An Investigation Of Nigerian Consumer’s Online Shopping Behaviour The WritePass Journal

An Investigation Of Nigerian Consumer’s Online Shopping Behaviour Abstract An Investigation Of Nigerian Consumer’s Online Shopping Behaviour Abstract1. Introduction1.1. E-commerce development in Nigeria1.2. Problem statementResearch objectives1.3. Research structure2.   Literature review3.Methodology3.1.Research approach and strategy3.2.Data collection3.3.Data analysis3.4.  Ã‚  Ethical issues3.5.Research limitations4.ConclusionReferencesAppendix 1Related Abstract This research proposal deals with an investigation of the online shopping behaviour among Nigerians living abroad. It has been established from research that a few Nigerians embrace technology in doing business. The research paper starts with an introduction about the problem statement to be addressed in the research. The objective is to find out the factors that contribute to the unique online shopping behaviour among the Nigerians. The proposal highlights trends to be investigated that are online shopping in Nigeria. Data to be used in the research will be gathered through the use of a questionnaire given at random to 100 respondents. The obtained data will be analyzed based on the scaled factors given for each response by the participants. The representative sample gives the best results because it uses respondents of diverse fields who are in a position to use online shopping systems. The results can be used by any developing country because the online shopping trends for developing countries are the same. 1. Introduction The nature of how individuals do business has changed from time to time due to individual needs and the emerging business technologies. Electronic commerce is one of the recent forms of online shopping that has been adopted by many business individuals in the world. According to Ghosh (1997, p. 1),   â€Å"E-commerce provides consumers the ability to bank, invest, purchase, distribute, communicate, explore, and research from virtually anywhere an Internet connection can be obtained.† Therefore, electronic commerce can be defined as doing business through the internet. This trend of doing business has gained momentum in the global business world because of the increased web advertising (Jackson et al. 2003). This research proposal aims at determining the effect of web advertising on the Nigerian consumer’s online shopping behaviour. 1.1. E-commerce development in Nigeria The basis of electronic commerce depends on the level of technology in a country. Nigeria is a developing country that has experienced improvements in its technological aspect in the recent past with a total population of about 16 % embracing the use of the internet (Internet World Stats, 2009). However, most of the Nigerians have not exploited the full potential of using the internet fully. In addition, the recent advancement of technology has enabled many Nigerians to see the need to embrace technology in doing business. As such, internet usage has started gaining familiarity among the Nigerians. A research by Folorunso et al. (2006, p. 2226) shows that only 32% of Nigerians who had heard about electronic commerce had embraced the technology. This low number of Nigerians using the internet to do business may contribute to the Nigerian online shopping behaviour. 1.2. Problem statement The use of the internet in doing business in Nigeria is slower than other countries in the world. This is contrary to the vital importance provided by the use of the internet in advertising the product. Most of the Nigerians are ignorant about online shopping, but those who embrace the internet do not prefer to do online shopping because they assume products advertised in the internet are either expensive or strange to their traditional culture. This consumer behaviour has reduced efforts of globalization into the Nigerian markets. The question, then, is what should be done about this online consumer behaviour to promote globalization? Research objectives This research is carried out to find out the online shopping behaviour among the Nigerians. The objectives of the study will be: To Investigate the behaviour of online shopping among Nigerians Determine whether web advertising has an influence to the online shopping behaviour among Nigerians. To investigate the risks associated with online shopping. 1.3. Research structure This research will start by introducing the problem statement why it is an important study among the Nigerians. This will be followed by outlining the objectives of the study. The existing literature review sets to give the research the basis on which the factors being studied will be based. The methodology section will propose a how the factors can be investigated and why the chosen methods for study are preferred. Lastly the research will highlight the limitations that are likely to affect the results of the study and how they can be reduced to make the results more validated. The main chapters will be as follows; Introduction Literature Review Methodology Data Analysis and Findings Conclusions and Recommendations 2.   