1.
Do
Websites
Such
as
TripAdvisor
Affect
Consumer
Behaviour
with
the
use
of
Word-‐of-‐Mouth?
By
Rodrigue
Eid
L o n d o n
S o u t h
B a n k
–
M a y
2 0 1 2
2. Authors
Deceleration
I
certify
that
all
quotes
and
passages
from
other
peoples
work
that
have
been
used
for
the
purpose
of
this
dissertation
have
all
been
acknowledged
by
referencing
both
the
author
and
their
work.
I
also
certify
that
I
am
the
sole
author
of
this
dissertation
and
that
it
does
not
infringe
or
violate
any
copyright
laws.
I
understand
that
plagiarism
will
be
considered
as
failure
towards
the
dissertation
module
and
also
this
degree
as
a
whole.
Rodrigue
Eid
ii
3. Dedication
&
Acknowledgments
I
would
like
to
dedicate
this
page
to
say
thank
you
to
all
the
people
who
have
helped
me
in
overcoming
the
stress
and
anxiety
that
I
went
through
to
complete
this
dissertation.
My
biggest
gratitude
goes
to
my
grandfather,
not
only
for
encouraging
me
to
go
to
university
but
also
for
believing
in
me
and
always
being
so
proud
of
me
for
whatever
I
have
done.
I
would
also
like
to
express
my
appreciation
to
my
supervisor
Anita
Peleg,
as
without
your
guidance
and
perseverance
I
would
not
have
been
able
to
complete
this
by
myself.
I
would
like
to
thank
her
for
all
the
advice,
recommendation
and
amounts
of
times
she
told
me
to
redo
certain
sections
till
we
were
satisfied
with
the
work
produced.
Thank
you
to
all
my
family
and
friends
who
also
believed
in
me
and
supported
me
during
the
production
of
this
mammoth
research
project,
as
without
their
constant
words
of
encouragement
and
their
help
I
would
not
of
been
able
to
complete
this
project.
I
would
like
to
also
thank
my
mother
who
had
to
sit
through
endless
hours
of
me
talking
at
her
about
my
dissertation.
I
would
also
like
to
express
my
thankfulness
to
my
best
friend
Johanna
El-‐Tohami
who
has
also
helped
me
greatly
in
executing
this
dissertation
by
checking
my
grammar
and
spelling.
This
dissertation
has
Definitely
proven
to
be
challenging;
however
it
has
definitely
been
a
once
in
a
lifetime
experience.
Thank
you
again
to
everyone
who
has
helped
in
making
this
project
come
to
life,
and
I
hope
that
this
piece
of
research
will
help
people
in
the
future
with
similar
activities
they
carry
out.
“There
isn’t
a
person
anywhere
who
is
not
capable
of
doing
more
than
he
thinks
he
can.
“
Tom
Ford
iii
4. Abstract
Purpose:
This
study
has
been
carried
out
to
answer
the
question
as
to
whether
consumer
behaviour
is
affected
my
word
of
mouth
when
it
comes
to
websites
such
as
TripAdvisor.
Methodology/Literature
review:
These
sections
of
the
study
provide
an
extensive
read
surrounding
the
different
methods
of
research
used
to
obtain
information
that
is
needed
to
execute
the
report.
Looking
at
published
literature,
data,
and
information
from
academics,
government
and
others
surrounding
the
topic
of
consumer
behaviour,
word
of
mouth
and
their
importance.
Findings:
This
section
of
the
study
is
where
all
information
is
drawn
together.
The
major
findings
made
in
this
section
derived
from
my
sample
population
taking
part
in
posting
reviews
and
partaking
in
word
of
mouth.
The
majority
of
the
sample
surveyed
stated
that
they
did
post
positive
comments
online
however
were
they
honest
about
the
information
they
shared.
Another
discovery
made
had
to
do
with
the
relation
of
good
and
bad
comments.
It
was
apparent
that
people
from
the
sample
were
more
likely
to
talk
about
bad
word
of
mouth
than
good
word
of
mouth.
This
finding
can
also
be
related
to
some
of
the
literature
that
was
found
from
people
such
as
Blythe
(2008)
and
Evans
et
al
(2006)
and
Blackwell
et
al
(2006).
The
general
recommendation
that
highlighted
in
the
findings
was
a
method
in
which
the
accuracy
of
reviews
can
be
checked
before
they
went
live
on
the
website.
Recommendation
and
Conclusion:
In
this
section
of
the
report,
everything
in
this
study
is
brought
together,
after
all
the
analysis
that
was
made
and
the
findings.
Recommendations
were
also
made
in
order
to
help
answer
the
objectives
that
were
set
out
in
chapter
1
in
order
to
help
websites
such
as
TripAdvisor
and
others
keep
their
customer
happy.
The
conclusion
and
recommendations
were
reached
in
several
ways,
firstly
through
the
secondary
findings
from
the
literature
review
and
secondly
through
the
primary
findings
made
by
the
survey.
iv
5. Format
of
Study
Chapter
1:
Introduction
This
is
where
the
background
of
the
study
will
be
outlined
and
any
details
about
the
research
problem
will
be
defined.
This
section
will
also
include
the
reasons
why
this
study
is
important
to
carry
out
and
also
the
objectives
that
it
is
aiming
to
answer.
Chapter
2:
Methodology
This
section
of
the
report
will
look
at
the
various
methods
in
which
research
can
be
carried
out
in
order
to
help
make
this
research
more
effective.
An
exploration
of
both
primary
and
secondary
research
methods
will
be
looked
at
and
decided
upon
for
the
purpose
of
this
study.
In
addition
to
this,
both
quantitative
methods
and
qualitative
methods
will
be
explored
to
aid
this
research.
This
section
will
also
look
at
the
risk
of
bias
data
and
limitations
to
obtaining
data.
Chapter
3:
Literature
Review
This
section
will
look
at
various
theories
and
previous
texts
that
have
been
published
surrounding
some
of
the
main
topics
that
will
affect
my
study.
