Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL 1

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 RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2

1. Research Proposal on the Influencing Effects of Consumer Trust Perception in E-

Payment or Cashless Payment in China
1.1. Introduction
Whereas many businesses have adopted mobile payments in virtually all transactions,
the body of knowledge concerning user trust in cashless payment demonstrates that trust
remains a principal concern in its acceptance and development. Over the past two decades, e-
payment has contributed significantly in transforming conventional payment procedures into
digital forms, leading to changes in consumers’ perceptions and activities in economic
exchanges. However, there is insufficient knowledge regarding how perceived privacy and
security influences represent a sustainable application of cashless payment services. To
explore the impact of perceived trust on consumers’ continuous use, particularly regarding
cashless payments and factors associated with perceived security, for instance, interface
design features, conscientiousness, and perceived control, it is important to apply a
systematic mixed method approach. The topic is essential because of China’s unprecedented
transition towards adopting cashless payment, which has elicited debate due to perceived
insecurity by consumers. According to McGregor (2021), China’s society is moving to a
virtual mode of payment, with the Central Bank attempting to push back the developments
because of perceived lack of trust in the apps, security, and an unconvinced public. In 2020,
the People’s Bank of China fined 16 private and public organizations for declining to accept
cash recompences. The move was meant to safeguard individual’s rights to utilize cash and
safeguard their money despite the country fast becoming among the most cashless economies
globally. While big fintech platforms like Alibaba’s Alipay and Tencent’s WeChat Pay have
been making incursions, accounting for approximately 90 percent of the mobile payments
market valued at $17 trillion, the public is not convinced that their sensitive information is
secure (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor, 2019). Therefore, it is essential to explore
consumers’ perceptions on e-payment mechanisms from a privacy and trust perspective.

The incentives proffered by transitioning the payment mechanism from traditional

banking to fintech platforms are significant, yet potentially concerning. While they continue
to flourish both locally and internationally, following Chinese consumers and travelers’
incursions abroad, they have not sufficiently addressed privacy concerns, leaving a thin line
between consumer trust and thriving of ecommerce (Klein, 2020). Transacting on social
networking platforms is a novel concept that raises trust concerns because of negative
perceptions among consumers, which is the rationale for selecting the topic. Most studies, for
 RESEARCH PROPOSAL 3

instance, by Zhang, Luximon, and Song (2019) have raised perceived security as having
momentous impact in the unceasing intention to use e-payment. However, the studies have
failed to explain the precise trust and privacy perceptions and how they influence the decision
to adopt and utilize cashless payment mechanisms. Subsequently, it is necessary to
thoroughly examine literature on the theme, including social theories regarding human
purchasing behaviors. The literature review will encompass multiple views from different
empirical investigations published in reputable journals from validated databases.

1.2. Research Question, Aims, and Objectives

The selected research question is based on exploration of research contents. Principally,
the objective of the investigation is to establish perceived privacy and trust perceptions
among Chinese consumers on their intention to use e-payment methods and how the
perceptions influence their subsequent adoption and continued use. As per Alibaba’s statistics
in 2016, the turnover to cashless payments is 16.7 percent relative to the previous year, but
the adoption rate among consumers has only risen by to percent over the same period
(Rouibah, Lowry, & Hwang, 2016). It is important to identify the reason for the low adoption
rate against an environment that is warming up to a cashless system. Besides, through a study,
the Payment and Clearing Association of China (PCAC) established that 95.6 percent of
consumers utilized cashless payments because of convenience and use, but 64.7 percent felt
that security remained a principal concern (Zhang, Luximon, & Song, 2019). Approximately
77.8 percent asked for improvements in security features while 79.2 percent anticipated
feedback warning. Fifty percent expected better management of security. Therefore, the study
will identify, explore, and analyze precise consumer perceptions regarding their security
while selecting modes of cashless payments to use. Similarly, the study will explore how the
perceptions influence the society’s overall sustained use of the payment system. The research
question is as follows:

RQ: What are the security perceptions facing consumers in China and how do they
influence the adoption and sustained use in a system transitioning quickly into virtual
payment?

