The dissertation explored the relationships among Website interactivity, brand knowledge, consumer-based brand equity and behavioral intentions in the context of hotel Websites. Based on an in-depth literature review, a theory-driven model was proposed and ten hypotheses were developed. The dissertation employed an empirical study based on a survey design, and collected data via a marketing company. Respondents who booked a hotel room online using hotel branded Websites in the last 12 months were approached to complete the online questionnaire. Four hundred ninety six (496) respondents completed the online questionnaire by answering to questions related to their last hotel booking experience. Analysis was conducted in two phases: (1) Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and (2) Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The overall fit of the CFA model and the final SEM model were acceptable, indicating an adequate fit to the data. The results suggested that the two dimensions of Website interactivity, namely system interactivity and social interactivity, positively impacted the components of brand knowledge, and that system interactivity had a stronger impact as compared to social interactivity. Although, social interactivity was not found to have a significant direct effect on brand awareness, the results showed that social interactivity had a significant impact on brand image. Furthermore, the relationship between brand equity and behavioral intentions was positive and significant. The empirical study offered theoretical for utilizing Website interactivity as a branding tool in the hotel context. Additionally, the results provide practical insights into branding strategies, Website development, and behavioral intentions enhancement. Very few studies have empirically examined and incorporated Website interactivity dimensions and brand knowledge with consumer-based brand equity and behavioral intentions. This gap in the literature has been compounded by an absence of empirical studies on Website interactivity as a tool to develop brands and behavioral intentions in the context of hotel Websites. The present dissertation closes this gap in the literature by reporting on a questionnaire of US adult travelers that offered data on those theoretical associations. Conceptually, the results support the influential impact of Website interactivity on brand elements and behavioral intentions.

Purpose - The purpose of this thesis is to explain the impacts of attitude, subjective normsand perceived behavioral control on Swedish consumers' intentions to purchase greencosmetics.Methodology - This thesis utilizes a multiple regression analysis based on an onlineself-completion questionnaire with respondents inside the sampling frame of SwedishMillennials and generation z consumers.Results - This thesis provides an understanding that Attitude, Subjective Norm and Perceivedbehavioral control can positively impact green cosmetic purchase intention.Originality / value - Testing the model of TPB as previously applied in green cosmeticconsumption research, in a greener highly competitive growing market of Swedish personalcare products.

No description available.

An important field of research now is how smartwatches are being adopted and used in variouscultural situations. The adoption of smartwatches among Pakistani consumers is the subject ofthis study, with an emphasis on understanding the behavioral intents and usage patternsinfluenced by cultural customs and lifestyle preferences. Semi-structured interviews and qualitative questionnaires were employed in the study's qualitative research approach to extract insights from a diverse group of individuals. The research utilized qualitative methods, gathering in-depth and nuanced information from Pakistani users through semi-structured interviews and qualitative questionnaires. The data was subjected to thematic analysis, which revealed recurrent themes that provide insights into the variables impacting the adoption and sustained use ofsmartwatches.Five main themes emerged from the participants after thematic analysis. It was revealed that smartwatches were helpful in encouraging better lifestyles because they could beused as health-monitoring devices to actively control their fitness-impacting lifestyles. Users were able to smoothly incorporate technology into their fashion choices thanks to smartwatches, which wereseen as extensions of personal style. Participants praised the ease of managing tasks and notifications straight from the wrist, which facilitated effective time management. Withfeatureslike stresstracking and relaxation activities, smartwatches act as instruments for reducingstress.Participants praised smartwatches for helping them stay connected and organized whileretaining a professional demeanor. The findings were interpreted using a comprehensiveframework basedon the Affordance theory. The themes that were found reflected the perceived benefits that smartwatches are thought to provide, directing users towards activities based on thefunctionality they perceive. By illuminating the complex relationships between perceived affordances and behavioral intentions, this framework improved our knowledge of how cultural practices and lifestyle preferences interact with the adoption of technology. The results highlightthe mutually beneficial interaction between technology, culture, and personal goals whilehighlighting the roleof perceived affordances in influencing users' intents and actions. These observations offer invaluable advice for designers, academics, and stakeholders looking toimprove user experiences across various cultural contexts as smartwatches continue to reshape personal interactions with technology.

