research questions 1

    Case Study: Measurement of Variables Operational Definitions
    Chapter 11: TheStandard AsianMerchantBank
    TheStandardAsianMerchantBankisa MalaysianmerchantbankheadquarteredinKuala Lumpur.Thebankprovidesfinancialservicesin assetmanagementcorporatefinanceand securities broking. Clients of The Standard Asian Merchant Bank are among others institutional investors foundations (semi) public institutions companies and high net- worthindividualclients.SegmentsinwhichTheStandardAsianMerchantBankoperatesare smallandmedium-sizedlistedcompaniesrealestateandbiotechfirms.
    SyafiqAimiisa BusinessstudentfromtheNationalUniversityof Malaysiawhichislocatedin Bangi Selangor -about 35km south ofKuala Lumpur. Syafiq iscurrentlyundertaking a research project for the Structured Products (SP) desk ofThe Standard Asian Merchant Banks securities department. The SP desk is responsible for developing and selling structuredproducts:investmentsthatconsist ofa portfolioofsecuritiesandderivatives. Structured products areinvestment instruments thatarecreatedtomeetspecific needs thatcannotbemetfromstandardizedfinancialinstruments.TheproductsoftheSPdeskare tailor-madeandtheyaredevelopedbasedonthe StandardAsian MerchantBanksniche specializations which are Asian listed real estate companies life sciences companies and shares.
    TheSPdeskofTheStandardAsianMerchantBankhasitsownwebsitethatisprimarilyused toprovideinformationtotheusersofthewebsite.Thewebsitecontainsinformationabout theproductsoffered(e.g.brochureslegaldocumentsandbid-askspreads)publications andcontactinformation.Thewebsitecanbeclassifiedasa services-oriented relationship- building website. There are two main groups of website users; financial advisors and institutionalclientsoftheSPdesk.Theyusethewebsitetoexamineproductfeaturesprices oftheproductsofferedbytheSPdeskandlegalinformation.
    For the SP desk there are several reasons why they have asked Syafiq to undertake a researchproject:
    1. Satisfactionwiththewebsitehasneverbeenmeasured.AsaresulttheSPdeskdoes notknowhowtheusersexperiencethewebsite.Thecurrentcontentandlayoutof thewebsitearebasedonassumptionsofwhatusersarelookingforonthewebsite. Forthisreasonthewebsitemaycontainelementsdeemedunnecessarybytheusers andit mightlackfeaturesthatareimportanttotheusers.
    2. Usersofthewebsiteonlyspendasmallamountoftimeonthewebsite.In2011
    morethan70%(75.4%)ofthevisitorsspentlessthan30secondsonthewebsiteof theSPdesk(AWStats2011).Theproductsofferedatthewebsitearequitecomplex and clients often have a lack of knowledge concerning Structured Products. Therefore it is desirable to encourage website users to spend more time on the website.
    3. Thewebsiteisnotself-explanatory.Consequentlypeoplecontactemployeesofthe SPdesktoaskforexplanationandclarification.Thisisatimeconsumingprocessthat isrelativelyexpensiveforasmalldesk.
    BasedonpreliminaryresearchthefollowingproblemstatementwascreatedbySyafiq:
    WhatelementsareofimportanceindrivingSatisfactionwiththe WebsiteintheAsian investmentbankingindustrytowhatextentdothesevariablesinfluenceSatisfaction with theWebsiteandhowcantheresultsofthisstudybeusedtocreateawebsitefortheSP deskthat isself-explanatory that peopleuseas theirmain information sourceand that websiteusersspendmoretimeon?
    SeveralresearchmethodsareusedbySyafiqtoanswertheproblemstatement.Inorderto determinethevariablesrelevanttohisstudySyafiqhascarriedoutaliteraturereviewand face-to-face interviews. Based on the literature review and a rigorous analysis of the interviewsSyafiqhasdevelopedthefollowingconceptualmodel.
    Informationquality
    Systemquality
    Interactivity
    SatisfactionwiththeWebsite
    Systemdesignquality
    Syafiqnowwantstocollectquantitativedatatobeabletotestthismodelwithmultivariate regressionanalysis.In ordertocollectthesequantitativedataSyafiqis currentlybusywith designingasurveywhichhewantstopostonline.Hehasdevelopedthefollowingtablethat shouldhelphimtooperationalizetheconstructsinhisconceptualmodel.