The use of comparative studies is essential in gathering concurring and divergent views
to reach an informed decision (Croswell & Cresswell, 2017). In the factors of security
perception, consumers’ willingness is hinged on their overall trust of the technologies and
credibility of the providers.
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2. Methodology
The objective of this section is to explain the techniques and methodology adopted for
this investigation. First, the section will explain the research approach choice, including the
research design, and pros and cons of the selected research instruments (Croswell &
Cresswell, 2017). Subsequently, the section will discuss the instruments’ ability to lead to
valid results, attaining the objectives and aims set by the study. The section then proceeds to
explain the sample size and sampling technique applied in the study, and data analysis
techniques to be applied. The section will conclude with a presentation of ethical concerns
posed by the study, including challenges and limitations faced by the investigators.

2.1. Research Approach

The study applies the qualitative design approach, where the investigation approach
executed is that of interpretivism. Interpretivism describes a research paradigm applied in
qualitative studies. According to Pulla and Carter (2018), interpretivism describes an
approach implemented by the investigator to synthesize facts that are derived principally
from secondary foundations, and which are by nature, qualitative. The approach is abstract in
nature, since they are subject to a variety of implications that are intangible and complex to
measure. For instance, in relation to trust perceptions among consumers in using cashless
payment, the factors are economic, social, and cultural (Klein, 2020; Zhang, Luximon, &
Song, 2019). Accordingly, for the purpose of this research, the investigator selected the
interpretivist approach over the positivist and pragmatic approaches since immaterial, non-
quantifiable variables are more relevant. For example, questions like “would you favor a
security structure that includes a security-tight management concept?” and “ do you believe
the company is doing enough proactively to ensure customer privacy?” are not quantifiable
based on individual interpretation. The elements are not easily measurable and involve
diverse, complex connections, making the interpretivist approach the most viable for this
study.

2.2. Research Design

The purpose of the research design is to offer a suitable framework for the study.
According to Croswell and Cresswell (2017) and Toshkov (2016), a very important decision
in the process is the choice made concerning the research approach because it determines the
degree of relevance of information selected for the study and other interrelated decisions. The
study adopts a qualitative approach because they will be no quantitative or numeric data. A
qualitative exploration approach is especially applicable for this exploration because the
 RESEARCH PROPOSAL 5

connection between several diverse variables has to be established using interpretation. In

addition, the inquiry utilizes triangulation because the approach provides opportunity to view
the research aims from different perspectives (Croswell & Cresswell, 2017). The advantage
and validity of the instruments utilized to undertake this study are discussed in the subsequent
subsection.

2.3. Research Methods

For this study, the investigator has decided to blend two of the most classic social
sciences investigation instruments – interviews and questionnaires (Tomaszewski, Zaretsky,
& Gonzalez, 2020). The questionnaires will be distributed electronically using social
networking sites such as WeChat, with the audience targeted being those who have either
used or thought about making e-payments. The questionnaires will also be distributed to
security managers of popular cash payment systems. As a complementary technique, the
investigator will also conduct interviews with an equal figure of participants for each group.
The advantages and demerits of each approach are discussed shortly.
 RESEARCH PROPOSAL 6

2.3.1. Questionnaires. The investigator utilized questionnaires because they are a

quick, reliable technique to gather information and responses from multiple respondents in a
timely, efficient manner (Croswell & Cresswell, 2017). The study will not be an exception
and questionnaires will represent a quick, effective way oof reaching various participants in
several weeks. However, a general demerit of using questionnaires, especially electronic
ones, is their strict and fixed format, which eliminates the possibility of making more abstract
or in-depth observation. The method is anticipated to produce clear, linear results, although it
leaves out many pertinent elements that would have made the research more valid. For
example, some participants might tick checkboxes without understanding the questions or
merely overlooking some to get done with. The implication would be to reduce the accuracy
of the results.
2.3.2. Interviews. To cover more abstract aspects of the study, the investigator will
select this complementary technique with structured interviews comprising several questions,
which will be distributed among participants in each group (consumers and security
managers/consultants). Researchers often utilize interviews as a complementary method
because they provide a more open discussion, in-depth observation, and because of their
formal nature, permit for free, honest interaction with respondents (Croswell & Cresswell,
2017). Besides, honesty is perceived as a cornerstone for a good inquiry process
(Mirhosseini, 2020). Despite being viewed as a demerit because it tends to produce subjective
responses, its flexible format can be a core advantage as some nuances of this research, for
instance, questioning emotions and asking about memorable or forgettable experiences, could
not be captured appropriately through questionnaire design. That said, results from any
interview are not effectively generalizable, due to the subjectivity of the obtained data.
Contrariwise, the interviews’ flexible format can contribute to a more in—depth
comprehension between the consumers security perceptions and the rate of adoption and
utilization of cashless payments among consumers.
2.4. Other Methods
Upon starting the research, the author originally contemplated using participant
observation and focus groups as possible alternative approaches, mostly because of the
behavioral elements included in the study, including their abstract form (Busetto, Wick, &
Gumbinger, 2020). However, due to costs and time constraints, the research methods could
not be adopted. Initially, the investigator also contemplated investigating to groups of
participants – one comprising employees where cashless payment has been adopted and other
 RESEARCH PROPOSAL 7