Sexual assault in the United States continues to be a major societal problem which often results in serious long-term consequences for the survivors, with perpetrators most commonly being men. Sexual assault prevention programs for college men often lack theories to guide the research and demonstrate mixed results. Previous research has demonstrated that more traditional male gender role identity is linked to sexual assault supportive attitudes and behaviors, suggesting that masculine ideology could be a contributing factor to college men?s reactions to a sexual assault prevention program. The purpose of this study was to test a model of how male gender role identity constructs influence college men?s reactions to a sexual assault prevention program through the Elaboration Likelihood Model. Participants were 97 college men, ages 18 to 22. They completed measures of adherence to masculine ideologies, then participated in an hour long sexual assault prevention program focused on bystander prevention, and finally completed measures of central route processing and outcome variables. Structural equation modeling was used to test a model of how masculine ideologies and central route processing contributed to outcome results. These results indicated that men who adhered to more traditional masculine ideologies were less likely to engage in central route processing, a thoughtful processing of the information provided in the prevention program. Additionally, less adherence to traditional masculinity predicted more behavioral intentions to change as a result of the program and less acceptance of rape myths. More engagement in central route processing also predicted more positive outcomes such as behavioral intentions to change and less rape myth acceptance. Results from hierarchical linear regression analysis indicated that central route processing was more influential on the outcome variables than masculine ideology. Implications for this research include support of sexual assault prevention programs based on the Elaboration Likelihood Model as being potentially effective regardless of the men?s existing masculine ideologies.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:51:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MarcioMC_DISSERT.pdf: 2917876 bytes, checksum: 6618176c63435f1be7b0c9123c48f4cb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-04-05 / This dissertation aims to analyze the causal relationship between the quality of tourist services, satisfaction with the attributes and globally, fidelity and image of tourist destinations. Therefore, it was conducted an exploratory, descriptive research with quantitative analytical approach. Data collection was performed by a questionnaire addressed to tourists at the Augusto Severo International Airport and Bus station of Natal, the main points of entry and exit of tourists. The composition was simple random sampling by reaching the final number of 400 tourists interviewed. Among the main results, is an assessment of the quality of the components of the destination. It was noted that nine are the dimensions of perceived quality of tourism products and services of ―Sun and Sand‖ segment, that is, Beaches and Facilities, Public Equipment, Catering Services, Transportation, Hotel Equipment, Hotel Services, Entertainment & Attractions, Access to the Hotel and Hospitality. Moreover, it was concluded that the Preview Tourism Destination Image has little direct influence in the Consumer Satisfaction, and only indirectly in the Post-Purchase Behavior. While the Complex Tourism Destination Image exerts strong and direct influence on both factors, in the Customer Satisfaction Process and Loyalty, the dimensions of quality also claimed to be strongly influences both factors / Esta disserta??o pretendeu analisar a rela??o causal entre a Qualidade dos Servi?os Tur?sticos, a Satisfa??o com os atributos e de forma global, a Fidelidade e a Imagem de Destinos Tur?sticos. Para tanto, se realizou um estudo explorat?rio-descritivo, do tipo Survey, com enfoque anal?tico quantitativo. A coleta de dados foi realizada atrav?s de question?rio aplicado junto aos turistas nacionais no Aeroporto Internacional Augusto Severo e na Rodovi?ria da Cidade do Natal, principais locais de entrada e sa?da de turistas. A composi??o amostral foi aleat?ria simples chegando-se ao n?mero final de 400 turistas entrevistados. Dentre os principais resultados, encontra-se um diagn?stico da qualidade dos componentes do destino tur?stico Natal. Observou-se, tamb?m, que s?o noves as dimens?es da percep??o de qualidade dos produtos e servi?os tur?sticos de Sol e Praia, ou seja, Praias e Facilidades, Equipamentos P?blicos, Restaura??o, Servi?os de Transportes, Equipamentos do Hotel, Servi?os do Hotel, Entretenimento e Atrativos, Acesso ao Hotel e Hospitalidade. Al?m disso, concluiu-se que a Imagem Pr?via do Destino Tur?stico exerce pouca influ?ncia direta junto a Satisfa??o do Consumidor, e apenas indireta no Comportamento P?s-Compra (Fidelidade). Enquanto que a Imagem Complexa exerce influ?ncia forte e direta tanto no processo de Satisfa??o do Consumidor quanto no de Fideliza??o dele, as dimens?es da qualidade encontradas tamb?m se apresentaram como fortes influenciadoras de ambos os fatores