    Table 1:Overview oftheConstructs/variables inmyModelSubconstructs andSurvey
    Questions
    Information quality
    Variable
    Definition
    Surveyquestions
    Informationcontent
    Referstothecontent ofthe information providedbythewebsite (Hernandezet al. 2009)
    Therangeofinformationishigh.
    The information isapplicabletothewebsitesactivities(zie relevance).
    The information isdetailed (zieaccuracy).
    The maingoalofthe informationonthewebsiteisclear.
    Thewebsiteprovidesin-depth information.
    The information onthewebsiteisinformative toyourusage. The information onthewebsiteisvaluable toyour usage. The information onthewebsiteisoftheappropriatedetail.The contentonthewebsitesupportsitsintendedpurpose.
    Relevance
    Referstothedegreetowhichthe
    information meetstheneeds ofthe websiteuser (Muylle etal.2004).
    Thewebsiteprovidesinformation thatexactlyfits your needs.
    The information isapplicabletothewebsitesactivities.
    The information inthewebsiteisrelevant.
    The information inthewebsiteistothepoint.
    The information inthewebsitedoesnothelpmeatall.
    Up-to-date
    Referstothecurrencyofthe information onthewebsite (McKinneyetal. 2002).
    Information isalwaysupdated inthesite.
    Thewebsiteprovidesup-to-dateinformation.
    The information iscurrent.
    Yougetthe information youneedintime.
    Understandability
    Referstotheclearnessand goodnessofthe information (Cheung and Lee2005 2008).
    Thecontentofthewebsiteiseasytounderstand. The meaning ofthe informationisclear.
    The information inthewebsiteisclear to me.
    The information inthewebsiteispresentedclearly. The information isclear in meaning.
    The information iseasytocomprehend.
    Ingeneral information onthewebsite isunderstandablefor youto use.
    Completeness
    Referstothecompletenessofthe
    information onthewebsite(Muylle
    etal. 2004)
    Thewebsiteprovidescomprehensive information.
    Thewebsiteprovidessufficientinformation. The information inthewebsiteiscomplete.
    The information inthewebsiteissufficientlydetailed.
    Reliability
    Referstothedegreeofconsistency anddependabilityoftheinformation onthewebsite(Cheung andLee
    20052008; McKinneyetal.2002).
    Thewebsiteprovidesinformation that youtrust. The information onthewebsiteistrustworthy. The information onthewebsiteis credible.
    Ingeneral information onthewebsite isreliableforyoutouse.
    Accuracy
    Referstothedegreetowhichthe information onthewebsite is perceivedtobeprecise(Muylle etal.
    2004;Zhangand vonDran2002).
    Thewebsiteprovidesaccurate information. Thewebsiteprovidespreciseinformation. The information onthewebsiteisdetailed. The information onthewebsiteisaccurate.
    The information onthewebsiteisnotprecise. I canrelyonthe information inthewebsite.
    The information inthewebsiteissufficientlydetailed.
    Usefulness
    Referstothedegreetowhichthe user believesthattheinformation onthewebsitewill enhancetheir decision (Cheung and Lee2005
    2008; McKinneyetal.2002)
    The information onthewebsiteisuseful.
    The information onthewebsiteisinformative toyour usage.
    The information onthewebsiteisvaluable toyour usage.
    Ingeneral information onblackboard isusefulfor youtouse.
    Systemquality
    Variable
    Definition
    Surveyquestions
    Navigability
    Referstothe easewithwhichusers
    canfindtheneededinformation on thewebsite(Schmidt etal. 2007; EvansandKing 1999*).
    I findthesite easytonavigate.
    Thenavigation linksarestated in everypage.
    Itiseasytofindtheinformation I needfromthiswebsite.
    The organizationofthecontentsofthissite makesit easyfor meto know whereI amwhennavigatingit.
    You obtaindesired information quickly. Itiseasyto locate the information.
    Thewebsite isbeing easytogobackandforthbetweenpages. Thewebsite isprovidinga few clickstolocate information.
    Ingeneral thewebsite iseasytonavigate.
    Access
    Referstotheavailabilityofthe websiteatall times(Cheung and Lee
    2005; 2008)
    Thewebsite isresponsivetoyour request.
    Ingeneral thewebsiteprovidesgoodaccess.
    Thewebsite isavailable atall times.
    Thewebsitecanbeaccessedusingdifferentbrowsers(OS).
    Easeof use
    Referstothe easewithwhichthe website canbeused(Tarafdar and Zhang 2006).
    I findthesite easytooperate.
    Thewebsite iseasytounderstand.
