Measuring the service quality of autonomous B-school programs in India: development and validation of BSCHOOLQUAL, a higher-order factor model

Purpose India needs a robust management education system to capitalize on its growing economy. Nevertheless, the expectations of stakeholders vary considerably between autonomous business schools and regular university programs. Therefore, a new measurement scale is needed to assess the quality of services offered by autonomous B-schools in India. Design/methodology/approach The study develops and validates a scale to measure the quality of business education in autonomous B-schools in southern India, consisting of 656 MBA students. The “BSCHOOLQUAL” scale, which has been validated through exploratory, confirmatory and convergent and discriminant validity tests, is recommended for assessing the service levels of autonomous B-schools. The study also investigates the potential of a second-order component to elucidate the connections between the five constructs using a hierarchical model. The study utilized CB-SEM approach using AMOS. Findings The study examined existing scales and constructs influencing service quality dimensions and it was found that a combination of five variables accounts for 73.94% of sample data variance, and the scale’s validity was tested using a higher-order factor model approach. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the growing body of evidence concerning the quality of higher education services in developing countries. The study contributes to knowledge enhancement by developing and validating an effective scale for institutions offering business education to thrive in a highly competitive academic landscape. Lack of quality will lead to poor word-of-mouth, poor student intake, resource waste and eventually trouble achieving an institution’s targeted goals. The suggested approach enables the examination of service quality across five significant variables. Practical implications The service quality of an autonomous MBA program is crucial for continuous improvement and maintaining academic standards. A well-designed scale can identify concerns and provide a competitive edge. It helps B-schools understand student satisfaction, resource allocation, accreditation compliance, stakeholder involvement, financial sustainability and alumni relations. This data-driven program management helps develop policies, focus on specific aspects and improve efficiency and quality for senior management. Originality/value The study utilized higher-order factor model results to demonstrate that a precisely translated Indian adaptation of the BSCHOOLQUAL, a cutting-edge assessment tool for evaluating the service quality in MBA programs, yielded reliable measurement scores that were sufficiently robust to assess the quality of services at autonomous business schools in India.