Vertical collaboration, communication technologies, trust, commitment and physical distribution service quality: a case of soft drinks industry in Uganda.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between Vertical Collaboration, Communication Technologies, Trust, Commitment and Physical Distribution Service Quality among Manufacturers and Distributors in Uganda's soft drink industry with specific reference to Kampala. The research was guided by five (5) hypothesis statements that where developed from reviewed literature. The study followed both a quantitative and cross sectional research design. Primary data was collected using self administered questionnaires issued to a total of 285 Manufacturers and Distributors of soft drinks as the sample compiled from the Uganda National Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) and had a response rate of 99.3%. The Data was analysed using SPSS where; a Content Validity Index was ran to assess the validity of each construct and the reliability of the variables was assessed using Cronbach alpha at a cut off level of 0.5. Pearson‟s rank correlation coefficient was used to measure the strength of the relationship between variables and a Regression analysis to determine the extent to which the independent variables could predict a change in the dependent variable. The findings indicated a positive and significant relationship between vertical collaboration, communication technologies, commitment and physical distribution service quality and an insignificant relationship between vertical collaboration and trust. From this study, it is recommendable that in the quest to improve PDSQ, other factors like; inadequate storage facilities, low electricity and information communication technology penetration rates among other factors, should be given attention.