Ballarpur Paper Products Ltd.

Introduction
Ballarpur Paper Products Ltd. a company manufacturing and selling paper to its customers to two
different market segments: the newsprint industry and the magazine industry. Also paper
products are sold to these market segments either indirectly through distributors appointed on
the geographical basis or selling directly to the customers. The two types of information were
collected in the surveys. The first type of information was the perceptions of the companys
performance on 13 attributes. These attributes, developed through focus groups, a pretest, and
use in previous studies, are considered to be the most influential in the selection of the suppliers
in the paper industry. Respondents included the purchase managers of the firms buying from
B.P.P (Ballarpur Paper Products) and they rated the company on each of these 13 attributes.
Using a 0 10 scale with 10 being excellent and 0 being poor. The second type of information
relates to purchase outcomes and business relationships (e.g. satisfaction with B.P.P. and
whether the firm would consider a strategic alliance/partnership with the company). A third type
of information is available from B.P.P.s data warehouse and includes information such as size of
the customer and length of purchase relationship.
The variables considered for study are listed below.

Data Warehouse Classification Variables

Variable
Variable Variable Description Type
Date Warehouse Classification Variable
id ID Nominal
x1 X1 - Customer Type Nominal
x2 X2 - Industry Type Nominal
x3 X3 - Firm Size Nominal
x4 X4 - Region Nominal
x5 X5 - Distribution System Nominal
Performance Perceptions Variables
x6 X6 - Product Quality Scale
x7 X7 - E-Commerce Activities Scale
x8 X8 - Technical Support Scale
x9 X9 - Complaint Resolution Scale
x10 X10 - Advertising Scale
x11 X11 - Product Line Scale
x12 X12 - Salesforce Image Scale
x13 X13 - Competitive Pricing Scale
x14 X14 - Warranty & Claims Scale
x15 X15 - New Products Scale
 x16 X16 - Order & Billing Scale
x17 X17 - Price Flexibility Scale
x18 X18 - Delivery Speed Scale
Outcome Relationship Measures
x19 X19 - Satisfaction Scale
x20 X20 - Likely to Recommend Scale
x21 X21 - Likely to Purchase Scale
x22 X22 - Purchase Level Scale
x23 X23 - Consider Strategic Alliance Nominal

Data Warehouse Classification Variables

Variable
Description Details Values
x1 X1 - Customer Length of time a Length of time a particular customer
Type particular customer has been buying
has been buying 1 = Less than a year
2 = between 1 and five year
3 = longer than 5 years

x2 X2 - Industry Type Type of industry that 0 = magazine industry

purchases company's 1 = newsprint industry
products
x3 X3 - Firm Size Employee size 0 = small firm, fewer than 500 employees
1 = large firm 500 or more employees

x4 X4 - Region Customer location 0 = India 1 = Outside India

x5 X5 - Distribution How paper products 0 = sold indirectly through distributors
System are sold to customers 1 = sold directly
Perceptions of Ballarpur Paper Products

x6 X6 - Product Quality perceived quality of products

X7 - E-Commerce Overall image of the company,

x7 Activities web site, especially user friendly

Extent to which techmnical

support is offered to help resolve
x8 X8 - Technical Support product/service issues
Extent to which any complaints
are resolved in a timely and
x9 X9 - Complaint Resolution complete manner

Perceptions of BAP advertising

x10 X10 - Advertising campaigns in all types of media

Depth and breadth of BAP

x11 X11 - Product Line products to meet customer needs
Overall imag of company's sales
x12 X12 - Salesforce Image force
Extent to which company offers
x13 X13 - Competitive Pricing competitive pricing

Extent to which the company

stands behind its
products/servive warranties and
x14 X14 - Warranty & Claims claims

Extent to which the company

x15 X15 - New Products develops and sells new products
Perceptions that ordering and
x16 X16 - Order & Billing billing is handled efficiently

Perceived willingness of the

company's sales force to
negotiate the price of paper
x17 X17 - Price Flexibility products

Amount of time taken to deliver

x18 X18 - Delivery Speed the products once order is placed