Modelling Choice of Information Sources

This paper addresses the significance of traveller information sources including mono-modal and multimodal websites for travel decisions. The research follows a decision paradigm developed earlier, involving an information acquisition process for travel choices, and identifies the abstract character...

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Main Authors: Agha Faisal Habib Pathan, Kamran Ansari, Ashfaque Ahmed Memon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Mehran University of Engineering and Technology 2013-04-01
Series:Mehran University Research Journal of Engineering and Technology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://publications.muet.edu.pk/research_papers/pdf/pdf770.pdf
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spelling doaj-a404cb890a0a4489ac420e966b399c792020-11-25T00:36:55ZengMehran University of Engineering and TechnologyMehran University Research Journal of Engineering and Technology0254-78212413-72192013-04-01322287306Modelling Choice of Information Sources Agha Faisal Habib Pathan0Kamran Ansari1Ashfaque Ahmed Memon2Department of Civil Engineering, Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro, PakistanDepartment of Civil Engineering, Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro, PakistanDepartment of Civil Engineering, Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro, PakistanThis paper addresses the significance of traveller information sources including mono-modal and multimodal websites for travel decisions. The research follows a decision paradigm developed earlier, involving an information acquisition process for travel choices, and identifies the abstract characteristics of new information sources that deserve further investigation (e.g. by incorporating these in models and studying their significance in model estimation). A Stated Preference experiment is developed and the utility functions are formulated by expanding the travellers' choice set to include different combinations of sources of information. In order to study the underlying choice mechanisms, the resulting variables are examined in models based on different behavioural strategies, including utility maximisation and minimising the regret associated with the foregone alternatives. This research confirmed that RRM (Random Regret Minimisation) Theory can fruitfully be used and can provide important insights for behavioural studies. The study also analyses the properties of travel planning websites and establishes a link between travel choices and the content, provenance, design, presence of advertisements, and presentation of information. The results indicate that travellers give particular credence to governmentowned sources and put more importance on their own previous experiences than on any other single source of information. Information from multimodal websites is more influential than that on train-only websites. This in turn is more influential than information from friends, while information from coachonly websites is the least influential. A website with less search time, specific information on users' own criteria, and real time information is regarded as most attractivehttp://publications.muet.edu.pk/research_papers/pdf/pdf770.pdfChoice modellingTravel informationMixed LogitRandom Regret Model
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Agha Faisal Habib Pathan
Kamran Ansari
Ashfaque Ahmed Memon
spellingShingle Agha Faisal Habib Pathan
Kamran Ansari
Ashfaque Ahmed Memon
Modelling Choice of Information Sources
Mehran University Research Journal of Engineering and Technology
Choice modelling
Travel information
Mixed Logit
Random Regret Model
author_facet Agha Faisal Habib Pathan
Kamran Ansari
Ashfaque Ahmed Memon
author_sort Agha Faisal Habib Pathan
title Modelling Choice of Information Sources
title_short Modelling Choice of Information Sources
title_full Modelling Choice of Information Sources
title_fullStr Modelling Choice of Information Sources
title_full_unstemmed Modelling Choice of Information Sources
title_sort modelling choice of information sources
publisher Mehran University of Engineering and Technology
series Mehran University Research Journal of Engineering and Technology
issn 0254-7821
2413-7219
publishDate 2013-04-01
description This paper addresses the significance of traveller information sources including mono-modal and multimodal websites for travel decisions. The research follows a decision paradigm developed earlier, involving an information acquisition process for travel choices, and identifies the abstract characteristics of new information sources that deserve further investigation (e.g. by incorporating these in models and studying their significance in model estimation). A Stated Preference experiment is developed and the utility functions are formulated by expanding the travellers' choice set to include different combinations of sources of information. In order to study the underlying choice mechanisms, the resulting variables are examined in models based on different behavioural strategies, including utility maximisation and minimising the regret associated with the foregone alternatives. This research confirmed that RRM (Random Regret Minimisation) Theory can fruitfully be used and can provide important insights for behavioural studies. The study also analyses the properties of travel planning websites and establishes a link between travel choices and the content, provenance, design, presence of advertisements, and presentation of information. The results indicate that travellers give particular credence to governmentowned sources and put more importance on their own previous experiences than on any other single source of information. Information from multimodal websites is more influential than that on train-only websites. This in turn is more influential than information from friends, while information from coachonly websites is the least influential. A website with less search time, specific information on users' own criteria, and real time information is regarded as most attractive
topic Choice modelling
Travel information
Mixed Logit
Random Regret Model
url http://publications.muet.edu.pk/research_papers/pdf/pdf770.pdf
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AT kamranansari modellingchoiceofinformationsources
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