A Hierarchical Model of Service Quality for the Recreational Sport Industry

Abstract

This study proposes and tests a conceptual model of service quality in recreational sport. The proposed model is based on a current conceptualization of service quality, which suggests that service quality is a multidimensional and hierarchical construct ( Brady & Cronin, 2001 ; Dabholkar, Thorpe, & Rentz, 1996 ). In the proposed model, service quality consists of four primary dimensions which are defined by several corresponding subdimensions: (a) program quality - range of program, operating time, and information, (b) interaction quality - client-employee interaction and inter-client interaction, (c) outcome quality - physical change, valence, and sociability, and (d) environment quality - ambient condition, design, and equipment. The authors test the conceptual model using structural equation analyses and the findings support the conceptualization. Practical implications for recreation facility managers and sport marketers are discussed.