Application of multiple-criteria decision-making techniques and approaches to evaluating of service quality: a systematic review of the literature

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to present a systematic review of multiple- criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques used in the assessment of service qual- ity. This study reviewed a total of 79 articles from 51 journals, published from 2001 to 2015. Articles were classified into 10 application areas and scopes. Furthermore, articles were categorised based on an author, year, application area, the nationality of the author, ‏technique, a number of criteria, research purpose, gap and research problem, results and outcome. The best criteria were determined in each article. The results of this study re- vealed that more papers on MCDM were published in 2011 than in any other year. Inte- grated techniques, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy AHP methods, were ranked as first and second methods in use, respectively. Finally, the airline industry was ranked as the first application area, in which previous studies applied MCDM techniques for the evaluation of the service quality. This research contributes to the existing literature on the service quality and MCDM. The research outputs are valuable to academics scholars and leaders of organisations and industries in the field of service quality evaluation.

Keywords:

• AHP
• airline industry
• decision making
• literature review
• multiple-criteria decision making
• service quality
• TOPSIS

JEL Classification:

• C44
• L25
• M1
• M10
• M11

Additional information

Abbas MARDANI PhD at the Faculty of Management, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). He received his PhD from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), the Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Management and the Master's Degree in Industrial Management, the field of Operation and Produc- tion Management in Iran. His current research interests focus on areas of operation and production management, Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM), Fuzzy Set Theory, renewable and sustain- able energy.

Ahmad JUSOH is Research Manager and Senior Lecturer (PhD) at the Faculty of Management, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM); He received his Bachelor's Degree in Technology Management from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), his Master's Degree in Science (Quality and Productivity Improvement) from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and his PhD of Quality Management from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM). His current research interests focus on business statistics, production and operation management, system quality, Total Quality Management, engineering man- agement and multiple criteria decision making (MCDM).

Edmundas Kazimieras ZAVADSKAS is PhD, DSc, Dr. h.c. mult. Prof., Head of the Department of Construction Technology and Management at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania. Editor-in-Chief of the journal of Technological and Economic Development of Economy (IF: 2.818) and the Journal of Civil Engineering and Management (IF: 1.372), Taylor & Francis Journals. He is Senior Research Fellow at the Researcher of Research Institute of Smart Building Technologies. He is a member of the Lithuanian and several foreign Academies of Sciences. His current research interests focus on areas of building technology and management, Decision-Making Theory, decision support systems, Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM).

Zainab KHALIFAH is Dean and Professor (PhD) at the Faculty of Management, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). She received her PhD in the field of Tourism Management, University of Strath- clyde, Glasgow, Scotland, UK (1997). She received her Bachelor's (1983) and Master's (1985) degrees in Economic and Applied Economics from the Northern Illinois University, De Kalb, Illinois, USA. Her current research interests focus on areas of operation and production management, service quality, tourism and hospitality management.

Khalil MD NOR is Deputy Dean (Academic) and Professor at the Faculty of Management, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). He received his PhD (Business Administration) at the Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, USA. He received his Bachelor's Degree (Economics and Industrial Management) and Master's Degree (Public Management and Policy) from Carnegie Mellon in Pitts- burgh, Pennsylvania, USA. His current research interests focus on technology acceptance, strategic information system, e-commerce, knowledge management and service quality.