请教一个词组的意思！

Passage 36

The fact that superior service can generate a competitive

advantage for a company does not mean that every attempt

at improving service will create such an advantage. Invest-

ments in service, like those in production and distribution,

(5) must be balanced against other types of investments on the

basis of direct, tangible benefits such as cost reduction and

increased revenues. If a company is already effectively on a

par with its competitors because it provides service that

avoids a damaging reputation and keeps customers from

(10) leaving at an unacceptable rate, then investment in higher

service levels may be wasted, since service is a deciding

factor for customers only in extreme situations.

This truth was not apparent to managers of one regional

bank, which failed to improve its competitive position

(15) despite its investment in reducing the time a customer had

to wait for a teller. The bank managers did not recognize

the level of customer inertia in the consumer banking

industry that arises from the inconvenience of switching

banks. Nor did they analyze their service improvement to

(20) determine whether it would attract new customers by pro-

ducing a new standard of service that would excite cus-

tomers or by proving difficult for competitors to copy. The

only merit of the improvement was that it could easily be

described to customers.

黑体字里面的on a par with是什么意思啊？谢谢大家。