Management research methods - Assignment Example

However, from the point of view of the consumers, it is of vital concern that the personal motivations that prompt them to make better use of the internet as shopping venue be ascertained. While many, if not all, the products sold online are also available from brick and mortar stores and other conventional venues such as through the televised home shopping network, the motivations for customers to purchase online appears to be influenced by a special set of factors which pertains exclusively to the online technology.

The individual must have a strong sense of confidence in trusting the system, because (1) he/she has not physically examined the product he/she is actually buying, only being able to view a product replica on his/her monitor or screen; (2) he/she is transacting with a business entity he/she only sees onscreen, and which may be located elsewhere on the globe. Without a physical store to go to, he or she may not know how to reach the vendor if his/her claim is unsatisfied; (3) the customer has to have his/her payment transmitted before delivery of the purchased item, thus sending the cash through electronic means is a leap of faith; and (4) release of the customer’s bank account or credit card number is a risky act which may be the source of identity fraud and electronic theft.

These are significant issues to which high risks are attached, and savvy consumers will be usually cautious about engaging in these acts. It is therefore the result of strong motivational forces that consumers would agree to undertaking these risks in order to shop online. The survey conducted here therefore has the specific purpose of determining what the important factors are that influence an individual’s desire to purchase items online, despite the attendant risks. Design of the survey The survey is designed to be answered by respondents who have personally transacted a purchase over the internet.

The respondents may be of any age, of either gender, and of any walk of life. The only disqualifying attribute is if the individual has not experienced purchasing something over the internet. In this sense, internet or online shopping includes all e-commerce facilities for retail customers online, from ordering merchandise from particular retailers, to buying something from other customers in online auctions such as the e-Bay site. The population thus includes everybody who has shopped online at least once.

The size of the sample is ideally one that is representative; however, since internet shopping involves an indeterminate number of people, most likely running into the hundreds of thousands or millions with multiple transactions, then it is difficult to ascertain a representative number. The survey should therefore aim for a large number, and from observing the sample sizes shown in the different academic studies, a good number would be 250 to 350 respondents. It is also important to make sure that the locations surveyed represent as equally as possible all the area intended to be covered by the study.

The sample selection method must ensure the highest chances of getting a representative sample, while ensuring that the intended respondents are reached and their existence and qualifications verified. Inasmuch as those who are qualified to respond to this survey are those who are exposed to and confident