Literature review Folorunso et al. (2006, p.2224) suggested that the factors that affect online shopping behaviour are: â€Å"establishing cost, accessibility, privacy and confidentiality, data security, network reliability, credit card threat, authenticity, citizens’ income and education.† The shopping behaviour of Nigerians living abroad is unique as it can be identified as unique among the rest. Among the factors suggested by Folorunso income levels and data security was established as the major factors contributing to the unique behaviour of the Nigerians.   In another research by Ayo (2006, p.2), he argued that cyber-crime as the major factor behind the low rate of adopting the electronic commerce technology. Further, other important factors have been established as contributing to this unique behaviour among the Nigerians. These factors are inferior online payment methods, lack of trust in web retailers, poor technological infrastructures, and fear of insufficient security in onl ine environments (Adeshina Ayo, 2010). In contrast to the slow rate at which online shopping has been embraced by the Nigerians, they have increased use of electronic banking and payment systems as they regard these technology issues as more secure. The major use of electronic banking is to pay bills, money transfer activities and obtaining banking statements at any time they wish to have the statements for their daily activities. The major factors identified on the previous research do not point to the exact situation because even through the electronic banking services provided by this technology, users are also likely to be exposed cyber crimes (Egwali, 2009). Advertising is used as a marketing strategy to familiarise the consumers to the products in the market. In a global market, advertising through the internet gives the consumers an avenue to consider a varied field of products that will satisfy their specific demand. Although internet advertising comes with a lot of advantages to both the consumer and the advertising agency, it has not been fully embraced in the Nigerian market. This indicates that the consumers in the Nigerian market have varied perceptions about web advertising. According to Wohn and Korgaonkar (2003), â€Å"males exhibit more positive beliefs about web advertising and more positive attitudes toward web adverting than females. Additionally, male are more likely than females to purchase from the web and surf the web for functional and entertainment reasons, whereas females are more likely to surf the web for shopping reasons.† From these findings, it can be deduced that there are specific online shopping behav iour among Nigerians. The research will carry out a detailed review of the existing literature on the behaviour of online shopping among Nigerians.   The researcher will critically analyse the literature both that are in support of the research and those that are not. 3.Methodology This research will use qualitative approach to establish an in-depth description of the problem of the study. This method will be the most appropriate because it does not apply any mathematical judgment of the results (Higgs Cherry, 2009).   According to Miles and Huberman (1994), qualitative approach is the best because it is concerned with meaningful characteristics, stories, visual renders, observations and words. This study will be based on the individual behaviour on online shopping. Consequently, the research sample will be identified among them Nigerian Diaspora students, professionals and business people. The research sample will be conducted to 100 Nigerians. The research sample gives a good study population because of the sample size. In addition, the use of this type of respondents will give basis to the research because these are people who have the know-how of technological matters. Additionally, since online shopping is based on the use of technology this type of respondents is the best research population because they are quite aware of the online shopping activities using the internet. Thus, the results of the findings will give a true reflection of the real behaviour of the Nigerians online shopping. 