30 Jul Research Questions
TheStandardAsianMerchantBankisa MalaysianmerchantbankheadquarteredinKuala Lumpur.Thebankprovidesfinancialservicesin assetmanagement,corporatefinance,and 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-sizedlistedcompanies,realestate,andbiotechfirms.
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 Bank’s 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 MerchantBank’sniche specializations which are Asian listed real estate companies, life sciences companies, and shares.
TheSPdeskofTheStandardAsianMerchantBankhasitsownwebsitethatisprimarilyused toprovideinformationtotheusersofthewebsite.Thewebsitecontainsinformationabout theproductsoffered(e.g.,brochures,legaldocuments,andbid-askspreads),publications, andcontactinformation.Thewebsitecanbeclassifiedasa services-oriented relationship- building website. There are two main groups of website users; financial advisors and institutionalclientsoftheSPdesk.Theyusethewebsitetoexamineproductfeatures,prices oftheproductsofferedbytheSPdesk,andlegalinformation.
For the SP desk, there are several reasons why they have asked Syafiq to undertake a researchproject:
1. Satisfactionwiththewebsitehasneverbeenmeasured.Asaresult,theSPdeskdoes notknowhowtheusersexperiencethewebsite.Thecurrentcontentandlayoutof thewebsitearebasedonassumptionsofwhatusersarelookingforonthewebsite. Forthisreason,thewebsitemaycontainelementsdeemedunnecessarybytheusers andit mightlackfeaturesthatareimportanttotheusers.
2. Usersofthewebsiteonlyspendasmallamountoftimeonthewebsite.In2011,
morethan70%(75.4%)ofthevisitorsspentlessthan30secondsonthewebsiteof theSPdesk(AWStats,2011).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.Consequently,peoplecontactemployeesofthe SPdesktoaskforexplanationandclarification.Thisisatimeconsumingprocessthat isrelativelyexpensiveforasmalldesk.
Basedonpreliminaryresearch,thefollowingproblemstatementwascreatedbySyafiq:
“WhatelementsareofimportanceindrivingSatisfactionwiththe WebsiteintheAsian investmentbankingindustry,towhatextentdothesevariablesinfluenceSatisfaction with theWebsite,andhowcantheresultsofthisstudybeusedtocreateawebsitefortheSP 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 ordertocollectthesequantitativedata,Syafiqis currentlybusywith designingasurveywhichhewantstopostonline.Hehasdevelopedthefollowingtablethat shouldhelphimtooperationalizetheconstructsinhisconceptualmodel.
Table 1:Overview oftheConstructs/variables inmyModel,“Subconstructs”, andSurvey
Questions
Information quality
| Variable | Definition | Surveyquestions |
| Informationcontent | Referstothecontent ofthe information providedbythewebsite (Hernandezet al. 2009) | Therangeofinformationishigh.
The information isapplicabletothewebsite’sactivities(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 isapplicabletothewebsite’sactivities. 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
2005,2008; 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. Thesitedoesn’twastemytime. Thewebsite istimeconsuming. Itdoesnottake muchtimetogetfromoneplace inthewebsiteto another. Thewebsite isfast. Thewebsite isquicklyloadingall thetextandgraphics. WhenI usethewebsitethere is verylittle waitingtimebetweenmy actions andthewebsite’sresponse. Thewebsite loadsquickly. Thewebsitetakeslongtooload. |
| Security | Referstotheusersperceptions’ of thewebsite’sreliabilityandsafety (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 theusers’sense 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. Thewebsitehasfeatures,whichhelpmeaccomplish 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 company’simage. Thewebsite fitswithmyimageofthecompany. |
Thewebsite’simage matchesthat ofthecompany.
SatisfactionwiththeWebsite
| Satisfactionwiththe
website |
Definition | Surveyquestions |
| Thediscrepancybetweena customer’sexpectations andperceptions of performance | Ingeneralterms, I amsatisfiedwiththewaythatthiswebsitehas carried out myactions.
