1Running Head MODULE 7 SUBMISSION6 MODULE 7 SUBMISSION.docx

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Running Head: MODULE 7 SUBMISSION
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MODULE 7 SUBMISSION
Module 7 Submission
Student Name
School
Abstract

Introduction
Technology is very dynamic today and the business
organizations are dependent on technological advancements.
Business environment is changing and with the fast-paced
aviation industry, there is the need to implement very good
information systems technologies to improve the efficiency of
their operations, hence improving their competitive advantage.
The system improves communication, operations management,
decision-making and record-keeping, which is very important in
improving the way things are done within the organization.
Decision Supporting System
The aviation industry is a very competitive industry and it
requires a lot of data analysis in order to continue improve
service provision. The aviation industry is a very vast industry
with so many players. Being a service industry, it is important
to ensure that all the travelers receive the best services. An
improvement in the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of
services provided to the customers is not very easy. It requires
thorough market analysis. This is the reason decision supporting
systems are required. According to Toda (1998), a decision
system is a very useful system, which helps in the collection,
and the analysis of necessary information, on which a decision
will be based. Airline management is not easy and it requires
good decision making in order to improve both the safety of the
passengers, as well as the profitability of the business.
According to Ivanov & Netjasov, (n.d.), decision support
systems have been used widely in the aviation industry.
However, there are so many inconsistencies in the way they are

used. Essentially, all decision supporting systems are aimed at
improving the quality of decision making, while reducing the
required time for decision making. Improvement of decision
making through the use of Decision Supporting Systems (DSS),
within the aviation industry is important. The success, safety,
profitability and sustainability of an aviation organization is
dependent on the quality of decisions being made.
In aviation maintenance, Decision Supporting Systems have a
very big role to play. According to Zhang, Zhao, Tan, Yu, &
Hua (2011), the Decision Supporting System can be useful in
real-time acquisition and processing of data, which is essential
in improving the decisions made by the leadership in the
aviation organization. Provision of the historical data is also
very important in improving the quality of decision made within
the organization. Provision of the basis of a technical decision
would be essential.
Having a good system to support decisions is very crucial in
helping the technical team in the identification of issues or fault
diagnosis. Faults in the organization systems or any issues
affecting the crafts can have detrimental results if they are not
well managed. According to Zhang, Zhao, Tan, Yu & Hua,
(2011), a good decision-making system is an important part of
the aviation industry. Maintenance of aircrafts as well as the
system of the organization is also dependent on the quality of
decisions.
Decisions are aimed at looking at different pieces of
information, comparing them and choosing the best. The
optimum alternative is the best choice for any decision makers.
Therefore, as stated by Toda (1998), all input data is aggregated
and compared through the use of the decision support system.
After comparison, the system helps the organization’s
leadership to select the best alternatives to come up with the
best solution for any issue facing the organization. Business
decisions are also improved through the use of the decision
supporting system.
The aviation industry is a very complex industry. It involves

making very many and complex decisions to make the
passengers receive the best service, comfort and safety while
flying. These are not the only decisions being made in the
aviation industry. Always, there is the need to make quality
business decisions which will improve the operations within the
industry. With that in mind, implementation of decision
supporting systems in the organization will be important. The
aviation organization operates in a highly complex environment.
Within this industry, issues to be solved are many, and the tasks
are varied in structure and there are many unstructured or semi-
structured issues which need to be sorted out within a very short
time (Ivanov & Netjasov, n.d.). This is one of the major reasons
for the implementation of the system.
Cloud Computing
In cloud computing, an aviation organization can benefit a lot
through the use of internet for the storage, management, and
processing of data. This means that the organization does not
require any local servers for the storage of their data (Mell &
Grance, 2011). This is very important as it offers a lot of
benefits such as the sharing of different software products
which can help in market analysis. Also, less investment is
required and this means that the company makes more revenue.
Since its inception, cloud computing has been an important part
of technology for almost all business organization in every
industry. In the aviation industry, use of cloud computing is
very important as it can help in improving the level of
efficiency in the organization, as well as the company’s
competitive advantage. There are various benefits of using
cloud computing in the aviation organization. According to IBM
(n.d.), cloud computing offers many benefits to different
organization, including the provision of more flexibility, where
the organization can upscale or downsize the system to suit the
needs. With the future growth of the company, cloud computing
offers great potential for the improvement of operations of the
company as the system can be expanded (Armbrust, Fox,
Griffith, Joseph, Katz, Konwinski & Zaharia, 2010).

Efficiency of the organization can always be improved through
the implementation of the cloud computing system. The
operation efficiency is improved through improved service
provision of quality services to the passengers within
organization in a very short time (Almorsy, Grundy, & Müller,
2016).
Cloud computing is advantageous to the organization through
the provision of strategic value. Cloud computing provides
innovative technology to improve how operations are carried
out within the organization (IBM, n.d.).
The flexibility of cloud computing has been useful in providing
scalability of the system, provision of storage options, control
choices, tool selection and security features. Cloud Computing
system vendors are very useful in providing a lot of security.
This is because the cloud computing system providers or
vendors always provide high level of security to the system.
Through encryption, the system is very secure.
Cloud computing is very important in improving system’s
efficiency is improved through better accessibility,
improvement of marketing skills, improved data security,
reduced need to purchase equipment as the organization can
share equipment with others online, as well as paying for the
equipment being used in the organization (IBM, n.d.).
The use of cloud computing is essential in streamlining work,
improving regular updates, collaboration as well as improved
competitive edge. With the implementation of the system,
organization have the ability to be better than the competitors in
terms of decision making as well as in the marketing of the
services (Mell & Grance, 2011).
Cloud computing is cost effective as it is very important in
eliminating the capital expenses required when new equipment
has to be purchased. Also, speed of operations is improved, it
provides better overall productivity, performance and
reliability.
Cloud computing can provide the organization with various
types of great products. For instance, cloud computing will

