Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to alleviate the standard of service quality management of coach buses provided by the inbound tour operators in Thailand
Keywords:
coach bus, inbound tour operator, service quality management, touristAbstract
This research was aimed at proposing an instrument for measuring service quality management of coach buses provided by the inbound tour operators in Thailand. Quantitative method research was adopted. 415 Chinese tourists who purchased tour packages from the leading inbound tour operators in Thailand were selected with the purposive sampling method as the respondents. Self-administered questionnaire, developed on the five Likert scale, served as a research tool for data collection. Both exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analyses were embraced to perform the data analysis. The results of the exploratory factor analysis showed that 28 observed variables could be organized into three factors. Those three factors included physical, service, and management. With the statistical significance of the .01 level, the results of the confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated the measurement models of these three factors perfectly fit the empirical data reported by the goodness of fit indices. Thus, those measurement models could be used to measure service quality management of the coach buses provided by the inbound tour operators in Thailand. The bottom line was that the proposed instrument could alleviate the standard of service quality management of coach buses in Thailand for the tourists of any nationalities.
References
Bangprapa, M., & Praprutitum, K. (2022). Chinese rate Thailand no 4 as tourists return. Bangkokpost. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2367618/chinese-rate-thailand-no-4-as-tourists-return
Buain, T. (2018). แนวทางการพัฒนาคุณภาพการบริหารรถโดยสารไม่ประจำทางเพื่อรองรับนักท่องเที่ยวชาวต่างชาติในจังหวัดภูเก็ต [Guidelines for the service quality improvement development of coach service to support foreign tourists: A case of Phuket] [Master’s thesis, National Institute of Development Administration]. https://repository.nida.ac.th/bitstream/handle/662723737/4470/b204842.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y [in Thai]
Cernny, B. A., & Kaiser, H. F. (1977). A Study of a measure of sampling adequacy for factor-analytic correlation matrices. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 12(1), 43–47. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327906mbr1201_3
Chaengwetchai, B. (2016). คุณภาพการให้บริการที่ส่งผลต่อความพึงพอใจของ ผู้โดยสารรถไฟฟ้า BTS ในกรุงเทพมหานคร [Service quality affecting passengers’ satisfaction toward BTS skytrain in Bangkok] [Master’s independent study, Bangkok University]. http://dspace.bu.ac.th/
jspui/bitstream/123456789/2844/3/benchapa_chan.pdf [in Thai]
Cronbach, L. J. (1970). Essentials of psychological testing. Harper & Row.
Cronin Jr, J. J, & Taylor, S. A. (1992). Measuring service quality: A reexamination and extension. Journal of Marketing, 56(3), 55–68. https://doi.org/10.2307/1252296
Cronin Jr, J. J., & Taylor, S. A. (1994). SERVPERF versus SERVQUAL reconciling performance-based and perceptions-minus expectations measurement of service quality. Journal of Marketing, 58(1), 125–131. https://doi.org/10.2307/1252256
Cochran, W. G. (1997). Sampling techniques (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Coulthard, L. J. (2004). A review and critique of research using SERVQUAL. International Journal of Market Research, 46(4), 479–497. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/147078530404600401
Gulc, A. (2017). Models and methods of measuring the quality of logistic service. Procedia Enginerring, 182, 255–264. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.03.187
Guttman, L. (1954). A new approach to factor analysis: the radex. in P.F. Lazarsfeld (Ed.), mathematical thinking in the social science.
Free Press.
Haghighat, N. (2017). Airline service quality evaluation: A review on concepts and models. Economics, Management and Sustainability, 2(1), 31–47. https://doi.org/10.14254/jems.2017.2-2.4
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis: A global perspective. Pearson Prentice
Hall.
Herman, D. R. (2016). CFA first order and CFA second order (measurement model) of the special education teachers’ readiness on the implementation of sexuality and health education for students with learning disabilities in special education (integration program) in Malaysia. International Journal of Current Research, 8(10), 40165–40172. https://www.journalcra.com/article/cfa-first-orderand-cfa-second-order-measurement-model-special-educationteachers%E2%80%99-readiness
Jonkisz, A., Karniej, P., & Krasowska, D. (2021). SERVQUAL method as an “Old New” tool for improving the quality of medical services: A literature review. International Journal of Environmental
Research and Public Health, 18(20), 10758. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182010758
Kaiyawan, Y. (2014). Multivariate statistical analysis (2nd ed.). Chulalongkorn University Press.
Kalaiselvi, K. T. (2016). Service quality: Measurement and management. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 23–25. https://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jbm/papers/Conf-ICSMTSA/Volume%203/8.%2023-25.pdf
Krungthemthurakit. (2017). Tour bus with tourists overturned while downhill at Patong in Phuket, 10-year-old boy dead. https://www.bangkokbiznews.com/news/detail/763835
Likert, R. (1932). A Technique for the measurement of attitudes. Archives of Psychology, 22(140), 55.
Lovelock, C. H. (1996). Adding value to core products with supplementary services in service marketing. (2nd ed.). Prentice Hall.
ManagerOnline. (2019). อุบัติเหตุรถบัสนักท่องเที่ยวจีนคว่ำกลางดอยเชียงใหม่เจ็บ 10 ราย พบไหปลาร้าหัก 2 หัวกระแทกต้องตรวจละเอียด 3 [Overturned tour bus with 10 Chinese tourists injured, 2 broken collarbone, 3 head crashed at Chiang Mai’s mountain]. Author. https://mgronline.com/local/detail/9620000061916 [in Thai]
Ministry of Tourism and Sports. (2018). สถิติด้านการท่องเที่ยว ปี 2561 [Tourism statistics 2018]. https://www.mots.go.th/more_news_new.php?cid=528 [in Thai]
Moolla, M., & Plessis, P. B. (1997). Service quality management: A critical review of the SERVQUAL model. SBL Research Review, 1(8), 64–74. https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/AJA1561896X_259
Neamnut, D., & Tongkong, S. (2013). พฤติกรรมและการเปรียบเทียบคุณภาพการบริการของสถานขนส่งผู้โดยสารกรุงเทพฯ (จตุจักร) และสถานีขนส่งผู้โดยสารกรุงเทพฯ (ถนนบรมราชชนนี) [Behaviors and a comparison of service quality between Bangkok Bus Terminal (Chatuchak) and Bangkok Bus Terminal (South)]. RMUTT Research Repository, 336–346. http://www.repository.rmutt.ac.th/xmlui/handle/123456789/2381 [in Thai]
Oliver, R. L. (1993). A conceptual model of service quality and service satisfaction: Compatible goals, different concepts. In T. A. Swartz, D. E. Bowen, & S. W. Brown (Eds.), Advances in marketing and management (vol. 2, pp. 65–85). JAI Press.
Özkan, A. H. (2016). Weakness of SERVQUAL which resources from cognitive differences. International Journal of Business and Social Research, 6(11), 34–41. https://doi.org/0.18533/ijbsr.v6i11.1004
Parasuraman, A. P., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1985). A conceptual model of service quality and its implication for future research (SERVQUAL). Journal of Marketing, 49(4), 41–50. https://doi.org/10.2307/1251430
Parasuraman, A. P., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 6(1), 12–40. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1549-9584.1988.tb00222.x
Parasuraman, A., Berry, L. L., & Zeithaml, V. A. (1990). Delivering quality service:balancing customer perceptions and expectation.
The Free Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Kasetsart UniversityThis is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
