Descriptive Research Methodology

The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the methodology used to collect and treat the data. It includes six sections. The first section explains the research method used to collect data, the second section considers respondents and sampling procedures; and the third section the research instruments. The fourth part examines the reliability of the questionnaire and the fifth section the process to collect both primary and secondary data. The last section details statistical treatment of data.

4.1 Research Method Used

In this study, descriptive research is used to investigate how e-loyalty is influenced by several factors. Descriptive research is defined by Zikmund (2003) as the research designed to describe characteristics of a population or a phenomenon and is aims to “determine the answers to who, what, when, where and how questions.” Also it is stated that descriptive research can be used to evaluate the proportion of people in a specified population who behaves in a certain way (Churchill, 1999).

The research has applied the survey technique, distributing the questionnaires to collect data from respondents. A sample survey was used in such a way that sample of respondents would be representative of a specific population. The survey method is a research technique in which information is gathered form a sample of people by distributing the questionnaires. This survey technique provides a quick, inexpensive, efficient, and accurate means of assessing information about the population (Zikmund, 2004).

The researcher employed a self-administered questionnaire to collect the primary data. The self-administered questionnaire is a technique used to engage in the needed data collection. Zikmund (2004) stat...

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.... Multiple regression is a technique that allows additional factors to enter the analysis separately so that the effect of each can be estimated.

Malhorta (2004) explained that multiple regression analysis is a way to describe the relationship between a dependent variable and several independent variables. In the multiple regression, one uses additional independent variables that help better explain or predict the dependent variable (Y). Multiple regression analysis can be either a descriptive or an inferential technique. The regression analysis was used to test one research hypotheses (H1 to H5) The formula is:

Y’ = a + b1 X1 + b1 X1 + b1 X3 +……………+ bk Xk

Where:

a = the Y-intercept, the estimated value of Y when X’s are zero. b = the amount by which Y changes when X changes by one unit with all other values held the same.