Document Type
Research Paper
Abstract
Consumer Generated Media (CGM), a form of internet service in which customers provide feedback on the goods and services they have utilized, is the fastest growing sector on the internet. In fact, in 2005, more than 1.4 billion “consumer comments” were created for CGM. For the travel and hospitality industry, Tripadvisor™ is the largest source of information and data. It receives 47 million visits monthly.
Although CGM is increasingly relied upon by consumers, limited research has been conducted to demonstrate its value for businesses. Beyond an analysis regarding differences in CGM adoption on a country by country basis, there is a gap in demographic data. This proposal develops a method for determining the ages of CGM users. This research is proposed considering the negative relationship between age and general internet usage.
To determine the age breakdown of Tripadvisor users, questionnaires will be conducted at the ten most-visited cities in the United States. In each city, three hotels will be chosen at random where respondents will be asked to provide their age, and answer on a one-to-five scale, the level of reliance that they placed in TripAdvisor before reserving their respective hotel.
After processing the raw data, the analysis of Tripadvisor users is intended to provide tourism and hospitality business with a greater insight into information sharing. With an understanding of the user-age-breakdown from Tripadvisor, companies can juxtapose their consumer base and better utilize their marketing and advertising budgets.
Repository Citation
Levitt, Jamie, "Research Proposal for Analyzing Users of Consumer Generated Media Based on Age" (2013). MBA Student Scholarship. 22.
https://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/mba_student/22
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Levitt, J. (2013). Research proposal for analyzing users of consumer generated media based on age. Johnson & Wales University, Providence, RI.