EXAMINING THE MEDIATING EFFECT OF INTENTION TO RECOMMEND ON RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SECURITY SERVICE QUALITY ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF INTERNATIONAL AIR PASSENGERS IN KENYA

Abstract

This Air passenger satisfaction is a multidimensional construct that has been scrutinized using a
variety of conceptual and methodological frameworks. The objective of this study was to
determine the extent to which intention to recommend influences the relationship between the
perceptions of quality of security services and satisfaction among air passengers in Kenya. A
positivistic philosophical underpinning was embraced for this study. The five service quality
dimensions of tangibility, responsiveness, assurance, reliability and empathy within a modified
SERVRPERF scale. Customer satisfaction and intention to recommend airport services were the
other variables considered for this study. This study was conducted using primary data gathered
via a semi-structured questionnaire administered to 461 randomly selected respondents located
at two international airports in Kenya. A response rate of 83.30 percent was achieved. Partial
least squares structural equation (PLS-SEM) modelling techniques were used to analyze the
data. The study found that intention to recommend has a complementary partial mediation effect
on the relationship between perceived security service quality and customer satisfaction. The
study findings are valuable in providing insights into the perception of security service quality
especially in this underexplored arena of scholarly inquiry. Implications for theory, practice and
policy making are highlighted. Study limitations and suggestion for future research to extend this
line of inquiry are provided.
Keywords: SERVPERF, security service quality, customer satisfaction, intention to recommend,
air passengers