IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp15941.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

On the Validity of Using Webpage Texts to Identify the Target Population of a Survey: An Application to Detect Online Platforms

Author

Listed:
  • Daas, Piet

    (Eindhoven University of Technology)

  • Hassink, Wolter

    (Utrecht University)

  • Klijs, Bart

    (Statistics Netherlands)

Abstract

A statistical classification model was developed to identify online platform organizations based on the texts on their website. The model was subsequently used to identify all (potential) platform organizations with a website included in the Dutch Business Register. The empirical outcomes of the statistical model were plausible in terms of the words and the bimodal distribution of fitted probabilities, but the results indicated an overestimation of the number of platform organizations. Next, the external validity of the outcomes was investigated through a survey held under the organizations that were identified as a platform organization by the statistical classification model. The response by the organizations to the survey confirmed a substantial number of type-I errors. Furthermore, it revealed a positive association between the fitted probability of the text-based classification model and the organization's response to the survey question on being an online platform organization. The survey results indicated that the text-based classification model can be used to obtain a subpopulation of potential platform organizations from the entire population of businesses with a website.

Suggested Citation

  • Daas, Piet & Hassink, Wolter & Klijs, Bart, 2023. "On the Validity of Using Webpage Texts to Identify the Target Population of a Survey: An Application to Detect Online Platforms," IZA Discussion Papers 15941, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp15941
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://docs.iza.org/dp15941.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sutherland, Will & Jarrahi, Mohammad Hossein, 2018. "The sharing economy and digital platforms: A review and research agenda," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 328-341.
    2. Ducci,Francesco, 2020. "Natural Monopolies in Digital Platform Markets," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781108491143, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. V. I. Blanutsa, 2022. "Geographic Research of the Platform Economy: Existing and Potential Approaches," Regional Research of Russia, Springer, vol. 12(2), pages 133-142, June.
    2. Pei Zhang & Peiran Chen & Fan Xiao & Yong Sun & Shuyan Ma & Ziwei Zhao, 2022. "The Impact of Information Infrastructure on Air Pollution: Empirical Evidence from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-17, November.
    3. Ren, Xiaohang & Zeng, Gudian & Zhao, Yang, 2023. "Digital finance and corporate ESG performance: Empirical evidence from listed companies in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    4. Thomas Derave & Tiago Princes Sales & Frederik Gailly & Geert Poels, 2022. "Sharing Platform Ontology Development: Proof-of-Concept," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-24, February.
    5. Aiqin Zhang & Wenjie Zhang & Xiaoqiang Guo, 2024. "The Digital Economy, Integration of Productive Services and Manufacturing, and High-Quality Development of the Manufacturing Sector: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-22, November.
    6. Panniello, Umberto & Natalicchio, Angelo & Ardito, Lorenzo & Messeni Petruzzelli, Antonio, 2024. "A cross-sector exploration of the barriers to customer satisfaction in the sharing economy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    7. Izabela Jonek-Kowalska & Radosław Wolniak, 2022. "Sharing Economies’ Initiatives in Municipal Authorities’ Perspective: Research Evidence from Poland in the Context of Smart Cities’ Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-22, February.
    8. Yuan, Ruizhi & Luo, Jun & Liu, Martin J. & Yu, Jiang, 2022. "Understanding organizational resilience in a platform-based sharing business: The role of absorptive capacity," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 85-99.
    9. Lianyan Fu & Luyang Zhang & Zihan Zhang, 2023. "The Impact of Information Infrastructure Construction on Carbon Emissions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-18, May.
    10. Yuya Mitake & Atsuto Nagayama & Yusuke Tsutsui & Yoshiki Shimomura, 2022. "Exploring Motivations and Barriers to Participate in Skill-Sharing Service: Insights from Case Study in Western Part of Tokyo," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-21, April.
    11. Ilse Hellemans & Amanda J. Porter & Damla Diriker, 2022. "Harnessing digitalization for sustainable development: Understanding how interactions on sustainability‐oriented digital platforms manage tensions and paradoxes," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 668-683, February.
    12. Yuan, Ruizhi & Chen, Yanyan & Mandler, Timo, 2024. "It takes two to tango: The role of interactivity in enhancing customer engagement on sharing economy platforms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    13. Ferreira, João J.M. & Fernandes, Cristina I. & Veiga, Pedro Mota, 2024. "The effects of knowledge spillovers, digital capabilities, and innovation on firm performance: A moderated mediation model," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    14. Tran, Thi Thanh Huong & Robinson, Kate & Paparoidamis, Nicholas G., 2022. "Sharing with perfect strangers: The effects of self-disclosure on consumers’ trust, risk perception, and behavioral intention in the sharing economy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 1-16.
    15. Xinfeng Chang & Jian Su & Zihe Yang, 2022. "The Effect of Digital Economy on Urban Green Transformation—An Empirical Study Based on the Yangtze River Delta City Cluster in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-19, October.
    16. Dhrithi Mahadevan & G. Shainesh, 2024. "Conceptualizing customer experience in multi-actor platforms," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 14(1), pages 83-103, June.
    17. Snower, Dennis & Twomey, Paul, 2021. "Humanistic Digital Governance," CEPR Discussion Papers 15634, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    18. Cossey, Jozef & Dedeurwaerdere, Tom & Périlleux, Anaïs, 2023. "Inherently unstable? Scaling, mission drift, and the comparative performance of community-based platforms in the sharing economy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    19. Nicola Camatti & Giacomo Tollo & Gianni Filograsso & Sara Ghilardi, 2024. "Predicting Airbnb pricing: a comparative analysis of artificial intelligence and traditional approaches," Computational Management Science, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 1-25, June.
    20. Tóth, Zsófia & Nemkova, Ekaterina & Hizsák, Gábor & Naudé, Peter, 2022. "Social capital creation on professional sharing economy platforms: The problems of rating dependency and the non-transferability of social capital," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 450-460.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    online platform organizations; external validation; type-I error; machine learning; web pages;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C81 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - Methodology for Collecting, Estimating, and Organizing Microeconomic Data; Data Access
    • C83 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - Survey Methods; Sampling Methods
    • D20 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - General
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • L20 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - General

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp15941. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Holger Hinte (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/izaaade.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.