Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design / Marsha A. Dickson / The blending of small percentages of organic cotton has been a successful way for apparel manufacturers to introduce organic cotton into their supply chain. However, little is known on how consumers perceive small percentage blended organic cotton apparel products. The purpose of this study was twofold. One goal was to identify the groups of consumers who might be interested in buying blended organic cotton clothes and find out what kind of labeling they preferred. The second goal was to find out more about the consumer’s attitudes and interest in purchasing the organic cotton clothing. Theory in consumer behavior, and social psychology provided the conceptual framework for the study. Major variables included in the study were environmental attitudes, attitudes of the consumers and important other people towards organic cotton clothing, skepticism toward environmental product claims, consumer self-identity, and future purchase intention. Data were collected with a mail survey of consumers, stratified by state population, that was randomly drawn from a national mailing list of health and natural foods consumers (usable response rate=14.9%, n=422). Factor analysis uncovered latent variables from among the large number of items. Conjoint analysis revealed which product attributes were salient and cluster analysis identified segments of consumers with different attribute preferences. Finally, multiple regression analysis was used to examine the causal relationships among variables affection future purchase intention. Percentage of organic cotton content, price, and labeling for fairly traded fibers and donations to cancer research were all attributes used by the consumers to decide how likely the would be to purchase an organic cotton t-shirt. Two segments of consumers (53%) used the percentage of organic cotton more than any other attribute to decide their purchase likelihood. Results from the multiple regression were used to make a model of socially responsible consumer behavior. The research makes numerous contributions. Apparel manufacturers will benefit from knowing that seeing even small percentages of organic fiber helps consumers decide to purchase organic clothing. Theoretical contributions include the determination that the relationship between future purchase intention and both self-identity and the personal norm is mediated by the consumers’ evaluation of outcomes of the purchase.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Hotel, Restaurant, Institution Management and Dietetics / Ki-Joon Back / This study, based on customer-based brand equity (Keller, 1993), sought to identify key brand associations in brand knowledge and investigated attendees’ behaviors as evidenced in a comparison of a professional association’s major and regional conferences. The points of comparison were brand satisfaction, updated expectation of brand value (UEBV), brand trust, and attitudinal brand loyalty (ABL), especially the mediating effect of UEBV on brand trust-ABL link and the moderating effect of behavioral brand loyalty (BBL) within the brand trust-(UEBV)-brand loyalty link. To identify the proposed paths and differential effect of brand knowledge across I-CHRIE annual conference (IC) and regional CHRIE conferences (RC), this study sampled I-CHRIE members attending IC and/ or RC, using an online survey system. The response rate was 20.1% (213 out of 1,036) for IC and 19.4% (201 out of 1,036) for RC. Confirmatory factor analysis and/or structural equation modeling were used to test construct validity and hypotheses. Findings showed that professional education, staff service, site selection, and social networking are positively related to brand satisfaction, whereas brand awareness is negatively associated with it. Because brand satisfaction is a starting point in affecting UEBV, brand trust, and ABL, these four brand associations are presumed to be major sources of the differential effect of brand knowledge between IC and RC. Also, positive relationships existed on each path for brand satisfaction-UEBV, UEBV-brand trust, brand satisfaction-brand trust, and brand trust-ABL. It is especially important to look at the mediating effect of UEBV on brand satisfaction-brand trust path. UEBV was found to serve as a partial mediator on the brand satisfaction-brand trust path across the two groups. This result suggests that brand trust, the firm expectation that the brand will perform according to its promise, builds up through UEBV as well as through brand satisfaction. This study further extended the proposed theoretical model by dividing it into high and low BBL groups designed to unveil the differential characteristics or mechanisms between two groups. Except for the brand trust-ABL path, BBL was found to moderate the direct path (brand satisfaction to brand trust) and the indirect path (brand satisfaction to brand trust via UEBV). These findings support the notion that since high BBL attendees sustain longer relationships with a particular conference than low BBL attendees, high BBL attendees experience more cumulative satisfaction and update favorable expectations of brand value (through the perception of more [relational] benefits), thereby solidifying expectations about confidence in a brand (brand trust). Brand loyalty holds invaluable benefits for associations when associations in similar disciplines compete for potential attendees. Benefits from brand loyal customers lower marketing costs and increase market share and profitability. Thus, associations should build their conference marketing and management on brand loyalty by carefully designing brand associations attendees consider important. Persistent delivery of high-quality education programs, venue selection, and social networking enables associations to obtain cumulative satisfaction, UEBV, brand trust, and consequently brand loyalty. Retention of brand loyal attendees induces deep commitment to the conferences and great resistance to other conferences’ marketing strategies, thereby contributing to high revenue and market share.