Abstract
<p>The survival rate of small businesses operating in the Australian building maintenance industry (SBBM) has been decreasing due to high competition. Some researchers identify the delivery of high levels of service quality as a differential strategy that can improve small business chances of survival. The objective of this study is to examine the nature of the relationships between the quality of service delivered by SBBM and the satisfaction and repurchase intention of Australian households. Additionally, provide a dimension-specific analysis of the relationship between the quality of service delivered by SBBM and the satisfaction and repurchase intention of Australian households. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, a self-completion questionnaire measuring instrument is mailed to 667 potential participants selected using simple random sampling. The measuring instrument consists of 26 questions based on the SERVPERF model. A total of 200 complete and accurate questionnaires are returned. The relationships among the main constructs of the study are tested using correlational research design. The study concludes that customer satisfaction mediates the relationship between service quality and repurchase intention. It also concludes that SBBM can achieve high levels of service quality and repurchase intention by focusing and investing in the reliability, assurance and empathy factors of service quality. The results of this study are only applicable to the Australian residential market and may not be universally applicable, which is considered a limitation.</p>
Highlights
1.1 Research ProblemSmall businesses that specialises in building maintenance (SBBM) are key contributors to the Australian economy
The objective of this study is to examine the nature of the relationships between the quality of service delivered by SBBM and the satisfaction and repurchase intention of Australian households
The service quality, customer satisfaction and repurchase intention measures are adopted from Sunindijo et al (2014), who used these measures to investigate the relationship among the same variables in the construction industry in Thailand
Summary
Small businesses that specialises in building maintenance (SBBM) are key contributors to the Australian economy. As of June 2012, there were 168,724 SBBM that accounted for 97.7% of all construction businesses (ABS, 2013). They employed 42% (or 394,956) of the total construction work force, generated 43% (or $132b) of the total construction income, and 70% (or $21b) of the total construction profit. Researchers (Maclaran & McGowan, 1999; Rapert & Wren, 1998) concluded that a small business very survival depends on adopting differential strategies that lead to a competitive advantage. Developing a unique and sustainable approach to high service quality based on understanding customer expectations is recognised as a key differential in an increasingly competitive building maintenance industry (Fraser, 2014)
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