In
order
to
better
understand
what
this
research
and
to
ensure
that
the
right
path
is
taken
it
was
necessary
to
look
at
various
texts
that
explained
what
consumer
behaviour
is,
or
what
word
of
mouth
is,
how
these
variable
can
be
affected
by
consumers
and
so
on.
It
is
for
this
reason
that
this
section
is
necessary,
as
without
it
there
would
be
no
background
or
understanding
about
the
various
topics
that
this
study
is
aiming
to
answer.
Chapter
4:
Research
Findings
In
this
section
of
the
study
all
data
collated
from
the
survey
would
be
analysed
and
put
into
tables
and
pie
charts
in
order
to
help
the
reader
get
a
better
view
of
the
findings.
This
section
is
all
about
getting
the
relevant
information
that
is
required
that
will
help
in
finding
answers
to
the
objectives
that
have
been
set
out
In
chapter
1.
This
section
is
also
important
as
it
helps
in
seeing
if
what
the
v
6. previous
published
texts
actually
reflect
the
findings,
or
if
times
have
changed
and
new
findings
and
theories
may
need
to
be
drawn
by
a
more
vast
extensive
research.
Chapter
5:
Recommendation
and
Conclusion
This
section
of
the
report
is
all
about
what
conclusions
and
recommendations
can
be
drawn
from
the
findings
in
the
study
that
will
help
both
answer
the
objectives
set
out
in
chapter
1
but
also
hopefully
help
organisations
in
seeing
what
this
sample
population
had
to
say
about
they
way
things
are
currently
operating.
References
and
Bibliography
This
will
contain
a
list
of
books,
papers,
and
websites
that
were
used
and
referred
to
for
the
purpose
of
this
research.
Appendices
This
will
contain
any
extra
information
that
was
also
referred
to
within
the
body
of
the
study
that
was
either
too
large
or
not
important
to
include.
However,
these
have
been
included
in
this
section
to
be
referred
to
if
needed.
vi
7. Contents
Page
Chapter
1
-‐
Introduction
1
1.
Background
2-‐3
1.2.
Research
Problem
3-‐4
1.2.1.
Research
Objectives
4
1.3.
Importance
of
Study
4-‐5
Chapter
2
–
Methodology
6
2.
Introduction
7
2.1.
Secondary
Research
7
2.2.
Primary
Research
7-‐9
2.3.
The
Quantitative
Approach
9
2.4.
Justification
of
Survey
Selection
9-‐10
2.4.1.
Why
Other
Methods
Were
not
Chosen
10-‐11
2.4.2.
Survey
Design
11-‐12
2.4.3.
Pre-‐test
Survey
13
2.5.
Sampling
13-‐14
2.5.1.
Response
Rate
14
2.6.
Collection
Method
14
2.7.
Sampling
Error
14-‐15
Chapter
3
–
Literature
Review
16
3.
Consumer
Behaviour
17
3.1.1.
Consumer
Decision
Process
Model
17-‐18
3.2.
Search
for
Information
18-‐19
3.3.
Post
Consumption
Evaluation
20
3.3.3.
Importance
of
Customer
Satisfaction
20-‐21
3.4.
Word
of
Mouth
21-‐22
3.4.1.
Good
vs.
Bad
23
3.4.1.1.
The
Minus
Levels
23
3.4.1.2.
The
Plus
Levels
24
3.4.1.3.
Level
Zero
25
3.5.
Cognitive
Dissonance
25-‐26
3.6.
Summary
26-‐27
Chapter
4
–
Research
Findings
28
4.
Introduction
29
4.1.
Microsoft
Excel
29
4.2.
Response
Rate
29
4.3.
The
Respondents
29-‐30
4.4.
Before
Purchasing
a
Holiday
30
vii
8. 4.5.
Recent
Holidays
31-‐32
4.6.
TripAdvisor
32-‐33
4.7.
Existing
Reviews
33-‐36
4.8.
Word
of
Mouth
36-‐39
4.9.
Recommendations
from
Respondents
39
Chapter
5
–
Recommendations
and
Conclusion
40
5.
Introduction
41
5.1.
Conclusion
41-‐43
5.2.
Recommendations
44
5.3.
Areas
for
Possible
Research
44-‐45
Appendix
46-‐74
Bibliography
75-‐76
viii
9. 1
Chapter
Introduction
Chapter
1
Background
2;
Research
Problem
3;
Research
Objectives
4;
Importance
of
Study
4
L o n d o n
S o u t h
B a n k
–
M a y
2 0 1 2
10. INTRODUCTION
1
1. Background
The
Tourism
industry
has
seen
a
surge
in
the
amount
of
online
user-‐
generated
content
with
regards
to
word
of
mouth
reviews.
TripAdvisor,
which
is
owned
and
operated
by
Expedia
Inc.,
has
led
this
revolution.
With
technology
improving
on
a
day-‐to-‐day
basis,
the
Internet
has
now
become
a
central
hub
for
communicating
through
social
networking
sites,
travel
sites,
and
blogs
enabling
customers
to
talk
freely
about
their
experiences
of
holidays
they
have
been
on.
Smith
and
Taylor
(2002),
describe
word
of
mouth
as
the
most
potent
and
robust
tool
in
advertising.
Highlighting
that
many
of
the
textbooks
share
the
opinion,
Smith
and
Taylor
(2002),
state
that
no
matter
how
good
a
marketing
campaign
may
be,
or
how
much
of
an
expert
seller
a
person
may
be,
they
alone
cannot
compete
with
the
power
of
a
recommendation
made
by
a
colleague
or
friend.
In
the
fourth
quarter
of
2011
TripAdvisor
published
an
increase
its
revenue
by
30%
to
$137.8
million,
making
its
full
years
revenue
$637.1
million1.
This
was
a
31%
increase
from
20102.