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Psychology / James C. Shanteau / Unstructured decision making is a dynamic process where an individual must create an alternative because one is not available or provided. In this type of a decision, an individual may not have formed preferences or may not know the path to arrive at a solution. As opposed to selecting from existing alternatives, little research examines when decision makers create an alternative. Electronic commerce websites allow individuals to create a product by customizing it. A web-based simulation called Interactive Choice was developed for the investigation. It is an interactive naturalistic decision space permitting experimental controls such as random placement of participants into conditions and random display of stimuli. Participants customized three products (pizza, cell phones, shoes). Building on theoretical foundations of unfolding model and Image Theory, a model asserts the presentation of the information and preparation of the decision maker influences a decision maker. A phased examination explores decision makers’ cognitive processes by measuring participants’ evaluations of the product created and the process to create it. In the first phase, three experiments find, contrary to previous independent investigations, participants rarely retain a pre-selected default value. Logistic regression reveals that the odds ratio of predicting default retention is dependent on product type. In the second phase, results identify that problem solving instructions influence decision making. Analyses of multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis reveal patterns for default retention and problem solving instructions that define an electronic decision aid called Choice Builder. The dissertation suggests that when an individual creates a product, he or she has more control over the process that subsequently reduces the influence of the default. A new theoretical foundation is proposed identifying that for unstructured decisions individuals construct both decision strategies and preferences while creating an alternative. With an active process of acquiring and evaluating information, an individual forms a decision strategy and updates preferences to achieve an ideal outcome. This dissertation makes four contributions that include 1) a research tool, Interactive Choice, for exploration, 2) the identification of cognitive processes involved, 3) a proposal of a new theoretical approach, and 4) an electronic decision aid, Choice Builder.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Hotel, Restaurant, Institution Management and Dietetics / Ki-Joon Back / Carol W. Shanklin / This study was designed to explore the measurement and application of brand personality congruence (BPC), defined as the gap between the customer’s own personality and a restaurant’s brand personality as perceived by the customer. The study involved two phases: Phase I primarily focused on the development of the BPC scale based on the existing Brand Personality Scale (Aaker 1997), while Phase II involved testing the relationship between BPC and brand loyalty and the mediating effects of satisfaction and trust on that relationship. Both Phases used the online survey methodology for data collection. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the dimensionality of brand personality. The five-factor solution was supported with the dimensions of sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness. Exploratory factor analysis showed that brand personality dimensions were not stable for measuring customer personality. Only characteristics most closely associated with the Big Five dimensions of agreeableness, extroversion, and conscientiousness significantly loaded on the customer personality scale. A confirmatory factor analysis of the reduced scale resulted in a 5-factor solution: successful, exciting, unique, sincere, and friendly. Because BPC was operationalized as the gap between the customer’s perceived personality and the restaurant’s brand personality as perceived by the customer, only indicators that were common between the two scales were used to establish the 17-item BPC scale consisting of the following dimensions: exciting, unique, sincere, and leader. In Phase II, second-order structural equation modeling was used to test BPC as an antecedent of the post-purchase evaluations of trust, satisfaction, and brand loyalty. Results indicated strong positive relationships, which suggested that higher congruence with the brand’s personality results in increased trust, satisfaction, and brand loyalty. BPC had the greatest direct effect on trust and also had indirect effects on satisfaction via trust and brand loyalty via trust and satisfaction. Additional analyses showed that trust and satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between BPC and brand loyalty. Trust also mediated the relationship between BPC and satisfaction. Results implied that as the restaurant brand earns a customer’s trust over time, the customer’s evaluation of overall satisfaction with the brand also increases and leads to stronger brand loyalty.

