IV. M
The first sample chosen for this study was obtained from
the Irish Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Association. It consisted of 620 individuals who had
completed an MBA degree in the preceding 10 years. Their
participation in the study was requested via post and they
received the questionnaire and accompanying documentation
via post. The following week, follow-up letters were sent to
all subjects who had not yet replied to remind them to
complete the questionnaire. Previous studies of consumer
trust in on-line shopping have been based on current
undergraduate or postgraduate students from one university
(Belanger et al., 2002; Borchers, 2001). In this study, the
participants were graduates of six universities in Ireland. 200
of whom had completed their MBA degree at Dublin City
University, while the other 420 participants represented the
five other universities in roughly equal measure.