3.1.Research approach and strategy The research will be conducted for 100 Nigerian. The respondents will be selected at random both that live in UK and those that are in Nigeria. The respondents will be supplied with questionnaires to investigate their online shopping behaviour. The data that will be used in this study will be sourced from both primary and secondary sources. The primary data will be collected by sending questionnaires to the respondents. The researcher will conceal the identity of all respondents for confidentiality purposes. All respondents will be given unique ID numbers like P1, P2, and P3 that will represent participant one, two and three respectively. Secondary data will be collected from existing literature that is in the public domain. This means that there will be no permission sought to access the materials or cost incurred to collect data. 3.2.Data collection The data for this research will be collected through the use of questionnaires. The questionnaires will be subdivided into three sub-groups as follows: online shopping, electronic commerce and internet usage. Each of the sub-categories will be aiming to investigate the behaviour of online shopping among Nigerians. (See appendix 1) 3.3.Data analysis Qualitative study does not involve numerical values, and thus, an analysis tool will be used that will give correct interpretation and description while at the same time avoiding biases (Sewell, 2008). Therefore, the data will be analysed using case descriptions of the phenomenon. A detailed report will then be developed based on the analysis of the data collected through questionnaires. After, conclusions will be drawn from the analysis of the study, and more so the researcher will give recommendations that for future studies. 3.4.  Ã‚  Ethical issues The ethical issue in this research study will be to keep the anonymity of the respondents. Each of the involved respondent’s information will be treated with great privacy based on individual data protection policy. 3.5.Research limitations The sample used to represent the Nigerians is comparably small.   A bigger representative sample should be used to determine the real factors. The random sampling method is good, but is faced with the challenge of some respondents failing to cooperate. The best approach would be to administer the questionnaire directly to the respondents to ensure that there is 100% response from the targeted representative sample. 4.Conclusion This research is an important finding that can be used to implement developmental changes in developing countries. Nigeria is one of the developing countries and the trends shown by its abroad citizens can be used as a model for other developing countries. Also, since technology implementation in the business environment is inevitable then it is important to identify these factors in order to make the required adjustments to make the developing countries able to embrace technology. The representative sample will give accurate results of the research study because it will use a study population that can embrace technology. References Adeshina, A Ayo, C .2010. An Empirical Investigation of the Level of Users.   Acceptance of E-Banking in Nigeria. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, 15 (1), 1-13. Egwali, A. 2009. Customers Perception of Security Indicators in Online Banking Sites in Nigeria. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, 14 (1), 1-15. Folorunso, O et al. 2006. Factors Affecting the Adoption of E-commerce: A Study in Nigeria. Journal of Applied Sciences, 6 (10), 2224-2230. Ghosh, A .1997. Securing E-Commerce: A Systematic Approach. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, 1-4. Internet World Stats, 2009. Nigeria Internet Usage and Telecommunications Reports. Retrieved from http:// www.internetworldstats.com/af/ng.htm. Jackson, P. et al. 2003. e-Business Fundamentals. London: Dorset House Publishing Company. Miles, M.B. Huberman, A.M. 1994. Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook, 2ndedn, Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Sewell, M., 2008. The Use of Qualitative Interviews in Evaluation, Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona. Sewell, M., 2008. The Use of Qualitative Interviews in Evaluation, Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona. Wohn, L Korgaonkar, P 2003, Web advertising: gender differences, gender differences in belief, attitude and behavior. Florida: MCB UP. Appendix 1 The questionnaire Online shopping Have you been using online shopping in Nigeria? Do you use online shopping in the UK? If yes how many times did you shop online while in Nigeria per week? How many sites do you visit per week while in the UK or Nigeria? What products do you shop for with this service in Nigeria or the UK? What are the risks associated with online shopping? 2.0 Electronic commerce Have you been using electronic commerce while in Nigeria? Do you still use electronic shopping in the UK? If not, what are the reasons? What functions do you use the service for in Nigeria or the UK? 3.0 Internet usage Do you use internet regularly? What do you use the internet for? Do you think there are risks associated with internet usage? How often do you use the internet for online shopping?