Os indivíduos são crescentemente demandados a fazerem escolhas em contextos com consequências severas, contudo esse tipo de decisão raramente tem sido considerado nos estudos de marketing. Em trocas com consequências severas, a confiança possui um papel chave, uma vez que essa reduz a incerteza percebida e ajuda o consumidor a formar expectativas mais precisas e consistentes sobre o serviço. Muitos estudos têm explorado os antecedentes cognitivos da confiança, entretanto, no caso específico de trocas com consequências severas, a cognição parece não ser suficiente para explicar a confiança do consumidor. Nesse contexto, o afeto também parece ser importante, principalmente devido ao consumidor muitas vezes não ter conhecimento suficiente para avaliar aspectos cognitivos, tal como, a competência do provedor de serviços. O principal propósito da presente tese é imvestigar o impacto do afeto comparado à cognição em trocas com consequências severas. O estudo também investiga o papel mediador da confiança na relação entre afeto e cognição e intenções comportamentais. Foram realizados quatro experimentos com estudantes de graduação utilizando o contexto de serviços médicos. No estudo 1, foi encontrado que em trocas com consequências severas, ambos afeto e cognição são importantes para a confiança inicial do consumidor e a confiança, por sua vez, exerce um papel de mediador na relação entre afeto e cognição e as intenções do consumidor em continuar o tratamento e buscar uma segunda opinião. No estudo 2, primeiramente, foi encontrado que em trocas com consequências severas, a satisfação do consumidor é mais alta quando a confiança é alta e a segunda opinião não está disponível. Nos estudos 3 e 4, explorou-se o contexto de trocas com consequências brandas. No extudo 3, encontrou-se que, independentemente do afeto, a confiança é alta quando a cognição é alta, comparando-se com situações onde a cognição é baixa. Também foi encontrado que em trocas com consequências brandas, a confiança media a relação entre afeto e cognição, e as intenções do consumidor em continuar o tratamento. Entretanto, não foi confirmada a hipótese que postulava que em trocas com consequências brandas, a confiança media a relação entre afeto e cognição; e as intenções do consumidor em buscar uma segunda opinião. No estudo 4, as intenções dos consumidores são maiores quando ambas confiança e conveniência são elevadas, comparando-se em situações onde uma ou ambas são mais baixas. Em suma, os achados sugerem que em trocas com consequências severas, a confiança será mais provável de emergir em situações onde o paciente percebe características afetivas e cognitivas no seu médico, e a confiança, por sua vez, influencia as intenções comportamentais do consumidor. A contribuição mais importante da presente tese é evidenciar que o afeto é um importante antecedente da confiança em trocas de serviços com consequências severas, contrastando assim com a negliência da literatura da confiança até o momento em relação a esse aspecto. / Individuals are increasingly expected to make choices in high-consequence contexts, and these kinds of decisions have been rarely considered. In high-consequence decisions, trust will have a key role, since it reduces the exchange uncertainty and helps the consumer to shape consistent and reliable expectations of the service. Several studies have addressed the cognitive antecedents of trust; however, in this specific case of high consequence choices, cognition seems not to be enough to explain consumer trust. In this context, affect also seems to become important; mainly because consumers may not have ability to evaluate the cognitive aspects, like providers’ competence, and moreover, in high consequence services, failure can be fatal. The main purpose of this study is to address the impact of affect compared to cognition on consumer trust in high consequence exchanges. We also investigate the mediator role of trust in the relationship between affect and cognition, and behavioral intentions. We performed four experiments between-subjects using undergraduate students who received extra credit to participate in the studies using the medical service context. In study 1, we found that in high consequence exchanges, both affect and cognition are important to build consumer initial trust, and trust in a key mediator in the relationship between affect and cognition and consumer intention to continue the treatment and seek a second opinion. In study 2, first, we found that in high consequence exchanges, consumers’ satisfaction is highest when trust is high and the second opinion presents the same diagnosis, in contrast to situations where trust is low and a second opinion isn't available. Second, we found that in high consequence exchanges, satisfaction mediates the relationship between trust and consumer’s intentions to continue the treatment; and between trust and consumer’s intentions to engage in word-of-mouth. In study 3 and 4 we investigated low consequence exchanges. In study 4, we found that, independently of affect, consumers’ trust is higher when cognition is high, in contrast to situations where cognition is low. We also found that in lowconsequence decisions, trust mediates the relationship between affect and cognition; and the consumer’s intention to continue the treatment. However, we didn’t confirm the hypothesis that postulates that in low-consequence decisions, trust mediates the relationship between affect and cognition; and consumer’s intention to seek a second opinion. In study 4, we found that consumer’s intentions will be highest when both trust and convenience are high, in contrast to situations where one or both are low. In sum, our findings suggest that trust is more likely to emerge when a patient perceives affective and cognitive abilities in his/her doctor; and trust influences patient behavioral intentions in high consequence situations. An important contribution of this study is that affect is an important antecedent of patient trust, and, nevertheless, it is not even considered in most studies which approach the construct in business-to-consumer in high consequence exchanges.