from a group where the system has not been implemented. They would receive the same
questionnaire. Yet, this approach was non-viable because it would not represent the
cooperating nature of the framework where technological personnel, business managers, and
other logistical personnel are actively involved.

2.5. Sampling Strategy

For this study, the investigator had to interrogate two distinct participator groups. The
stratified sampling technique has been selected, mainly because the connection between
behavioral, social, and economic factors, as well as cultural and personal bases had to be
discerned (Pulla & Carter, 2018). Moreover, a specific group of each participating group was
invited for the interviews to form a subgroup of the initial population. Besides, the
respondents were selected based on a particular criterion, for instance, the precise company,
where the cashless payment system has been implemented. Alibaba and WeChat fitted the
requirements for this research because of their extensive e-payment adoption. Ten security
managers and consultants were picked from each company across different locations in
China. They were contacted officially using email addresses and phone contact information
found on company websites. The investigator tried to make the sample more diversified,
balancing the number of males and females in the sample size. The second group received a
similar consideration, although the electronic questionnaires used were to be subjected based
on acceptance on social media sites, albeit trying to balance the number of participants based
on region and gender. However, the sample size did not include factors such as industry,
purpose of use, and age as they were irrelevant to the objectives of this research. The
complete transcripts of the interviews and questionnaires will be attached as appendices to
the research subject to approval.
2.6. Data Collection
Mostly, communication with the participants occurred via email and automated surveys
administered via the WeChat social platform. However, prior to this, the investigator created
a database of organizations that satisfied the research criteria through a simple web search.
The researcher purposefully targeted bigger organizations because they had relatively higher
chances of granting access to their employees as a way of ensuring openness. Also, due to
their size and greater concern for security and consumer satisfaction, they would offer a
clearer outlook of the cashless payment system and the factors that draw consumers to their
platforms. Initially, the investigator contacted the participants through email and phone
contacts derived from the companies’ websites to obtain assent and get acquainted with the
 RESEARCH PROPOSAL 8

participants. For purposes of confidentiality, the job titles and names of the participants have
been concealed because, in various cases, security managers delegated their interviews to
their subordinates. The questionnaires were circulated with the intended duration for
completion being four weeks. For the electronic questionnaires, the subjects were required to
take approximately fifteen minutes to complete the exercise. Depending on the participants’
preferences interviews were conducted via video conferencing, which would be transcribed
later.

2.7. Ethical Issues

There are various ethical considerations to be made before, during, and after the study.
The study is based on the ethical premise that it is paramount to safeguard human subjects by
applying suitable ethical principles during qualitative investigation (Arifin, 2018). The ethical
considerations possess a specific resonance because of the in-depth nature required in the
overall inquiry. The current ethical guidance for conducting qualitative studies often offer
general guidelines, as opposed to emphasizing on how to use it in pragmatic practice,
especially when interrogating issues with non-subjective responses. For the purpose of this
particular investigation, the researcher applies ethical principles at all stages to maintain the
balance between the latent risks of inquiry and the anticipated benefits of the findings. It is
particularly essential given that responses are drown from people from diverse socio-
economical and educational backgrounds. Furthermore, consideration of the tenets of ethics
in research makes the study valid and fulfills codes of ethics for institutional examination
purposes, including later research.
The most notable ones are based on ethical principles, which are outlined below:

