journal of Air Transport Management,11(2),p.79-87.
Chen, Ching-Fu (2008) “InvestigatingStructuralRelationshipsBetweenServiceQuality,PerceivedValue,Satisfaction,andBehavioralIntentionsforAirPassengers:EvidencefromTaiwan”,Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice,42(4),p.709-717.
Chen, Kee-Kuo , Ching-Ter Chang and Cheng-Sheng Lai (2009) “Service Quality Gaps of BusinessCustomersIntheShippingIndustry”,Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review,45(1),p.222-237.
Chowdhary, Nimit and Monika Prakash (2007)“PrioritizingServiceQualityDimensions”,Managing Service Quality,17(5),p.493-509.
Choudhury, Koushiki (2008)“ServiceQuality:InsightsfromtheIndianBankingScenario”,Australasian Marketing Journal(AMJ),16(1),p.48-61.
Ekinci, Yüksel, Popi Prokopaki and Cihan Cobanoglu (2003) “ServiceQuality inCretanAccommodations:MarketingStrategiesfortheUKHolidayMarket”,International Journal
26
of Hospitality Management,22(1),p.47-66.
Fokkema, Tineke, Jenny Grieve and Peter Nijkamp (1996) “Big Cities, Big Problems:ReasonfortheElderlytoMove?,Urban studies,33(2),p.353-377.
Garrison, M. E. Betsy, Sarah H. Pierce, Pamela A. Monroe, P. A., Diana D. Sasser, Ammy C. Shaffer, and Lydia B. Blalock (1999)“FocusGroupDiscussions:ThreeExamplesfromFamilyandConsumerScienceResearch”,Family&Consumer Sciences Research Journal,27(4),p.428-450.
Gayle, Vernon, Paul Boyle, Robin Flowerdew and Andrew Cullis (2008) “FamilyMigrationandSocialStratification”,International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy,28(7/8),p.293-303.
Ha, Jooyeon and SooCheong (Shawn) Jang (2010) “Effects of Service Quality andFoodQuality: theModeratingRoleofAtmospherics inanEthnicRestaurantSegment”,International Journal of Hospitality Management,29(3),p.520-529.
Hall, P. (1966) “SomeClinicalAspectsofMovingHouseas anApparentPrecipitantofPsychiatricSymptoms”, Journal of Psychosomatic Research,10(1),p.59-70.
Hansen, Eigil Boll and Georg Gottschalk (2006) “WhatMakes Older People ConsiderMovingHouseandWhatMakesThemMove?”,Housing, Theory and Society,23(1),p.34-54.
Haywood, K. Michael (1983) “AssessingtheQualityofHospitalityServices”,International Journal of Hospitality Management,2(4),p.165-177.
Ho, Chaang-Iuan and Yi-Ling Lee (2007)“TheDevelopmentofanE-TravelServiceQualityScale”,Tourism Management,28(6),p.1434-1449.
Hutter, Hans-Peter, Hanns Moshammer, Peter Wallner, Bernhard Damberger, Peter Tappler and Michael Kundi (2006)“HealthComplaintsandAnnoyancesAfterMovingIntoaNewOfficeBuilding:AMultidisciplinaryApproachIncludingAnalysisofQuestionnaires,AirandHouseDustSamples”,International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health,209(1),p.65-68.
Irolis (2010), “Moving House, Take the Headache FromMoving House and DomesticRemovals”, http://www.irolisremovals.com/Office-Move.html, Access date: Septemberthe 1st 2010.
27
Karatepe, Osman M., Ugur Yavas and Emin Babakus (2005)“MeasuringServiceQualityofBanks:ScaleDevelopmentandValidation”,Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,12(5),p.373-383.
Kirkman, Maggie, Deborah Keys, Daria Bodzak and Alina Turner (2010)‘‘AreWeMovingAgainThisWeek?’’Children’sExperiencesofHomelessnessinVictoria,Australia”,Social Science&Medicine,70(7),p.994-1001.
Larsen, Morten Marott, Ninette Pilegaard and Jos Van Ommeren (2008) “CongestionandResidentialMovingBehavior”,Regional Science and Urban Economics,38(4),p.378-387.