provide Infrastructure-as-a-Service, Platform-as-a-Service as
well as Software as a Service to the organization. This is useful
in providing better and useful method of service provision to
the passengers through more efficiency.
Customer Relationship Management
In an organization, customer relationship management (CRM) is
very important in a business as it aims at improving the
interactions of the organization with the customers. This is
achieved through making sure that the customers are well
understood, anticipating and managing the needs of the
organization’s customers. Any organization has to understand
the current as well as the potential customers (Soltani &
Navimipour, 2016). The use of Customer Relationship
Management (CRM) is composed of a comprehensive approach,
through which the management of an organization’s
management implements a seamless integration of the business
areas touching on the customers, including marketing, sales,
customer service, as well as field support through the use of
technology. CRM has been very useful in the attraction of new
customers and ensuring that they are retained. Organizations are
moving away from the traditional marketing as it now focuses
on retaining customers and acquiring new ones.
The current focus of CRM is to ensure that individualized
customer relationships are created and maintained. Through this
focus, the customer life-time value to the company is improved.
The careful targeting of customers within the organization is
essential in organizations. CRM also helps in creating value for
the customers always, which will make the company better in
the long run (Soltani & Navimipour, 2016). When customers get
what they want from the company’s customer service, it will be
difficult for the customers to try to find alternatives for the
company. CRM is very important in improving the competitive
advantage of the company. Corporate performance depends on
building and retaining customers and building relationships.
Companies are currently working on ensuring that Customer
Relationship Management is improved within the organization

(Khodakarami & Chan, 2014). Building alliances is essential in
an organization as the customers are the most important
stakeholders of the organization. CRM has always been
essential in organizations in that it provides customer-oriented
services, taking customer needs into consideration. The use of
CRM should involve carrying out market research in order to
improve their satisfaction. Maximizing customer value requires
using CRM to build a strong relationship between the
organization with those customers who are most valuable.
Technology has always played an important role in improving
CRM. Organizations all over the world, have used in the
improvement of customer relationships. Databases, data mining
as well as one-to-one marketing has been used in assisting
increasing customer value and the overall profitability of the
organizations. The CRM technologies have always been for
keeping records and customer contact details (Kumar &
Reinartz, 2018). The information in the CRM technologies are
useful in targeting customers through personalized approach,
offering them services to meet their specific needs. Also, it
offers personalized communication in order to offer customers
value.
Use of phone calls, emailing services, messages and WAP
services have all contributed to CRM. Also, cookies have
played an important role in improving the relationships of the
customers, through better understanding. Call centers have been
using CRM to improve the way customer information is stored
within the organization. Having a system that stores, and can be
used for the retrieval of the customer information can be
important in improving efficiency and encouraging new
customers to become part of the company. CRM has various
benefits to the organization including cost benefits, improved
customer satisfaction, ensuring that the organization focuses
more on the customers, increasing number of customers,
maximization of company opportunities, highlighting what
should be changed as well as improving company sustainability
(Kumar & Reinartz, 2018).

Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization, normally referred using the
acronym SEO, has been a very useful technology within
organizations. This has always worked for organizations
through improving the traffic of companies. Search Engines can
be defined as tools, which are internet-based, used for searching
an index of a document (Cushman, 2018). This is done using a
certain term, phrase, or text, which the user has specified. There
are various examples of Search Engines including Google,
Yahoo, mns, aol, ask Jeeves, and alta vista, among others. There
are two types of Search Engine Optimization including On-page
SEO, and Off-page SEO (Cushman, 2018).
On-page SEO is done on the website pages themselves. This
involves designing websites which are SEO friendly. This can
be done through the design of the website, the page layout,
navigation, articles, keywords, description, and making sure
that the articles are optimized.
On the other hand, off-page SEO depends on activities taking
place off the website pages. The technique in the off-page SEO
is to work on the back-linking options, ensuring that the
websites are well connected and kept secure.
Through the use of SEO, organizations have been able to grow
visibility through non-paid search engine results. In this
technology, both the technical, as well as the creative part of
development, play an important role in improving how the
companies grow their visibility to their customers as well as
their potential customers (Ledford, 2015). Good implementation
of SEO has always been very important in improving the
ranking of a website, driving the traffic of a company up and
increasing a company’s awareness in the search engines.
Many aspects play a role in the implementation of SEO,
including the choice of words or phrases used in the website or
webpage, the web links, and the layout of the pages. Web
developers should develop the websites in a manner to improve
the Search Engines’ ability to understand (Baye, De los Santos
& Wildenbeest, 2016). Through this site structure, search

engines can improve an organization’s performance as the
customers will be in a better position to view the organization
through a simple search on the internet.
SEO plays a key role in improving the visibility of a website
and this is the reason any organization’s website should be
developed in a way aimed to support it. As many potential
customers are able to gain access to an organization’s website
through using the search engines, it is important to make the
websites SEO friendly (Baye, De los Santos & Wildenbeest,
2016). While social media has been useful in creating some
traffic for the organizations, search engines have always
remained to be the at the top in driving up the traffic in an
organization’s website, hence improving visibility, and
ultimately making the company to be in a better position to
perform better, through the attraction of new customers
(Ledford, 2015).
SEO has been phenomenal in increasing the number of
customers for a company. The benefits of ensuring SEO have
been so many as the technology has always been used in
improving business. Through the use of SEO, the development
of websites for different organizations has been improved as
they have become better, and user friendly. The technology has
also been able to increase the number of customers for
companies. Also, the conversion rates in the websites have been
improved extra-ordinarily. Above all, companies or
organizations which have applied SEO on their website design
have been in a position to create more brand awareness, which
is a bonus for companies, seeking to become better. Another
benefit of SEO is creating competitive advantage for the
companies using it because this will be useful in making sure
that even new customers or even potential customers can see the
company’s website among the top searches.
Electronic Records Management
Conclusion
Decision making is important for every organization and it is
even more important in the aviation industry. Quality decisions