TripAdvisor
has
approximately
20
million
users
in
around
26
countries
including
China3.
With
access
to
over
40
million
reviews
and
opinions,
TripAdvisor
services
are
available
free
of
charge
to
its
users,
allowing
them
to
post
comments
and
compare
holidays
free
of
charge4,
and
also
share
them
with
other
users
through
social
networking
sites,
such
as
Facebook
or
Twitter.
TripAdvisor
makes
it
revenue
through
the
use
of
click-‐
based
advertising,
display
based
advertising
and
also
subscriptions.
This
is
where
service
providers
use
trip
advisor
as
a
distribution
channel
for
their
service
or
product
for
publicity5.
With
over
53%
of
holidays
being
booked
online
in
2010,
according
to
a
survey
done
by
Target
Group
Index,
more
people
are
now
taking
the
time
to
1
TripAdvisor
reports
fourth
quarter
and
full
year
2011
financial
results
2
TripAdvisor
reports
fourth
quarter
and
full
year
2011
financial
results
3
TripAdvisor
reports
fourth
quarter
and
full
year
2011
financial
results
4
TripAdvisor
reports
fourth
quarter
and
full
year
2011
financial
results
5
TripAdvisor
reports
fourth
quarter
and
full
year
2011
financial
results
2
11. INTRODUCTION
1
post
reviews
online
about
their
experiences.
According
to
a
Mintel
report
in
July
2011,
around
24%
of
the
population
sampled
posted
positive
reviews
about
their
holiday,
where
as
12%
posted
negative
reviews.
In
addition
to
this
Mintel6,
also
brought
to
light
that
6%
of
those
people
sampled,
also
made
positive
reviews
whilst
on
holiday
whilst
4%
posted
negative
reviews.
However,
recent
events
regarding
the
accuracy
of
these
word
of
mouth
reviews
have
been
put
under
the
spotlight.
In
2010,
legal
action
was
taken
against
TripAdvisor
after
it
had
published
‘Dirtiest
hotel’
list,
where
the
British
Hotel
Association
wanted
to
enforce
legislation
making
it
illegal
to
post
unverified
posts7.
According
to
Mintel8,
a
website
launched
under
the
name
TripAdvisor-‐warning.com
posted
200
fake
reviews
in
the
months
leading
to
the
2nd
of
June
2011
in
order
to
help
expose
the
infectiveness
with
regards
to
accuracy
on
TripAdvisor.
Is
TripAdvisor
now
finding
its
purpose
being
doubted
and
challenged
with
regards
to
the
accuracy
of
its
reviews?
More
than
48%
of
the
sample
people
questioned,
by
Target
Group
Index,
found
that
they
read
travel
reviews
generated
by
other
travellers.
However
are
any
of
these
reviews
to
be
trusted?
Around
28%
of
the
sample
question
by
Target
Group
Index,
agreed
that
they
trust
Internet
reviews
and
blogs
written
by
other
people
they
do
not
know,
where
as
53%
of
the
sample
neither
agreed
nor
disagreed9.
1.2. Research
Problem
With
broadband
penetrating
more
than
70%
of
households10,
the
Internet
has
expanded
rapidly
over
the
past
ten
years;
this
in
turn
has
affected
the
way
word
of
mouth
is
communicated.
It
is
also
evident
that
from
the
background
(section
1)
that
the
trend
in
consumer
behaviour
is
shifting
from
the
regular
“purchase
from
the
high
street
shop”
attitude
and
6
July
2011
7
Mintel,
July
2011
8
July
2011
9
July
2011
10
Mintel
September
2011
3
12. INTRODUCTION
1
instead
making
most
of
their
purchases
online.
This
trend
is
what
makes
website
like
TripAdvisor
successful.
However
is
TripAdvisor
a
victim
of
its
own
success?
Exposure
to
the
Internet
has
increased
rapidly
in
the
past
couple
of
years
with
it
having
the
ability
to
be
accessed
from
a
number
of
platforms.
In
addition
to
home
broadband
penetrating
the
70%
barrier,
people
now
have
access
to
the
Internet
through
their
Smartphones,
TV
sets
and
even
hand
held
game
devices11.
By
focusing
on
the
tourism
industry,
and
in
particular
TripAdvisor,
the
problem
that
this
research
is
trying
to
tackle
to
what
extent
do
people
believe
and
trust
these
reviews,
how
accurate
these
reviews
are
especially
when
it
comes
to
reviews
that
have
been
generated
by
other
users.
1.2.1. Research
Objectives
Objective
1
–
How
does
word
of
mouth
affect
consumer
purchase
behaviour
when
it
comes
to
websites
such
as
TripAdvisor
or
similar
websites?
Objective
2
-‐
What
intentions
do
consumers
have
when
it
comes
to
using
websites
such
as
TripAdvisor?
Objective
3
–
How
is
consumer-‐purchasing
behaviour
affected
by
good
and
bad
reviews
on
websites
such
as
TripAdvisor?
Objective
4
–
What
recommendations
can
make
websites
such
as
TripAdvisor
make
their
reviews
more
accurate?
1.3. Importance
of
Study
The
importance
of
this
study
is
to
help
get
a
better
understanding
on
how
word
of
mouth
can
affect
consumer
behaviour
in
the
market.
The
study
is
11
Mintel,
September
2011
4
13. INTRODUCTION
1
will
help
TripAdvisor
gaining
a
better
insight
into
consumer’s
perceptions
of
their
service.
This
study
will
provide
a
better
understanding
on
consumer
satisfaction
as
it
is
this
element
that
shapes
word
of
mouth
and
a
companies
reputation.
This
study
hopes
to
give
companies
a
foundation
surrounding
the
effects
that
negative
word
of
mouth
directed
towards
a
company
through
the
findings
and
recommendations
the
study
is
seeking
to
make.
