The role of corporate agility and perceived price on the service quality - customer satisfaction link: some preliminary evidence from the port industry

The purpose of this study is to confirm the applicability of SERVQUAL scale in the shipping corporate sector and explore the relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction, corporate agility and perceived price. The hypotheses introduced were tested using EFA and multiple linear regression models. Findings were in support to a more parsimonious 3-dimensional one-measurement model arguing thus against the 5-dimensional nature of the SERVQUAL instrument. Moreover, corporate agility fully mediates assurance/empathy and tangibles' dimensions of SERVQUAL and perceived price on customer satisfaction. It has been further supported that agility partially mediates the reliability/responsiveness dimension. The major contribution of this study is that it is the first attempt to investigate the impact of corporate agility on service quality and customer satisfaction relationship in the port industry.