are helpful in improving the operations within the organization
and therefore it is important to implement a Decision Support
System (Zhang, Zhao, Tan, Yu & Hua, 2011). Also, use of cloud
computing can be very useful to the organization through better
efficiency, lower cost and improved security (Armbrust, Fox,
Griffith, Joseph, Katz, Konwinski & Zaharia, 2010).
Additionally, the use of customer relationship management
(CRM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO), have been very
important. These can help an organization within the aviation
industry because they improve efficiency in customer service,
saving the customers’ time, which is a valuable resource for the
customers.
References
Almorsy, M., Grundy, J., & Müller, I. (2016). An analysis of
the cloud computing security problem. arXiv preprint
arXiv:1609.01107.
Armbrust, M., Fox, A., Griffith, R., Joseph, A. D., Katz, R.,
Konwinski, A., ... & Zaharia, M. (2010). A view of cloud
computing. Communications of the ACM, 53(4), 50-58.
Baye, M. R., De los Santos, B., & Wildenbeest, M. R. (2016).

Search engine optimization: what drives organic traffic to retail
sites?. Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 25(1), 6-
31.
Cushman, M. (2018). Search engine optimization: What is it and
why should we care?. Research and Practice in Thrombosis and
Haemostasis, 2(2), 180-181.
IBM (n.d.). Benefits of cloud computing. Retrieved from
https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/benefits-of-cloud-computing
Ivanov, N., & Netjasov, F. (n.d.). REVIEW OF DECISION
SUPPORT SYSTEMS IN AIR TRANSPORT SYSTEM.
Khodakarami, F., & Chan, Y. E. (2014). Exploring the role of
customer relationship management (CRM) systems in customer
knowledge creation. Information & Management, 51(1), 27-42.
Kumar, V., & Reinartz, W. (2018). Customer relationship
management: Concept, strategy, and tools. Springer.
Ledford, J. L. (2015). Search engine optimization bible (Vol.
584). John Wiley & Sons.
Mell, P., & Grance, T. (2011). The NIST definition of cloud
computing.
Soltani, Z., & Navimipour, N. J. (2016). Customer relationship
management mechanisms: A systematic review of the state of
the art literature and recommendations for future
research. Computers in Human Behavior, 61, 667-688.
Toda, M. (1998). U.S. Patent No. 5,742,776. Washington, DC:
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Zhang, P., Zhao, S. W., Tan, B., Yu, L. M., & Hua, K. Q.
(2011). Applications of Decision Support System in Aviation
Maintenance. In Efficient Decision Support Systems-Practice
and Challenges in Multidisciplinary Domains.

Research
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Introduction
Social media networks are becoming increasingly important for
marketers for spreading positive WOM among their online users
(Fosdick 2012). The rise of social media connect by Fortune
500 companies (about 83% by 2011) were supported by the
growing figures of online users going to social media as a way
to seek views about non-reputed brands (Naylor, Lamberton,
and West 2012). These social media conversations often helped
in the consumer decision-making process (Powers et al. 2012).
The importance of social media analytics data from social
networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google + helped
marketers identify influential customers (Hinz, Schulze, and
Takac 2014) and their online purchase intention (Jin and Phua )
in a cost effective way. Instances of the introduction of
shippable video advertising in 2010 by Google and its
consequent improvement in the viewing experiences and better
customer engagement of online users were studied to aid
content generators (Pashkevich et al. 2012). So blog is an
important marketing tool, online marketing, just like Baker said,
"blog is a phenomenon, you cannot ignore". The research shows
that the content and frequency types of blog posts can enhance

the research of Web site access, thus bringing positive
comments and improved search engine rankings.
Over the past few years, brands and marketers have transformed
how they manage their communications and marketing. The
network is intended not only to be a form of entertainment, but
also a platform for consumers to exchange experiences and
preferences referring to consumer brands (Araujo & Neijens,
2012). Reviews by internet users are a type of electronic word-
of-mouth, and are important sources of information in the
decision-making process of other consumers (Wei & Lu, 2013).
This occurs because the psychological processes of individuals
are subject to social influences (Deutsch & Gerard, 1955).
While it remains important to identify target channels through
relevant media, publications and formats – brands and marketers
have taken it up a notch, to direct their attention to a multitude
of potential key opinion leaders (KOLs) and sources, seeking
them out to leverage on their following of fans and readers. In
marketing, the experts or authority advertised by the
manufacturers are called "key opinion leaders", which are
usually defined as people with more and more accurate product
information, accepted or trusted by the related groups, and have
great influence on the purchase behaviour of the group.
Consumers routinely adopt strategies to reduce their decision-
making risks (Leal, Hor-Meyll, & Pessoa, 2014) and the opinion
leaders act as agents for risk reduction, through experimentation
and evaluation (Cho, Hwang, & Lee, 2012). For example,
Scotland brewers HighlandPark, in order to promote new
DarkOrigins whisky, has invited the authorities of creative and
alcoholic industries to endorse the Instagram and other
accounts, considering that the target market is young and
interested in scientific and technological products. One of them
is the Chris Messina, which invented the social network tag
“#”.This is a typical marketing campaign using KOL.
The digital age has seen a shift in marketing with the emergence
of KOL. Key Opinion Leaders work double-duty: they not only
connect with their audience, but in most cases, they also have a

