Effect of culture on perceptions of IS service quality

Abstract

Although providing Information Service Functions (ISFs) is common to organisations in all cultures, how the quality of these services is perceived in different cultures is poorly understood. Culture is complex and the broad values that characterise a particular culture are known to affect technology implementation and adoption. Service quality is also multidimensional, and various aspects may be prioritised differently by cultures with different value systems, with implications for management. This study examines how ISF’s service quality dimensions are perceived in Jordan and Australia, which have contrasting profiles on Hofstede’s typology of cultures. We hypothesise and test the influences of salient cultural characteristics using the four-dimensional ‘Zones of Tolerance’ (ZOT) service quality measure of Kettinger and Lee to compare demographically similar users’ service quality perceptions. The results indicate that, associated with their cultural characteristics, users’ perceptions vary on each of the four dimensions of ZOT service quality.