The Mediating Role of Customer Satisfaction Between Service Quality and Customer Loyalty: A Study in Commercial Sport Organizations

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in sports organizations. The sample of the study consisted of the customers of commercial sports organizations (fitness centers, health & sports centers and gyms) in a big city in eastern Turkey (n=409). Three scales were used as data collection tools in the study: The QSport-14 developed by Yildiz and Kara (2012), the customer satisfaction scale developed by Cronin, Brady, and Hult (2000), the customer loyalty scale developed by Zeithaml, Berry, and Parasuraman (1996). The data were analyzed with the structural equation model. SPSS and Smart PLS statistical programs were used in the analysis of the data. First of all, the scales were subjected to measurement model analysis. At the measurement model stage, the validity and reliability analyzes of the scales were made. Then, structural model analysis was applied. In the structural model stage, the estimation evaluations of the model were made. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the hypotheses. The results of the analysis showed that service quality had a significant and positive effect on customer loyalty (β=0.898; p<0.001), and customer satisfaction had a significant and positive effect on customer loyalty (β=0.848; p<0.001). Another analysis result indicated that customer satisfaction had a full mediation effect between service quality and customer loyalty (β=0.761; p<0.001). 

Keywords

• Service Quality
• Customer Satisfaction
• Customer Loyalty
• Sport Organizations

Müşteri Tatmininin Hizmet Kalitesi ve Müşteri Sadakati Arasındaki Aracılık Rolü: Ticari Olarak Faaliyet Gösteren Spor İşletmelerinde Bir Uygulama

Öz

Bu çalışmada spor örgütlerinde hizmet kalitesi, müşteri tatmini ve müşteri sadakati ilişkisinin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmaya Türkiye’nin doğusunda bulunan bir şehirde ticari olarak faaliyet gösteren spor işletmelerinin (fitness merkezleri, sağlık & spor merkezleri ve spor salonlarının) müşterileri katılmıştır (n=409). Veri toplama aracı olarak; hizmet kalitesini belirlemek için Yildiz ve Kara (2012) tarafından geliştirilen QSport-14, müşteri tatminini belirlemek için Cronin, Brady ve Hult (2000) tarafından geliştirilen müşteri tatmini ölçeği, müşteri sadakatini belirlemek için Zeithaml, Berry ve Parasuraman (1996) tarafından geliştirilen müşteri sadakati ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Verilerin çözümlenmesinde SPSS and Smart PLS istatistik programlarından faydalanılmıştır. Öncelikle ölçekler ölçüm modeli analizine tabi tutulmuştur. Ölçüm modeli aşamasında ölçeklerin geçerlik ve güvenirlik analizleri yapılmıştır. Daha sonra yapısal model analizi uygulanmıştır. Yapısal model aşamasında modelin tahmin değerlendirmeleri yapılmıştır. Hipotezlerin testi yapısal eşitlik modeli ile belirlenmiştir. Analiz sonucu hizmet kalitesinin müşteri sadakati üzerinde anlamlı ve pozitif yönde bir etkisinin olduğunu (β=0,898; p<0,001) ve müşteri tatmininin müşteri sadakati üzerinde anlamlı ve pozitif bir etkisinin olduğunu (β=0,848; p<0,001) göstermiştir. Diğer bir analiz sonucu, müşteri tatmininin hizmet kalitesi ile müşteri sadakati arasında tam aracılık ettiğini göstermiştir (β=0,761; p<0,001).

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Hizmet Kalitesi
• Müşteri Tatmini
• Müşteri Sadakati
• Spor Örgütleri
• Service Quality
• Customer Satisfaction
• Customer Loyalty
• Sport Organizations

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