specific target demographic. This allows brands to effectively
allocate their marketing budget because of the targeted, niche
audience the influencer has access to.
L'OREAL, Bondi, IKEA... Many big brands to KOL marketing
emphasis on the performance, one is to continue to increase the
budget in KOL marketing, two is to start a long-term KOL
marketing strategy, have their own long-term cooperation of
KOL. And this is just a start, a report released in February by
the KOL marketing platform Gen.Video shows that in the KOL
marketing brand, 51% indicates that 2017 will significantly
increase the budget on KOL marketing, and 64% of the brands
hope that KOL marketing can improve sales transformation, and
50% of brand names want to build brand assets through KOL
marketing.
And some mature brands, in the KOL marketing has passed the
early extensive cooperation, but the use of different levels of
KOL in different circles of influence, the formulation of their
own KOL marketing strategy, and different levels of KOL in
different forms of cooperation.
In these brands, Paris L'OREAL in the UK launched "Beauty
Squad", through the small public KOL accurately touch the
market segments of the audience, this fine operation of KOL, let
us see the brand of KOL marketing more mature thinking and
practice. Paris L'OREAL UK is a brand that has gone a long
way in KOL marketing. In 2016, Paris L'OREAL UK signed five
British beauty bloggers to form "Beauty Squad". In 2017, this
beautiful small team added three members to eight people, and
the Paris L'OREAL UK will cooperate with them for a long
time. Meanwhile, Paris L'OREAL UK announced increased
budget in KOL marketing. Paris L'OREAL wants to touch the
subdivision of the consumer groups behind them by choosing a
number of KOL, and on the other hand, different styles of KOL
can also show the diversity advocated by Paris L'OREAL. These
eight KOL are very good at areas such as Crilly focused on skin
care, Canham is a beauty expert, and Bright is an opinion leader
in the field of skin care, beauty and hair and the effects of these

KOL are also obvious. The first KOL marketing campaign in
Paris L'OREAL is aimed at its base brand True Match, and True
Match has become the best-selling foundation in Britain in a
few short months through the recommendation of the beauty
blogger.
On the ROI measurement of many brand headaches, Andrien
Koskas also mentioned the practice of Paris L'OREAL: "the
advantage of using KOL is that sometimes we do some product
promotion on social media, and KOL will tell its fans." Promote
sales information and give them discount codes to encourage
them to buy. By tracking these codes, we can clearly see that
sales are growing. The effectiveness of these promotional
activities is very direct. "
In this context, the study is based on the relationship between
online opinion leaders and their followers. The digital opinion
leader attracts a lot of attention from Internet users and plays a
key role in word-of-mouth advertising, producing information
and using content to other people (Meng, Wei, Zhu, 2011),
affecting people's attitudes. Therefore, the main purpose of this
study is to investigate how consumers are influenced in their
intention to buy after having access - within social media - to
persuasive messages sent out by key opinion leaders. In
addition, Internet marketing is becoming more and more
abundant. Many traditional and new marketing concepts are
related to network marketing strategies and behaviours. Based
on previous research work, we have learned the most popular
themes, representing the most popular field of online marketing.
In order to meet the research needs, this paper also tries to
explore the future development trend of KOL.
Literature review
2.1 key opinion leadership, behavior and social media
In marketing, the experts or authority advertised by the
manufacturers are called "key opinion leaders", which are
usually defined as people with more and more accurate product
information, accepted or trusted by the related groups, and have
great influence on the purchase behaviour of the group.

Unlike the "opinion leader", the key opinion leader is usually an
authority in a certain industry or field. In the communication of
information, they are not dependent on their own activity, but
they are easily recognized and recognized.
When potential consumers are not yet familiar with a
product/service, they associate a high degree of uncertainty and
risk to its purchase. Therefore, the adoption of this
product/service depends on an individual's predisposition to test
new features and form his or her own perception on the product
(Ortega, 2011). Compared with people who seek information,
the key opinion leaders generally have more experience and
more information on the product/service category, have greater
involvement with it, and display a more exploratory and
innovative behaviour (Lyons & Henderson, 2005). Thus, we can
see the importance of opinion leaders, whose main features are
that KOL has a longer and deeper involvement in a class of
products than others in the group, so the product is more
knowledge-based, more information sources, more knowledge
and more experience. What’s more, another feature is the
characteristics of interpersonal communication: KOL is more
sociable and talkative than the ordinary people. They have
strong social and interpersonal skills, and actively participate in
various activities. They are good at making friends. They are
the centre of public opinion and information publishing centre
of the group. They have strong infection to others
In the digital era, in which one can use the internet as a source
of consultation for both news and reviews, the discussion on the
influence of certain groups in the dissemination of information
should be expanded to the online environment (Merwe &
Heerden, 2009). Digital opinion leaders are those who use
online spaces, such as blogs, forums, social networks and other
forms of online social media actively and in a collaborative
manner (San Jose-Cabezudo, Camarero-Izquierdo & Rodriguez-
Pinto, 2012). They can influence people in three main ways:
serving as a model to be copied, through word-of-mouth
advertising, or by giving advice on purchase and use (Merwe &

Heerden, 2009). Digital opinion leaders attract a lot of attention
from internet users and play a key role in word-of-mouth
advertising, generating messages and content of use to other
people (Meng, Wei & Zhu, 2011), influencing people's
attitudes.
The emergence of online social media encompasses texts,
images, videos and social networks (Berthon, Pitt, Plangger, &
Shapiro, 2012) and has amplified the ability to share and spread
the content generated by users. By exchanging messages, digital
social media users can interact and exchange information
through various channels such as blogs, social networks,
forums, virtual communities, sharing platforms and virtual
worlds, among many others (Teng et al., 2014a).
Within this scenario, Weibo is one of the digital social media
platforms in china that is being most used by key opinion
leaders to express their opinions on products and services.
Weibo was created so that users could share photos, and
presently also allows for short videos. Users interact through
comments on published photos or through "likes."
2.2Acceptance of information theory
The theory of limited rationality indicates that when a person is
making a choice, that person does not have access to all the
information available on that subject and, even if they did, they
would not have the ability to process and evaluate it all (Merwe
& Heerden, 2009). A way to facilitate their decision-making is
through recommendations from other users that give useful
information on the products (Kumar & Benbasat, 2006).
Deutsch and Gerard (1955) proposed the Dual-Process theory
(DPT) model to evaluate social influences on individuals?
Judgments. According to this model, two types of influence can
affect a person’s decisions: normative and informational
influences. Normative influences are those that seek to make an
individual act in accordance with the expectations of others.
Informational influences, in their turn, are those referring to the
acceptance of information passed on by others as evidence of
reality. DPT suggests that the first motivator of attitudinal

