Free Essay

Research

In:

Submitted By priya230890
Words 5659
Pages 23
Asian Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 13, No. 1, 113–126, January 2008

ATTITUDE TOWARDS ONLINE RETAILING SERVICES: A COMPARISON OF STUDENT AND NON-STUDENT SAMPLES *
Siohong Tih,1 Sean Ennis2 and June M. L. Poon3
Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia 2 Marketing Department, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0RQ, United Kingdom e-mail: 1sh@ukm.my
1,3

ABSTRACT
This study examined the adequacy of using undergraduate student samples in research on online consumer attitudes by comparing the attitudes of students (n = 161) towards online retailing services with the attitudes of non-students (n = 252) towards such services. A structured questionnaire administered online was used to gather data on perceptions, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions with regard to online retailing services. The t-test results showed that, in general, students' attitude towards online retailing services is similar to that of non-students. Therefore, undergraduate students may be reasonable surrogates for consumers in research on online retailing. Keywords: internet users, electronic commerce, online consumer attitudes, online retailing services, student surrogates

INTRODUCTION The usage of the internet as a communication and transaction medium in consumer markets is growing rapidly (Castells, 2000; Hart, Doherty, & EllisChadwick, 2000). In line with this expansion, consumer-based electronic commerce has become an emerging research area (e.g. Demangeot & Broderick, 2006, 2007; Teo, 2006; Tih & Ennis, 2006a, 2006b). In particular, a stream of research addressing issues related to online consumer attitudes (e.g. George, 2004; Wang, Chen, Chang, & Yang, 2007) and behaviors (see Cheung, Chan, & Limayem, 2005 for a review) has emerged. Although there is heightened interest among researchers in studying and understanding consumer responses to electronic commerce transactions, a complete sampling frame of this consumer segment is not readily available. As a result, researchers doing work in this area often resort to the use of convenience sampling for research purposes.
*

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 34th EMAC Conference in May 2005 in Milan, Italy.

113

Attitude towards online retailing services

One convenience sample researchers used is the student sample. Compared to the general population, college students are the heaviest users of internet technologies (Hoffman, Novak, & Venkatesh, 2004). Because students represent a potential ready segment for internet services and are believed to be frequent and active internet users (Jun, Yang, & Kim, 2003; Lee & Lin, 2005), they are commonly used in studies on internet technologies (e.g. Athiyaman, 2002; George, 2004; Goldsmith & Lafferty, 2002; O' Neill, Wright, & Fitz, 2001; Pedersen & Nysveen, 2001; Vijayasarathy & Jones, 2000). To date, however, little is known about whether or not students are appropriate to be used as surrogates for internet service users. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate this important issue. Specifically, we are interested in determining whether or not undergraduate students and non-students differ significantly in their attitude (i.e. perception, satisfaction, and intention) towards online retailing services. This information is important for academic researchers who frequently use student participants in their studies. Should students be demonstrated to be adequate surrogates for their non-student counterparts, there will be less of a need to rely on other samples that are difficult and costly to obtain. In addition, information about any attitudinal differences between student and non-student segments would benefit practitioners because such information would help them in identifying and formulating standardized or customized marketing strategies to be directed at these segments in the competitive retail market.

CONCEPTUAL BACKGROUND The Student Surrogate Controversy Although the use of college students as research subjects is common in the social sciences, there is still no consensus among scholars as to whether or not such students are representative of the general population for research purposes (Peterson, 2001). Strong arguments have been forwarded both for and against the use of students as surrogates for non-students in research. Scholars who favor the use of undergraduate students as surrogates in research contend that student samples may be just as useful for understanding organizational processes, and believe that researchers need to temper claims against their use by understanding their value (Greenberg, 1987). Other scholars who argue for the use of student samples contend that such samples are appropriate when (a) internal validity or theory application has priority (Calder, Phillips, & Tybout, 1981; Cardy, 1991); (b) examining underlying psychological or behavioral processes that are the same for any human subject (cf. Lamb & Stem, 1980); or (c) students have the information that is needed to achieve the research objectives (e.g. Athiyaman, 2002; Kempf, 1999; O' Neill et al., 2001). 114

Siohong Tih, Sean Ennis and June M. L. Poon

Scholars who view the use of student samples with disfavor contend that undergraduate students might not represent other segments of the population, such as housewives or full-time employees. According to the proponents of this view, students should respond differently from non-students in research because they are demographically, psychologically, and socially different from other segments of the population (Enis, Cox, & Stafford, 1972). For example, not only do undergraduate students come from a very narrow age range, they also have less life experiences, less crystallized social and political attitudes, less developed self-concepts, stronger cognitive skills, more egocentricity, more need for peer approval, and stronger tendencies to comply with authority than do people in the general population (Peterson, 2001; Sears, 1986). The empirical evidence on the student surrogate issue is also mixed. Studies from the various business disciplines exist in support of both views. For example, in consumer research, Beltramini (1983) compared 321 undergraduate students with 288 adults living in the same community and found the two samples to share similar attitudes towards the sports and entertainment events facility in their community. In a review of studies in organizational behavior and human resource management, Locke (1986) found college students and employees to respond similarly to variables such as goals, feedback, incentives and participation. More recently, Singer (2001) compared the implicit leadership theories of 220 undergraduate students with 152 middle-management employees and found little differences between the two groups. Finally, in the field of accounting, Liyanarachchi and Milne (2005) examined the adequacy of accounting students as surrogates for practicing accountants using an investment decision task and found students' investment decisions to compare well with those of the practitioners. Scholars arguing against the use of student surrogates have also found support for their position by comparing results obtained from student and non-student samples. For example, Gordon, Slade, and Schmitt (1986) reviewed 32 behavioral research studies in which students and non-students participated under identical conditions and found the majority of studies using statistical tests of between-group differences to report significant differences between the two samples. More recently, James and Sonner (2001) reviewed nine advertising and consumer behavior studies and found student subjects to differ from non-student subjects in the majority of the studies. Finally, Peterson (2001), in a second-order meta-analysis of behavioral and psychological relationships, found the effect sizes obtained from college student subjects to differ frequently from those obtained from non-student subjects and cautioned against relying on the former for generating universal principles without replicating with non-student subjects.

