Table 4.

1
Importer Category and Overall Response Rate
Import Category Total Return Return % Overall Response
Sample Rate
Commercial 404 154 38.12
Industrial 196 108 55.10 43.67
Total 600 262

The evaluation of missing data, assessment of normality and outliers are reported in
sections 5.1.2 and 5.1.3 respectively. The respondent and firm profiles and their
relevant characteristics are discussed in Chapter 5. The verification of non-response
bias is discussed in the section to follow.

4.2.7 Verification of Non-Response Bias

To minimise the impact of non-response bias in the survey, obtaining a higher

response rate is important (Lessler and Kalsbeek, 1992). Accordingly, an attempt was
made to assess the non-response bias in the survey data by following Armstrong and
Overton’s (1977) recommendations. This process assesses statistical significance by
comparing the responses of the questionnaires between the early and late returns
Md._Abu_Saleh_Thesis 2006
(Lambert and Harrington, 1990). The returned responses were split into two groups
based on return dates – before the second wave mail-out and after the second wave
mail-out. Accordingly, the first yielded responses (59%) were classified as early and
the rest (41%) were classified as late respondents.

Table 4.2
Assessment of Non-Response Bias
Early Response Late Response t-
Item Mean (σ) Mean (σ) value
N=154 N=108
Q7a. Honesty 6.13 (.908) 5.95 (1.076) 1.38
Q 8c. Information about event and changes 5.86 (.963) 5.63 (1.069) 1.78
Q 10c. Offering competitive price 5.88 (1.062) 5.91 (1.186) -.27
Q 10d. Payment terms 5.17 (1.370) 5.12 (1.430) .31
Q 11e. Risk of loosing intellectual property 4.51 (1.712) 4.35 (1.806) .69
Q 11f. Invest. to promote supplier’s product 4.97 (1.404) 4.81 (1.698) .86
Q 12a. Supplier's exaggeration 2.97 (1.738) 3.02 (1.775) -.20
Q 13e. Predicting results of marketing action 2.55 (1.329) 2.68 (1.334) -.71
Q 14a. Market knowledge substantiality 5.99 (1.266) 6.00 (1.161) -.04
Q 15b. Nature of respond 5.89 (1.284) 5.97 (1.020) -.52
Q 15c. Trend of increasing purchase 6.01 (1.259) 5.85 (1.302) .98

93