changes and, consequently, behavior, is external information
(Bhattacherjee & Sanford, 2006). New information introduces
other possibilities, causing one to think about different
alternatives and possibly change the attitude towards a certain
subject and people tend to believe messages transmitted by
sources that are considered highly credible and to accept
information transmitted through them more easily (Cheung et
al., 2009).
2.3 Purchase intention
Purchase intention is understood as the desire to purchase a
product in the future (Cheung & Thadani, 2012). The
relationship between purchase intention and actual buying
behavior is based on the fact that individuals make decisions
based on the information available. Thus, a person's intention to
take action is the immediate determinant of their actual
behavior (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980) The relationship between
attitude and purchase intention is well established and validated
in the literature of online consumer behavior. For example,
Chang, Cheung, and Lai (2005) found that the attitude
consistently has a significant impact on online purchase
intention. This is also corroborated by Hsu et al. (2013), who
revealed how a positive attitude can influence individuals'
purchase intention in online shopping environments.
Moreover, in studies on online word-of mouth communication,
online recommendations are also a kind of social influence,
especially when given by opinion leaders (Cheung & Thadani,
2012). Therefore, it is expected that the acceptance of
information has a direct and positive effect on the intention to
buy the evaluated products/services and the attitude of
individuals regarding the purchase of the products/services
recommended by online opinion leaders has a direct and
positive effect on the purchase intention of the evaluated
products/services.
Methodology
This section of the research study will describe the methodology
applied for the study. The methodology section describes the

research strategy applied, the research method, the approach,
the methods in collection of data, selection of the samples, data
analysis, ethical considerations during the research and the
limitations of the study.
Research strategy
The study is based on the relationship between online opinion
leaders and their followers. The digital opinion leader attracts a
lot of attention from Internet users and plays a key role in word-
of-mouth advertising, producing information and using content
to other people (Meng, Wei, Zhu, 2011), affecting people's
attitudes. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to
investigate how consumers are influenced in their intention to
buy after having access - within social media - to persuasive
messages sent out by key opinion leaders. In addition, Internet
marketing is becoming more and more abundant. Many
traditional and new marketing concepts are related to network
marketing strategies and behaviours. Based on previous research
work, we have learned the most popular themes, representing
the most popular field of online marketing. In order to meet the
research needs, this paper also tries to explore the future
development trend of KOL. Even the social media have been on
the rise due to the advancements in technology, the proposed
research will take the form of a new research but on a subject
that already exists.
Research methods
In order to attain the goals of the research, a quantitative
research method was applied. The major feature of a
quantitative research method is that it is appropriate for larger
samples and the outcomes are measureable. Quantitative
research methods emphasize on mathematical analysis of data
that has been collected. Since quantitative research methods
work with data, it provides a clear picture of the variables under
study. Quantitative research methods have also been described
as effective and efficient and the results can be used in further
research (Ngai, Tao, & Moon, 2015).
Even though quantitative research has been considered an

effective research method, its major disadvantage is that it
cannot cover some topics that do not involve numbers. In
quantitative research, the variables must be measurable. In
addition, the quantitative approach is vulnerable to errors,
which might compromise the findings. When conducting a study
that involves a quantitative research approach, it is therefore
important to first understand the scope of the study and ensure
that proper considerations have been made when conducting
data analysis (Ngai, Tao, & Moon, 2015).
Research approach
A research approach is a description of the procedures and plans
that will be undertaken in narrowing down to the detailed
methods of analysis of data analysis and interpretation in order
to attain the goals of the study. Based on the nature of the
research, the research approach to be applied for the study is
inductive. In an inductive research approach, there is usually a
set of research questions that need to be answered at the end of
the research process. In this study, we are aiming at studying
how consumers can be influenced after accessing social media.
After the research process, we will therefore be in a position to
develop a theory on the impact of KOL on customer making
decisions with the help of social media platforms (Ngai, Tao, &
Moon, 2015).
Tools and methods for data collection
In data collection, there is a set of tools and methods that have
to be used. The choice of the tools and methods is based on the
nature of the study and the research objectives. It is also
important to understand that the choice of the tools and methods
is based on the availability of resources. For the purpose of this
study, the survey method was used. A survey method is a data
collection method that involves questioning individuals on a
specific topic and describing the responses. There are two major
purposes for survey method. One aim of the survey method is to
describe the characteristics of the identified population. The
second purpose of the survey method is to test hypotheses on
the nature of relationships across the identified population.

For the purpose of this study, questionnaires were administered
to the interviewees. The questionnaires were administered
online where the respondents were expected to fill the
questionnaire forms. The questionnaires contained a list of
questions that the interviewees will answer based on their
experience with key opinion leaders and on whether they have
influenced their purchase decisions. The questions determined
to what extent the potential customer was influenced to making
a decision to making a purchase. The questions were structured
in a way the customers would answer the questions and won’t
feel that their private life is being investigated. All the
questions in the questionnaire were semi structured, which
provided a guideline to the interviewees when answering the
questions. In addition, the questionnaire forms had a section
where the respondents could write any additional information
that they had on the influence of key opinion leaders on their
purchasing decisions.
Some sample questions that were included in the online
questionnaire include:
Question 1: What do you know about key opinion leaders?
Question 2: Are you on social media?
Question 3: which social media do you mostly use?
Question 4: what do you think about social media marketing?
Question 5: Have you ever been influenced by the social media
in buying a product or a service?
Question 6: Do you think that you would not have made the
purchase if the key opinion leader did not influence the product
or service?
Question 7: Do you think that key opinion leaders influence
consumer behaviour?
Question 8: Can every product or service be marketed on social
media and still be a success?
Question 9: In your view, do you think that the key opinion
leaders need to diversify their marketing channels? Why?
Sample selection
There are many people who are on social media and whose

