MEASURING SERVICE QUALITY IN MANAGEMENT EDUCATION IN INDIA: A CONCEPTUAL MODEL Dharmendra Sharma*, Shilpa Bagdare** *Research Scholar, International Institute of Professional Studies, Devi Ahilya University, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. Email: mdpsharma@gmail.com **Assistant Professor, International Institute of Professional Studies, Devi Ahilya University, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. Email: shilpa_bagdare@rediffmail.com Abstract Service industries are contributing potentially in building a strong economy for the nation. Thus, it is utmost important to measure service quality in different industries. Various studies have been conducted on service quality in different service industries; however, studies on service quality issues in the management education sector are relatively new as compared to other service industries particularly in the Indian context. Management education plays a very crucial role in developing an individual and society as a whole. It has been considered as one of the most popular and important professional education in India. Therefore, it is indispensable to discuss management education specifcally in the Indian context. The purpose of this paper is to discuss and provide a conceptual framework regarding measuring the service quality in management education. Based on the earlier studies, the study attempts to develop a conceptual model of service quality in Management education. The paper also briefy describes the issues and challenges of service quality in management education and presents important implications. Keywords: Higher Education, Service Quality, Management Education, Conceptual Model, Issues & Challenges, B-schools Introduction Management education plays a vital role in the overall Indian higher education system. Role of management education has become even more important because of the increasing challenges in the feld of management; whether it is a multi-national organization or a small enterprise, skills of management are required everywhere. Good managerial skills are also required to deal with the diversifed workforce under one roof. The foundations of good management lie in the management education provided by the various professional institutes and universities. Hence, it is important to measure the service quality prevailing in management education. Service Industries are playing an exceptionally important role in developing the overall economy of India. According to Press Information Bureau (PIB, 2018) the Economic Survey for 2017-2018 stated that the service sector contributed 55.2% in India’s Gross Value Added (GVA) and the service sector is continued to be the key driver of India’s economic growth contributing almost 72.5% of India’s Gross Value Added (GVA) growth in 2017-18. The expected growth of the service sector in 2017-18 is more than agriculture and industry sector. As per the economic survey 2017-18, agriculture and industry are expected to grow at the rate of 2.1 percent, 4.4 percent respectively, while the growth of Service Sector as a whole is expected to be at 8.3% in 2017-18 PIB (2018). In such a vibrant scenario, it is increasingly important that the quality of the services should be measured properly and improved as per the needs of the service seeker for the sustainable development of an organization or a country as a whole. Management education in India is undergoing changes in the light of global developments. The focus is on improving the quality of management education and creating world-class professionals. The present study is an attempt to develop a conceptual framework and a model to explain dimensions of service quality in management education. Further, it also attempts to discuss the current issues & challenges prevailing in the management education in terms of service quality. Literature Review The traces of measuring service quality are found way back in the early 1980s. Gronroos (1984) measured the service quality and came out with certain key factors associated with service quality such as Reputational quality, Institution image, Student Expectations, Perceived quality of non- human resources etc. Many service quality instruments International Journal of Knowledge Management and Practices 7 (1) 2019, 39-45 http://publishingindia.com/ijkmp/