Os indivíduos são crescentemente demandados a fazerem escolhas em contextos com consequências severas, contudo esse tipo de decisão raramente tem sido considerado nos estudos de marketing. Em trocas com consequências severas, a confiança possui um papel chave, uma vez que essa reduz a incerteza percebida e ajuda o consumidor a formar expectativas mais precisas e consistentes sobre o serviço. Muitos estudos têm explorado os antecedentes cognitivos da confiança, entretanto, no caso específico de trocas com consequências severas, a cognição parece não ser suficiente para explicar a confiança do consumidor. Nesse contexto, o afeto também parece ser importante, principalmente devido ao consumidor muitas vezes não ter conhecimento suficiente para avaliar aspectos cognitivos, tal como, a competência do provedor de serviços. O principal propósito da presente tese é imvestigar o impacto do afeto comparado à cognição em trocas com consequências severas. O estudo também investiga o papel mediador da confiança na relação entre afeto e cognição e intenções comportamentais. Foram realizados quatro experimentos com estudantes de graduação utilizando o contexto de serviços médicos. No estudo 1, foi encontrado que em trocas com consequências severas, ambos afeto e cognição são importantes para a confiança inicial do consumidor e a confiança, por sua vez, exerce um papel de mediador na relação entre afeto e cognição e as intenções do consumidor em continuar o tratamento e buscar uma segunda opinião. No estudo 2, primeiramente, foi encontrado que em trocas com consequências severas, a satisfação do consumidor é mais alta quando a confiança é alta e a segunda opinião não está disponível. Nos estudos 3 e 4, explorou-se o contexto de trocas com consequências brandas. No extudo 3, encontrou-se que, independentemente do afeto, a confiança é alta quando a cognição é alta, comparando-se com situações onde a cognição é baixa. Também foi encontrado que em trocas com consequências brandas, a confiança media a relação entre afeto e cognição, e as intenções do consumidor em continuar o tratamento. Entretanto, não foi confirmada a hipótese que postulava que em trocas com consequências brandas, a confiança media a relação entre afeto e cognição; e as intenções do consumidor em buscar uma segunda opinião. No estudo 4, as intenções dos consumidores são maiores quando ambas confiança e conveniência são elevadas, comparando-se em situações onde uma ou ambas são mais baixas. Em suma, os achados sugerem que em trocas com consequências severas, a confiança será mais provável de emergir em situações onde o paciente percebe características afetivas e cognitivas no seu médico, e a confiança, por sua vez, influencia as intenções comportamentais do consumidor. A contribuição mais importante da presente tese é evidenciar que o afeto é um importante antecedente da confiança em trocas de serviços com consequências severas, contrastando assim com a negliência da literatura da confiança até o momento em relação a esse aspecto. / Individuals are increasingly expected to make choices in high-consequence contexts, and these kinds of decisions have been rarely considered. In high-consequence decisions, trust will have a key role, since it reduces the exchange uncertainty and helps the consumer to shape consistent and reliable expectations of the service. Several studies have addressed the cognitive antecedents of trust; however, in this specific case of high consequence choices, cognition seems not to be enough to explain consumer trust. In this context, affect also seems to become important; mainly because consumers may not have ability to evaluate the cognitive aspects, like providers’ competence, and moreover, in high consequence services, failure can be fatal. The main purpose of this study is to address the impact of affect compared to cognition on consumer trust in high consequence exchanges. We also investigate the mediator role of trust in the relationship between affect and cognition, and behavioral intentions. We performed four experiments between-subjects using undergraduate students who received extra credit to participate in the studies using the medical service context. In study 1, we found that in high consequence exchanges, both affect and cognition are important to build consumer initial trust, and trust in a key mediator in the relationship between affect and cognition and consumer intention to continue the treatment and seek a second opinion. In study 2, first, we found that in high consequence exchanges, consumers’ satisfaction is highest when trust is high and the second opinion presents the same diagnosis, in contrast to situations where trust is low and a second opinion isn't available. Second, we found that in high consequence exchanges, satisfaction mediates the relationship between trust and consumer’s intentions to continue the treatment; and between trust and consumer’s