behaviour has been directly or indirectly influenced by key
opinion leaders. Since it is not possible to interview all people
on social media platforms, the study focused on a small sample
that would represent the entire population. For this study, the
sample population was a group of students who had bought new
mobile phones or laptops for school use in the past three
months. To get this population, the researcher posted on an
online chat group and requested any willing individuals to
contact him for a survey that he was conducting. Based on the
many people that had recently bought mobile phones or laptops
online, the researcher applied the simple random sampling.
Since the determining factor was on whether they recently
bought a product online, the sample selected would be effective
in attaining the research objectives. Gender, age, or ethnic
affiliations were not considered during the sample selection
since they do not affect the purchasing decisions among
students. Within the context, it was possible for the researcher
to directly relate the impact of the key opinion leaders on the
purchasing decisions of consumers (Orcher, 2016).
Ethical Considerations
The current study was subject to a number of ethical issues.
Firstly, there was an issue with anonymity and some of the
students felt that by engaging in the research, the information
that they would present would be used maliciously. To deal with
this issue, the researcher assured the students that the
information was only for research purposes and that it would
not fall into the wrong hands. In addition, the researcher
ensured that each interviewee did not include any personal
information, which would reduce the chances of their personal
information being used maliciously. The second ethical issue
encountered during the study was the use of incentives during
the research. During the study, there were some subjects who
wanted incentives tin order to fill the questionnaires. To ensure
that the research study was objective, the researcher opted not
to offer any incentives as they would alter the objectivity of the
study. The third ethical issue was determining the validity of

the information provided. It was difficult to ascertain on the
validity of the information that was provided by the
interviewees. However, the researcher ensured that he provided
a positive environment for the interviewees, which would
ensure that reliable information has been provided (Ngai, Tao,
& Moon, 2015).
Research limitations
During the study, there were a number of limitations that were
experienced. The first major limitation is the failure to
cooperate among the respondents. Even though some of the
respondents were willing to fill the questionnaire, some of them
failed to fill in the forms thus making the sample population to
be smaller. The other major challenge that was experienced
during the study was the inability to capture some of the factors
that the customers were looking at when buying the product
after being influenced. Despite these limitations, the study has
set precedence in understanding the role of key opinion leader
in influencing consumer behaviour across social media.
Data Analysis
This section analyses the data that was collected through the
survey questionnaires. The data collected was analysed through
Microsoft excel. The data was used in making plausible
conclusions based on the studies that were considered.
Social Media Use
According to the data that was collected, all of the participants
in the study were in the social media platforms. According to
the participants, everyone in the modern world is on social
media, which they use for communication, having fun, and
being updated on various emerging trends within the society.
Some of the participants also noted that they use social media as
one of the ways in which they are updated on the news from
across the world. Majority of the participants stated that the
social media has helped them in reducing the conveniences that
were caused by other communication channels such as telephone
or emails. Through the use of social media, majority of the
participants stated that the social media has really helped them

in different ways. When asked on the amount of time that they
use in social media platforms, majority of them stated that they
log in to their social media accounts for more than five hours a
day. Others stated that they only log in to their social media
accounts when they are out of class, while the minority stated
that they only login into their accounts once they get home or in
the evening after classes. When asked on the social media
platform that they use most, majority of the participants stated
that they mostly use Facebook, twitter, and instagram.
The observations made during the data collection on the use of
social media reveals some of the trends that key opinion leaders
need to consider when campaigning for their products or
services. The data results show that the majority of consumers
spend a considerable amount of their time on social media
platforms than on their TV and radios. The study shows that due
to technology advancements, more people are now on social
media platforms, which is a more convenient way of reaching
out to potential customers. The study has shown that by
spending more time on the social media, key opinion leaders
can use this as an avenue to inform the potential customers of
their products and the advantages associated with reaching out
to people in social media (McCann & Barlow, 2015).
Social media marketing
During the study, it was noted that a majority of the participants
used social media as not only a media of communication but
also as a source of information. Majority of the participants
noted that they hardly sit to watch TV or listen to radio. This is
mainly because, the social media makes it easier to share
information by just posting it and everyone can see it regardless
of their geographical location. The studies show that the
majority of the participants prefer social media marketing as
compared to the traditional methods of marketing. The
participants also noted that the social media makes it possible
for businesses to connect with their potential customers due to
features such as instant messaging, which allow the potential
customers to get information on the product that they are

willing to buy instantly.
Technological advancements have changed the way people
operate and especially businesses. Due to technology, business
organizations have set up websites and social media sites, which
have helped them connect with their clients and potential
customers (Jones, Borgman, & Ulusoy, 2016). Most
importantly, it is worth noting that majority of the businesses
are using the social media s their new channel of marketing.
According to the results exhibited during the study, any
organization willing to become successful by increasing its
customer base will need to venture in social media marketing.
Social media marketing provides an opportunity for an
organization to showcase its products and services to many
potential customers, which improves the chances of being
successful in the market. It is also worth noting that social
media marketing has provided an affordable and convenient
channel on which organizations can advertise and sell their
products online. The social media sites have been created in a
manner that users can communicate or share information as long
as they are connected to the internet, which provides a platform
for organizations to sell and advertise their products or services.
Even though they may be required to pay a small fee for
promotional purposes, the costs incurred in social media
marketing are far way much less as compared to other strategies
such as magazines, radio, and TV. The studies have therefore
affirmed that the social media marketing is one of the most
effective ways in marketing the products and services of an
organization (Dijkmans, Kerkhof & Beukeboom, 2015).
Purchasing patterns
When asked on their online purchasing patterns, the participants
provided insightful information on some of the factors that
influence their online shopping. One of the factors that were
noted among the participants during their online shopping is on
the level of need for a particular product or service. When
prioritizing on the product or service to buy, the participants
noted that the level of need was the most important aspect that

