Comunicazione e competizione, due elementi per un’integrazione del modello dei gap sulla qualità dei servizi

Purpose of the paper: The study aims to contribute to the development of an approach that considers the effects of the integration of communication flows and competitive dynamics in the Gap model/SERVQUAL. This model, proposed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml e Berry in the Eighties, is currently the most used to study service quality in the marketing literature. Methodology: A literature review has been conducted to analyze more than 20 years of research (from 1985 to 2011) with the purpose of underlining the model evolution and criticisms. Major international academic databases were consulted, integrating the result with the research carried out by Italian authors. Findings: On the basis of the literature review, an integrated approach is foreseen that considers in an extensive way the concepts of communication and competition. Research limits: The analysis considers all the theoretical-practical papers that enable to study the model evolution and criticisms. Articles that simply apply the model to a different sector without an addictional contribution to the topic have been deliberately excluded. The article is a conceptual paper. Practical implications: Integrating and updating the Gap model in the light of new trends of marketing and of two crucial elements: communication and competition. This is a first step for the development of a new model based on a systemic approach in which circular relations and interactions occur. Originality of the study: Challenging the approach that considers quality evaluation as the pure comparison of customers expectations and perceptions, comprehending its dynamic and relative nature and the complexity of interactions generated with the environment.