Development of a service quality scale for pharmaceutical supply chains

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a scale for the measurement of service quality in pharmaceutical supply chains. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 413 pharmaceutical retailers working in the two biggest cities of Pakistan responded to a survey. Confirmatory factor analysis developed a valid and reliable service quality measurement scale with four dimensions and ten items. Findings – Findings of this research are consistent with other service quality studies. There is no universal set of dimensions and items that determine service quality across a section of service industries. Service quality measurement must be adapted to fit the context. Research limitations/implications – Convenience sampling was undertaken for this research. This research contributes to the measurement of service quality by developing a valid and reliable measurement scale in a previously ignored sector. Practical implications – The scale developed in this research can be used by pharmaceutical distribution companies in Pakistan to measure, control and improve the service quality provided to pharmaceutical retailers. Originality/value – This research provides framework to researchers to build up more pharmaceutical supply chains service quality scale development studies in similar situations so that more concrete generalizations can be made.