Lee, Mi Aie and Young-Hee Yom (2007) “AComparativeStudyofPatients’ndNurses’Perceptions of The Quality of Nursing Services, Satisfaction and Intent to Revisit theHospital:AQuestionnaireSurvey”,International Journal of Nursing Studies,44(4),p.545-555.
Li, Link X. (1997) “RelationshipsBetweenDeterminantsofHospitalQualityManagementandServiceQualityPerformance-APathAnalyticModel”,Omega,25(5),p.535-545.
Lien, Nai-Hwa, Shu-Luan Kao (2008) “The Effects of Service Quality Dimensions onCustomer Satisfaction Across Different Service Types: Alternative Differentiation as aModerator”Advances in Consumer Research,35(1),p.522-526.
Magi, Anne and Claes-Robert Julander (1996)“PerceivedServiceQualityandCustomerSatisfactioninaStorePerformanceFramework:AnEmpiricalStudyofSwedishGroceryRetailers”, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,3(1),p.33-41.
Martinez, Jose A. and Laura Martinez (2010) “Some Insights on Conceptualizing andMeasuringServiceQuality”,Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,17(1),p.29-42.
Metcalfe, Alan (2006) “ItWastheRightTimetoDoIt’:MovingHouse,theLife-CourseandKairos”,Mobilities,1(2),p.43-260.
Ministry of Transportation,Road Transport Act Numbered 4925,http://www.ubak.gov.tr,Accessdate:Septemberthe1st 2010.
Mears, Peter (1995)Quality Improvement Tools and Techniques,NewYork:McGraw-HillInc.
Nathanail, Eftihia (2008) “MeasuringTheQualityofServiceforPassengersontheHellenicRailways”,Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice,42(1),p.48-66.
28
Parasuraman, A. , Valarie A. Zeithaml and Leonard L. Berry (1985)“AConceptualModelofServiceQualityandItsImplicationsforFutureResearch”,Journal of Marketing,49(4),p.41-50.
Parasuraman, A., Valarie A. Zeithaml and Leonard L. Berry (1988)“SERVQUAL:MultipleItemScaleforMeasuringConsumerPerceptionsofServiceQuality”,Journal of Retaling,64(1),p.12-37.
Parasuraman, A., Leonard L. Berry, Valarie A. Zeithaml (1991) “Refinement andReassessmentoftheSERVQUALScale”,Journal of Retaling,67(4),p.420-450.
Speare, Alden Jr. (1974)“ResidentialSatisfactionasanInterveningVariableinResidentialMobility”,Demography,11(2),p.173-188.
Rahaman, Mohammad Mizenur and Ataur Rahman Md. Abdullah(2011) “MeasuringServiceQualityusingSERVQUALModel:AStudyonPCBs(PrivateCommercialBanks)inBangladesh”,Business Management Dynamics,1(1),p.01-11.
Teng, Ching-I, Ching-Kang Ing, Hao-Yuan Chang and Kuo-Piao Chung (2007)“Developmentof ServiceQuality Scale for SurgicalHospitalization”, Journal of the Formosan Medical Association,106(6),p.475-484.
Tsaur , Sheng-Hshiung and Yi-Chun Lin (2004) “Promoting Service Quality in TouristHotels:theRoleofHRMPracticesandServiceBehavior”,Tourism Management,25(4),p.471-481.
Van Blerk, Lorraine and Nicola Ansell (2006) “ImaginingMigration: Placing Children’sUnderstandingofMovingHouseinMalawiandLesotho”,Geoforum,37(2),p.256-272.
Vazquez, Rodolfo, Ignacio A. Rodrıiguez-Del Bosque, Ana Ma Diaz and Agustin V Ruiz (2001) “Service Quality In Supermarket Retailing: Identifying Critical ServiceExperiences”,Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,8(1),p.1-14.
Wilkins, Hugh, Bill Merrilees and Carmel Herington (2007)“TowardsanUnderstandingof Total Service Quality in Hotels”, International Journal of Hospitality Management,26(4),p.840-853.
Wolpert, Julian (1965) “BehavioralAspectsoftheDecisiontoMigrate”,Regional Science,15(1),p.159-169.
Wolpert, Julian (1966)“MigrationasanAdjustmenttoEnvironmentalStress,Journal of Social Issues,22(4),p.92-102.