Measurement in Marketing

2Standardizing or Constructing a Measurement Scale

OBJECTIVES OF THE CHAPTER.–

This chapter allows us to clarify the basis of the choice between using an existing scale and constructing a new one. The objectives are as follows:

• ‒ highlight the scope of the adoption of a measurement scale;
• ‒ highlight the scope of the construction of a new measurement scale;
• ‒ highlight the different modalities of action (adopt, adapt, develop);
• ‒ clarify the choice between these modalities of action;
• ‒ emphasize the equivalence of a scale and its different variants.

2.1. Introduction

Measurement scales are essential tools for measuring latent variables such as attitudes, opinions, preferences and behavioral intentions. Since these constructs are not directly observable, it is necessary to acquire the means to reproduce, through a set of directly observable indicators (variables), these implicit phenomena. Indeed, it is widely recognized that these phenomena are omnipresent and decisive in understanding facts, not only from an academic point of view, but also from a managerial point of view. From this perspective, the use of scales (often multi-item) has been made very apparent in recent years. Some researchers tend to use existing measurement scales, while others design their own.

In this chapter, we will address the central question: is scale construction always useful? Indeed, it is easy to observe the existence of already developed measures that are conceptually defined as representative ...