Handbook of Management Scales/Imitability

Imitability (composite reliability = 0.84) Description Survey items were developed from commonly accepted theoretical definitions and were partially influenced by the efforts of other researchers. The authors used past research to obtain general insights about the constructs as opposed to specific items. Business school professors and doctoral students who were familiar with the literature on which the empirical measures were based or who had expertise in survey design critically assessed the content validity of each item. The instrument was then pilot-tested with 30 responses from executives who had been involved in similar types of partnerships. Results from the pilot sample enabled the authors to purify the measures. Items The 'reverse engineering' of this technology by a competitor would he technically difficult. For another firm to copy this technology would be straightforward. (R) It would be easy for other firms to imitate this technology. (R) Source Steensma/Corley (2000): On the performance of technology-sourcing partnerships: The interaction between partner interdependence and technology attributes. Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 43, No. 6, pp. 1045-1067.