    Thiswebsite issimple touse evenwhenusing itfor thefirsttime. Thewebsite iseasytouse.
    Thewebsite isuser-friendly.
    Itisdifficulttooperatethewebsite.
    Ingeneral thewebsite isuser friendly.
    Thewebsite iswell organized.
    I findthewebsite easytouse.
    Speed
    Referstothedegreetowhichthe websiteusersperceivethewebsite tobefastorslow(Muylle etal.
    2004).
    I findthesitedownloadtimeacceptable. Thespeedofdisplaybetweenpagesishigh.
    There isverylittle timebetween myrequest forpagesandhavingthe pagesdisplayed onmy computer.
    Therateatwhich informationisdisplayed isfast. Thesitedoesntwastemytime.
    Thewebsite istimeconsuming.
    Itdoesnottake muchtimetogetfromoneplace inthewebsiteto
    another.
    Thewebsite isfast.
    Thewebsite isquicklyloadingall thetextandgraphics.
    WhenI usethewebsitethere is verylittle waitingtimebetweenmy actions andthewebsitesresponse.
    Thewebsite loadsquickly.
    Thewebsitetakeslongtooload.
    Security
    Referstotheusersperceptions of thewebsitesreliabilityandsafety (AwamlehandFernandes2005).
    Youfeelthewebsite issecure.
    Thewebsitehasprovisionsfor user authentication.
    Thewebsitehasan informationpolicy.
    Thewebsitehasadequatesecurityfeatures.
    Privacy
    Referstothe elementsthatprovide websiteusersasenseof privacy (Schmidt etal. 2008).
    I feel like myprivacyisprotectedatthiswebsite.
    Systemaccuracy
    Referstotheaccuracyofthewebsite inprovidinginformationto itsusers.
    Thesystem isaccurate.
    Areyousatisfiedwith theaccuracyofthesystem?
    Systemreliability
    Referstothereliabilityofthe website inprovidinginformationto itsusers.
    Yougetthe informationthatyourequested onthewebsite.
    Interactivity
    Variable
    Definition
    Surveyquestions
    Customersupport
    Referstothefacilitiesand
    communication channelsthata companyofferstoestablish direct contactwithusersinordertohelp themwithquestions or problems (ChenandYen2004; Hernandez etal.
    2009;Wan2000; Wolfinbargerand
    Gilly2003**).
    I cansendmyfeedbackaboutthesite.
    Think ofall thepossible waysthat you cancontactour bank whenyou needto. Based onthisinformation andonyour ownpreferences how easydoyouthink it istocontactus?
    Youaresatisfiedwiththecustomersupportprovidedbythewebsite. Youaresatisfiedwiththeafter-salessupportprovidedbythewebsite. Thewebsiteunderstands your problemsandrequests.
    Thewebsiterespondstoyour requestsfast enough.
    Thewebsiteprovidesthepersonalized customer supportyouneed.
    Thewebsiterespondstoyour problemsandrequestspromptly. Thecompanyiswillingandreadytorespondto customer needs. Whenyouhaveaproblem thewebsiteshowsasincere interest in solvingit.
    Inquiriesareansweredpromptly.
    Customisation
    Referstotheabilityofwebsitesto presentcustomized informationto fulfill the individual needs ofusers (Tarafdar andZhang 2006; Chenand Hitt2002***; Greer andMurtaza
    2003****)
    Thewebsiteprovidesinformation thatexactlyfits your needs. Thewebsitecanunderstandwhat you need viainteractive communication.
    Thewebsitehaspersonalization characteristics. Thewebsite offerscustomized information.
    The levelofpersonalization isaboutright nottoo muchortoo little. Thewebsiteprovidestheprecise information youneed.
    Thewebsiteprovidesreportsthat seemtobejustabout exactlywhat youneed.
    Thewebsiteallowsmeto interactwithit toreceivetailored information.
    I can interactwiththewebsite in ordertogetinformationtailored to my specificneeds.
    Control
    Referstothe featuresonthewebsite that influence theuserssense of control(WolfinbargerandGilly
    2000)*****.
    Thesiteprovidesvalueadded features.
    WhenI amusingthiswebsite I feelthatI am incontrolofwhatI can
    do.
    Theuser controlstheorder or sequenceofinformation access. Theuser controlshowfasttogo throughthewebsite.
    Theuser controlsopportunitiesfor interaction.
    Userscontrolthedifficultyleveloftheinformation accessed. Thewebsitehasfeatureswhichhelpmeaccomplish mytask.