Master of Science / Department of Computing and Information Sciences / William H. Hsu / This thesis presents an approach towards summarizing product reviews using comparative sentences by sentiment analysis. Specifically, we consider the problem of extracting and scoring features from natural language text for qualitative reviews in a particular domain. When shopping for a product, customers do not find sufficient time to learn about all products on the market. Similarly, manufacturers do not have proper written sources from which to learn about customer opinions. The only available techniques involve gathering customer opinions, often in text form, from e-commerce and social networking web sites and analyzing them, which is a costly and time-consuming process. In this work I address these issues by applying sentiment analysis, an automated method of finding the opinion stated by an author about some entity in a text document. Here I first gather information about smart phones from many e-commerce web sites. I then present a method to differentiate comparative sentences from normal sentences, form feature sets for each domain, and assign a numerical score to each feature of a product and a weight coefficient obtained by statistical machine learning, to be used as a weight for that feature in ranking various products by linear combinations of their weighted feature scores. In this thesis I also explain what role comparative sentences play in summarizing the product. In order to find the polarity of each feature a statistical algorithm is defined using a small-to-medium sized data set. Then I present my experimental environment and results, and conclude with a review of claims and hypotheses stated at the outset. The approach specified in this thesis is evaluated using manual annotated trained data and also using data from domain experts. I also demonstrate empirically how different algorithms on this summarization can be derived from the technique provided by an annotator. Finally, I review diversified options for customers such as providing alternate products for each feature, top features of a product, and overall rankings for products.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Daniel M. O'Brien / The Chicago wheat futures contract has received attention in recent years regarding non-convergence with SRW wheat cash prices. In 2009 the CME Group announced their decision to implement a market based mechanism to set daily storage rates at registered delivery locations for the Chicago wheat contract. The new market based mechanism is a variable storage rate (VSR) that monitors Chicago wheat futures spreads relative to financial full carry. The running average of the futures spread at the end of the contract observation period determines future changes to existing storage rates. The objective of this study is to determine whether or not the adoption of VSR mechanisms has had an impact on SRW wheat basis convergence in the Toledo, OH switching district. The Chicago wheat contract months that were studied using OLS regression models include July 2010, September 2010, December 2010, and March 2011. A final OLS regression model examining the cumulative data collected from these four contract months concludes the research. The explanatory variables used to study SRW wheat basis convergence in Toledo includes days to delivery, all wheat ending stocks as a percentage of use for the United States, and VSR. In two of the regression models for the contract months studied VSR found to have a statistically significant impact, i.e., the December 2010 and March 2011 models. In the cumulative regression model covering all four wheat contract months VSR was also found to have a statistically significant impact on SRW wheat basis convergence. The regression models in this analysis appear to contain some degree of multicollinearity, a statistical condition in which the explanatory variables tend to move collinearly or “together” with each other. Multicollinearity oftentimes can result in deceptively high and inconsistent statistical results in econometric models.

Master of Science / Department of Journalism and Mass Communications / Curtis Matthews / Integrated marketing communications strategies are being utilized more and more by practitioners who wish to reach their audiences in different ways at different times. However, the omnipresence that results from these multi-channel campaigns presents a new challenge for marketers, as their message and channel sequences may or may not be experienced in the order intended. Past literature has shown that both message order and channel sequence do matter. However, existing literature has not examined intended message sequences where the first channel “teases” the more comprehensive information available in the second channel. Therefore, the aim of this study was to bridge some of the gaps in past research by exploring message content order effects and channel sequence effects across intentional sequences for both high- and low-involvement product categories through the lens of the Elaboration Likelihood Model. A 2 (message content order: tease-to-answer versus answer-to-tease) by 2 (medium sequence: print-to-online versus online-to-print) by 2 (product involvement: high- versus low-involvement) mixed factorial experimental design was conducted to explore how message content order, channel sequence, and product involvement level affected evaluations of brand and message, as well as perceived behavioral intent. The findings indicated that message content order had significant influence over brand and message evaluation, with the tease-to-answer order producing the highest evaluations of brand and message. The findings also indicated that the online-to-print sequence was only effective for increasing behavioral intent under high-involvement conditions. Implications for marketing practitioners and future research are discussed.