5
14. RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
6
2
Chapter
Research
Methodology
Chapter
2
Introduction
7;
Secondary
Research
7;
Primary
Research
7;
The
Quantitative
Approach
9;
Justification
of
Questionnaire
Selection
9;
Why
Other
Methods
Were
Not
Chosen
10;
Questionnaire
Design
11;
Pre-‐test
of
Questionnaires
13;
Sampling
13;
Response
Rate
14;
Collection
Method
14;
Sampling
Error
14.
L o n d o n
S o u t h
B a n k
–
M a y
2 0 1 2
15. RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
2
2. Introduction
In
this
section
of
the
report,
different
research
methods
will
be
explored
to
determine
which
will
be
effective
to
gather
the
relevant
information
that
will
help
make
recommendations.
Data
collected
for
this
study
needs
to
be
relevant,
accurate
and
reliable.
Both
primary
and
secondary
research
will
be
utilised
to
collate
the
information
required.
Quantitative
and
qualitative
methods
will
be
explored
in
order
to
determine
which
method/
methods
will
be
best
suited
to
collate
primary
data.
2.1. Secondary
Research
Lewis
et
al
(2009)
states
that
secondary
research
can
be
both
raw
data
and
published
summaries.
Secondary
data
is
found
from
many
areas,
such
as
the
Internet,
government
reports,
published
journals
or
newspapers.
Secondary
research
is
fundamental
as
it
provides
a
useful
source
where
answers
or
partial
answers
can
be
found
for
the
study
being
carried
out.
The
advantages
for
using
secondary
research
are,
firstly
resources
are
not
wasted,
as
it
is
very
time
effective
and
cost
effective,
making
data
very
easy
and
quick
to
find.
This
is
particularly
helpful
when
a
report
has
to
be
conducted
in
such
a
short
space
of
time.
It
also
provides
the
study
with
a
lot
of
comparative
and
contextual
information
that
will
help
reinforce
the
report.
However
secondary
research
may
not
be
relevant
to
the
study,
either
being
unsuitable
or
out
of
date,
also
depending
on
the
subject
some
of
the
information
may
be
hard
to
access.
2.2. Primary
Research
Primary
research
involves
a
process
where
raw
data
is
extracted
through
7
16. RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
2
activities
such
as
surveys,
investigations,
and
even
interviews12.
Raw
data
tends
to
be
data
that
does
not
previously
exist.
Some
of
the
examples
of
primary
research
include:
• Observations
–
This
is
where
observations
are
made
that
are
concerned
with
what
consumers
do,
it
is
done
through
observing
behaviour
recording
descriptions,
analysing
and
interpreting
consumer
behaviour13.
This
would
be
suitable
for
this
study
as
it
involves
looking
at
the
way
consumers
behave
online
with
regards
to
the
content
generated
on
websites
such
as
TripAdvisor
• In-‐depth,
group
and
semi-‐structured
interviews
–
This
is
where
a
discussion
is
held
by
two
or
more
people
to
help
gather
information
about
the
study14.
Information
obtained
is
generally
in
depth
and
reliable.
However,
this
will
not
be
suitable
for
this
research
due
to
time
constraints
and
access
to
people.
• Surveys
–
This
is
where
a
survey
is
drawn
up
for
the
purpose
of
the
study
and
a
sample
is
picked
in
order
to
try
and
get
the
best
answers
that
represent
the
population15.
This
will
be
useful
for
this
study
because
a
lot
of
information
can
be
obtained
through
a
survey.
It
is
also
very
cost
effective
and
cheap
to
carry
out.
For
the
purpose
of
this
study
a
survey
will
be
conducted
in
order
to
help
answer
objectives
set
out
in
section
1.2.1.
This
method
was
chosen
above
others
because
a
survey
was
seen
as
the
best
way
to
collect
data
quickly
in
a
standardised
way
making
the
findings
more
objective
than
other
forms
of
research
such
as
interviews.
However
this
could
also
be
a
disadvantage
that
data
is
standardised,
as
it
is
not
possible
to
explain
any
12
Lewis
et
al,
2009
13
Lewis
et
al,
2009
14
Lewis
et
al,
2009
15
Lewis
et
al,
2009
8
17. RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
2
points
that
participants
might
be
misinterpreted.
A
survey
will
help
in
answering
the
objectives
set
out
in
section
1.2.1.
As
the
questions
which
will
be
included
in
the
survey
will
be
asked
in
relation
to
the
objectives
and
worded
in
the
best
way
to
answer
the
objectives.
2.3. The
Quantitative
Approach
The
quantitative
approach
would
best
fit
this
report
and
the
survey
as
most
questions
due
to
the
survey
being
carried
out.
Most
information
collated
will
be
from
close-‐ended
questions.
However,
some
data
will
also
be
collated
with
the
use
of
open-‐ended
questions.
For
the
purpose
of
this
survey
a
mixture
of
both
close
ended
and
open-‐
ended
questions
will
be
used
as
part
of
the
survey.
There
are
two
types
of
data
that
can
be
collected.
• Quantitative
data
is
drawn
from
close-‐ended
questions,
normally
numerical,
one-‐word
answers
or
statements.
This
will
be
beneficial,
as
it
will
help
this
study
in
finding
accurate
and
relevant
information
that
can
be
quantified.
• Qualitative
data
is
drawn
from
open
ended
questions,
normally
where
the
respondent
is
asked
to
write
a
couple
of
lines
to
express
their
opinion
about
a
statement
or
question.
The
benefits
for
using
this
method
in
a
survey
will
help
reinforce
findings
by
providing
the
study
with
some
statements
and
opinions
made
by
the
sample.
By
incorporating
both
quantitative
and
qualitative
questions
into
the
survey
will
ensure
a
non-‐biased
approach
is
being
taken,
as
people
will
be
allowed
to
voice
their
opinions
with
the
use
of
open-‐ended
questions.