Ingeneral,Iam satisfied withtheservicethatIreceivedfromthewebsite. Pleasethinkofyouroverallexperience withthewebsite.Onascaleof1-7, overall,howsatisfiedareyouwiththewebsite? Youaresatisfiedwith thewebsite. |
Note.The“surveyquestions”inthe last columnarequestionsfromvariousstudiesonwebsitequality.I havetriedtofind
asmanyquestionsas Icould.Everysinglesurveyquestionis takenoutof(oneof)thepaperspresentedinthereference list.
REFERENCELIST
AwamlehRaedandCedwynFernandes(2005),“Internetbanking:anempiricalinvestigation intotheextentofadoptionbybanksandthedeterminantsofcustomersatisfaction intheUnitedArabEmirates,”JournalofInternetBankingandCommerce,10(1),
0509-05.
Chen,KuanchinandDavidC.Yen(2004),“Improvingthequalityofonlinepresencethrough interactivity,”Information&Management,42,217-26.
Chen,P.S.andL.M.Hitt(2002),“MeasuringSwitchingCostsandtheDeterminantsof CustomerRetentioninInternet-EnabledBusiness,”InformationSystemsResearch,13 (3),255-74.
Cheung,ChristyM.K.andMatthewK.O.Lee(2005),“TheAsymmetricEffectof Website
AttributePerformanceonSatisfaction:AnEmpiricalStudy,”inproceedingsofthe
38thHawaiiInternationalConferenceonSystemSciences,1-10.
Evans,J.R.,andV.E.King(1999),“Business-to-businessmarketingandtheWorldWideWeb: Planning,managingandassessingwebsites,”IndustrialMarketingManagement,28 (4),343–58.
Greer,T.H.andM.M.Murtaza(2003),“WebPersonalization:TheImpactofPerceived InnovationCharacteristicsontheIntentiontoUsePersonalization,”Journalof ComputerInformationSystems,Spring,50-3.
Hernandez,Bianca,JulioJimenezandJoseM.Martin(2009),“Keywebsitefactorsin e- businessstrategy,”InternationalJournalofInformationManagement,29(5),362-71.
Loiacono,EleanorT.,RichardT.WatsonandDale L.Goodhue(2002),“WebQual:Ameasure ofwebsitequality,”inMarketingTheoryandApplications,Vol.13,ed.K.K.Evansand
L.K.Scheer:Chicago:AmericanMarketingAssociation,1-71.
McKinney,Vicki,KanghyunYoonandFatemehM.Zahedi(2002),“TheMeasurementof Web-CustomerSatisfaction:AnExpectationandDisconfirmationApproach,” InformationSystemsResearch,13(3),296-315.
Muylle,Steve,RudyMoenaertandMarcDespontin(2004),“Theconceptualizationand
empiricalvalidationof websiteusersatisfaction,”Information&Management,41,
543-60.
Palmer,JonathanW.(2002),“Websiteusability,designandperformancemetrics,” InformationSystemsResearch,13(2),151–67.
Schmidt,Serje,AntoniS.CantallopsandCristianePizuttidosSantos(2008),“The characteristicsofhotelwebsitesandtheirimplicationsforwebsiteeffectiveness,” InternationalJournalofHospitalityManagement,27(4), 504-16.
Tarafdar,MonideepaandJieZhang(2005),“AnalysisofCriticalWebsiteCharacteristics:A Cross-CategoryStudyofSuccessfulWebsites,”JournalofComputerInformation Systems,46(2),14-24.
Wan,HakmanA.(2000),“Opportunitiestoenhanceacommercialwebsite,”Information& Management,38(1),15–21.
Wolfinbarger,M.,andM.C.Gilly(2000),“Consumermotivationsforonlineshop-ping,”in
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6(2),9-33.
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 characteristicsofSyafiq’sstudy.
2. The measurement ofmore abstract andsubjective characteristics (orattributes – such for instance the attributes in Syafiq’s 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 discusstheattribute‘InformationQuality’intermsofdimensionsandelements.In other words, which dimensions of ‘Information Quality’ has Syafiq found in the literatureand howhavethesedimensionsfurtherbeenbrokenintoelementsby researcherswhohaveinvestigatedthisissueinthepast?
5. Syafiqcoulddecidetousethesurveyquestionshehasfoundintheliteratureasa
basis for hisquestionnaire. Isit,ingeneral, 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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