Word of Mouth (WOM) Communication between the Online Communities: Conceptualising the Social Media Networking

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Acknowledgement

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I, [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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Abstract

Word of mouth (WOM) has been playing an increasingly significant role in consumer purchase decisions in online communities. Prior studies illustrate that a variety of aspects of online WOM influence sales. Given its rising importance, firms need to understand and manage online WOM to benefit from the phenomenon. The aim of this research is to examine the eWoM communication effect on customer behaviour, attitude, brand and process intension. Quantitative approach was used to collect data from respondents of the study. The researcher decided to use quantitative research for this study because assumption based on the situation observed from the society is not required, but the researcher wants to obtain statistical truth. The populations for this study were the members of different social media communities. The researcher was emailed 300 participants out of which 100 respondents will be selected randomly. SPSS 16.0 is used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics will be used to present the data collected through surveys. Survey findings are represented in terms of frequencies. The study found the following personalities that started and motivated others to engage in eWoM communication: extrovert, open to experience, and high on conscientiousness. There are two benefits that can be gained by marketers through this study. Firstly, online social networks/communities provide a marketing channel for product-related eWoM communication. Secondly, from the personality traits identified in this study, the marketers can create personalized marketing communication strategies for each personality type that fulfils their social networking needs.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTii

DECLARATIONiii

ABSTRACTiv

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the Study1

Problem Statement3

Objectives for the Research3

Research Questions4

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW6

Word-of-Mouth Communication6

Online Word Of Mouth and Consumer Review7

Effects of eWOM9

Social Networking sites and WOM9

Consumer eWOM Behaviour in Social Networking Sites11

The Internet and the Assumption of Anonymity12

The Current State of Online Social Networks13

The Big Five Personality Traits Theory14

Extraversion15

Openness to Experience18

Agreeableness22

Conscientiousness23

Neuroticism25

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY28

Research Design28

Data Collection Technique30

Secondary Research30

Primary Research31

Quantitative and Qualitative Data32

Justification for Chosen Method32

Participants33

Instrument33

Likert Scale34

Data Collection and Analysis Procedure34

Data Collection Process34

Data Analyses35

Research Ethics35

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION37

Survey Findings37

Discussion47

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION54

Conclusion54

Managerial Implications55

Strengths and Limitations55

Future Research Directions57

REFERENCES59

APPENDIX73

Questionnaire73

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Contemporary online social networks are the result of many developments in computer mediated communication (CMC). Walther (1992) defined computer mediated communication as: “synchronous or asynchronous electronic mail and computer conferencing, by which senders encode in text messages that are relayed from senders' computer to receivers” (Walther, 1992, p.52). While encoded text-based messages remain fundamental to CMC, increased bandwidth has allowed the means by which computer mediated communication can be undertaken to include synchronous communication by means of ...