Enhancing the application and measurement of relationship quality in future IT outsourcing studies

Abstract

Studies have emphasised the importance of a strong relationship between a client and vendor to ensure positive IT Outsourcing (ITO) outcomes. To measure and assess this relationship strength, a construct known as Relationship Quality (ReQ) has been widely used in the ITO context. However, recent studies have highlighted the inconsistent and even contradictory application of this construct in previous studies raising concern over its validity. To address this matter, we conducted a critical literature analysis to systematically examine how ReQ has been applied in previous ITO studies. The findings from our review highlight three important knowledge gaps with the current ITO studies: 1) lack o..