個案資料

Dabba Chetty Shop was a small unique retail shop in Chennai, India that had been in operation for four generations. For more than a century, the shop had sold natural and processed materials to customers who used alternative medicines for well-being. The shop’s strong reputation was based on the quality of the materials sold. Key factors for success included the ability to identify and reliably procure materials, having an intimate knowledge of various natural ingredients and processed goods, providing appropriate quality, and maintaining strong customer relationships. The continued success of Dabba Chetty Shop over four generations was primarily attributable to the family’s emphasis on customer service and wellness, rather than on increasing profits. During the pandemic, Koonala Badrinath, the shop’s current owner, used the Indian postal service to fulfill customer orders. With the growing demand for his shop’s products from consumers outside the region and across the world, he was considering expanding the shop’s services to customers in different locations, especially the numerous Indian diaspora consumers residing abroad.

The case can be taught to undergraduate and postgraduate business administration students in various courses, including service management, operations management, and services marketing. Ideally, students should be familiar with industry analysis, cross-functional approaches to addressing operations issues, sustaining a family business, customer value, and enduring growth. The case is appropriate for discussing strategic orientation in small operations and family-owned service businesses. This case explores various management challenges that are evident in a service business, including designing a service package, choosing an appropriate service strategy at different opportunities, and implementing a business strategy for economic sustainability over generations. Specifically, after completion of this case, students will be able to accomplish the following objectives:<ul><li>Understand the concept of a service package for business planning, operations, and implementation.</li><li>Understand the concept of a competitive service strategy focused on customer value creation and retention.</li><li>Analyze the scope of the business expansion opportunity based on the use of the omnichannel approach to reach the market.</li><li>Apply the generic quality dimensions and factors influencing customer expectations frameworks to generate strategic options.</li><li>Appreciate the impact of choices on the core value of the business.</li><li>Recognize the interaction among the service operations strategy, marketing, and long-term business sustainability.</li></ul>

• service package
• service quality
• service strategy
• service supply chain
• service sustainability