    Systemdesignquality
    Variable
    Definition
    Surveyquestions
    Visualappeal
    Referstotheaestheticsofthe website(Loiacono etal. 2002).
    Thesitehasanattractiveappearance. Thewebsitehasanattractive layout.
    I like thelayoutofthewebsite.
    The layoutofthewebsiteis visuallycomforting. The layoutofthewebsiteisannoying.
    Thewebsite isvisuallyattractive.
    Thewebsitehasanattractivescreen layout. Thewebsite isvisuallypleasing.
    Thewebsitedisplaysvisuallypleasing design. Thewebsite isvisuallyappealing.
    Innovativeness
    Referstotheuniquenessand creativityofthewebsite(Loiacono et al. 2002).
    Thedesignisappropriatetothetypeofthesite. Thewebsite isinnovative.
    Thewebsitedesignisinnovative. Thewebsite iscreative.
    Legibility
    Referstothe easeofreading ofthe
    information onthewebsite(Palmer
    2002).
    Thesitepresentsthe information inanappropriateformat.
    The outputformat iseasytoread.
    The layoutofthe information iseasytounderstand. Thewebsite iswell organized.
    Thewebsitehasasimple layoutfor itscontent. Thewebsitehasacleardesign.
    The information onthewebsiteiseasytoread. Thetext on thewebsite iseasytoread.
    Consistent image
    Referstotheconsistencyofthe imageprojectedbythewebsitewith the imageofthefirm (Loiacono et al.
    2002).
    Thedesignisappropriatetothetypeofwebsite. I findthesitehasconsistentpagelayout.
    Youaresatisfiedwiththe imageofthewebsite.
    The companyto which the website belongshasa well-knownbrand. The website projectsanimage consistentwiththe companysimage. Thewebsite fitswithmyimageofthecompany.
    Thewebsitesimage matchesthat ofthecompany.
    SatisfactionwiththeWebsite
    Satisfactionwiththe
    website
    Definition
    Surveyquestions
    Thediscrepancybetweena customersexpectations andperceptions of performance
    Ingeneralterms I amsatisfiedwiththewaythatthiswebsitehas carried out myactions.
    IngeneralIam satisfied withtheservicethatIreceivedfromthewebsite. Pleasethinkofyouroverallexperience withthewebsite.Onascaleof1-7 overallhowsatisfiedareyouwiththewebsite?
    Youaresatisfiedwith thewebsite.
    Note.Thesurveyquestionsinthe last columnarequestionsfromvariousstudiesonwebsitequality.I havetriedtofind
    asmanyquestionsas Icould.Everysinglesurveyquestionis takenoutof(oneof)thepaperspresentedinthereference list.
    REFERENCELIST
    AwamlehRaedandCedwynFernandes(2005)Internetbanking:anempiricalinvestigation intotheextentofadoptionbybanksandthedeterminantsofcustomersatisfaction intheUnitedArabEmiratesJournalofInternetBankingandCommerce10(1)
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    QUESTIONS
    1. Measurement is the assignment of numbers to characteristics (or attributes) of
    objects according to a pre-specified set of rules. Describe the object and characteristicsofSyafiqsstudy.
    2. The measurement ofmore abstract andsubjective characteristics (orattributes – such for instance the attributes in Syafiqs study) is more difficult than the
    measurement of other more tangible attributes such as weight length gender age and marital status. Why is that?
    3. Onewayoftappingmoreabstractandsubjectiveattributesisoperationalizingthese attributes.
    a. Whatisoperationalization?
    b. Describetheprocessofoperationalizingvariables.
    4. BasedonareviewoftheliteratureSyafiqhasdevelopedatable(Table1)thatshould helphimtooperationalizethe variablesof his conceptualmodel.Usethistableto discusstheattributeInformationQualityintermsofdimensionsandelements.In other words which dimensions of Information Quality has Syafiq found in the literatureand howhavethesedimensionsfurtherbeenbrokenintoelementsby researcherswhohaveinvestigatedthisissueinthepast?
    5. Syafiqcoulddecidetousethesurveyquestionshehasfoundintheliteratureasa
    basis for hisquestionnaire. Isitingeneral agood or a badideatouseexisting scales?Why?
    Reference:
    Sekaran U. & Bougie R. (2013). Research methods for business: A skill building approach (6th ed.). Chichester United Kingdom: Wiley. ISBN: 978-1-119-94225-2.

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