Measurement in Marketing

6Quantitative Purification of a Reflective Scale

OBJECTIVES OF THE CHAPTER.–

This chapter marks the logic underlying the quantitative purification of a measurement scale, in particular a reflective scale. Its objectives are to:

• ‒ present the purification procedure of a scale;
• ‒ highlight the main objectives of an exploratory factor analysis, its main stages and the main criteria to be used during its use;
• ‒ specify the practical implementation of an exploratory factor analysis;
• ‒ highlight the foundations for evaluating the quality of a measurement scale;
• ‒ present the main traditional criteria for assessing the reliability of a measurement scale;
• ‒ provide some guidance for examining the reliability of a scale.

6.1. Introduction

After having presented the main foundations of the construction of a measurement scale, in particular a multi-item reflective scale, we must now specify that the various devices previously specified deserve to be refined by a more technical examination. It is a question of being able to evaluate the quality of the items identified. To do this, various statistical tests must be undertaken. Indeed, using a reflective multi-item scale to measure a phenomenon implicitly implies that it can be understood according to the formulations of the items. But do these different indicators really reflect a single construct? Or is it a multi-faceted phenomenon? Do these facets refer to the theoretical dimensions of the phenomenon studied? Also, do these items ...