Service quality improvement to increase competitive advantages of B2B firm, case study of stanbee ltd., in Vietnam

Abstract

The world footwear industry is growing sharply in recent year. Big corporations and big footwear brands are seeking out low-cost production opportunities in developing countries by contracting with local footwear factories. This is also opportunities for footwear component suppliers to gain profit. Besides providing high quality components for footwear manufacturers, footwear components suppliers have to discover an opportunity to gain profit and increase their customer satisfaction. That is the reason why they should care about service quality.

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the service quality of Stanbee ltd., a footwear component supplier in Vietnamese market. Different product has its different accompanied services. Heel counters are Stanbee’s core products in Vietnam. Therefore, the research will go deep to the particular services for the heel counters. The evaluation is based on customers’ viewpoints. Gounaris’ INDSERV model is chosen and in depth interview and observations are conducted for testing the customer satisfaction through 11 dimensions of service quality. The results also find out the most influenced dimensions of service quality in footwear component industry. Furthermore, some strategies are promoted to enhance Stanbee’s overall service quality and service quality for heel counters in short term and long term business

Although there are limitations of my research, I hope to contribute implications for Stanbee’s managers to improve service quality and enhance customer loyalty