Assistant Professor, Institute of Management Technology, Hyderabad
The aim of this research paper is to reassess the multiple-item scale (E-S-QUAL) for measuring the service quality delivered by the Indian Railways Web site. Conceptually, we studied service quality as a hierarchical, reflective construct, incorporating efficiency, fulfillment, privacy, and system availability. The data was collected from 151 participants using an online questionnaire. To assess the parameters of a hierarchical, reflective model with mediating effects, we used the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with bootstrap method. The results showed that service quality is a second-order, reflective construct that has a significant direct and indirect effect on customer loyalty. It also confirms that customer satisfaction plays the key, mediating role between service quality and customer loyalty. Finally, we conclude by discussing theoretical contributions, managerial implications, limitations, and future research directions of the study.
service quality, customer satisfaction, Hierarchical Model, Indian Railways
