Manufacturers Satisfaction on Logistics Service Quality: Operational, Relational and National Culture

A number of studies had been conducted in western countries (e.g. Mentzer 2007) which identified the elements contributing to satisfaction. The difference in cultural background between individualistic countries and collectivist countries might suggest variations on how collectivist societies value the element of logistics service and how they derived maximum satisfaction. The objectives of the study were to investigate on what makes the users of logistics service satisfied among the collectivist societies. Qualitative research was deployed, whereby the main data were collected by using face-to-face interviews using semi-structured interviews. Four logistics service providers and three logistics service users (manufacturers) were interviewed. Data were transcribed and analysed by identifying the theme and patterns with the aim to understand the preset and emerging theories. The findings showed that in achieving customer satisfaction in Malaysia's context, operational technical ability within the logistics service quality (LSQ), such as timeliness and service condition, is a basic element contributing to satisfaction subject to influence of cultural values. The emerging elements provide the key insights on the elements and sub-elements which lead to satisfaction in the context of Malaysian logistics service users. Rather than the organization's performance-related factors, the results revealed that within the Malaysian national cultural context, there are influences of cultural elements towards customer satisfaction.