Path Analysis of Quality, E-Government Trust, and Satisfaction on Net Benefits: A Study of The ‎Interventions Monitoring Platform (IMP) of The Department of Agriculture

Abstract

This study determines the factors influencing the perceived net benefits of the Interventions ‎Monitoring Platform (IMP) of the Department of Agriculture, with a particular focus on the ‎mediating roles of stakeholder trust and satisfaction. Specifically, it examined fertilizer merchants’ ‎perceptions of the quality dimensions of the IMP in terms of information quality, system quality, ‎and service quality, and how these relate to their trust in and satisfaction with the platform. The ‎study also examines the perceived net benefits and costs associated with using the platform. It ‎developed a structural equation model to analyze the relationship between quality dimensions and ‎net benefits, while testing the mediating effects of trust and satisfaction.‎

A mixed-methods exploratory research design was employed to comprehensively ‎investigate the factors influencing the perceived net benefits of the Interventions Monitoring ‎Platform (IMP). The quantitative phase adopted a descriptive correlational design to statistically ‎examine the relationships among key variables: system quality, information quality, service quality, ‎stakeholder trust, satisfaction, and perceived net benefits. Complementing this, the qualitative phase ‎utilized a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) to gain deeper insights into users’ experiences, ‎specifically the challenges encountered while using the platform. Data were gathered through a pre-‎tested and validated questionnaire administered to 87 fertilizer merchants, proportionally and ‎randomly selected from the five provinces of the MIMAROPA Region. Descriptive statistics were ‎used to summarize the responses, while Pearson correlation and path analysis (using Jamovi version ‎‎2.6.44) were conducted to assess the strength and significance of relationships among variables and ‎to validate the study’s proposed structural model.‎

Findings showed that fertilizer merchants rated the information and service quality of IMP ‎as excellent, while system quality was rated very satisfactory, indicating confidence in the ‎platform’s content and support, but moderate concerns about technical performance. Both trust and ‎satisfaction were rated excellently, with respondents emphasizing the platform’s reliability in ‎tracking fertilizer voucher transactions. Net benefits were rated as excellent, especially in enhancing ‎business operations and improving service delivery, indicating that users recognize the overall value ‎of the IMP. However, perceived costs are rated only very satisfactory, emphasizing the ongoing ‎challenges, particularly for users in low-resource settings. These costs are not limited to financial ‎expenses but also include the time, effort, and technical capacity required to access and use the ‎platform effectively. For users with limited internet connectivity, digital skills, or access to ‎smartphones or computers, these barriers can significantly hinder adoption. In many cases, the ‎burden of learning the system, troubleshooting issues without adequate support, or incurring mobile ‎data expenses outweighs the perceived benefits, particularly during busy agricultural periods. Thus, ‎even a well-designed platform may face resistance if the associated costs are not addressed. To ‎encourage broader and more equitable adoption, it is crucial to implement cost-reducing strategies ‎such as user-friendly design, offline features, localized training, or data subsidies that lower both ‎the real and perceived burdens of platform use. Path analysis revealed that all three quality ‎dimensions significantly affected trust and satisfaction; information and service quality were strong ‎predictors of both, while system quality only influenced satisfaction. Furthermore, trust emerged as ‎a significant predictor of net benefits, while satisfaction did not have a direct effect. An IEC ‎material was developed based on the findings of the study, which highlighted the need for ‎improved awareness, clearer process flow communication, and better stakeholder engagement ‎regarding the use of the IMP system‎.