The Role of Internal Marketing and National Culture in Perceived Service Quality in Apparel Retail Industry

Abstract

Most scholars agree that internal marketing positively influence the achievement of high perceived service quality. In this study, such influence is further explored in dimensional context in specific apparel retail industry. Meanwhile, due to the rapid growth and internationalization of services, the influence of culture on consumers’ general perception of service quality is also explored. In theoretical part, perceived service quality, internal marketing and national culture are introduced in detail. Especially, based on service marketing literature, five propositions are made concerning the effect of eight internal marketing activities on three human related dimensions of perceived service quality. Meanwhile, one general proposition is made as guidance to further empirical study of cultural influence. In empirical part, single case study strategy is used and data collected through semistructured telephone interviews toward both employees and customers on the purpose of acquiring the influence of doing internal marketing on perceived service quality. In the meantime, data also collected through self-administrated questionnaire of survey toward customers in order to search the answer of the cultural impact on perceived service quality. Because the collected data have both quantitative and qualitative characteristics, two types of data analytic methods were used to interpret raw data into meaningful values. The empirical findings reveal that internal marketing and national culture all affect customers’ perception of service quality. In detail, empowerment, teamwork, motivation, employees’ training and educating, and communication are helpful to the acquirement of high perceived service quality. In addition, power distance and masculinity have high possibility to impact perceived service quality.