Background to the Perceived Quality of a Business Course: a nonlinear approach

ABSTRACT

This paper has as objective to study the perceived quality antecedents of a Business Management Course under a non linear perspective. The research was carried out by interviewing 622 business students of a Higher Education Institution (HEI), using a structured questionnaire with quality dimensions based on the literature review. For processing the data it was used the SPSS 14.0 software. It was performed the factorial analysis that resulted in fifteen factors. The non linear influence of the dimensions in the course perceived quality was identified by the Kano Model using the Penalty and Reward Analysis method. The dimensions “course content applicability”, “perceived learning” and “Teachers attitude” can be classified as performance factors. The dimensions “teaching methods”, “course coordinator attitude”, “curricular grid”, “student integration in the academic life” and “campus infrastructure” can be classified as excitement factors. The dimensions “HEI social image”; “trust in the employees”; “extracurricular activities”; “course workload” and “access to infrastructure” can be classified as basic factors. The dimensions that have highest impact on perceived quality when they have above average performance are: “course content applicability”, “teaching methods” and “course coordinator attitude”. It is observed that the dimensions that have highest impact on the perceived quality when they have bellow average performance are “HEI social image”, “course content applicability”, “trust in the IES”. We can see that the dimensions with highest positive impact are related to the course and those with highest negative impacts are related to the general aspects of the HEI (except for the content applicability).

Key words:
Perceived quality background; Administration graduation students; Nonlinear approach; Kano model; Penalty and Reward Contrast Analysis