Interactions between operational and relational capabilities in fast food service delivery

Previous research has shown that both a firm's operational (e.g., product availability and delivery reliability/speed) and relational capabilities (e.g., communication and responsiveness) are key drivers of customer satisfaction. This study confirms the results of this research, but also develops a more complex model that explores both main and interaction relationships between customer satisfaction and the two types of capabilities. Results suggest that operational and relational capabilities do not complement and enhance each other's impact on performance. Instead, there appears to be a strategic fit, which requires either a high-low or a low-high combination of the two capabilities to achieve superior performance. Based on resource-based theories combined with the notion of capacity limitations from operations management, the authors propose a theoretical explanation of the trade-off between operational and relational capabilities in the context of logistics service to the fast food industry. These results suggest that firms should allocate their resources between the two types of capabilities according to their own strength.

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