Attitude Toward Offshore Services (Data Security)

What it measures

A five-item scale measuring consumer concern about the security of personal information when it is transmitted to or handled by overseas service providers. Items cover fears about information stored abroad, unsanctioned data sharing, discomfort with providing financial details to overseas agents, identity theft risk, and general transaction safety with offshore services. Part of the OFFSERVSENT battery, this subscale captures the privacy and security dimension of consumer reluctance toward offshore service interactions.

Response format

Likert (format not specified)

Scale items

• I am concerned over the security of my personal information held in overseas locations.
• I am concerned that overseas service agents will share my personal information with other companies without my permission.
• I am uncomfortable giving my credit card information to an overseas service agent.
• It is easy for your identity to be stolen when information is sent overseas.
• Transactions with overseas service agents are not safe.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Two composite reliability estimates from national data sets: CR = .93 (Sample 1) and CR = .89 (Sample 2) — Thelen, Yoo & Magnini (2011). VALIDITY: Comprehensive validation including convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity evidence. CONTEXT WARNING: Strongly advised for use in the US context only by the authors; cultural and regulatory differences in data privacy expectations across countries mean the scale may not transfer without adaptation and revalidation.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Thelen, Shawn, John B. Yoo, and Vincent P. Magnini (2011). An assessment of the validity of consumer sentiments toward offshoring. Journal of Service Research, 14(4), 380–397.

Keywords