115

Attitude towards online retailing services

Use of Student Surrogates in Internet Usage Research The advent of the internet and its use among the academic population – including students – has encouraged the use of college students as surrogates for internet users in research. For example, college students were used to examine: (a) Attitudes toward web advertising (e.g. Brackett & Carr, 2001). (b) Factors that affect web advertising recall and recognition (e.g. Danaher & Mullarkey, 2003). (c) Relationships between personal characteristics and internet usage (e.g. Engelberg & Sjöberg, 2004). (d) Antecedents of online purchasing (e.g. Kuhlmeier & Knight, 2005). (e) Effects of consumer characteristics on online banking adoption (e.g. Lassar, Manolis, & Lassar, 2005). The key question is whether or not college students' response reflect the attitudinal and behavioral patterns of the general population of internet users. In some studies that used non-student samples (e.g. De Kervenoael, Soopramanien, Hallsworth, & Elms, 2007; Mafe & Blas, 2006; Teo, 2006), it was found that the adopters of online shopping were highly educated. For example, in one such study, about 83% of the 486 adopters of online shopping in the study held an undergraduate degree or higher (e.g. Teo, 2006). In another study involving 450 respondents, the group of dependent internet users (i.e. users with heavy internet usage) were mainly young and highly-educated (e.g. Mafe & Blas, 2006). Finally, a qualitative study on electronic-grocery shoppers found a larger proportion of such shoppers to be tertiary educated (De Kervenoael et al., 2007). These studies suggest that there might be similarities in attitude and behavior between the academic population (i.e. college students) and the general population of internet users in an internet context. Despite the enduring belief among some scholars that college students being active internet users are useful as research subjects in the internet context, empirical evidence is not available to support this position, prompting us to examine this question empirically. Specifically, our focus is on comparing students and non-students as subjects in attitudinal research in the context of online retailing. According to the attitude literature, a person's evaluative response towards an attitude object can be cognitive, affective, or conative in nature (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1977; Eagly & Chaiken, 1993). The cognitive dimension comprises beliefs about the attitude object, the affective dimension comprises feelings towards the object, and the conative dimension comprises behavioral intentions towards the object (Mueller, 1986). In line with this categorization, we examined 116

Siohong Tih, Sean Ennis and June M. L. Poon

the attitude of online retailing service users by separating it into three dimensions: cognitive perception (i.e. perceived quality and value of the services), affective satisfaction (i.e. level of satisfaction with the services), and conative intention (i.e. repatronage and switching intentions towards the services). Accordingly, the research questions we address in this study are as follows: 1. Do students and non-students differ in their perception of online retailing services? 2. Do students and non-students differ in their level of satisfaction with online retailing services? 3. Do students and non-students differ in their behavioral intention towards online retailing services?

METHOD Sample and Data Collection Procedure Data for this study were collected as part of a larger survey of consumer attitude towards online retailing services in the United Kingdom. We contacted potential respondents via e-mail with the help of the institutions to which they belonged (e.g. universities, companies). These institutions were located by using internet search engines (e.g. Google, Yahoo). Internet service users who had used online retailing services (e.g. purchased a book, purchased an airline ticket, or made banking transactions) were invited to participate in our web-based survey. We used an electronic survey because this method: (a) (b) (c) (d) is consistent with the online context of our study, represents an effective means for identifying internet users, speeds up the data collection process, and increases the likelihood of participation (Jayawardhena, 2004; Simsek & Veiga, 2001).

The samples for this study comprised of 413 individual users of online retailing services (161 undergraduate students and 252 non-students who were full-time employees). The demographic characteristics of this sample of respondents are summarized in Table 1. The student samples and the non-student samples differed in gender mix, marital status, age, educational level, and income level (all chi-square statistics were significant at the 0.05 level of significance). About 67% of the students participating in the study were women, whereas the nonstudent samples had about an equal mix of men and women. Also, as expected 117

Attitude towards online retailing services

greater percentages of the student samples were single, below 25 years old, did not hold a postgraduate degree, and reported an annual income level of less than £10,000 compared with the non-student samples.
Table 1 Respondents' profiles
Classification Gender: Male Female No response Marital status: Single Married Other classification No response Age: 16–24 years 25–29 years 30–34 years 35–44 years 45–54 years > 55 years No response Education: Standard grade/O-level Higher grade/A-level Technical college/ Certificate/Diploma Bachelor's degree Master's degree Doctoral degree No response Annual income: Less than £10,000 £10,000–£20,000 £20,001–£30,000 £30,001–£40,000 £40,001–£50,000 > £50,000 No response Frequency of internet use: Daily 2–3 times a week Weekly Monthly Other classification No response Student samples (n = 161) Number (%) 53 (33.0) 106 (65.8) 2 (1.2) 148 (91.9) 8 (5.0) 5 (3.1) 0 149 7 3 2 0 0 0 (92.6) (4.3) (1.9) (1.2) Non-student samples (n = 252) Number (%) 120 127 5 89 132 29 2 10 54 49 64 62 12 1 7 11 33 69 83 46 3 1 58 100 48 23 16 6 212 23 7 3 4 3 (47.6) (50.4) ( 2.0) (35.3) (52.4) (11.5) (0.8) (4.0) (21.4) (19.4) (25.4) (24.6) (4.8) (0.4) (2.8) (4.4) (13.1) (27.4) (32.9) (18.2) (1.2) (0.4) (23.0) (39.7) (19.0) (9.1) (6.4) (2.4) (84.1) (9.1) (2.8) (1.2) (1.6) (1.2)

