Abstract

This paper proposes a new model for competitive service quality improvement (CSQI) which is applied to a case study in the fast-food industry. Current and competitive service quality levels are considered for improving competitive service quality using current service quality levels measured by the SERVQUAL instrument with a ratio-score scale. Competitive service quality is analysed by customer assessment relative to each service attribute. Subsequently, the entropy method is used to quantify competitiveness. The value of each attribute's entropy indicates the relative importance of the attribute for CSQI. Finally, the attribute priorities are determined by the combination of current service quality level and entropy value. Empirical testing of the model on a fast-food case study indicates the importance of using the current service quality level and competitive performance indices simultaneously within a CSQI model.