2.4. Justification
of
Survey
Selection
There
are
various
reasons
why
a
survey
was
selected
as
the
method
to
collate
and
obtain
data:
9
18. RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
2
1. Quickest
–
Due
to
time
constraints
this
was
deemed
the
most
effective
and
quickest
way
to
obtain
the
information
required
to
complete
this
study.
2. Resources
–
As
this
study
is
not
funded,
a
survey
was
seen
as
a
good
method
because
it
will
not
cost
a
fortune
in
order
to
carry
out
the
research.
3. Sample
size
–
A
survey
was
also
deemed
the
best
way
to
collate
data
from
the
sample
of
150
people
as
any
other
methods
would
have
been
very
time
consuming
and
also
may
have
been
an
overload
of
information.
2.4.1. Why
Other
Methods
Were
Not
Chosen
There
are
several
reasons
why
other
methods
were
disregarded
from
this
study.
The
primary
reason
was
because
interviews
were
not
designed
to
cope
with
a
large
number
of
respondents,
as
this
would
have
been
very
time
consuming.
Furthermore,
the
information
collected
would
not
be
standardised
and
therefore
it
would
have
taken
a
great
deal
of
time
to
analyse
the
information.
Other
reasons
taken
into
consideration
had
to
do
with
the
interviewer
and
how
they
would
affect
the
consistency
of
the
interview
and
also
if
they
were
to
make
it
biased
in
the
form
they
asked
the
questions.
Observations
were
not
considered
effective
for
this
study
because
it
requires
a
long
time
to
implement
and
apprehend
data.
In
addition
to
this
if
the
consumer
had
awareness
of
that
their
actions
are
being
observed
this
may
have
an
effect
on
findings
being
accurate,
as
the
consumer
may
acted
or
responded
in
an
infrequent
way.
In
addition
to
these
reasons,
the
study
also
felt
that
these
methods
were
not
as
appropriate
to
use,
as
they
would
not
be
the
most
effective
way
to
collate
data
to
help
answer
the
objectives
set
out
in
1.2.1.
The
risk
in
using
these
methods
may
have
meant
that
data
collated
would
not
be
as
vast
10
19. RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
2
and
strong
to
support
any
recommendations
that
will
be
made
in
the
end
of
this
study.
2.4.2. Survey
Design
In
order
to
find
out
the
relevant
information
that
is
needed,
it
is
necessary
for
a
survey
to
be
implemented.
This
should
help
in
finding
out
consumer
attitudes
towards
websites
such
as
TripAdvisor,
their
thoughts
surrounding
such
websites,
what
their
intentions
are
when
it
comes
to
using
those
sites,
and
also
what
recommendations
they
can
suggest
to
improve
such
sites.
To
help
construct
this
survey,
Bourque
and
Clarke
(1994)
have
highlighted
three
approaches
that
can
be
employed
to
design
the
survey:
1. Adopt
questions
2. Adapt
questions
3. Develop
questions
Furthermore,
the
design
of
the
questions
themselves
play
a
vital
role,
as
there
are
several
types
of
questions
that
can
be
used:
1. Closed
questions
–
DeVaus
(2002)
define
closed
questions
as
force-‐choice
questions
providing
the
respondents
a
number
of
alternative
answers
from
which
they
can
choose.
2. Open
questions
–
these
types
of
questions
are
where
respondents
are
given
the
opportunity
to
answer
questions
in
their
own
way
(Fink,
2003).
3. List
questions
–
This
is
where
the
respondent
is
provided
with
a
list
of
options
from
which
they
can
choose
more
than
one
answer
(Lewis
et
al,
2009).
4. Category
questions
–
Lewis
et
al
(2009)
states
that
category
questions
are
designed
so
that
each
respondent
can
be
grouped
into
one
category.
5. Rating
questions
–
these
questions
are
used
to
collect
opinion
data
(Lewis
et
al,
2009)
by
asking
the
respondents
whether
they
agree
or
disagree
with
a
statement.
11
20. RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
2
There
are
other
elements
that
need
to
be
considered
when
designing
a
survey;
two
factors
are
the
order
and
flow
of
questions
and
the
layout.
These
factors
need
to
be
considered
because
it
is
vital
that
the
survey
is
user
friendly,
engaging
and
short
in
length.
The
structure
of
this
survey
was
pretty
simple.
The
main
considerations
that
were
implemented
into
it
were
to
make
it
short,
quick
and
easy
but
at
the
same
time
effective
to
extract
as
much
information
as
possible.
There
were
also
some
other
considerations
that
were
considered
such
as
not
asking
too
much
personal
information
surrounding
the
respondent.
The
first
section
of
the
survey
was
simply
to
know
what
the
respondents
age
group
they
fit
and
what
gender
they
were.
Questions
three
to
five
revolved
around
getting
a
better
understanding
about
the
respondents
travel
purchase
behaviour.
This
was
necessary,
as
it
would
help
get
a
better
understanding
about
the
various
websites
the
respondent
uses
to
purchase
or
plan
to
purchase
a
holiday.
The
final
part
of
the
survey
was
designed
to
consider
the
respondents
attitude
towards
reviews,
their
opinions
surrounding
such
activities
and
also
to
see
if
they
took
part
in
such
activities
themselves.
Question
six
and
seven
also
helped
to
get
a
better
understanding
of
these
reviews
would
affect
any
future
purchases
to
be
made
by
the
consumer.
Question
eight
in
the
survey
asked
to
consideration
what
consumers
thought
that
websites,
such
as
TripAdvisor,
needed
to
change
or
improve
in
their
service.
This
question
was
necessary
because
it
will
help
the
study
in
reaching
recommendations
that
consumers
will
actually
respond
to,
after
all
this
is
a
service
which
caters
to
them.
A
copy
of
the
questionnaire
used
for
this
study
can
be
found
under
appendix
A.
12
21. RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
2
2.4.3. Pre-‐test
of
Surveys
In
order
to
ensure
that
the
survey
was
fit
for
purpose,
and
complied
with
the
design
methods
outlined
in
sections
2.4.1.1.
pre-‐test
surveys
were
distributed
to
five
individuals
to
complete.