2 (1.2) 90 (55.9) 8 (5.0) 61 (37.9) 0 0 0 114 20 8 6 5 3 5 (70.8) (12.4) (5.0) (3.7) (3.1) (1.9) (3.1)

156 (96.9) 5 (3.1) 0 0 0 0

118

Siohong Tih, Sean Ennis and June M. L. Poon

Questionnaire Development and Measures We used a structured questionnaire for our online survey. This questionnaire was pilot tested iteratively among a convenience sample of colleagues, experts, and internet users. On the basis of feedback from the pilot tests, we made minor amendments to the questionnaire (e.g. reworded some statement items and questions to improve clarity). We developed the attitude items for the questionnaire by drawing on reviews of the online services literature (e.g. Cai & Jun, 2003; Eggert & Ulaga, 2002; Janda, Trocchia, & Gwinner, 2002; Zeithaml, Parasuraman, & Malhotra, 2002) as well as feedback from two focus group discussions and 61 personal interviews. Perception of, satisfaction with, and behavioral intention towards online retailing services were assessed using 23, 5, and 4 items, respectively (see the appendix for a listing of these items). Survey participants responded to these items using a Likert scale anchored from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). They could also check the "not applicable" option that accompanied each question. We coded items such that the higher a score on an item the more positive the attitude. Data Analysis We checked for non-response bias by time trends extrapolation (cf. Armstrong & Overton, 1977). Following Bettencourt and Brown (2003), we regressed the date we received a completed questionnaire on the attitudinal variables. This produced a non-significant overall model indicating that non-response bias, although not completely discounted, is not likely to be a significant problem. We used independent sample t-tests (all two-tailed and significance set at 0.05) to test for attitudinal differences between student and non-student respondents. Finally, we computed effect sizes (differences between the group means in standard deviation units; Cohen, 1988) by subtracting the non-student samples' mean from the student samples' mean and dividing the difference by the pooled standard deviation.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Results The purpose of this study was to explore whether or not attitudinal differences in perception, satisfaction, and intention exist between student and non-student samples of internet users. As can be seen from the t-test results in Table 2, only 2 of the 23 perception items were significantly different. Specifically, for perceived loading speed, student ratings were higher than non-student ratings 119

Attitude towards online retailing services

(t = 2.80, df = 388, p < 0.01), whereas for perceived help availability, student ratings were lower than non-student ratings (t = –2.21, df = 320, p < 0.05). In addition, two of the four behavioral intention items were significantly different. Specifically, for intention to increase patronage, student ratings were more positive than non-student ratings (t = 3.72, df = 372, p < 0.001), whereas for intention to switch company, the reverse was true (t = –2.26, df = 395, p < 0.05). Students and non-students did not differ significantly on any of the five satisfaction items. It should be noted that had we been more stringent and set the alpha level to be at 0.001 (using a Bonferroni-type adjustment to adjust for inflated Type I error due to multiple tests of correlated dependent variables), then only intention to increase patronage would have differed between the two samples. However, in order for non significant results to be interpretable, the power of the test needs to be estimated; non significant results are a potential contribution only if the power of the statistical test was high (e.g. 80% or higher; Fagley, 1985). A power analysis indicated that, given the present sample sizes for our study, statistical power was more than 90% to detect a medium effect of 0.50 at p < 0.05, two-tailed (Cohen, 1988). This suggests that the analyses were sensitive enough to detect attitudinal differences between the student and non-student samples if such differences existed at a moderate level. In examining the pattern of mean differences for the 28 non-significant relationships, for 18 items the ratings were essentially identical (i.e. a mean difference of less than 0.10), for four items student ratings were higher than nonstudent ratings, and for six items student ratings were lower than non-student ratings. Overall, the effect sizes (d) for all the relationships (both significant and non-significant) were small, ranging from 0.003 to 0.396. The average effect size was 0.112. In sum, there were a few significant differences between student and non-student ratings of the cognitive perception, affective satisfaction, and conative intention statements (in spite of the fact that these two groups of respondents differed substantially on demographic attributes). In fact, out of the 32 mean comparisons, only four were significantly different at the 0.05 level of significance. This is about what would be expected by chance alone. Finally, any differences that were found were small in magnitude.

120

Siohong Tih, Sean Ennis and June M. L. Poon

Table 2 The t-test results of attitudinal responsesa
Variable name Perception: Flexibility Help availability Quick solution E-mail response Problem explanation Appropriate solution Alternative access Web familiarity Loading speed Consistency Functionality Overall quality Value for money Updated information Navigation Transaction procedure Direction Promise fulfilment Benefit over cost Accuracy Security Accessibility Confirmation Satisfaction: Telephone satisfaction Physical outlet satisfaction Overall satisfaction Service satisfaction Transaction satisfaction Intention: Company switchingb Increased patronage Channel switchingb Repatronage Student M 3.77 4.28 4.38 4.47 4.61 4.71 4.81 4.92 5.42 5.69 5.70 5.76 5.83 5.94 5.96 5.96 6.02 6.04 6.06 6.07 6.11 6.23 6.41 4.69 5.14 6.08 6.14 6.20 5.10 5.78 6.03 6.57 SD 1.86 1.54 1.32 1.40 1.21 1.08 1.75 1.50 1.26 1.06 1.19 0.95 1.12 1.03 1.14 1.01 1.00 1.18 1.26 1.18 1.03 0.86 1.06 1.71 1.49 0.76 0.92 0.88 1.67 1.18 1.31 0.86 Non-student M 4.10 4.68 4.68 4.69 4.86 4.78 4.74 4.87 5.02 5.72 5.62 5.72 5.79 5.85 5.73 5.91 5.80 6.11 6.15 6.25 6.09 6.11 6.37 4.79 5.27 5.97 6.14 6.13 5.48 5.29 6.04 6.51 SD 1.97 1.58 1.44 1.63 1.44 1.42 1.95 1.60 1.59 1.17 1.35 1.07 1.15 1.20 1.29 1.20 1.25 1.21 1.24 1.12 1.03 0.94 1.09 1.61 1.33 1.01 0.99 1.02 1.63 1.29 1.29 1.14 t –1.57 –2.21* –1.94 –1.22 –1.62 –0.45 0.37 0.32 2.80** –0.29 0.62 0.36 0.29 0.77 1.88 0.42 1.96 –0.63 –0.68 –1.57 0.14 1.37 0.32 –0.45 –0.71 1.18 0.07 0.78 –2.26* 3.72*** –0.03 0.63 d 0.174 0.252 0.221 0.151 0.185 0.053 0.038 0.035 0.277 0.030 0.064 0.037 0.031 0.080 0.186 0.043 0.193 0.064 0.070 0.159 0.014 0.142 0.033 0.058 0.097 0.124 0.006 0.081 0.231 0.396 0.003 0.065