Principal Action(s)
Informed consent The investigator had to ensure informed permission by all
participants. All the respondents were informed prior to the
interviews regarding the objectives of the study and gave
their consent by appending their signatures on formally
prepared consent forms (Croswell & Cresswell, 2017).
For the electronic questionnaires, participants gave their
consent by clicking either the “I agree” button or “Disagree”
button to continue with the questionnaire.
Confidentiality The identity, job titles, and names of the respective
companies have been concealed to guarantee confidentiality
 RESEARCH PROPOSAL 9

of the participants (Croswell & Cresswell, 2017). The

purpose of the confidentiality principle is in line with the
University’s code of ethics.
Privacy The investigator had to agree not to reveal aspects of
participants or companies that are not part of the objectives of
this investigation
2.8. Reflection on Positionality, Problems and Limitations
During the course of the research design process, there were various challenges and
issues associated with positionality and cost constraints. The first challenge was obtaining a
sufficient number of participants who would assent to the interviews, especially because of
the sensitivity associated with divulging financial information (Zhang, Luximon, & Song,
2019). Due to their cultural dispensation, most of the participants were unwilling to voice
their opinion on their data. Besides, most companies and consumer group respondents took
more time to respond to questions, with some declining to take part. Most of the companies
offering cashless payment systems were reluctant to provide opportunities for external
investigation, thereby representing an obstacle to timely consent. In addition, the investigator
was constrained by time and financial requirements, which determined the selection of the
more effective research method, for instance, interviews and questionnaires, instead of
participant observation or focus groups, which are more time-consuming.

Thirdly, given the small sample size, it will be difficult to obtain more inclusive
findings, which could be extrapolated on a wider scale. Put alternatively, it is difficult to
generalize the results, especially because of their abstract nature. Additionally, the application
of the interpretivist approach was influenced by the non-numeric outlook of the elements of
research that would provide more concise results (Croswell & Cresswell, 2017). Because of
this, the research would be viewed as somewhat biased and not determined using empirical
evidence.
 RESEARCH PROPOSAL 10

3. References
Arifin, S. R. (2018). Ethical considerations in qualitative study. International Journal of Care
Scholars, 1(2),
researchgate.net/publication/328019725_Ethical_Considerations_in_Qualitative_Stud
y.
Busetto, L., Wick, W., & Gumbinger, C. (2020). How to use and assess qualitative research
methods. Neurological Research and Practice 2(14),
https://neurolrespract.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42466-020-00059-z.
Consultative Group to Assist the Poor. (2019). China: A Digital Payments Revolution.
Retrieved from https://www.cgap.org/research/publication/china-digital-payments-
revolution
Croswell, J. W., & Cresswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and
mixed methods. SAGE Publications.
Klein, A. (2020). China’s digital payments revolution. New York: The Brookings Institution .
McGregor, G. (2021, Jan. 20). China’s society is going cashless. Now its central bank is
pushing back. Retrieved from https://fortune.com/2021/01/26/china-going-cashless-
central-bank/
Mirhosseini, e.-A. (2020). Doing qualitative research in language education. Springer
Nature.
Pulla, V., & Carter, E. (2018). Employing interpretivism in social work research.
International Journal of Social Work and Human Services Practice, 6(1), 9-14.
Rouibah, K., Lowry, P., & Hwang, Y. (2016). The effects of perceived enjoyment and
perceived risks on trust formation and intentions to use online payment systems: new
perspectives from an Arab country. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications,
33-43.
Symon, G., & Cassel, C. (2012). Qualitative organizational research: Core methods and
current challenges. SAGE Publishers.
Tomaszewski, L. E., Zaretsky, J., & Gonzalez, E. (2020). Planning qualitative research:
Design and decision-making for new researchers. International Journal of Qualitative
Methods, https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406920967174.
Toshkov, D. (2016). Research design in Political Science. McMillan Education UK.
Zhang, J., Luximon, Y., & Song, Y. (2019). The role of consumers’ perceived security,
perceived control, interface design features, and conscientiousness in continuous use
of mobile payment services. Sustainability, 11(6843), 1-16.