intentions to engage in word-of-mouth. In study 3 and 4 we investigated low consequence exchanges. In study 4, we found that, independently of affect, consumers’ trust is higher when cognition is high, in contrast to situations where cognition is low. We also found that in lowconsequence decisions, trust mediates the relationship between affect and cognition; and the consumer’s intention to continue the treatment. However, we didn’t confirm the hypothesis that postulates that in low-consequence decisions, trust mediates the relationship between affect and cognition; and consumer’s intention to seek a second opinion. In study 4, we found that consumer’s intentions will be highest when both trust and convenience are high, in contrast to situations where one or both are low. In sum, our findings suggest that trust is more likely to emerge when a patient perceives affective and cognitive abilities in his/her doctor; and trust influences patient behavioral intentions in high consequence situations. An important contribution of this study is that affect is an important antecedent of patient trust, and, nevertheless, it is not even considered in most studies which approach the construct in business-to-consumer in high consequence exchanges.

Os indivíduos são crescentemente demandados a fazerem escolhas em contextos com consequências severas, contudo esse tipo de decisão raramente tem sido considerado nos estudos de marketing. Em trocas com consequências severas, a confiança possui um papel chave, uma vez que essa reduz a incerteza percebida e ajuda o consumidor a formar expectativas mais precisas e consistentes sobre o serviço. Muitos estudos têm explorado os antecedentes cognitivos da confiança, entretanto, no caso específico de trocas com consequências severas, a cognição parece não ser suficiente para explicar a confiança do consumidor. Nesse contexto, o afeto também parece ser importante, principalmente devido ao consumidor muitas vezes não ter conhecimento suficiente para avaliar aspectos cognitivos, tal como, a competência do provedor de serviços. O principal propósito da presente tese é imvestigar o impacto do afeto comparado à cognição em trocas com consequências severas. O estudo também investiga o papel mediador da confiança na relação entre afeto e cognição e intenções comportamentais. Foram realizados quatro experimentos com estudantes de graduação utilizando o contexto de serviços médicos. No estudo 1, foi encontrado que em trocas com consequências severas, ambos afeto e cognição são importantes para a confiança inicial do consumidor e a confiança, por sua vez, exerce um papel de mediador na relação entre afeto e cognição e as intenções do consumidor em continuar o tratamento e buscar uma segunda opinião. No estudo 2, primeiramente, foi encontrado que em trocas com consequências severas, a satisfação do consumidor é mais alta quando a confiança é alta e a segunda opinião não está disponível. Nos estudos 3 e 4, explorou-se o contexto de trocas com consequências brandas. No extudo 3, encontrou-se que, independentemente do afeto, a confiança é alta quando a cognição é alta, comparando-se com situações onde a cognição é baixa. Também foi encontrado que em trocas com consequências brandas, a confiança media a relação entre afeto e cognição, e as intenções do consumidor em continuar o tratamento. Entretanto, não foi confirmada a hipótese que postulava que em trocas com consequências brandas, a confiança media a relação entre afeto e cognição; e as intenções do consumidor em buscar uma segunda opinião. No estudo 4, as intenções dos consumidores são maiores quando ambas confiança e conveniência são elevadas, comparando-se em situações onde uma ou ambas são mais baixas. Em suma, os achados sugerem que em trocas com consequências severas, a confiança será mais provável de emergir em situações onde o paciente percebe características afetivas e cognitivas no seu médico, e a confiança, por sua vez, influencia as intenções comportamentais do consumidor. A contribuição mais importante da presente tese é evidenciar que o afeto é um importante antecedente da confiança em trocas de serviços com consequências severas, contrastando assim com a negliência da literatura da confiança até o momento em relação a esse aspecto. / Individuals are increasingly expected to make choices in high-consequence contexts, and these kinds of decisions have been rarely considered. In high-consequence decisions, trust will have a key role, since it reduces the exchange uncertainty and helps the consumer to shape consistent and reliable expectations of the service. Several studies have addressed the cognitive antecedents of trust; however, in this specific case of high consequence choices, cognition seems not to be enough to explain consumer trust. In this context, affect also seems to become important; mainly because consumers may not have ability to evaluate the cognitive