Tóm tắt luận án:
As markets become increasingly competitive, service quality has become not only a differentiating point for customer oriented firms, but also a critical element for firms to sustain their competitive advantage (Kumar and Reinartz, 2016). However, not all firms understand the importance of service quality, especially in professional business-to-business (B2B) services (Brady and Cronin, 2001; Cronin, Brady and Hult, 2000; Keh and Pang, 2010). Therefore, this thesis investigates factors within service quality that influence customer perceived value (CPV), and in turn lead to customer satisfaction, word of mouth and repurchase intention (Kumar and Reinartz, 2016; Lemon, Rust and Zeithaml, 2001).
Accordingly, this thesis examines service quality in the general insurance sector (OCGIS), a highly-involved high-value B2B service industry in Vietnam. The rationale for selecting this research context will be provided in detail in the following chapters. The application of service quality in this research context has never been done before, thus, this thesis has thoroughly applied a two phase approach towards this research phenomenon: (1) qualitative study; and (2) quantitative study.
Phase 1 includes exploratory research via 7 in-depth interviews, a focus group with 7 Vietnamese high-level executives in large multinational firms in Vietnam and 6 interviews with experienced experts in general insurance sector.  Phase 2 includes a scale development process and a Structure Equation Modeling analysis to analyse survey data collected from 547 executives in large multinational companies in Vietnam.
The findings confirm the significance of service quality dimensions in relation to CPV. Interestingly, although having been identified as one of the most important factors determining customer experience in service environments (Brady and Cronin, 2001), digital technology does not appear to have significant relationships with either CPV or customer satisfaction in the context of this research study. This research makes several significant contributions to the current literature on the concept of CPV for B2B professional services in the general insurance sector, from both theoretical and practical perspectives.
• Theoretical contributions:
First, this B2B study contributes to the existing literature in keeping the balance between business-to-customer (B2C) and B2B studies.
Second, the study has developed a set of measurement scales to measure CPV as it applies in the general insurance sector.
Third, the study fills a significant gap in the services marketing literature, where the use of digital technology is taken for granted and firms operate under the assumption that adding technology will always enhance customers’ perceptions of service value.
• Managerial contributions:
First, this research is focused on a specific industry, the information presented can be utilised by managers in differing fields who contend with several groups of employees who interact with customers. These managers will need to outline the important employee groups that are in direct contact with customers and so contribute to customers’ experiences and perceptions.
Second, the findings from this research demonstrate the importance of managers being able to single out their high performing employees, so that these employees can be enabled to perform at a high level due to a focus on the qualities and skill sets these employees will require.
Third, the findings may help managers to understand the nuances in customers’ perceptions of firms’ various products and services, thus helping them make better decisions in resource allocation in their aim of achieving competitive advantage.
Fourth, the findings provide valuable guidelines for practitioners in this field by assisting them to better understand the relationships between determinants and to recognise the role of digital technology in customers’ perception of service quality, to create value for customers and firms in relation to customer loyalty towards general insurance firms in Vietnam.

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