22nd Annual Student Research Conference
Factors Affecting Internet Usage at Truman State University
Daniel I. West
Dr. Nabil M. Alghalith, Faculty Mentor
In electronic commerce, information can mean survival. Market researchers can use online-based surveys, focus groups, feedback forms, or clickstream behavior monitoring to collect data about consumers. Many institutions such as Truman State University can better understand the wants and needs of today's students through market research. This especially applies when considering the Internet, where trends can surface and disappear within months. The purpose of my project was to identify criteria Truman students use in deciding how to spend free time online. With my faculty mentor, Dr. Nabil Alghalith, I developed an online survey and collected 148 responses. In general, students ranked a website's popularity as most important. Factors such as convenience and layout were also important. Most students preferred to discover new websites either through friends, word-of-mouth, or other websites they use. My initial hypothesis correctly said that layout and convenience were important, but overlooked the factor of popularity.
Keywords: Business Administration, E-Commerce, Market Research, Survey
Topic(s):Business Administration
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 58-3
Location: VH 1416
Time: 3:15