Note: aSample sizes for the student samples ranged from 81 to 161, and samples sizes for the non-student samples ranged from 143 to 252. bScoring of this item is reversed so that higher scores indicate more positive responses. * p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001.

Discussion of Findings In general, the results of this study indicate that undergraduate students' attitudinal responses in relation to online retailing services do not differ from that of non-students'. This finding suggests that undergraduate student samples may be appropriate for use in studies aimed at assessing the attitudes of internet users, 121

Attitude towards online retailing services

particularly in the context of online retailing. Therefore, researchers who want to use students in such research (for reasons of economy, convenience, or education) can find some support here. Because college students are among the most experienced internet users, studies that sample from the college student population are likely to yield results useful for understanding internet users in general (Gallagher, Parsons, & Foster, 2001). In brief, we believe that the use of student samples is warranted as long as the context of the research (e.g. its problem, objectives, and hypotheses) is appropriate, and students are able and willing to provide accurate information. Our study, however, is limited in scope and generalizability. Therefore, future research is needed to expand the scope of the current study or replicate it using a random sample of internet users. For example, further research is needed to determine whether or not students' attitude towards other online retailing services (e.g. computer software, health and beauty products, clothing, concert tickets, etc.) as well as towards other aspects of internet use do reflect those of the general population of internet users. Also, because we assessed only attitudes, an important extension of this study would be the examination of behavioral outcomes.

122

Siohong Tih, Sean Ennis and June M. L. Poon

APPENDIX Measurement Items for Assessing Attitude towards Internet Services
Variable name Flexibility Help availability Quick solution E-mail response Problem explanation Appropriate solution Alternative access Web familiarity Loading speed Consistency Functionality Overall quality Value for money Updated information Navigation Transaction procedure Direction Promise fulfilment Benefit over cost Accuracy Security Accessibility Confirmation Telephone satisfaction Physical outlet satisfaction Overall satisfaction Service satisfaction Transaction satisfaction Company switching Increased patronage Channel switching Repatronage
Note: aReverse-coded item.

Statement item It is difficult to make changes once I submit my online transaction.a It is difficult to get help if I have any problem with the company' s internet services.a The company deals with service errors slowly.a The company responds to my e-mail queries slowly.a When there is a problem, the company provides a clear explanation. The company corrects service errors with appropriate solutions. It is difficult to find alternative access details (e.g., telephone, fax, address) on the company's web site.a The company changes the layout of its web site without any notice.a It is slow to view the company's web pages.a The company consistently provides quick service The company's online transaction service always works when needed. The company's overall Internet service performance is excellent. In my view, the company offers good value for money. Information on the company's web site is regularly updated. The company's web site is easy to navigate. The company's online transaction procedures are difficult to understand.a The online directions (step by step instructions) are clear. The company always breaks its promise in delivering the Internet service.a The company's Internet service provides more benefit than cost to me Inaccurate service is given when I use the company's online transaction.a I feel safe to use the compan's online transaction services. Under normal conditions, the company's web site is always accessible. An immediate confirmation message is given after I complete the online transaction. I am pleased when I contact the company via telephone. When I visit the company's physical outlet, I am satisfied with the service. I am satisfied with the company's overall services. I am happy with the company's Internet services. I am disappointed with the company's online transaction service.a It is likely that I will switch to other online company's Internet services in the future.a I intend to use more Internet services provided by this company in the future. For the next purchase, I intend to switch to services provided through other channels (i.e., physical outlet or telephone service).a It is likely that I will use the company' s Internet service again in the future.

123

Attitude towards online retailing services

REFERENCES
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1977). Attitude-behavior relations: A theoretical analysis and review of empirical research. Psychological Bulletin, 84(5), 888–918. Armstrong, J. S., & Overton, T. S. (1977). Estimating nonresponse bias in mail surveys. Journal of Marketing Research, 14(3), 396–402. Athiyaman, A. (2002). Internet users' intention to purchase air travel online: An empirical investigation. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 20(4), 234–242. Beltramini, R. F. (1983). Student surrogates in consumer research. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 11(4), 438–443. Bettencourt, L. A., & Brown, S. W. (2003). Role stressors and customer-oriented boundary-spanning behaviors in service organizations. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 31(4), 394–408. Brackett, L. K., & Carr, B. N., Jr. (2001). Cyberspace advertising vs. other media: Consumer vs. mature student attitudes. Journal of Advertising Research, 41(5), 23– 32. Cai, S., & Jun, M. (2003). Internet users' perceptions of online service quality: A comparison of online buyers and information searchers. Managing Service Quality, 12(6), 504–519. Calder, B. J., Phillips, L. W., & Tybout, A. M. (1981). Designing research for application. Journal of Consumer Research, 8(2), 197–207. Cardy, R. L. (1991). The applied value of laboratory research. Management Communication Quarterly, 5(1), 111–119. Castells, M. (2000). The rise of the network society (2nd ed.). UK: Blackwell. Cheung, C. M. K., Chan, G. W. W., & Limayem, M. (2005). A critical review of online consumer behavior: Empirical research. Journal of Electronic Commerce in Organizations, 3(4), 1–19. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erbium. Danaher, P. J., & Mullarkey, G. W. (2003). Factors affecting online advertising recall: A study of students. Journal of Advertising Research, 43(3), 252–267. De Kervenoael, R., Soopramanien, D., Hallsworth, A., & Elms, J. (2007). Personal privacy as a positive experience of shopping: An illustration through the case of online grocery shopping. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 35(7), 583–599. Demangeot, C., & Broderick, A. J. (2006). Exploring the experiential intensity of online shopping environments. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 9(4), 325–351. Demangeot, C., & Broderick, A. J. (2007). Conceptualising consumer behaviour in online shopping environments. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 35(11), 878–894. Eagly, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (1993). The psychology of attitudes. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Eggert, A., & Ulaga, W. (2002). Customer perceived value: A substitute for satisfaction in business markets? Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 17(2/3), 107–118. Engelberg, E., & Sjöberg, L. (2004). Internet use, social skills and adjustment. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7(1), 41–47.

