Abstract:
The creation of value has long been recognized as a central concept in marketing and has
been suggested as the main purpose of organizations, a key to success via differential
positioning, and a precursor to customer satisfaction and loyalty. Understanding what value
is and how value is created and delivered to customers has become critical especially for
service firms where there is less tangibility. The main aim of this study was to assess the
value creation process of churches – a social institution – through the service experience
created for the patrons of their services i.e. the church members and how personal factors
affect the assessment of customer value.
This study assumed that churches first create positive service experiences through the
deployment of their service mix in order to create the needed value for their customers.
However, the assessment of value created out of the service experience is moderated by
personal idiosyncrasies of church members. Data was collected from four categories of
churches in Ghana through a structured questionnaire. The analysis method included
ANOVA, Exploratory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling to test the
hypothesized relationships.
The study identified five elements of church service mix whose deployment influence the
creation of church service experience. The study found no relationship between church
service mix and customer value; but found a positive relationship between church service
experience and customer value. It was also found that members’ personal goals negatively
influence church service experience and customer value creation relationship; while
members’ value for fellowship positively influence church service experience and customer
value creation relationship.
Thus study has contributed to the understanding of value creation and customer experience
within churches, a dominant and non-profit making sector in the Ghanaian economy. The
study has also made some major recommendations to guide future research and church
management.
