Achieving competitive advantage and organisational performance through service quality initiatives in the supply chain

Abstract

Service quality initiatives in supply chain management provide uniqueness to the organizationpsilas capabilities, make them difficult to replicate, and are thus a source of competitive advantage. On the basis of exploratory interviews with scholars and practitioners in three automobile manufacturing companies in North India, we propose a conceptual model that links service quality with competitive advantage and organizational performance. Practitioners would find the model useful in understanding stakeholderspsila assessment of service quality in the supply chain, identify core competencies related to internal service quality, capabilities offered by their supply chain partners, and categorize suppliers and distributors on the basis of service levels offered by them.