This
helped
determine
the
effectiveness
of
the
survey
and
whether
any
changes
need
to
be
made
to
the
survey
before
it
went
live.
Pre-‐tests
also
help
to
get
a
general
idea
of
what
findings
of
the
sample
is
going
to
be
like.
This
also
helps
in
seeing
what
the
respondents
also
thought
about
the
layout
of
the
survey
and
whether
there
needs
to
be
any
improvements
made
to
its
layout
to
make
it
more
user
friendly.
Changes
made
to
the
survey
can
be
found
in
appendix
E.
2.5. Sampling
Collecting
responses
from
an
entire
population
can
be
very
difficult.
A
sample
population
provides
an
alternative
to
obtain
findings
from
a
representative
number
of
people.
There
are
several
advantages
highlighted
by
Lewis
et
al,
(2009)
to
using
sample
population:
1. More
practical
and
feasible
2. Budget
constraint
3. Time
constraints
Lewis
et
al,
(2009)
states
that
there
are
two
types
of
sampling
techniques:
1. Probability
sampling
–
Mostly
used
for
survey-‐based
research
where
inferences
are
made
from
the
sample
about
a
population
to
answer
questions
to
meet
the
objectives.
2. Non-‐probability
sampling
–
This
provides
an
alternative
technique
to
select
samples
based
on
subjective
judgements.
It
is
mainly
used
in
cases
of
pilot
surveys.
As
this
a
survey
based
activity,
probability
sampling
was
seen
to
best
fit
the
technique
that
should
be
used
for
the
purpose
of
collating
data.
The
sample
size
of
this
survey
will
consist
of
150
respondents.
Statistical
probability
may
be
difficult
to
implement
in
this
study
due
to
the
number
of
respondents
not
being
large
enough.
The
sample
will
include
both
female
and
male
respondents
from
various
age
groups.
The
main
target
13
22. RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
2
group
is
25-‐55.
The
respondents
must
also
be
users
of
TripAdvisor
or
similar
websites.
2.5.1. Response
Rate
The
main
disadvantage
of
using
a
survey
is
the
number
of
low
response
rates
that
they
receive.
This
study
aims
to
obtain
at
least
a
40%
response
rate.
In
order
to
encourage
a
higher
response
rate,
£20
Love2Shop
vouchers
will
be
awarded
to
three
of
the
respondents,
at
random,
for
taking
part
in
the
questionnaire.
2.6. Collection
Method
Where:
Oxford
Street,
Bond
Street,
and
Tottenham
Court
Road
Dates:
January
9th,
2012
until
January
13th,
2012
Time:
30
surveys
will
be
filled
out
on
each
day
of
the
week
from
the
hours
of
9
am
to
5
pm.
15
of
the
surveys
need
to
be
from
TripAdvisor
consumers
and
the
remainder
from
consumers
that
use
websites
similar
to
TripAdvisor
Justification:
Due
to
the
amount
of
people
who
commute
around
these
locations
they
were
seen
best
fit
to
carry
out
this
research.
Also
there
is
a
mixed
diversity
of
people
that
will
be
exposed
to
this
survey
and
therefore
make
the
collection
of
data
more
simple
and
less
time
consuming.
2.7. Sampling
Error
This
report
acknowledges
the
room
for
sampling
error
is
a
high
risk.
This
in
itself
has
a
drawback
for
not
being
representative
of
the
population.
Had
more
time
been
allocated
to
obtaining
data
the
study
would
have
sought
after
a
much
larger
sample
size
and
extended
to
getting
responses
online,
and
from
other
areas
of
the
United
Kingdom
and
not
just
the
capital.
14
23. RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
2
This
study
accepts
that
the
results
obtained
may
not
be
entirely
valid,
consistent
and
reliable
as
they
may
be
deemed
as
biased,
as
other
respondents
from
the
Internet
or
other
areas
of
the
United
Kingdom
may
have
different
perceptions
of
TripAdvisor
and
similar
websites.
15
24. 16
LITERATURE
REVIEW
3
Chapter
Literature
Review
Chapter
3
Consumer
Behaviour
17;
Consumer
Decision
Process
Model
17;
Search
for
Information
18;
Post-‐Consumption
Evaluation
20;
Importance
of
Customer
Satisfaction
20;
Word-‐Of-‐Mouth
21;
Good
vs.
Bad
Reviews
23;
The
Minus
Levels
23;
The
Plus
Levels
24;
Level
Zero
25;
Cognitive
Dissonance
25;
Summary
26;
L o n d o n
S o u t h
B a n k
–
M a y
2 0 1 2
25. LITERATURE
REVIEW
3
3. Consumer
Behaviour
Consumer
behaviour
derives
from
activities
consumers
undertake
when
they
obtain,
consume
and
dispose
a
product
or
service16.
From
the
definition
Blackwell
et
al
(2006)
highlights
the
three
activities
that
form
the
consumer
behaviour
process:
1. Obtaining
–
Blackwell
et
al
(2006)
defines
this
as
the
activities
that
lead
up
to
the
purchase
of
a
product
or
service,
and
also
the
actual
purchase
of
the
product.
2. Consuming
–
This
activity
revolves
around
how,
where,
when
and
under
what
circumstances
the
product
or
service
obtained
was
consumed17.
3. Disposing
–
This
action
is
where
the
product
or
service
is
consumed
and
the
consumer
wishes
to
dispose
of
the
product
or
service18.
3.1.1. Consumer
Decision
Process
Model
Deriving
from
The
John
Dewey
model
(Dewey,
1910)
Blackwell
et
al
(2006)
describes
the
decisions
making
process
as
a
road
map
of
consumers
minds
that
marketers
can
use
to
help
them
guide
the
product
mix.
The
purpose
of
this
model
(figure
1)
is
to
capture
the
activities
that
occur
when
decisions
are
made,
showing
how
internal
and
external
forces
affect
the
way
consumers
think,
evaluate,
and
act.