determined whether they actually wanted to buy a product or
service. One of the participants offered an example of buying a
laptop when theirs has been stolen or damaged. Since a laptop is
a necessity to a student, then they will be prompted to buy
regardless of the price. The second factor that influenced the
decision to buy product online is its price. Majority of the
participants stated that they will buy a second phone as long as
the price that has been listed is attractive. The participants
stated that low prices attracted their online shopping and highly
influenced their decision to buy a product or a service even
when the level of need is low. The third aspect that the
participants considered to influence their online shopping
pattern was promotion. Majority of the participants stated that
given an option of choosing between buying a product that is
being promoted online or a product that has been in the market
and is not been promoted, most of them stated that they would
buy the product that is being promoted (Schivinski &
Dabrowski, 2016).
The observations made on the factors influencing online
shopping among the participants reveals on some of the factors
that influence the success of social media campaigns. It is fact
that people do not log into their social media accounts to buy
products or services. However, giving them ideas on these
products builds interest and leads to sales. Social media
marketing is similar to traditional marketing only that the
platform is different. Based on the studies, key opinion leaders
need to focus on creating the need for the particular product or
service that they are advertising. Creating need requires the key
opinion leader to provide the target audience with much
information in regard to the product or service that they are
willing to sell. Provision of information shows the target
audience how much they might need the product or service and
how it’s important to the potential customers. In addition to
informing the target audience on the need for the product or
service, the studies show that price is an important factor that
key opinion leaders will need to consider. Potential customers

are usually impressed by low prices, which show that key
opinion leaders will need to provide proper pricing strategies
when advertising their products. However, low prices do not
always result to high sales, which mean that information
remains a key factor for key opinion leaders during social media
campaigns. The third aspect that has been noted to influence
online shopping among the participants is promotion. In
addition to providing information and offering impressive
prices, a key opinion leader will need to evaluate on how to
promote their products or services. Promotion of a product may
take many forms and it is the role of the key opinion leader to
evaluate their promotional strategies with the nature of the
product, the market position of the organization that they
represent, and their goals and objectives. These factors help in
coming up with a coherent framework that key opinion leaders
can apply in implementing their promotional strategies (Roth,
Madden, & Hudson, 2015).
In evaluating the impact of KOL on purchasing decisions,
majority of the participants stated that an ‘influencer’ in a
social media campaign highly influenced their decision to buy a
product or service. The participants stated that the presence of
influencers helps in providing information on the particular
product or service and engaged the potential customers, which
highly influenced their decision to make the purchase. The
studies therefore affirm that the KOL play an important role in
influencing the potential customers in making purchasing
decisions on social media platforms. The studies show that
despite the fact that the key opinion leaders play an important
role in influencing the potential customers, the strategies that
they employ in the social media campaigns highly influence
consumer behaviour (Hassan, Nadzim, & Shiratuddin, 2015).
Conclusion
This study was aimed at studying how consumers are influenced
in their intention to buy after having an access with social
media. The study would determine on the effectiveness of key
opinion leaders in influencing the customers to buying the

specific products that they are promoting. The results of the
study will be effective in providing recommendations on the
strategies that the key opinion leaders need to adopt in ensuring
the success of their brands.
Over the past few years, brands and marketers have transformed
how they manage their communications and marketing. The
network is intended not only to be a form of entertainment, but
also a platform for consumers to exchange experiences and
preferences referring to consumer brands. Reviews by internet
users are a type of electronic word-of-mouth, and are important
sources of information in the decision-making process of other
consumers. This occurs because the psychological processes of
individuals are subject to social influences. While it remains
important to identify target channels through relevant media,
publications and formats – brands and marketers have taken it
up a notch, to direct their attention to a multitude of potential
key opinion leaders (KOLs) and sources, seeking them out to
leverage on their following of fans and readers. In marketing,
the experts or authority advertised by the manufacturers are
called "key opinion leaders", which are usually defined as
people with more and more accurate product information,
accepted or trusted by the related groups, and have great
influence on the purchase behaviour of the group. Consumers
routinely adopt strategies to reduce their decision-making risks
and the opinion leaders act as agents for risk reduction, through
experimentation and evaluation. For example, Scotland brewers
HighlandPark, in order to promote new DarkOrigins whisky, has
invited the authorities of creative and alcoholic industries to
endorse the Instagram and other accounts, considering that the
target market is young and interested in scientific and
technological products. One of them is the Chris Messina,
which invented the social network tag “#,” which is a typical
marketing campaign using KOL.
The digital age has seen a shift in marketing with the emergence
of KOL. Key Opinion Leaders work double-duty: they not only
connect with their audience, but in most cases, they also have a

specific target demographic. This allows brands to effectively
allocate their marketing budget because of the targeted, niche
audience the influencer has access to. Due to the increase in the
use of social media among a considerable percentage of the
population, key opinion leaders need to understand the need to
apply effective strategies in the ensuring that they have attained
their marketing goals and objectives (Parveen, Jaafar, & Ainin,
2015).
The studies have revealed that one of the most important factors
that key opinion leaders will need to consider is the customer.
In traditional marketing, the marketer usually understands the
need of the customer and creates a specific strategy aimed at
meeting the needs of the customer. However, with the advent of
technology, the needs of the customers are becoming dynamic
and it is important to understand all the factors influencing the
needs of the customer. For a key opinion leader to be able to
effectively influence the customer into buying their product, the
leader will need to understand the customer. Understanding the
customer means being in a position to understand the current
trends in the market and the needs of the market. Understanding
the customer places them in a position to tailor their strategies
in order to meet the needs of the customers. In addition to
meeting the needs of the customer, understanding the needs of
the customer helps in being in a position to understand on the
communication and promotion strategies to be applied. The
social media is no longer meant for the millennial as the
generation X, and generation Z are actively on social media.
Therefore, the strategies that are employed by the key opinion
leader in understanding the customers determine the intention of
the customer to buy the product or service that they are
promoting (Tiago & Veríssimo, 2014).
According to the findings of the study, there is a direct
relationship between key opinion leaders and the intent by the
customers to make a purchase. A key opinion leader has been
considered as an individual whose major role is to influence
potential customers into buying a specific product or service.

