Introduction Quality in general, and service quality in particular, is a difficult construct to explicate and measure (Monroe and Krishnan, 1983). Evaluation of service quality becomes difficult owing to three characteristics that are inherent in services - intangibility, heterogeneity, and inseparability (Berry and Parasuraman, 1991). Despite the challenges posed, a conceptual framework of the determinants of service quality has been introduced and widely accepted (for further detailed discussion, see Parasuraman et al., 1985). This framework consists of ten …showed first 75 words of 8744 total…

…showed last 75 words of 8744 total…formation about service providers from fellow ethnic consumers who are more knowledgeable about the marketplace. This factor, too, tends to cause ethnic consumers to maintain long term-relationships with service providers. There may, indeed, be social pressure on an individual member of a minority ethnic community to patronise a given service provider. A good quality of service must, however, be maintained. If it is not, ethnic minority consumers are likely to defect to other service providers.