124

Siohong Tih, Sean Ennis and June M. L. Poon

Enis, B. M., Cox, K. K., & Stafford, J. E. (1972). Students as subjects in consumer behavior experiments. Journal of Marketing Research, 9(1), 72–74. Fagley, N. S. (1985). Applied statistical power analysis and the interpretation of nonsignificant results by research consumers. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 32(3), 391–396. Gallagher, K., Parsons, J., & Foster, K. D. (2001). A tale of two studies: Replicating “Advertising effectiveness and content evaluation in print and on the web.” Journal of Advertising Research, 41(4), 71–81. George, J. F. (2004). The theory of planned behavior and Internet purchasing. Internet Research, 14(3), 198–212. Goldsmith, R. E., & Lafferty, B. A. (2002). Consumer response to web sites and their influence on advertising effectiveness. Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy, 12(4), 318–328. Gordon, M. E., Slade, L. A., & Schmitt, N. (1986). The "science of the sophomore" revisited: From conjecture to empiricism. Academy of Management Review, 11(1), 191–207. Greenberg, J. (1987). The college sophomore as guinea pig: Setting the record straight. Academy of Management Review, 12(1), 157–159. Hart, C., Doherty, N., & Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2000). Retailer adoption of the Internet: Implications for retail marketing. European Journal of Marketing, 34(8), 954–974. Hoffman, D. L., Novak, T. P., & Venkatesh, A. (2004). Has the internet become indispensable? Communications of the ACM, 47(7), 37–42. James, W. L., & Sonner, B. S. (2001). Just say no to traditional student samples. Journal of Advertising Research, 41(5), 63–71. Janda, S., Trocchia, P. J., & Gwinner, K. P. (2002). Consumer perceptions of internet retail service quality. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 13(5), 412–431. Jayawardhena, C. (2004). Personal values' influence on e-shopping attitude and behaviour. Internet Research, 14(2), 127–138. Jun, M., Yang, Z., & Kim, D. (2003). Customers' perceptions of online retailing service quality and their satisfaction. The International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, 21(8), 817–840. Kempf, D. S. (1999). Attitude formation from product trial: Distinct roles of cognition and affect for hedonic and functional products. Psychology & Marketing, 16(1), 35– 50. Kuhlmeier, D., & Knight, G. (2005). Antecedents to internet-based purchasing: A multinational study. International Marketing Review, 22(4), 460–473. Lamb, C. W., Jr., & Stem, D. E., Jr. (1980). An evaluation of students as surrogates in marketing studies. Advances in Consumer Research, 7(1), 796–799. Lassar, W. M., Manolis, C., & Lassar, S. S. (2005). The relationship between consumer innovativeness, personal characteristics and online banking adoption. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 23(2), 176–199. Lee, G. G., & Lin, H. F. (2005). Customer perceptions of e-service quality in online shopping. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 33(2), 161– 176.

125

Attitude towards online retailing services

Liyanarachchi, G. A., & Milne, M. J. (2005). Comparing the investment decisions of accounting practitioners and students: An empirical study on the adequacy of student surrogates. Accounting Forum, 29(2), 121–135. Locke, E. A. (1986). Generalizing from laboratory to field: Ecological validity or abstraction of essential elements. In E. A. Locke (Ed.). Generalizing from laboratory to field settings (pp. 3–9). Lexington, MA: Lexington Books. Mafe, C. R., & Blas, S. S. (2006). Explaining internet dependency: An exploratory study of future purchase intention of Spanish internet users. Internet Research, 16(4), 1066–2243. Mueller, D. J. (1986). Measuring social attitudes: A handbook for researchers and practitioners. New York: Teachers College Press. O' Neill, M., Wright, C., & Fitz, F. (2001). Quality evaluation in on-line service environments: An application of the importance-performance measurement technique. Managing Service Quality, 11(6), 402–417. Pedersen, P. E., & Nysveen, H. (2001). Shopbot banking: An exploratory study of customer loyalty effects. The International Journal of Bank Marketing, 19(4/5), 146– 155. Peterson, R. A. (2001). On the use of college students in social science research: Insights from a second-order meta-analysis. Journal of Consumer Research, 28(3), 450–461. Sears, D. O. (1986). College sophomores in the laboratory: Influences of a narrow data base on social psychology's view of human nature. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(3), 515–530. Simsek, Z., & Veiga, J. F. (2001). A primer on internet organizational surveys. Organizational Research Methods, 4(3), 218–235. Singer, M. (2001). Implicit leadership theory: Are results generalizable from student to professional samples? The Journal of Social Psychology, 130(3), 407–408. Teo, T. S. H. (2006). To buy or not to buy online: Adopters and non-adopters of online shopping in Singapore. Behaviour & Information Technology, 25(6), 497–509. Tih, S., & Ennis, S. (2006a). Cross-industry analysis of consumer assessments of Internet retailers' service performance. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, 34(4/5), 290–307. Tih, S., & Ennis, S. (2006b). Service quality-satisfaction-intention relationship in the internet retail context. Jurnal Pengurusan, 25, 63–86. Vijayasarathy, L. R., & Jones, J. M. (2000). Print and Internet catalog shopping: Assessing attitudes and intentions. Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy, 10(3), 191–202. Wang, M. S., Chen, C. C., Chang, S. C., & Yang, Y. H. (2007). Effects of online shopping attitudes, subjective norms and control beliefs on online shopping intentions: A test of the theory of planned behaviour. International Journal of Management, 24(2), 296–302. Zeithaml, V. A., Parasuraman, A., & Malhotra, A. (2002). Service quality delivery through web sites: A critical review of extant knowledge. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 30(4), 362–375.

