procedures and technical efficiency in evaluating the product.

As the domain specifies

for this construct measure, all three items were extracted from Celly and Frazier’s
(1996) study (where alpha reliability was reported as .86) and two additional items
were adopted from Ozanne et al.’s (1992) study to include the knowledge content in
the domain. Following the trend of these two studies, a semantic differential scale
was also used in this study. This was designed to reduce common method bias in the
questionnaire. The questionnaire items are shown bellow.

1. We have ----------- market knowledge about the product we buy from our
major supplier (Limited/Substantial)
2. Our familiarity with market needs for our major supplier’s product is ------
----(Limited/Substantial)
3. Our overall experience with the markets for our major supplier’s product
is -------(Limited/Substantial)
4. Our knowledge about major supplier’s preferred steps/procedures of
buying is ---(Limited/Substantial)
5. Our knowledge about the technical attributes of the product offered by our
major supplier is ------(Limited/Substantial)

Commitment to an import supplier – This construct measures the importers’

perceptual aspects and attitudes covering continuity, development and short-term
Md._Abu_Saleh_Thesis 2006
sacrificing tendencies in their commitment relationship with a specific supplier.
Commitment has been measured differently in the extant literature. Coote et al.
(2003) put forth five items where the alpha reliability score was reported as .91,
Skarmeas et al. (2002) used twelve items and found a .86 alpha reliability whereas
Zineldin and Jonsson (2000) used seven items having an alpha reliability score of .72
and Wilson and Vlosky (1997) used seven items with alpha reliability of .84. Two
items were found common (intention to maintain and develop relationship and
continue working relationship) in these studies and were adopted in this study.
However, for better domain specification, two additional items (relationship
requirement and satisfaction in the relationship) from Zineldin and Jonsson (2000),
two other items (devotion of time and responding to the request for help) from
Skarmeas et al. (2002), and an additional item (expectation of increasing purchase)
from Wilson and Vlosky (1997) were adopted. Consequently, the total number of
items was seven for this dependent construct measure. While all the above studies
used Likert type scales in different contexts, the scale items were rearranged and
reworded for the purpose of using a semantic differential (summated rating) scale in

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