Master of Science / Department of Communications and Agricultural Education / Lauri M. Baker / Garden centers are facing increasing market pressure from big-box retail stores that offer similar products at more competitive prices but lack a quality produce and exceptional service. In order to differentiate themselves from big-box stores, garden centers must build relationships with their customers which can increase marketing reach. Marketing ability and reach is limiting the expansion of Kansas garden centers which spend the majority of their advertising dollars on traditional media. However, social media can be an effective method for not only understanding consumers but also developing profitable relationships with customers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of stakeholders of metro and non-metro garden centers as they use new media to market their business. Findings indicate garden center stakeholders prefer to use traditional media channels to market to their customers, lack a clear strategy and objectives related to new-media marketing, and are not effectively implementing relationship marketing principles.

Master of Science / Communications and Agricultural Education / Lauri M. Baker / The purpose of this study was to identify how K-State Research and Extension (KSRE) has established and maintained its brand through external communication with target audiences. The three research objectives were to determine the extent to which, 1) branding guidelines were followed, 2) calls to action were provided, and 3) key audiences were targeted. A quantitative content analysis was conducted to assess a representative sample of all communication KSRE state employees published within one year, November 1, 2012 to October 31, 2013. The Social Exchange Theory (SET) served as the framework and research objectives were based on the concept of Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC). The study found the correct name of the organization appeared in only 56.6 % (n= 611) of units; appearances of images, graphics, and the official slogan were also minimal. Primarily, the study identified a need for increased specification and clarity in the guidelines in order to promote increased consistency. This study serves as a benchmark for future measurement, a basis for recommended changes, and a call for other state extension agencies to examine communication in similar studies. The researcher recommends the organization makes substantial edits and additions to the branding guidelines, provides employees with training, and implements a regular evaluation of communication efforts to monitor brand representation and communication effectiveness. Additionally, the researcher addresses the need for an IMC model specific to extension, to help communicators implement more strategic and measurable efforts.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics / Chihyung Ok, Deborah D. Canter / This study sought to apply the concepts of ‘perceived value’ and ‘customer share’ (of visits) to full-service restaurant settings for the first time. Given the strong ‘experiential nature’ of foodservice, the perceived value concept adopted in this study involved an ‘experiential view’ of the dining experience. Further, the customer share concept was expected to have implications for the foodservice context, given the multi-loyalty nature of restaurant customers. With the first conceptual model, this study sought to verify the effect of perceived value on customer share of visits in a full-service restaurant context, using a dimension-level value approach and positing customer satisfaction and brand preference as mediators between them. The conceptual model was tested based on responses from 299 general U.S. full-service restaurant customers, using a confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The test results revealed that among four value dimensions, excellence (in food and service) and customer return on investment had dominant effects on customer satisfaction and brand preference whereas playfulness had a significant moderate effect only on brand preference; aesthetic appeals did not have significant effects on either. Affected by perceived value, customer satisfaction significantly enhanced brand preference and in turn brand preference contributed to customer share of visits and fully mediated the effect of customer satisfaction on customer share of visits. In essence, the findings highlight the significant antecedent role of perceived value in customers’ satisfaction and brand preference formation, and the pivotal role of customer brand preference in customers’ purchase decision process. With the second conceptual model, this study sought to reveal the direct effect and/or moderating effects of contingency variables in relation to customer share of visits in a fullservice restaurant context. The hypotheses included in the conceptual model were tested based on responses from 291 general U.S. full-service restaurant customers, using a confirmatory factor analysis and a series of (moderated hierarchical) regression analyses. The test results indicated that the direct effects of social switching costs, lost benefits costs, procedural costs, and intrinsic inertia were positive whereas that of intrinsic variety-seeking was negative on customer share of visits. In addition, consumer involvement and perceived brand heterogeneity were found to enhance the effect of brand preference on customer share of visits. The effects of the contingency variables appear to work by influencing the number of brands in customers’ consideration sets and/or leading customers to allocate a greater share of visits to a particular brand in a given number of brands in consideration sets.