126

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Research

...The Research Process Writers usually treat the research task as a sequential process involving several clearly defined steps. No one claims that research requires completion of each step before going to the next. Recycling, circumventing, and skipping occur. Some steps are begun out of sequence, some are carried out simultaneously, and some may be omitted. Despite these variations, the idea of a sequence is useful for developing a project and for keeping the project orderly as it unfolds. Exhibit 3–1 models the sequence of the research process. We refer to it often as we discuss each step in subsequent chapters. Our discussion of the questions that guide project planning and data gathering is incorporated into the model (see the elements within the pyramid in Exhibit 3–1 and compare them with Exhibit 3–2). Exhibit 3–1 also organizes this chapter and introduces the remainder of the book. The research process begins much as the vignette suggests. A management dilemma triggers the need for a decision. For MindWriter, a growing number of complaints about postpurchase service started the process. In other situations, a controversy arises, a major commitment of resources is called for, or conditions in the environment signal the need for a decision. For MindWriter, the critical event could have been the introduction by a competitor of new technology that would revolutionize the processing speed of laptops. Such events cause managers to reconsider their purposes or...

Words: 376 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Research

...requirements of talking on the phone.  These predictions were derived from basic theories on limited attention capacities. 2. Microsoft Company has basic research sites in Redmond, Washington, Tokoyo, Japan etc.at these research sites work on fundamental problems that underlie the design of future products. For example a group at Redmond is working natural language recognition soft wares, while another works on artificial intelligence. These research centres don’t produce new products rather they produce the technology that is used to enhance existing products or help new products. The product are produced by dedicates product groups. Customization of the products to match the needs of local markets is sometimes carried out at local subsidiaries. Thus, the Chinese subsidiary in Singapore will do basic customizations of programs such as MS office adding Chinese characters and customizing the interface. APPLIED RESEARCH * INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICE COMPANY Offering customers products and services for ‘connected life and work’  Project: 1. Research focused on the organisation’s tendency to appoint ‘safe’ senior executives, rather than those who were able to drive change through the business, and enable a culture of calculated business risk and growth.  This research led to a programme that created different and improved relationships with executive search agencies, established a positive shift in the interaction between the...

Words: 282 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Research

...Myresearch About 30 million other animals. Animal experimentation by scientists can be cruel and unjust, but at the same time it can provide long term benefits for humanity. Animals used in research and experiments have been going on for 2,000 years and keep is going strong. It is a widely debated about topic all over the world. Some say it is inhuman while others say it's for the good of human kind. There are many different reasons why people perform experiments and why others total disagree with it. Each year 20 million animals are produce and breed for the only purpose but to be tested on. Fifty-three thousands of animals are used each year in medical and veterinary schools. The rest is used in basic research. The demand for animals in the United States is 50 million mice, 20 million rats, and aThis includes 200,000 cats and 450,000 dogs. The world uses about 200-250 million animals per year. The problem with working with animals is that they cannot communicate their feelings and reactions. Other people say that they can communicate and react to humans just a well as one person to another. Some of the animals the research's use are not domesticated which makes them extremely hard to control and handle. The experiments that go on behind closed doors are some of the most horrific things a human could think of too torture somebody or something. Animals in labs are literally used as models and are poked at and cut open like nothing is happening. When drug are tested on animals...

Words: 355 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Research

...Research Methodology & Fundamentals of MR. 100 Marks Course Content 1. Relevance & Scope of Research in Management. 2. Steps Involved in the Research Process 3. Identification of Research Problem. 4. Defining MR problems 5. Research Design 6. Data – Collection Methodology, Primary Data – Collection Methods / Measurement Techniques – Characteristics of Measurement Techniques – Reliability, Validity etc. – Secondary Data Collection Methods – Library Research, References – Bibliography, Abstracts, etc. 7. Primary and Secondary data sources and data collection instruments including in-depth interviews, projective techniques and focus groups 8. Data management plan – Sampling & measurement 9. Data analysis – Tabulation, SPSS applications data base, testing for association 10. Analysis Techniques – Qualitative & Quantitative Analysis Techniques – Techniques of Testing Hypothesis – Chi-square, T-test, Correlation & Regression Analysis, Analysis of Variance, etc. – Making Choice of an Appropriate Analysis Technique. 11. Research Report Writing. 12. .Computer Aided Research Methodology – use of SPSS packages Reference Text 1. Business Research Methods – Cooper Schindler 2. Research Methodology Methods & Techniques – C.R.Kothari 3. D. K. Bhattacharya: Research Methodology (Excel) 4. P. C. Tripathy: A text book of Research Methodology in...

