(The) role of expectation and corporate image in explaining customer satisfaction

Abstract

NCSI (National Customer Satisfaction Index) models show minor differences in the underlying constructs across countries. Starting with the SCSB (Swedish Customer Satisfaction Barometer) model in 1989 to the ECSI (European Customer Satisfaction Index) model in 2000, there have been some modifications in the antecedent/consequent constructs of customer satisfaction. The major difference in the underlying constructs is related to the inclusion/exclusion of customer expectation and corporate image. In the case of customer expectation, since the path coefficient is negative or positive but very close to 0 value or non-significant in many cases, it is argued that customer expectation should be viewed as an unnecessary construct in the NCSI model. Corporate image may influence customer satisfaction directly or indirectly. Therefore, this construct has been added into European countries’ NCSI models and many empirical research studies related to the customer satisfaction model. However, there are no empirical research studies suggesting exactly where to locate the corporate image construct within the customer satisfaction model. In Korea, based on the ACSI model and research methodologies, KCSI (Korean Customer Satisfaction Index) research has been conducted since 1997 and is based on an extensive set of data. There are several criticisms about the uselessness of customer expectation and the exclusion of corporate image in the model from the academic and practitioner points of view. In order to resolve these criticisms, it was conducted research on the impact of customer expectation and the inclusion/exclusion of corporate image in the KCSI model among domestic firms and foreign firms competing within the same industry. In doing so, it was used data from six industries (3 manufacturing and 3 service industries) collected during the years 2000 and 2004. The research is conducted an empirical test using the Han’s research implications (halo and summary construc...