The major difference between a key opinion leader and an
opinion leader is that a key opinion leader is tasked with the
authority of persuading customers over different social media
platforms into buying their products and services. Key opinion
leaders are charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the
information that they present to the potential customers is in
line with the product or service that they are offering. One of
the major aspects that have been noted to influence the
strategies that are employed by the key opinion leaders is how
information is presented. Given the rise of the social media, the
key opinion leaders need to understand on how to present
information the social media pages that they manage. The level
of persuasiveness is determined by how much information they
present to the potential customers, which influences their
intention to buy the particular product or service (Valentini,
2015).
There are three major aspects that have been identified during
the study that apply to key opinion leaders: customer, price, and
promotion. A key opinion leader is charged with the
responsibility of ensuring that they establish target customers
and ensure that they create proper strategies that match with the
needs of the customer. In addition, the aspect of customer also
involves understanding the nature of the customer, which
determines on how to communicate with them in persuading
them to buy the particular product. On the aspect of price, the
key opinion leader needs to ensure that they create an effective
pricing strategy that ensures that the sales are made translate to
profitability for their organization. Every organization is taking
advantage of social media platforms, which means that the level
of competition is high. Therefore, an effective pricing strategy
will help the organization in ensuring that they maintain a
competitive advantage in the market. The third aspect is on
promotion. It is a fact that the role of a key opinion leader is to
promote the products and services, but the manner in which they
conduct the promotional campaigns determines the success. The
choice of promotional strategy should be determined by the

nature of the product, target audience, and the goals and
objectives of the organization. It is important that key opinion
holders understand the business environment on which they are
operating on in ensuring that they implement promotional
strategies that are effective for the business organizations that
they represent (Tsimonis & Dimitriadis, 2014).
The choice of the key opinion leader has been described to have
a direct influence on the intention by customers to buy a
specific product or service. As mentioned, a key opinion leader
is an individual charged with the responsibility of influencing
the potential customer into buying their product or service. In
order to attain this goal, the opinion key leader is expected to
have a certain level of influence in the public domain. Key
opinion leaders have been known to be widely known bloggers,
celebrities, or other personalities that are known to create some
level of influence to the potential customers. Therefore, the
choice of a key opinion leader should be considered if any
social media campaign is to be successful (Tuten & Solomon,
2017).
In conclusion, the current studies have affirmed the positive
relationship between key opinion leaders and the intent by
customers to buy products. The studies have revealed that key
opinion leaders influence consumer behaviours and are effective
in driving sales growth across organizations. With the increase
in the use of social media across members of different age sets,
the use of key opinion leaders is becoming more effective and
efficient in promoting products and services. The studies also
note that the choice of the key opinion leaders determines the
level of influence to the potential customers.
Future Research and Development
The current research has provided insightful information on the
impact of key opinion leaders on the intent by customers to buy
products and services. It is notable that the key opinion leaders
have become more common as a result of technological
advancements and the increased use of social media platforms.
In the future, the research will need to focus on the specifics on

the key opinion holders and the specific impact of promotional
campaigns. The research will need to establish on whether
organizations can sustain the promotional strategies given that
most companies only run promotional campaigns for a short
period of time. Since promotions are costly, the research will
need to recommend on strategies for sustained promotional
campaigns. In addition, future research will need to consider
other interplaying factors that affect the perceptions of the
customers towards the key opinion leaders. By focusing on
these areas, future research will have answered some of the
questions that have not been answered in the current research.
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http://...
Author, B. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Journal or
Website Title. Volume Number (if applicable). Retrieved from
http://...
Note that all lines after the first line of each entry in your
Reference List should be indented one-half inch from the left
margin, as illustrated in this sentence. This method of
indentation is referred to as a 'hanging indentation.'
REFERENCE LIST PAGE NOTES
· Begin the Reference List on a new page.
· Center the word “References” on the first line with no bold,
italics, underlines, or quotation marks..

· Authors' names are inverted (last name first); give the last
name and initials for all authors of a particular work for up to
and including seven authors. If the work has more than seven
authors, list the first six authors and then use ellipses after the
sixth author's name. After the ellipses, list the last author's
name.
· References should be alphabetized by the last name of the first
author of each work. For multiple articles by the same author,
or authors listed in the same order, list the entries in
chronological order, from earliest to most recent.
· When referring to books, chapters, or articles from a journal
or website, capitalize only the first letter of the first word of a
title and subtitle, the first word after a colon or a dash in the
title, and proper nouns. Do not capitalize the first letter of the
second word in a hyphenated compound word.
· Do not italicize, underline, or put quotes around the titles of
shorter works such as journal articles or essays in edited
collections.
· Italicize the titles of longer works such as books and journals,
and websites. Present the journal titles in full.
· Maintain the punctuation and capitalization that is used by the
journal title. For
example: 'ReCALL,' not 'RECALL,' or 'Knowledge Management
Research & Practice, not 'Knowledge Management Research and
Practice.'
· Capitalize all major words in titles of longer works such as
books and journals, and websites.
INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH PROJECT
1 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview
...............................................................................................
........................................................ 1
Scenario..................................................................................
....................................................................... 1
Project Brief
...............................................................................................
................................................... 2
Resources
...............................................................................................
....................................................... 3
Hunt Library
...............................................................................................
............................................... 3
Turnitin
...............................................................................................
....................................................... 3
Warning
...............................................................................................
...................................................... 3
APA Style Requirements
...............................................................................................
............................ 3
Writing Mechanics
...............................................................................................
..................................... 4
Project Submissions

...............................................................................................
....................................... 4
Module 3 (Project Submission 1):
Solution
Selections and 4-page Template .......................................... 4
Module 5 (Project Submission 2):

1Running Head MODULE 7 SUBMISSION6 MODULE 7 SUBMISSION.docx

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