Words: 5115 - Pages: 21

Premium Essay

Research

...Research Research is a systematic inquiry to describe, explain, predict and control the observed phenomenon. Research involves inductive and deductive methods (Babbie, 1998). Inductive methods analyze the observed phenomenon and identify the general principles, structures, or processes underlying the phenomenon observed; deductive methods verify the hypothesized principles through observations. The purposes are different: one is to develop explanations, and the other is to test the validity of the explanations. One thing that we have to pay attention to research is that the heart of the research is not on statistics, but the thinking behind the research. How we really want to find out, how we build arguments about ideas and concepts, and what evidence that we can support to persuade people to accept our arguments. Gall, Borg and Gall (1996) proposed four types of knowledge that research contributed to education as follows: 1. Description: Results of research can describe natural or social phenomenon, such as its form, structure, activity, change over time, relationship to other phenomena. The descriptive function of research relies on instrumentation for measurement and observations. The descriptive research results in our understanding of what happened. It sometimes produces statistical information about aspects of education. 2. Prediction: Prediction research is intended to predict a phenomenon that will occur at time Y from information at an earlier time X. In educational...

Words: 1179 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Research

...STEP 1etasblish the need for research We have to consider if it is a real need for doing a research? Research takes time and costs money. If the information is already available, decisions must be made now, we cant afford research and costs outweigh the value of the research, then the research is not needed. Step 2 define the problem or topic State your topic as a question. This is the most important step. Identify the main concepts or keywords in your question. Problem maybe either specific or general. Step 3 establish research objective Research objectives, when achieved, provide the Information necessary to solve the problem identified in Step 2. Research objectives state what the researchers must do. Crystallize the research problems and translate them into research objective. At this point, we will pin down the research question. Step 4 determine research design The research design is a plan or framework for conducting the study and collecting data. It is defined as the specific methods and procedures you use to acquire the information you need. based on the research objectives, we will determine the most appropriate research design: qualitative and/ or quantitative. • Exploratory Research: collecting information in an unstructured and informal manner. • Descriptive Research refers to a set of methods and procedures describing marketing variables. • Causal Research (experiments): allows isolation of causes and...

Words: 1099 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Research

...Contents TITLE 2 INTRODUCTION 3 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY 3 AIM 4 OBJECTIVES 4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 4 LITERATURE REVIEW 5 METHODOLOGY AND DATACOLLECTION 5 POPULATION AND SAMPLING 6 DATA ANALYSIS METHODS 6 PARTICIPANTS IN THE STUDY 7 STUDY PERIOD (GANTT CHART) 8 STUDY RESOURCES 9 REFERENCES 9 BIBLIOGRAPHY 9 APPENDICES: 10 * The Impact of Motivation through Incentives for a better Performance - Adaaran Select Meedhupparu Ahmed Anwar Athifa Ibrahim (Academic Supervisor) Applied Research Project to the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Studies The Maldives National University * * Introduction As it is clear, staff motivation is important in all the sectors especially in the tourism sector where we require highly skilled employees to get the best of their output to reach the organizational goals. Therefore, organizations spend a lot on their staff motivation in terms of different incentive approaches, such as financial benefits, training and development, appreciations, rewards and promotions. As mentioned in the title, the outline of the findings will be focused on the motivation of the staffs on improving their performances by the different incentive packages that they get at the resort. This study will be executed at Adaaran Meedhupparu by giving questionnaire to the staff working in different departments to fill up and return to the scholar to examine the current situation of staff satisfaction on motivation to do...

Words: 2768 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Research

...Research Article Research is important to every business because of the information it provides. There is a basic process to researching information and that process begins by deciding what information needs to be researched. The next step is to develop a hypothesis, which describes what the research paper is about and what the researcher’s opinion is regarding the topic. The research article chosen for this paper is titled, “The Anchor Contraction Effect in International Marketing Research.” The hypothesis for this paper is, “This raises the issue of whether providing responses on rating scales in a person’s native versus second language exerts a systematic influence on the responses obtained.” Simply explained, the hypothesis of this paper is to determine whether research questions should be in a person’s native language rather than expecting them to respond to questions in a language in which they might not be fluent. The hypothesis of this paper was accepted based on the research data gathered by the research team. This hypothesis was supported by nine studies using a variety of research methods. The research methods provided data that demonstrated the level of inaccuracy based on questions being asked in a language that was not the respondent’s native language. The research data provided insight into the probability of more accurate results when the respondent was asked questions in a manner that related well with their culture. There are several implications...

Words: 322 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Research

...ACE8001: What do we mean by Research? & Can we hope to do genuine Social Science Research (David Harvey)  What do we mean by research? What might characterise good research practice? There is no point in us trying to re-invent the wheel - other and probably more capable people than us have wrestled with this problem before us, and it makes good sense and is good practice to learn what they have discovered.  In other words - we need to explore more reliable and effective methods and systems for the pursuit of research than we have been doing so far. What is research? Dictionary Definitions of Research: * "The act of searching closely or carefully for or after a specified thing or person" * "An investigation directed to discovery of some fact by careful study of a subject" * "A course of scientific enquiry" (where scientific = "producing demonstrative knowledge") Howard and Sharp (HS) define research as:  "seeking through methodical processes to add to bodies of knowledge by the discovery or elucidation of non-trivial facts, insights and improved understanding of situations, processes and mechanisms".  [Howard, K. and Sharp, J.A. The Management of a student research project, Gower, 1983 - a useful and practical “how to do it” guide] Two other, more recent guides are: Denscombe, Martyn, 2002, Ground rules for good research: a 10 point guide for social research,  Open University Press. Robinson Library Shelf Mark: 300.72 DEN, Level 3 (several copies)...

Words: 4067 - Pages: 17

Free Essay

Research

...solve analytic models or whatever, but they often fail to demonstrate that they have thoroughly thought about their papers—in other words, when you push them about the implicit and explicit assumptions and implications of their research models, it appears that they haven’t really given these matters much thought at all.[1] Too often they fall back on saying that they are doing what they are doing because that is the way it is done in the prior literature, which is more of an excuse than a answer. (Of course, once a researcher reaches a certain age, they all feel that youngsters aren’t as good as they were in the good old days!) Therefore, in this class we shall go beyond simply studying research in managerial accounting. For many of you, this is your first introduction to accounting research and to PhD level class. Hence, in these classes we shall also learn how to solve business problems systematically and to understand what it means to have thoroughly “thought through” a paper. We begin not with academic research, but with some real world cases, because we should never forget that ours is an applied research field: accounting research is a means towards the end of understanding business and is not an end in itself, in the way pure science research is. Developing a systematic procedure for solving a real world business problem is the starting point for developing a...

