Date of Conferral

2015

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

David Gould

Abstract

The National Safety Council (NSC) estimated that over 35,000 people died in U.S. traffic accidents. About 3.8 million traffic crash injuries requiring medical attention occurred in 2013, and the number of deaths was about the same over the last 5 years. The NSC found that product recalls, car repairs, injuries, and deaths were due to unsafe product designs or inferior product quality. These statistics underscore the challenge of producing quality vehicles while satisfying customers. The purpose of this nonexperimental study was to examine relationships among product (vehicle) quality, product cost, product safety, and consumer satisfaction. The hypotheses inquired the extent to which relationships exist between product quality and customer satisfaction and if product cost and product safety influence this relationship. The theoretical foundation included theories on product quality and consumer satisfaction associated with the cost and safety theories such as product quality and customer satisfaction that are critical factors that can promote positive social change. Data were collected from a random sample (N = 77) of U.S. automobile users and analyzed via simple and multiple linear regression, which showed a significant statistical relationship between product quality and customer satisfaction. However, neither the product safety nor product cost helped mediate the relationship between product quality and customer satisfaction. Building high-quality cars leads to fewer injuries and deaths associated with vehicular accidents, thus promoting positive social change for both U.S. automobile buyers and sellers

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