THE IMPACT OF SERVICE QUALITY ON CORPORATE IMAGE: MEDIATING ROLE OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Abstract

This research paper will examine the effect of quality of service on corporate image with a view of customer satisfaction as mediating factor. The findings confirm a positive significant relationship that indicates a strong positive correlation between service quality and corporate image where the relationship is through intermediate effect of customer satisfaction. Corporate image which is composed of a general perception and evaluation of a company may be constructed to create good demeanor and behaviour in the likes of commitment to the firm, recommendation and participation or results in negative response (rejection). Some sources give the service quality as the gap between the customer perceptions and experience, and customer satisfaction as a result of the level of anticipation of the expectations. The quantitative research method applied was structured questionnaire in which 130 hotels employees in the Mirpur and Kotli Afanad Jammu and Kashmir were administered questionnaires. Using SPSS, sets of data were analyzed that comprised of descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and regression analysis. The findings reveal that service quality is of high significance within customer satisfaction and corporate image. In addition, the quality of the service and the corporate image are connected on the customer satisfaction level. Sample size is small and not random, and findings can not be generalised widely since time constrained the research. The future research suggestion is the one that represents the research on a larger and more diverse sample.

Keywords: Image of the corporation, quality of the service, customer satisfaction