From
this
model
it
is
evident
that
consumers
go
through
seven
different
stages.
The
stages
that
will
be
explored
further
for
the
purpose
of
this
study
are
the
need
to
search
for
information
and
also
post
consumption
evaluation.
In
order
to
better
understand
why
consumers
use
TripAdvisor
and
similar
websites
it
is
important
to
explore
why
there
is
a
need
to
search
for
information
before
making
purchases
and
also
why
people
take
part
in
post
consumption
evaluations.
16
Blackwell
et
al,
(2006)
17
Blackwell
et
al,
(2006)
18
Blackwell
et
al,
(2006)
17
26. LITERATURE
REVIEW
3
Figure
1:
Decision
Making
Process
Pre-‐
Purchase,
Post-‐
Need
Search
for
Purchase
Recognition
information
evalation
of
Purchase
Divestment
evaluation
alternatives
Adapted
from
Blythe,
2008
3.2. Search
for
Information
This
activity
takes
place
before
making
a
purchase,
and
where
websites
such
as
TripAdvisor
play
a
huge
role
in
making
purchases.
Both
Blythe
(2008)
and
Blackwell
et
al
(2006)
agree
that
this
activity
draws
information
from
internal
and
external
sources
(figure
2).
Internal
sources
tend
to
derive
from
the
consumers
memory,
having
purchased
that
item
previously
or
from
previous
experience.
However
if
this
is
not
the
case,
then
internal
sources
may
not
be
sufficient,
which
then
makes
way
for
secondary
sources.
Blythe
(2008)
and
Blackwell
et
al
(2006)
agree
that
information
sought
by
consumers
can
either
be
marketer-‐dominated
or
non-‐marketer
dominated:
1. Marketer
domination
–
Blythe
(2008)
describes
this
as
information
that
is
shared
via
advertising,
brochures,
websites,
sales
people
and
so
forth.
2. Non-‐marketer
domination
–
This
is
information
is
shared
via
friends,
family,
opinion
leader
and
so
forth
(Blythe,
2008).
This
18
27. LITERATURE
REVIEW
3
type
of
information
is
shared
through
word
of
mouth
and
word
of
mouse
methods.
Pre-‐purchase
activities
such
as
internal
and
external
research
are
important
for
consumers
as
people
often
discuss
their
experiences
when
purchasing,
using
and
disposing
a
product.
These
discussions
are
vital
to
TripAdvisor
and
similar
websites
as
they
are
the
spine
of
the
organisation.
Blythe
(2008)
and
Blackwell
et
al
(2006)
state
that
non-‐marketer
dominated
information
is
more
powerful
that
market
dominated
communications
as
word
of
mouth
interactions
it
involves
discussion
between
a
number
of
parties,
allowing
a
two
way
communication.
There
is
also
a
belief
that
sources
such
as
family
and
friends
are
more
trusted
because
they
have
a
non-‐profit
motive.
Figure
2:
Information
Searching
Internal
search
Information
gap
/
new
Information
purchase
gaps
problem
reduced
but
Marketer
generated
not
eliminated
External
search
Non-‐marketer
generated
Adapted
from
Blythe,
2008
19
28. LITERATURE
REVIEW
3
3.3. Post-‐Consumption
Evaluation
As
seen
from
the
Consumer
Decision
Process
Model
(figure
1)
a
fundamental
part
of
our
purchasing
process
involves
the
need
to
search
for
information
about
products
and
services.
This
information
has
to
originate
from
somewhere,
thus
making
way
for
post-‐consumption
evaluation.
This
step
of
the
model
takes
place
after
the
consumer
has
purchased
and
consumed
the
product
or
service.
Blackwell
et
al
(2006)
states
that
depending
on
consumption
experience
the
consumer
will
either
change
their
attitude
towards
the
object
or
reinforce
it.
These
attitudes,
as
discussed
by
Blythe
(2008)
and
Blackwell
et
al
(2006)
tend
to
revolve
around
the
satisfaction
or
dissatisfaction
of
the
product
or
service
that
the
consumer
has
experienced.
Therefore,
there
is
a
great
importance
that
organisations
pay
great
attention
to
ensuring
the
consumers
are
always
satisfied.
If
organisations
fail
to
comply
with
this
then
the
damage
can
be
severe
for
the
organisations
image.
3.3.1. Importance
of
Customer
Satisfaction
There
is
now
a
great
importance
for
companies
to
be
concerned
about
customer
satisfaction.
Why
this
great
importance?
The
most
obvious
reason
as
highlighted
by
Blackwell
et
al
(2006)
is
the
need
for
repeat
business.
However
there
are
also
other
important
points
that
Blythe
(2008),
Blackwell
et
al
(2006)
and
Evans
et
al
(2006)
need
to
be
considered:
1. Influence
–
Not
only
is
the
individual’s
satisfaction
and
repeat
business
important
but
also
it
is
the
individual’s
influence
over
other
people
purchasing
habits.
In
other
words
if
a
consumer
has
a
bad
experience
not
only
is
he
unlikely
to
go
purchase
or
use
that
organisations
service
again
but
he
will
also
deter
other
people
within
his
friends,
family
and
peers
circle
from
purchasing
from
that
organisation
as
well.
This
in
turn
can
be
very
costly
for
an
organisation,
as
Blackwell
(2006)
states
that
20
29. LITERATURE
REVIEW
3
it
costs
an
organisation
twenty
times
more
to
attract
new
customers
than
to
retain
loyal
customers.
2. Satisfaction
shapes
Word-‐of-‐Mouth
and
Word-‐of-‐Mouse
–
This
is
by
far
the
most
important
factor
as
not
only
does
satisfaction
shape
future
purchase
but
also
the
way
it
controls
the
way
people
communicate
about
the
product
and
service.
