3 Determinants of eWOM

This chapter discusses the determinants of eWOM and the extent to what influence it has on the receiver's purchase intentions. Specifically, I review existing theories of information sources and the extent to what influence they have on eWOM in Section 3.1. Next, in Section 3.2, I discuss the literature on the effects of eWOM on purchase decisions. In section 3.3, I address the role of the positive and negative eWOM on receiver's purchase intentions. In the last Section 3.4, I discuss the information processing of motivation, opportunity and ability (MOA Theory) of a receiver and the influence it has on eWOM. Each section brings forth hypotheses that have served as the starting point for my investigation in Chapter 4. Finally, the chapter introduces the research model with its underlying hypotheses.