Amelia Earhart Biography paper Essay Example

Amelia Earhart Biography paper Essay Example Amelia Earhart Biography paper Paper Amelia Earhart Biography paper Paper Contemporary World Issues Biography Paper Boaz 3B By: Jerome Bircumshaw Even to this day some people believe women are not capable of achieving what the male can do. However one women in 1928 changed the image of the face of women forever. Soon to be an American aviator, Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas. She was the daughter of a successful railroad attorney. Because of her fathers occupation, Amelia spent her childhood growing up in many different towns. Her fascination for adventure and thrill seeking started off at a young age where Amelia and her big sister Muriel decided one day that they wanted to make a plane. There was a lack in material, so they decided to make a rollercoaster instead. Even though neither one of the girls knew how to make a roller coaster, they got some wood from an old wooden fence they tore down. First, they made the car by placing the bottoms of roller skates under a big piece of wood and the rest of the wood was used to make a slide that went from the top of a woodshed to the ground. With Amelia and her bravery, she went first and rolled quickly down the unstable slide. The car hit the ground and Amelia bounced into the air and turned into a somersault, luckily escaping injury. Years after the family moved to Des Moines, Iowa where they attended a state fair. That is when Amelia got to see her first airplane which did not impress Amelia. The airplane was made of wood and wires and reminded Amelia of a big orange crate. Because of this, she thought she would never own an airplane. Even though she was young at the time Amelia knew she wanted to do something fun in the future. One night in 1910 Amelias father took both of the girls out to see Halleys comet which passes by once every 76 years. She was really impressed by the sight and pointed out one specific star and asked if it had a name. That is Vega, her father told her. It is one of the most beautiful stars of all. Amelia shut her eyes and wish on Vega that she could do exciting things when she grew up. This wish certainly came true. The following years were good ones for Amelia, as she learned how to swim and ride horses. After she finished her high school education, she attended a school in Toronto, Canada where she visited her sister and took a course in the Red Cross First Aid. She thought being a nurse was going to be her occupation growing up as she oved helping the wounded soldiers and everyone loved her help. Years after however, she left and furthered her education as a premedical student at the Columbia University in New York. It was going well for Amelia, but her parents insisted she should move back to California with them. Shortly after, Amelia was living in California with her parents when she read in a newspaper that there was an air meet near Los Angeles. Amelia went to the air meet, with her father and they watched the planes do stunts and daredevil tricks. That was the beginning of Amelias aviation adventure. She decided she wanted to fly, ut her parents could not afford lessons for her, so Amelia got a Job to cover the expenses. Her teacher was a women, and one of the only women in the world who knew how to fly. This gave Amelia more hope that one day she would be able to fly by herself. One day she finally got to fly solo as her instructor watched. She was not the best pilot and had a rough landing, but she could say she flew an airplane. Amelias mom was proud of her and helped her to buy her own small airplane. Amelia soon became a good pilot and was reminded by men and women constantly how good her aviation skills were. Planes did not fly very high back in the early 1900s but that never stopped Amelia from setting a womens record for high flying. She flew 14,000 feet in the air, almost three miles high. With the knowledge we know now of Amelias great achievements, it is surprising to think that she had a hard time deciding on what she wanted to do. Of course she wanted to fly, but she also wanted to do some useful work. It was at Denison House in Boston where she found a social center. This is where she taught the children how to play games. She looked after them while their mothers were working, it was like a aycare. If Amelia was not taking care of the kids, she was flying. All the children were proud of her and looked up to her. In 1927, Amelia read the newspaper and learned that Charles A. Lindbergh had flown an airplane from New York to Paris. It was a major accomplishment because flying airplanes across the Atlantic was not only a hard task to accomplish but no one had ever successfully made the Journey until then. Lindbergh was the first man who accomplished the flight in history. Several women had tried to make the Journey, but none had made it. Three young women lost their lives trying. It was in Boston Massachusetts where Amelia received a call to be the first female passenger on a transatlantic flight, in 1928. Amelia asked to be a pilot, but she did not know how to use instruments which were a new invention in planes to help them from getting lost. She soon after promised herself that she would learn how to use aviation instruments. The weeks following, Amelia was sent to New York where she met her future husband and book publisher George Putnam. He was the manager of the ocean flight, and they quickly realized they had a handful of similar interests. Amelia