aspects, like providers’ competence, and moreover, in high consequence services, failure can be fatal. The main purpose of this study is to address the impact of affect compared to cognition on consumer trust in high consequence exchanges. We also investigate the mediator role of trust in the relationship between affect and cognition, and behavioral intentions. We performed four experiments between-subjects using undergraduate students who received extra credit to participate in the studies using the medical service context. In study 1, we found that in high consequence exchanges, both affect and cognition are important to build consumer initial trust, and trust in a key mediator in the relationship between affect and cognition and consumer intention to continue the treatment and seek a second opinion. In study 2, first, we found that in high consequence exchanges, consumers’ satisfaction is highest when trust is high and the second opinion presents the same diagnosis, in contrast to situations where trust is low and a second opinion isn't available. Second, we found that in high consequence exchanges, satisfaction mediates the relationship between trust and consumer’s intentions to continue the treatment; and between trust and consumer’s intentions to engage in word-of-mouth. In study 3 and 4 we investigated low consequence exchanges. In study 4, we found that, independently of affect, consumers’ trust is higher when cognition is high, in contrast to situations where cognition is low. We also found that in lowconsequence decisions, trust mediates the relationship between affect and cognition; and the consumer’s intention to continue the treatment. However, we didn’t confirm the hypothesis that postulates that in low-consequence decisions, trust mediates the relationship between affect and cognition; and consumer’s intention to seek a second opinion. In study 4, we found that consumer’s intentions will be highest when both trust and convenience are high, in contrast to situations where one or both are low. In sum, our findings suggest that trust is more likely to emerge when a patient perceives affective and cognitive abilities in his/her doctor; and trust influences patient behavioral intentions in high consequence situations. An important contribution of this study is that affect is an important antecedent of patient trust, and, nevertheless, it is not even considered in most studies which approach the construct in business-to-consumer in high consequence exchanges.

Patient perceptions of health care quality are critical to a health care service provider's long-term success because of the significant influence perceptions have on customer satisfaction and consequently organization financial performance. Patient satisfaction affects not only the outcome of the health care process such as patient compliance with physician advice and treatment, but also patient retention and favorable word-of-mouth. Accordingly, it is a critical strategy for health care organizations to provide quality service and address patient satisfaction. The urgent care (UC) industry is an integral part of the health care system in the United States that has been experiencing a rapid growth. UC provides a wide range of medical services for a large group of patients and now serves an increasing population. UC is becoming popular because of the convenient locations, extended hours, walk-in policy, short waiting times, and accessibility. A closer examination of the current health care research, however, indicates that there is a paucity of research on urgent care providers. Confronted with the emergence of the urgent care industry and the increasing demand for urgent care, it is necessary to understand how patients perceive urgent care providers and what influences patient satisfaction and retention. This dissertation addresses four areas relevant to the above mentioned issues: (1) development of an instrument to measure perceived service quality in the urgent care industry; (2) identification of the determinants of patient satisfaction and behavioral intentions; (3) empirical examination of the relationships among perceived service quality, patient satisfaction and behavioral intentions; and (4) comparison of the perceived service quality across several primary urgent care providers, such as urgent care centers, hospital emergency departments, and primary care physicians' offices. To validate this new instrument and examine the hypothesized relationships proposed in this study, an electronic web based survey was designed and administered to college students. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were employed to assess the reliability and validity of the developed instrument. The contextualized relationships were evaluated using structural equation modeling. The results of this research could potentially contribute to urgent care management and quality improvement.