IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/sagope/v11y2021i4p21582440211067232.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Which Service Attributes Sway Internet Service Providers? Analysis Through Triangulation Approach

Author

Listed:
  • Asif Mahmood
  • Shazia Manzoor

Abstract

Internet service providing industry is considered a mainstay for all types of organizations all over the world. In order to be competitive, internet service providers (ISPs) need to realize that all service quality attributes do not carry the same value in customers’ eyes. Therefore, the present study proposes a rationally appealing methodological framework for prioritizing attributes of the SERVQUAL model without restricting them to their dimensions. The responses on 22 attributes of service quality collected from 401 internet users were processed through a triangulation approach comprising three ranking methods: Relative to an Identified Distribution Integral Transformation (RIDIT), Grey Relational Analysis (GRA), and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). A correlational study of these results was also computed using Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficient, which proved positive. The consistent outcomes reveal a definite set of users’ priorities for the quality attributes of internet services, and it denies the general thought that the rate of internet service providers is the primary concern of customers. The findings uniquely contribute by highlighting important facets of service quality from customers’ viewpoint. The study would benefit ISPs to empathize customers’ needs corresponding to essential attributes. In this way, they would be able to rationalize the budget for top-ranked features, and redesign operational strategies accordingly.

Suggested Citation

  • Asif Mahmood & Shazia Manzoor, 2021. "Which Service Attributes Sway Internet Service Providers? Analysis Through Triangulation Approach," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:11:y:2021:i:4:p:21582440211067232
    DOI: 10.1177/21582440211067232
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21582440211067232
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/21582440211067232?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jay Beder & Robert Heim, 1990. "On the use of ridit analysis," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 55(4), pages 603-616, December.
    2. Bo Bernhard Nielsen & Catherine Welch & Agnieszka Chidlow & Stewart Robert Miller & Roberta Aguzzoli & Emma Gardner & Maria Karafyllia & Diletta Pegoraro, 2020. "Fifty years of methodological trends in JIBS: Why future IB research needs more triangulation," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(9), pages 1478-1499, December.
    3. Jamil Hammoud & Rima M. Bizri & Ibrahim El Baba, 2018. "The Impact of E-Banking Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction: Evidence From the Lebanese Banking Sector," SAGE Open, , vol. 8(3), pages 21582440187, July.
    4. Thaichon, Paramaporn & Lobo, Antonio & Prentice, Catherine & Quach, Thu Nguyen, 2014. "The development of service quality dimensions for internet service providers: Retaining customers of different usage patterns," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 21(6), pages 1047-1058.
    5. Gruber,Harald, 2005. "The Economics of Mobile Telecommunications," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521843270, January.
    6. Jun Ye & Beibei Dong & Ju-Yeon Lee, 2017. "The long-term impact of service empathy and responsiveness on customer satisfaction and profitability: a longitudinal investigation in a healthcare context," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 28(4), pages 551-564, December.
    7. Sheikh Muhammad Hizam & Waqas Ahmed, 2019. "A Conceptual Paper on SERVQUAL-Framework for Assessing Quality of Internet of Things (IoT) Services," International Journal of Financial Research, International Journal of Financial Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 11(5), pages 387-397, August.
    8. Zapan Barua & Wang Aimin & Xu Hongyi, 2018. "A perceived reliability-based customer satisfaction model in self-service technology," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(7-8), pages 446-466, June.
    9. Miranda, Sandra & Tavares, Patrícia & Queiró, Rita, 2018. "Perceived service quality and customer satisfaction: A fuzzy set QCA approach in the railway sector," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 371-377.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kautish, Pradeep & Paço, Arminda & Thaichon, Park, 2022. "Sustainable consumption and plastic packaging: Relationships among product involvement, perceived marketplace influence and choice behavior," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    2. Hahn, Robert & Evans, Lewis, 2010. "Regulating Dynamic Markets: Progress in Theory and Practice," Working Paper Series 4052, Victoria University of Wellington, The New Zealand Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation.
    3. Richter, Nicole Franziska & Hauff, Sven, 2022. "Necessary conditions in international business research–Advancing the field with a new perspective on causality and data analysis," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(5).
    4. Zuo, Wenming & Bai, Weijing & Zhu, Wenfeng & He, Xinming & Qiu, Xinxin, 2022. "Changes in service quality of sharing accommodation: Evidence from airbnb," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    5. Fuentelsaz, Lucio & Garrido, Elisabet & Maicas, Juan P., 2020. "The effect of informal and formal institutions on foreign market entry selection and performance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(2).
    6. Harald Puhr & Jakob Müllner & Claudia Trentini, . "An innovative measure for digital firms’ internationalization," UNCTAD Transnational Corporations Journal, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
    7. Trillas, Francesc, 2010. "Electricity and telecoms reforms in the EU: Insights from the economics of federalism," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 66-76, June.
    8. Fathi, Mohammad Reza & Zeinali, Mahsa & Torabi, Mohsen & Alavizadeh, Seyed Mohammad, 2022. "Structural analysis of the future of Iranian online banking employing a MICMAC approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    9. Mitra Madanchian & Jay Ariken & Hamed Taherdoost, 2022. "Role of Effective Leadership on Empowerment, Effective Communication, and Motivation in Customer Service," Post-Print hal-03741852, HAL.
    10. Catherine Welch & Eriikka Paavilainen-Mäntymäki & Rebecca Piekkari & Emmanuella Plakoyiannaki, 2022. "Reconciling theory and context: How the case study can set a new agenda for international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(1), pages 4-26, February.
    11. Lawton, Thomas C. & De Villa, Maria Andrea & Santamaria-Alvarez, Sandra Milena, 2024. "Making Sense of Socio-Political Risks in International Business: A Configurational Approach to Embracing Complexity," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(2).
    12. Chioma Judith Madueke & Serife Eyupoglu, 2024. "Sustaining Economic Growth: E-Service Quality’s Role in Fostering Customer Loyalty in Nigeria SMEs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-23, October.
    13. Barth, Anne-Kathrin & Heimeshoff, Ulrich, 2014. "What is the magnitude of fixed–mobile call substitution? Empirical evidence from 16 European countries," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(8), pages 771-782.
    14. O'Higgins, Ciara & Andreeva, Tatiana & Goya, Nekane Aramburu, 2022. "The hows and whys of foreign operation mode combinations: The role of knowledge processes," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(2).
    15. David S. A. Guttormsen & Fiona Moore, 2023. "‘Thinking About How We Think’: Using Bourdieu’s Epistemic Reflexivity to Reduce Bias in International Business Research," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 63(4), pages 531-559, August.
    16. Yadgar Taha M. Hamakhan, 2020. "The effect of individual factors on user behaviour and the moderating role of trust: an empirical investigation of consumers’ acceptance of electronic banking in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 6(1), pages 1-29, December.
    17. Lemstra, Wolter, 2018. "Leadership with 5G in Europe: Two contrasting images of the future, with policy and regulatory implications," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(8), pages 587-611.
    18. repec:vuw:vuwscr:19155 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Haucap Justus & Heimeshoff Ulrich & Stühmeier Torben, 2011. "Wettbewerb im deutschen Mobilfunkmarkt," Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftspolitik, De Gruyter, vol. 60(2), pages 240-268, August.
    20. K. Andersson & Ø Foros & F. Steen, 2009. "Text and voice: complements, substitutes or both?," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 18(6), pages 1231-1247, December.
    21. Ramachander, Sangamitra, 2016. "The price sensitivity of mobile use among low income households in six countries of Asia," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(7), pages 673-691.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:11:y:2021:i:4:p:21582440211067232. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.