Service firms operating on low margins per transaction must generate a high volume of business to survive the competitive environment of the 1990s. Firms must raise the expectations of consumers to increase patronage, then successfully meet these expectations. Examines the antecedents to...

Investigates consumer perceptions of the utility of service guarantees in a table service restaurant setting. Uses conjoint analysis to determine the utility consumers assign to restaurants that varied along different levels of price, speed of service, quality of food, courtesy of server and...

Service industries have been, and will continue to be, largely responsible for much of the domestic and international economic growth in the USA. Service loyalty, which can be obtained by building relationships and providing excellent customer service, is often the key factor that builds...

Quality has progressed from a rough conceptualization of a tactical problem to a viable competitive opportunity that should be maximized strategically. We discuss the viability of quality as a sustainable competitive advantage. Based on a longitudinal study of general service hospitals, we...

The authors explore the relationships among market orientation, service quality and business profitability. Based on an empirical study of Taiwan’s security brokerage service industry, the research results show that there are positive associations among the three constructs. More...

Large firms have traditionally commanded a competitive advantage in the marketplace over small firms by being able to use their financial strength to perform large‐scale market research studies, to design and implement wide reaching advertising campaigns, and to establish computer and...

Discusses customer service guarantees and customer service insurance as ways to reduce consumers′ perceived risk in service encounters. Looks at some examples of how these could work in service encounters involving the time component and non‐transaction encounters. Views customer service...

Purpose – Competitive advantage is an important construct in the strategy discipline. The purpose of this paper is to explore an appropriate definition of competitive advantage, seek to identify sources of competitive advantage for firms and improve understanding of why in many industries for...

Purpose – In this paper the aim is to concentrate on the impact that various types and combinations of knowledge can have on firms. Design/methodology/approach – After a review of the literature the authors conceptually configure the extant understanding of knowledge over eight...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual tool that would help managers to integrate the findings from strategy frameworks such as the value chain, the five forces or the VRIO framework by jointly analyzing the different levers of competitive advantage....