HCBE Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Advisor

Suri Weisfeld-Spolter

Abstract

The marketing of services has challenges uncommon to that of marketing products. By nature service offerings are intangible, heterogeneous, perishable, and simultaneously consumed and produced. This simultaneous consumption and production often requires the consumer to participate in the service delivery – co-production. Colleges and universities offer a service which requires high levels of co-production by students and is the setting for this research. As colleges/universities face greater challenges at this time, there is a need for better understanding of the role the student plays in the production process. The service marketing literature offers an understanding of the importance of the role of consumers in the service process. One dimension that has been represented but has yet to be fully understood is the role co-production plays on satisfaction. This research will build on previous research to examine the role of entitlement. Building on the literature from various disciplines the mediating role of entitlement between co-production and satisfaction will be examined. Existing scales from the various disciplines will be modified for the higher education setting. Several exogenous variables (role clarity, locus of control, motivation, and consumerist orientation) will also be examined to better understand their impact on co-production and entitlement. In order to examine the relationship of entitlement surveys will be conducted utilizing current students from various four-year institutions. Confirmatory factor analysis will be used to reduce measurement error. The model will be examined also with structural equation modeling in order to validate the model.

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