As
stated
in
the
first
point
a
consumer
with
a
bad
experience
will
be
more
likely
to
discourage
friends,
family
and
peers
from
purchasing
from
an
organisation
if
they
have
a
bad
experience.
Blackwell
et
al
(2006)
also
highlights
that
consumers
are
more
likely
to
discuss
bad
experiences
and
go
to
great
lengths
to
do
so
than
sharing
positive
experiences.
3. Complaints
and
lawsuits
–
In
addition
to
deterring
customers
and
stirring
bad
word
of
mouth,
satisfaction
can
also
lead
an
organisation
to
be
faced
with
unwanted
complaints
and
lawsuits.
Not
only
is
this
damaging
to
an
organisation
but
also
it
brings
some
unwanted
attention
to
the
company
causing
even
more
negative
word
of
mouth.
However
this
time
it
would
be
more
public
and
more
people
will
hear
and
talk
about
it.
3.4. Word-‐of-‐Mouth
Blythe
(2008),
Fill
(2011),
and
Silverman
(2001)
all
agree
that
word
of
mouth
is
the
most
powerful
force
in
the
marketplace.
To
reinforce
this
statement,
Silverman
(2001)
includes
a
quote
from
Dr.
Paddi
Lund
where
he
says:
“Even
those
deaf
to
the
bragging
cries
of
the
marketplace
will
listen
to
a
friend”
Silverman
(2001)
defines
word
of
mouth
as
the
communication
about
products
and
services
between
independent
consumers
who
have
nothing
to
do
with
the
organisation.
This
communication
also
takes
place
21
30. LITERATURE
REVIEW
3
in
a
medium
that
is
independent
from
the
organisations,
either
as
one-‐
way
testimonials
or
conversations.
The
development
of
the
Internet,
as
discussed
in
section
1
of
this
study,
has
meant
that
word
of
mouse
communication
is
now
being
used
as
a
platform
for
consumers
to
communicate
about
their
experiences.
Fill
(2011)
has
also
highlighted
that
this
will
be
the
future
of
word
of
mouth.
Mintel
(2011)
has
also
state
that
more
people
are
now
finding
themselves
within
easy
access
to
the
Internet.
Both
Blythe
(2008)
and
Silverman
(2001)
state
that
word
of
mouth
is
a
powerful
persuader,
as
it
is
not
canned
like
most
company’s
communications.
They
both
also
believe
that
it
is
the
most
honest
medium
as
it
is
customer
driven
and
there
is
no
beneficial
gain
when
communicating
their
experiences.
The
greatest
advantage
to
using
word
of
mouth
is
that
it
feeds
on
itself.
This
opinion
is
also
shared
with
Blythe
(2008),
Fill
(2011)
and
Silverman
(2001).
For
example
if
ten
consumers
had
ten
experiences,
in
total
they
would
have
had
a
hundred
experiences
and
so
on.
This
is
very
effective
as
it
helps
create
a
dissonance
effect
because
“everybody
is
talking
about
it”,
which
in
turn
helps
provide
additional
confirmation
to
a
consumer
looking
to
purchase
a
product.
It
is
also
worth
mentioning
that
Blythe
(2008),
Fill
(2011)
and
Silverman
(2001)
all
highlight
that
word
of
mouth
can
also
be
either
good
or
bad.
They
state
that
bad
reviews
travel
faster
than
good
reviews.
People
are
also
more
likely
to
talk
about
their
bad
experiences
more
so
than
their
good
experiences.
A
finding
from
the
Coca
Cola
Company
in
198119
found
that
12%
of
people
told
20
or
more
people
about
the
companies
response
to
their
complaints,
where
are
those
who
were
satisfied
only
told
a
median
of
four
to
five
others
about
their
experiences.
19
Blythe,
2008
22
31. LITERATURE
REVIEW
3
3.4.1. Good
vs.
Bad
reviews
By
now
this
study
has
discovered
that
word
of
mouth
is
not
the
same
as
it
comes
in
different
forms,
either
negative
or
positive.
Silverman
(2001)
expands
this
further
by
introducing
the
idea
that
word
of
mouth
has
got
nine
different
levels.
These
levels
range
from
minus
four
(negative
word
of
mouth)
to
plus
four
(positive
word
of
mouth).
3.4.1.1. The
Minus
Levels
-‐4. Minus
four
–
Described
by
Silverman
(2001)
as
the
level
where
people
are
all
complaining
about
a
product
or
services.
These
complaints
are
so
severe
that
they
are
in
fact
a
public
scandal.
A
recent
example
of
this
type
of
level
was
the
Toyota
scandal
where
several
of
their
cars
had
to
be
recalled
due
to
faulty
gas
pedals.
This
level
is
very
hard
to
survive,
and
often
the
only
ways
companies
survive
is
because
the
company
is
so
trusted
or
favoured
that
nothing
can
taint
their
image.
-‐3. Minus
three
–
Silverman
(2001)
states
that
although
it
is
similar
to
minus
four,
in
this
level
people
and
ex-‐consumers
go
out
of
their
way
to
spread
bad
word
of
mouth
about
a
product
or
service,
however
the
level
of
scandal
is
not
as
public
as
minus
four.
-‐2. Minus
two
–
This
level
involves
customers
having
rants
about
a
product
or
service
mainly
bad
mouthing
the
brand
(Silverman,
2011).
This
level
still
has
a
negative
effect
on
sales
making
them
erode
however
not
as
fast
as
minus
three
and
minus
four,
as
consumers
are
still
not
actively
seeking
to
spread
bad
word
of
mouth.
-‐1. Minus
one
–
At
this
stage
Silverman
(2001)
explains
that
people
are
not
complaining
about
a
product
or
service.
Unless
they
are
questioned
about
the
product
or
service,
only
then
will
the
talk
about
their
bad
experience
with
the
product.
This
level
is
also
not
as
damaging
as
the
other
minus
levels
as
people
still
purchase
the
product
despite
the
negative
word
of
mouth.
23