본 연구에서는 모바일 인터넷 서비스 품질 (MOBISQUAL: Mobile Internet Service Quality)이 3차원적 위계구조를 지닌 것으로 모형화하고 실증적으로 검증하였다. 구체적으로 최상위수준의 모바일 인터넷 서비스 품질을 구성하는 4가지 기본차원으로서 결과품질(outcome quality), 유동적 상호작용 품질(fluid interaction quality), 정황적 상호작용 품질(contextual interaction quality), 서비스케이프 품질(servicescape quality)을 제시하였다. 4개 기본차원들은 각각 2-3개 씩의 하위차원으로 구성되는 것으로 모형화하였다. 결과품질의 하위차원으로서는 충족성(fulfillment)과 유희성(playfulness), 유동적 상호작용 품질의 하위차원으로서는 유비쿼터스 접속성(ubiquitous connectivity)과 반응성(responsiveness), 정황적 상호작용 품질의 하위차원으로서는 정황적 유용성(contextual usefulness)과 개인화(personalization), 서비스케이프 품질의 하위차원으로서는 디자인(design), 사용용이성(ease of use) 및 안전성(security)이 포함되어 총 9개의 하위차원을 제시하였다. 본 연구에서 제시한 MOBISQUAL의 3차원 위계구조에 대한 실증적 검증을 위해 3단계 분석절차, 즉 4개 기본차원에 대한 검증, 4개 기본차원의 상위차원으로서의 모바일 인터넷 서비스 품질에 대한 검증, 그리고 4개 기본차원-9개 하위차원 구조에 대한 검증을 실시하였다. 이러한 검증과정을 통해 본 연구모형으로 제시한 MOBISQUAL의 3차원적 위계적 구조가 실증적으로 지지될 수 있음을 확인할 수 있었다.
The mobile Internet service environment is changing more rapidly than ever before. It is characterized by intensifying domestic competition, service diversification, and more sophisticated and demanding customers who have greater expectations related to their ubiquitous Internet usage. It is essential for mobile Internet marketers to understand the service quality in the mobile Internet setting. SERVQUAL, a scale designed to measure five dimensions of service quality (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy), is the most widely known and discussed. Although SERVQUAL has been empirically tested in a number of services, previous research has not adequately capture customers` perceptions of service quality for mobile Internet service. Mobile Internet service involves more than PC-based Internet service in terms of seamless access to Internet in spite of location, providing relevant information based upon where customers are and what they are interested in, all of which influence customers` evaluations of service quality. Thus, although measures of service quality for offline and online service environments and for mobile Internet service environments are likely to share some common dimensions, measures of mobile Internet service quality must capture unique dimensions. The purpose of the study is to investigate the dimensions of service quality in a mobile Internet service environment and to develop and validate a scale to measure mobile Internet service quality. We adopt Rust and Oliver`s (1994) three component model that overall perceptions of service quality is based on the customer`s evaluation of three dimensions of the service encounter: service delivery (functional quality), service environment (servicescape quality) and service product (technical/outcome quality). We also adopt the view that service quality perceptions are multilevel and multidimensional (Dabholkar, Thorpe and Rentz 1996). Given the complexity of evaluating the quality of service outcome, service interactions and the service environment, this is a significant gap. To address this gap, we conducted the qualitative study such as expert interviews, CIT analysis and content analysis. Through qualitative and empirical research, the authors find that mobile Internet service quality (MOBISQUAL) construct conforms to the hierarchical third-order factor structure that ties mobile internet service quality perceptions to distinct and actionable primary dimensions: outcome quality, fluid interaction quality, contextual interaction quality, and servicescape quality. In turn, each primary dimension has two or three subdimensions that define the basis of mobile internet service quality perceptions. Specifically, nine subdimensions were proposed: fulfillment and playfulness as subdimension of outcome quality, ubiquitos connectivity and responsiveness (fluid interaction quality), contextual usefulness and personalization (contextual interaction quality), design, ease of use and security (servicescape quality). According to Dabholkar et al. (1996), we decided to test the proposed model in three stages-a test of the four basic dimensions, a test of the second-order factor, and a test of the subdimensions. These tests reveal whether our proposed hierarchical structure is supported in part or whole. The first step is to test whether the four basic dimensions are well supported as descriptors of MOBISQUAL. Empirical results show that four basic dimensions appear to be well suited for measuring MOBISQUAL. The next step is to determine if MOBISQUAL may be viewed as a higher order factor to four basic dimensions. Empirical results led us to conclude that the second-order factor structure for MOBISQUAL is well supported. This suggests that customers evaluate MOBISQUAL on the four basic dimensions but that they also view overall mobile Internet service quality as a higher order factor that captures a meaning common to four basic dimensions. The last test is the test for nine subdimensions. Empirical results show that the second-order factor structure consisted of four basic dimensions and nine subdimensions is well supported. Confirmatory factor analysis based on the three stage approach and cross-validation support the hierarchical third-order factor structure of MOBISQUAL and validity of the scale as the measure of MOBISQUAL. The key contribution of the study is to provide qualitative and empirical evidence that MOBISQUAL is a multidimensinal, hierarchical construct. Our model can greatly assist mobile marketing managers in understanding how their customers evaluate the quality of mobile Internet service. From a strategic standpoint, the conceptualization can be used to categorize customers across the nine subdimensions. Segment profiles then can be developed to identify areas of core competency as well as deficiencies in mobile Internet service market. From a competitive standpoint, the proposed variables can be utilized to make comparison of service levels with major competitors. Future research directions as well as the managerial implication of MOBISQUAL study are discussed.