Words: 2437 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Research

...manger know about research when the job entails managing people, products, events, environments, and the like? Answer: Research simply means a search for facts – answers to questions and solutions to problems. It is a purposive investigation. It is an organized inquiry. It seeks to find explanations to unexplained phenomenon to clarify the doubtful facts and to correct the misconceived facts. Research is the organized and systematic inquiry or investigation which provides information for solving a problem or finding answers to a complex issue. Research in business: Often, organization members want to know everything about their products, services, programs, etc. Your research plans depend on what information you need to collect in order to make major decisions about a product, service, program, etc. Research provides the needed information that guides managers to make informed decisions to successfully deal with problems. The more focused you are about your resources, products, events and environments what you want to gain by your research, the more effective and efficient you can be in your research, the shorter the time it will take you and ultimately the less it will cost you. Manager’s role in research programs of a company: Managing people is only a fraction of a manager's responsibility - they have to manage the operations of the department, and often have responsibilities towards the profitability of the organization. Knowledge of research can be very helpful...

Words: 4738 - Pages: 19

Free Essay

Research

...Volume 3, number 2 What is critical appraisal? Sponsored by an educational grant from AVENTIS Pharma Alison Hill BSC FFPHM FRCP Director, and Claire Spittlehouse BSc Business Manager, Critical Appraisal Skills Programme, Institute of Health Sciences, Oxford q Critical appraisal is the process of systematically examining research evidence to assess its validity, results and relevance before using it to inform a decision. q Critical appraisal is an essential part of evidence-based clinical practice that includes the process of systematically finding, appraising and acting on evidence of effectiveness. q Critical appraisal allows us to make sense of research evidence and thus begins to close the gap between research and practice. q Randomised controlled trials can minimise bias and use the most appropriate design for studying the effectiveness of a specific intervention or treatment. q Systematic reviews are particularly useful because they usually contain an explicit statement of the objectives, materials and methods, and should be conducted according to explicit and reproducible methodology. q Randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews are not automatically of good quality and should be appraised critically. www.evidence-based-medicine.co.uk Prescribing information is on page 8 1 What is critical appraisal What is critical appraisal? Critical appraisal is one step in the process of evidence-based clinical practice. Evidencebased clinical practice...

Words: 4659 - Pages: 19

Premium Essay

Research

...Importance Of Research Research is tool, which is utilized by my organizations and co-operations to have a fundamental knowledge of goods, products, and also to finding out consumer behavior. It is also a systematic investigation into the study of materials and sources inn order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. Research informed the marketers of Glidden paint because it helped them start from were the audience was which was Walmart in this case scenario. A marketer finds out what you want, and creates or finds product that fits you. Research aided the marketers of Glidden paint to come to a conclusion that not only should you hypothesize, you should also carry out experiments as well. In this case we see that the help of experiments helped them realize that Walmart’s brand name of saving money was not deterring the perceived quality of the paints. Meaning that Walmart’s cheap pricing of goods played no part in the durability of the paint. Research helped the marketers of Glidden paint realize that they could revamp the Walmart paint section, which has been ignored for years. They are confident that Glidden paint will do great numbers because they have raised awareness and created a media platform that consumers can interact with the most. Not only has research helped in satisfying consumer wants, it also gives the marketer an in-depth knowledge on the frequent changes of consumer taste. Research helped Glidden paint marketers realize...

Words: 319 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Research

...researchResearch is the investigation into and the study of new materials in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. It is swork undertaken on a systematis basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge. Research is a key aspect of journalism and as researchers we employ various sourdes and methods of research. Throughout this essay I will explore and examine the different sources available to journalists, the different types of interviews and I will describe the need for appropriate referencing of all source of material. Sources available. We live in an age overflowing with source materials, and these sources are easily accessible to us. The two main types of sources are primary and secondary sources. A pimary source is information that is gathered from an original source. These include; intervies, questionairres, surveys, observation, histoical documents and experiments to name but a few. A secondary source is information that has already been gathered by other people and/or organisations. A secondary source interpets and analyzes primary sources. (Locke, 2013) There are both online and offline secondary sources. Primary Surveys and questionnaires A very important aspect of research work is using surveys. Surveys are a primary source.There are two main types of surveys, a questionnarrie and an interview. Surveys and questionnaires are usually composed of one or more questions that are directed to a certain target audience. Questionnaires have advantages...

Words: 1248 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Research

...ISS334: Information Systems Security (Project Description) * Each student work alone in this project (individual project). * Each student is required to complete a mid-size project, which includes proposal, implementation, and final demo or paper. * Students will be grouped into teams for the sake of presentations at the end of the semester. Marks allocated for each individual piece of the project are as follows: a) Proposal – 10% b) Project write-up – 22% c) Presentation – 8% Projects include but are not limited to: * Research Paper * You can work on original research problems. The outcome should be a paper with original technical contribution. Your grade on this will be judged on originality, soundness of the approach, and quality of presentation.  * Example Topics: * Vulnerability Analysis * Wireless Security * Intrusion Detection  * Authentication * Access Control * Authorization * DNS Security * Digital Watermarking * New Attacks * Survey Paper * You can write a paper that surveys a particular field on information security. The outcome should be a paper that summarizes the trend in the field you have chosen. Your grade will be judged on the completeness of the survey, the quality of the trend analysis, and the quality of presentation. * Example topics: * Vulnerability Analysis * Wireless...

Words: 1209 - Pages: 5