Chapter 7: Handling Non-Linear Relationship Using Quadratic Effect Modeling (QEM)

1. Non-linear Relationship Explained Experienced researchers would agree that variables do not always hold a linear relationship as in a straight line (Hay & Morris, 1991; Eisenbeiss, CorneliEen, Backhaus, & Hoyer, 2014). For example, in the field of marketing, advertising activities and sales revenue often hold a non-linear, quadratic relationship.48 Consumers may be eager

1 Comments

Chapter 8: Analysing Segments Using Heterogeneity Modeling

1. Something is Hiding in the Dataset In exploratory research, marketing researchers may have little knowledge about the nature of the underlying data. They need to consider the potential problem of heterogeneous data structures in PLS-SEM modeling because the data do not necessarily come from a homogeneous population (see Figure 42). If heterogeneity is

Chapter 9: Estimating Complex Models Using Higher Order Construct Modeling (HCM)

1. Case Study: Customer Survey in a Photocopier Manufacturer (B2B) Since PLS-SEM is a relatively new approach to modeling, researchers who are not familiar with it may find the analytical and reporting aspects challenging, especially in the areas of higher-order constructs modeling, mediation analysis, and categorical moderation analysis. Chapter 9, 10 and 11 are

Chapter 10: Mediation Analysis with SmartPLS Software

1. Customer Satisfaction (SATIS) as a Mediator The relationships among constructs in PLS-SEM can be complex and not always straightforward. To gain a better understanding of the role of SATIS in our model, its potential mediating effect on the linkage between REPUT and LOYAL (see Figure 92), and those between PRICE and LOYAL (see

Chapter 11: Comparing Groups Using Categorical Moderation Analysis (PLS-MGA)

1. Multi-group Analysis – “Business Type” in the Photocopier Manufacturer Example Before starting this research project, Susan’s colleagues in the sales department keep telling her that non-profit business customers often behave very differently from for-profit ones in their decision-making processes. To confirm such insights, the last hypothesis is built as follows: H8: There is

Chapter 12: New Techniques in PLS-SEM

1. Estimating Factor Models Using Consistent PLS (PLSc) The traditional PLS algorithm has its shortcomings. Dijkstra & Schermelleh-Engel (2014) argue that it overestimates the loadings in absolute value and underestimates multiple and bivariate correlations between latent variables. It is also found that the R2 value of endogenous latent variables is often underestimated (Dijkstra, 2010).

Chapter 13: Recommended PLS-SEM Resources

1. Books Handbook of Partial Least Squares (PLS) and Marketing: Concepts, Methods, and Applications Editors: Vincenzo Esposito Vinzi, Wynne W. Chin, Jorg Henseler, & Huiwen Wangalso Publisher: Springer, 2010 Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling: Basic Concepts, Methodological Issues and Applications Editors: Latan, H., & Noonan, R. Publisher: Springer, 2017 A Primer on Partial

2 Comments

How to Write a Thesis?

Umberto Eco was one of these professors. In 1977, just before he became famous for The Name of the Rose, he wrote a small handbook to help struggling students. How to Write a Thesis has been in print for over 40 years. Used and beloved by generations of students in Europe and beyond, it was only recently

2 Comments

What Is a Thesis, and Why Is It Required?

A thesis is a typewritten manuscript, usually 100 to 400 pages in length, in which the student addresses a particu­lar problem in his chosen field. Italian law requires students to successfully complete a thesis before they are granted the laurea, currently the terminal humanities degree offered by Italian universities. Once the student has passed

1 Comments

The Usefulness of a Thesis after Graduation

There are two ways to write a thesis that is useful after graduation. A student can write a thesis that becomes the foundation of a broader research project that will continue into the years ahead, if he has the means and desire to do so. Additionally, writing a thesis develops valuable profes­sional skills that

2 Comments

Four Obvious Rules for Choosing a Thesis Topic

Although we will discuss thesis topics in greater detail in the next chapter, the following rules will help you get started. They do not apply if the professor pressures you to choose a particular topic (see section 2.7, “How to Avoid Being Exploited by Your Advisor”), or if you lack interest and are willing

2 Comments

Choosing a Thesis Topic: Monograph or Survey?

The first temptation of any student is to write a thesis that is too broad. For example, the first impulse of a literature stu­dent is to write a thesis titled “Literature Today.” If advised to narrow the scope, the student might choose “Italian Lit­erature from the Postwar Period to the Sixties,” a topic with

1 Comments

Choosing a Thesis Topic: Historical or Theoretical?

This choice only applies to certain subjects. A thesis in his­tory of mathematics, Romance philology, history of German literature, and other similar subjects can only be historical. A thesis on experimental subjects such as architectural com­position, nuclear reactor physics, or comparative anatomy is usually theoretical. But there are other subjects such as theo­retical philosophy,

1 Comments

Choosing a Thesis Topic: Ancient or Contemporary?

Here I am not attempting to revive the age-old quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns. Instead I am here using the term “ancient” in the most general sense of “very old,” referring to authors whose works have survived and been studied by scholars. The choice between an ancient and a contemporary author does

1 Comments

How Long Does It Take to Write a Thesis?

Let us state from the outset: no longer than three years and no less than six months. This period includes not just the time necessary to write the final draft, which may take only a month or two weeks, depending on the student’s work hab­its. Instead, this period begins at the genesis of the

3 Comments

Is It Necessary to Know Foreign Languages?

This section does not concern those students writing a the­sis on a foreign language or on foreign literature. One would hope that these students know the language on which they write their thesis. Better still, one would hope that a stu­dent studying a French author writes his thesis in French, as many universities around

1 Comments

What Does It Mean to Be Scientific?

Some identify science with natural sciences or quantita­tive research. In other words, they believe research is only scientific if it contains formulas and diagrams. From this perspective, research on Aristotle’s ethics would not be sci­entific, nor would a thesis on class consciousness and the peasant revolts during the Protestant Reformation. Clearly this is not

1 Comments

Choosing a Thesis Topic: Writing about Direct Social Experience

Here our initial question returns in a new form: is it more useful to write an erudite thesis on an established, scholarly topic, or one tied to practical experiences and direct social activities? In other words, is it more useful to write a thesis that involves famous authors or ancient texts, or one that

1 Comments

Treating a “Journalistic” Topic with Scientific Accuracy

As most Italians know, scores of these stations have appeared in large Italian cities. There are a few even in cen­ters of a hundred thousand inhabitants, and more continue to appear across Italy. They can be political or commercial in nature. They often have legal problems, but the legislation regarding these stations is ambiguous

1 Comments

How to Avoid Being Exploited by Your Advisor

As I’ve mentioned earlier, often a student chooses a topic based on his own interests, but other times a student wishes to work with a particular professor who suggests a topic to the student. Professors tend to follow two different crite­ria when suggesting a topic: a professor can recommend a familiar topic on which

1 Comments