Recently, the Third Party Logistics (TPL hereafter) in many industries is increasingly emphasized because of cost reduction, efficiency, etc. Theoretical and empirical studies for TPL, however, are still at an embryonic stage in Korea. The purposes of this thesis are as follows. First purpose is to acquire a comprehensive, valid and reliable measurement instrument of service quality for TPL, that is, to examine what measures of service quality for TPL exist and how the scales of these measures are formed. Second purpose is to reveal how the service quality for TPL has influence on satisfaction and intention of re-contract.
For acquiring the measures, six measures (Tangibility, Timeliness, Responsiveness, Assurance, Communication, Know-How) are initially recommended, after making a comparison between consumer service quality and TPL service quality in related literatures. The empirical analysis shows that the TPL service qualities are grouped into five measures (Tangibility, Timeliness, Responsiveness + Assurance, Communication, Know-How).
The hypothesis are established to reveal the relation among several factors and summarized as follows:
H1: Service quality for TPL has a positive impact on satisfaction.
H2: Service quality for TPL has a positive impact on intention of re-contract.
H3: Satisfaction has a positive impact on the barrier of switch.
H4: The barrier has a positive impact on intention of re-contract.
The test results show that the hypotheses H1, H2, and H3 are statistically significant, although the hypothesis H4 is not accepted. These results coincide with the previous literature that the measures of service quality for TPL are different from those for consumers. Finally, the case study is presented for the logistics innovation of Kirin Corp. and the conclusions and implications of this thesis are discussed.