Ramón Barrera

Simultaneous measurement of quality in different online services

The purpose of our study is to propose a measurement model, based on two separate scales, to simultaneously test the quality of three services: online travel reservations, accommodation reservations and online ticketing. A scale to measure electronic service quality consists of four dimensions: design, functionality, privacy and information/reliability. The second scale used to measure recovery electronic service quality consists of two dimensions: access/contact and responsiveness. The findings indicate that our scales are reliable, valid and consistent among different contexts. To complete the validity assessment of the proposed scales, we test the nomological validity comparing different competing models.

Reasons which Influence on the Students' Decision to Take a University Course: Differences by Gender and Degree.

After compulsory secondary education; many teenagers face the process of choosing a university degree. This process involves uncertainties referred to their personal abilities, interests, social expectations and professional future. The present work is aimed at determining whether the reasons behind the selection of a particular university degree differ depending on the chosen degree. Another objective is determining whether these reasons differ significantly according to gender. The sample comprises 983 students belonging to the area of social and legal sciences at the University of Seville. The obtained results reveal the existence of four main reasons behind the selection of university degrees for which significant gender-related differences were observed: easy degree, job opportunities, high wages and provision of social services. Besides, these seven reasons are observed to differ widely in six of the considered degrees.