A proposição da existência de uma zona de tolerância dos consumidores, limitada por dois nÃveis de expectativas de serviço (adequado e desejado), gera desafios metodológicos voltados à operacionalização e à mensuração dessa zona, assim como ao desenvolvimento de instrumentos confiáveis para avaliar esse construto. O presente trabalho relata os resultados de uma pesquisa que, em sua etapa inicial, está orientada ao desenvolvimento de uma escala de mensuração da extensão da zona de tolerância de consumidores de serviços. Os resultados das análises efetuadas indicam bons nÃveis de confiabilidade e validade da escala, demonstrando sua adequação para a mensuração do construto.
This paper presents the results of a research oriented to the development of a scale intended to measure the zone of tolerance extension of services consumers. The results of the analyses demonstrate that the scale presents good levels of reliability and validity, and therefore it seems to measure that construct adequately. In this research it is not the consumer assessment of a service that counts, but its expectations related to the service. In methodological terms, it also interests the problem of the measure related to the choice between a direct measure scale and an indirect measure scale. Therefore, two questionnaire versions were developed and tested, both focusing the extension of the zone of tolerance of service consumers. One version with a indirect scale and another version with a direct scale. The results demonstrate clearly that the scale to measure the zone of tolerance presents good reliability levels and validity. The quite high α-Cronbach coefficients indicate a good internal consistency and they contribute to the convergent validity of the instrument. Besides, the careful construction of the scale, based on an exhaustive exam of the literature about pretests, suggests that our scale instrument presents a good internal validity. The measure scale developed in this research can be adequately used to assess the variations of the extension of consumers zone of tolerance related to a precise aspect or to the whole dimension of a service.
