Title: Service quality in pharmaceutical supply chain - a study with reference to three major cities of Andhra Pradesh, India

Authors: P. Uma Maheswari Devi; B. Sankara Rao; B. Raja Shekhar; N. Udaya Bhaskar

Addresses: Department of Management Studies, University College of Arts and Commerce, Adikavi Nannaya University, Rajah Rajah Narendra Nagar, GSL POST, Rajahmundry-533296, Andhra Pradesh, India ' Department of Mathematics, Adikavi Nannaya University, Rajah Rajah Narendra Nagar, GSL POST, Rajahmundry-533296, Andhra Pradesh, India ' School of Management Studies, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India ' Department of Management Studies, University College of Arts and Commerce, Adikavi Nannaya University, Rajah Rajah Narendra Nagar, GSL POST, Rajahmundry-533296, India

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to identify the critical factors affecting service quality at the retailer-customer and retailer-distributor interface in the pharmaceutical supply chain and to study the impact of service quality on customer satisfaction. A sample of 350 druggists and 300 customers from three major cities of Andhra Pradesh, India were purposively selected. Exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression tests were conducted using SPSS. This research provides a baseline for pharmacists and distributors for assessing quality of service provided to customers and it serves as a framework for improving the performance of the pharmaceutical supply chain. Service quality has impact not only on suppliers/distributors, employees and customers, but also it affects the overall business and growth of the organisation.

Keywords: service quality; customer satisfaction; supply chain management; SCM; distributor performance; SERVQUAL; pharmaceutical supply chains; India; customer service; pharmacies.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSOM.2016.077782

International Journal of Services and Operations Management, 2016 Vol.24 No.4, pp.433 - 458

Received: 14 Oct 2014
Accepted: 17 Dec 2014
Published online: 15 Jul 2016 *

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