No description available.

This thesis presents an econometric test of the offsetting behavior hypothesis concerning drivers of light trucks relative to cars. The main objective is to determine whether drivers of light trucks offset perceived safety benefits associated with larger vehicles by driving more aggressively than drivers of cars, subsequently causing more fatal crashes, holding all else constant. An empirical model using data on pedestrian fatalities across the United States over a five-year period is developed and analyzed in order to capture the desired results. Estimates provide substantial evidence in support of the offsetting behavior hypothesis. To strengthen the case for driver offsetting behavior beyond previous studies, the model is estimated again using pedalcyclist fatalities. The results also point to interesting conclusions regarding the effects of increased speed limits on the behavior of drivers.

Social exclusion has garnered much attention from researchers across the social sciences, especially among social psychologists. However, given the fact that social relationships and consumption are two of the central activities in daily life, there is surprisingly little research on the impact of social connection threats within the realm of consumer behavior. This study examines the effect of social exclusion on proenvironmental behavior and green consumption. More precisely, the objectives of this study are threefold. The first objective is to examine whether the findings in social psychology literature on how excluded individuals respond to exclusion when they are exposed to proenvironmental consumption behavior. The second objective of this research is to find the underlying mechanism and to rule out some of the possible explanations (e.g., mood) for this effect. The final objective of this study is to establish some of the boundary conditions (individual differences and situational factors) for the proposed effect. The hypotheses of this study were developed based on two main theoretical bases borrowed from social psychology literature: empathy-altruism hypothesis (Batson 1991) and social reconnection hypothesis (Maner et al. 2007). Overall, it was proposed that while social exclusion decreases individuals’ inclination to engage in proenvironmental activities, socially excluded people are motivated to use green consumption behaviors to establish new social bonds with others. These propositions were tested and supported across four experiments. Across these experiments, the findings demonstrated that social exclusion causes people to express lower tendency to engage in proenvironmental behaviors. The findings also consistently suggest that mood does not explain why social rejection leads to negative environmental outcomes. Additionally, social exclusion appears to cause a temporary absence of empathic concern toward others, which leads to less green behavior with altruistic motivation. Further, the role of emotional empathy as a boundary condition was tested in this study and the findings indicate that experiencing social exclusion does not negatively impact proenvironmental behavior in highly empathetic individuals. Finally, this investigation showed that when a proenvironmental behavior is perceived as an opportunity to reconnect and positive social feedback is expected from peers, socially excluded participants favor products that signal to their peers that they too are concerned about environmental issues. In addition to its contributions to consumer research and marketing, this work provides several practical implications. For instance, as established in this study, green products by default are not perceived by excluded individuals as tools that facilitate social reconnection. However, when such products are positioned properly, such individuals tend to capitalize on the social acceptability of their behavior to help them fulfill their threatened need for affiliation. The implication here is that marketers should attempt to customize their promotional strategies accordingly and direct the consumer’s attention to this covert benefit of green products.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Despite the building industry's commendable efforts for creating sustainable environments, numerous studies have shown buildings are not achieving the environmental goals designers and architects are predicting during the design phase. This has been attributed to a number of factors including occupants' unsustainable behavior patterns which affect the amount of energy and resources a building consumes. The effect of human behavior on sustainability has been studied by experts in various fields, it has not however, been sufficiently analyzed by interior designers. Although interior design authors have argued the field has transformed itself to an area concerned with human behavior, there currently are no established design processes or knowledge domains that can help interior designers understand and design to encourage sustainable behaviors. On the other hand, industrial designers have advanced Design for Sustainable Behavior DfSB, an area of research that intentionally uses design solutions to encourage sustainable behaviors. This research argued DfSB can help overcome the gap identified in interior design (ID) by providing ID with design strategies, design processes and precedent. As such this research focused on analyzing the current state of designing with the intention of changing behavior within ID education in order to reach recommendations for the integration of DfSB into ID. The first phase of the study involved a nationwide questionnaire distributed to ID faculty members to gauge the current state of DfSB within ID, including faculty members' attitudes towards it, barriers to integrating it, recommendations for content and teaching methods along with any ethical concerns that may arise from intentionally changing behavior through design. Concurrently, a review of top ID programs online material was conducted to identify the presence of DfSB within existing courses. This phase demonstrated faculty members hold positive attitudes towards DfSB despite their limited familiarity and knowledge of the field which was identified as one of the major barriers to its integration. Additionally, despite none of the programs indicating students are taught how to encourage sustainable behavior through design, it was apparent a foundation for DfSB exists within ID due to the presence of sustainable design courses, human factors, and some social science courses. Findings from the questionnaire spurred a group of questions that required a nuanced investigation through interviews with a sample of ID faculty. These interviews painted a clearer image of the current educational terrain and general directions within ID education. They also allowed the researcher to collate ideas for overcoming barriers to DfSB integration along with establishing recommendations for disseminating DfSB into ID education and practice in a manner that capitalizes on the resources currently available in ID and removes identified hindrances. / Ph. D.

The current study employed an ABA design with a control group to assess the effectiveness of a commitment strategy in reducing meat consumption among university students (n=70). Participants who were randomly assigned to the commitment condition did not consume significantly less meat than participants in the control group, t (48)=.74, p=.47. 79% (n=19) of participants in the control group decreased their meat consumption from baseline to treatment phase, compared with 96% (n=27) of participants in the treatment group. Additionally, when both groups were collapsed, all participants reduced meat consumption from baseline to treatment phase t (51)=8.6, p<.001. Participants' scores on the Motivation Towards the Environment Scale, a measure of self-determined motivation towards environmental behavior, were not significant predictors of meat consumption behavior before or during the intervention, t(67)= -.26, p=.80, t(51)=.53, p=.60. Implications and directions for future research are discussed within the paper. / Master of Science

No description available.

<p> Advances in mobile communication technologies have made it easier for individuals to connect to the workplace during non-work time. The attraction of mobile devices by employers is they enhance productivity, reduce response time and costs, and enhance customer service, while at the same time an individual&rsquo;s constant connectivity to the workplace can cause conflict between the work and home domains. This research study focused on the individual&rsquo;s connectivity behavior after hours while using mobile technologies and the effect it had on work-life balance and organizational efficiency. The research study used a quantitative research methodology to survey Information Technology Professionals. The survey was sent to 877 potential participants, of which 329 responded. The focus of the research was to learn how the use of mobile technology after hours related to employee satisfaction, work-life balance, absenteeism, burnout, and the inability to detach from work. Results indicated a significant relationship between the use of mobile technology after hours and absenteeism, burnout, and the inability to detach from work, while indicating no significant relationship with work-life balance and employee satisfaction. Because mobile technologies are influencing the way we remain connected to the workplace during non-work time, it is important to understand how this technology affect work-life balance and organizational efficiency. The implication for both employer and employees is discussed with emphasis on strategies for maintaining work-life balance and employee satisfaction. </p>