got er first glance at the plane named Friendship that was chosen for the trip and she was pleased to say the least. The Friendship had three motors, and instead of wheels it had pontoons which meant it could float, but taking off in water was no easy task since wind was the main component to take off. The friendship had gold wings which Amelia thought was beautiful but she was informed that the gold was not for looks but instead it make the aircraft easier to spot in case the pilot had to go down in the ocean, so the plane would be spotted. One early morning in 1928, Amelia thought the weather seemed right, so the pair umped in the plane, started the engine, and sped off across the water. The first destination was Trepassy Harbor, in Newfoundland, off the coast of Canada so the airplane could be refueled before the long Journey. After they refueled and planned to head to Europe, the weather became extremely bad with thick fog and rain. Days went by, and the weather seemed to keep up. Amelia started losing hope, and then she heard the news about another young women who had flown from New York to Newfoundland. She and her pilot were staying in a town nearby. Her name was Mabel Boll, and her plane was named the Columbia. Both of the women agreed that the trip was not a race, but secretly both women wanted to be the first to complete the transatlantic Journey. Back in the United States, the newspapers called it a race. Headlines read Rival Women Flyers Still Held by Bad Weather, and Columbia ready for take off, then in big print Friendship Takes Off. On June 17, 1928, Mabel said the weather was too bad to take off, and Amelia would be the first to reach Europe. Quickly into their flight, Amelia and her pilot rode into heavy fog and were hoping to reach the coast of England before they ran out of gas. After several of hours, there was little gasoline left, but the fog life savingly lifted, and a boat was seen in the distance. However, the radio was not working properly and after several attempts to contact the boat, they simply flew on hoping to find land. Shortly after, fishing boats were seen in the distance which meant there must be land nearby but the direction was not known, so they flew forward, hoping to find something, and luckily, they spotted land in the distance and Stultz brought the plane down in the Burry Port, on the coast of Wales. Amelia was a heroine. As the first women to fly across the Atlantic, she was treated as national idol and hero. She had a positive impact on society giving hope to children and adults of both genders proving that women could do anything a man could do, or even better because her flight beat Lindbergh in the total time it took of twenty hours and forty minutes. When the crew returned to America Amelia along with the help of George Putnam published a book call ed 20 Hrs. 40 Min. While in America, Amelia flew across the country and became a better pilot than she had ever been before in her life and learned how to fly safely with instruments. She changed the female view of flying positively and became a role model to people all ver the globe. Around this time Amelia purchased her own airplane and named it Vega. She was set out to fly the transatlantic solo and be the first women to do so. On May 20, 1932, the trip to Europe alone began. Although she did not have an easy flight with ice forming on the wings and fire leaking out of the exhausts, she managed to reach Europe in a historical fifteen hours and eighteen minutes. Amelia was invited to many parties. One of which included a dance with the soon to be King of England. After their marriage George and Amelia were invited to have dinner with he President Hoover and his wife at the White House. Amelia proved that women had as much courage as men and was soon the most famous woman alive. She took the President and his wife on a short ride in a plane above Washington while wearing a evening gown and slippers. Time went by and Amelia became a teacher at Purdue University in Indiana when she decided she really wanted to make history. Amelia told George, she wanted to fly the globe, It wasnt an impossible task, but she wanted to fly around the equator which was the hardest and longest way to fly. Amelia did have a downfall and it was not knowing when to quit. With the help of George she set off on the flight from California one morning in March of 1937. She reached Hawaii in less than sixteen hours but spun into a ground loop and crashed the plane which cost eighty-thousand dollars. The plane was shipped back in pieces and fixed, and on June 1, 1937, Amelia decided to try the flight again but this time she sat off the other direction. She flew over many countries such as Africa, India and New Guinea. It was when she was supposed to stop on a small island call Howland Island that people started worrying since Amelia never reached the Island or her final destination. July 2, 1937, would be a day remembered forever, because that is the day Amelia set off from New Guinea to Howland and was never seen again. Many reports claimed she was captured or stranded in the ocean or on an uninhabited island somewhere. But the truth, however, was never discovered. I believe Amelia was one of the greatest feminist role models by changing the face of women across the globe. She was nothing short of impressive, and I would recommend this book to anyone of any age or gender because Amelia had a life that is a real eye opener and proves the there is no dream that can not be accomplished.