Consumer expectations of quality in Master of Business Administration programs: A comparison between face-to-face learning and Web-delivered distance learning in schools of business.

摘要

The problem. The intent of this study was to examine the importance of five dimensions of program quality expectations for face-to-face and Web-delivered Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs, as perceived by American and international students, as well as the extent to which program quality contributed to students' selection of face-to-face or Web-delivered learning programs.; Method. A descriptive research strategy was used to conduct this study that targeted prospective MBA students in the United States and in the world at large. The primary data were collected via a self-administered online questionnaire, using the World Wide Web. The research population was all prospective MBA students who planned to enroll in a face-to-face or Web-delivered MBA program. The respondents could be seniors in an undergraduate program or MBA candidates who had completed an undergraduate degree. Response rate from this group was disappointing; to compensate for the low number of responses, the survey was also administered to senior undergraduate students at two private universities, Azusa Pacific University, California, and Brescia University, Kentucky. A total of 123 responses were collected. Student's t test, rank order correlation, analysis of variance (ANOVA), regression analysis, and repeated measures ANOVA were used to analyze the data.; Results. Five dimensions of preprogram quality were examined: (a) tangibility, (b)program content and course structure, (c) responsiveness, (d) assurance, and (e) empathy. American students perceived program content and class structure significantly more important than did international students. Female students were more concerned about the faculty and staff compassion, and younger students were more likely to expect faculty and staff to be responsive to students' needs. Students in traditional face-to-face courses had higher expectations for the quality of the faculty than did students in Web-delivered programs. The overall predictors for the selection of the type of MBA programs were associated with three service quality dimensions: (a) program content and class structure, (b) responsiveness to students' needs, and (c) assurance or quality of faculty.