Article ID: | iaor2009280 |
Country: | United States |
Volume: | 35 |
Issue: | 3 |
Start Page Number: | 333 |
End Page Number: | 347 |
Publication Date: | Jul 2005 |
Journal: | Decision Sciences |
Authors: | Schmenner Roger W. |
Keywords: | decision theory, measurement |
The records of superior performance of selected service firms over many years suggest that they may be more productive than others. This article uses the Theory of Swift, Even Flow to explain why that might be true. In the process, this article improves Schmenner's service process matrix. The redefinition of the axes of this matrix and of the resulting diagonal leads to enhanced understanding of productivity for service operations and helps to explain how some leading service companies have been able to sustain their competitive positions for decades.