市场营销毕业论文外文翻译--提高服务质量的十项建议[精品].doc

市场营销毕业论文外文翻译--提高服务质量的十项建议 Ten Lessons for Improving Service Quality Leonard Berry, A. Parasuraman, and Valarie Zeithaml, 2003 [03-104] Between 1983 and 1993, Berry, Parasuraman, and Zeithaml conducted a comprehensive, five-phase study of service quality in America under the sponsorship of the Marketing Science Institute. They have published a series of MSI monographs, journal articles, and several books based on this research. They reflected on their research journey in an MSI commentary that was published in 1993 and republished in 1994 by the Academy of Management Executive, and is now reprinted here. In the preface below they re-visit their reflections of ten years ago. Preface Quality service helps a company to imize benefits and minimize burdens for customers―the essence of delivering value. Because it is important to most customers and defies imitation by competitors, quality service offers a key competitive advantage. Indeed, firms in every industry have demonstrated the differentiating power of excellent service. Yet, despite this, price competition seems to dominate company efforts to provide value. The meteoric growth of Wal-Mart Stores―and the tendency of many firms to lower prices as a first response to softening demand―has focused so much marketing energy on price competition that it has become difficult not to assume that customers care only about price. A singular focus on price competition means that the firm is competing only on the “burden” component of value and ignoring the “benefit? component. Rather than investing in quality service to “decommoditize” the business, firms are emphasizing low price which serves to further “commoditize” the business. Service in America would be much improved if managers would embrace one central operating principle: the tougher the price competition in our industry, the more important quality service is to our company―because superb service gives customers non-price reasons to do busine