The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that influence international students in their selection of university-related intensive English programs in the southeastern United States and to rate the relative perceived importance of each factor. The study also contained an investigation of the relationships among perceived influence of categories of factors, the culture of the student, and demographic variables. Moreover, it examined the importance of two specific types of factors: student service factors and institutional policy factors. / The Intensive English Program Questionnaire was administered to 314 students enrolled in nine university-affiliated intensive English programs in the southeastern United States. Means were computed for each influencing factor, yielding a rank order of factors by perceived influence. Factors were categorized, and category means were computed. Category means were analyzed in one-way and three-way analyses of variance to examine variation by culture and demographic variables. Means were computed to rate the importance of student service variables. Differences in the perceived importance of institutional policy factor means were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance. / The results showed that the perceived importance of influencing factors could be ranked in order from most to least important. Moreover, the results demonstrated that categories of factors influencing program choice varied by culture, as determined by native language of the students. Categories that varied significantly between groups were academic aspects, influence of others, and university services. Broader cultural groupings showed no significant differences. The study also showed that student services offered by the university are more influential in program choice than are services offered by the intensive English program. Finally, the study demonstrated the importance of a policy whereby academically admissible students are guaranteed admission to the university upon successful completion of the advanced level of the intensive English program. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-03, Section: A, page: 0493. / Major Professor: Frederick L. Jenks. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

This study examines the impact of alternative distribution channels on policyowners' costs and profitability of ordinary life insurers. Using performance data and company characteristics for a sample of forty-five ordinary life insurers, step-wise regression analysis was applied to examine the relationship between alternative distribution channels and life insurer profitability and policyowners' costs. The results from this study do not support any specific relationship between life insurer profits or policyowners' costs and the type of distribution channel employed by a life insurer. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-04, Section: A, page: 1418. / Major Professor: Robert A. Marshall. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

The current study measures the realm of information-seeking behavior by consumers of recorded music through a questionnaire administered at retail locations. Of particular interest are the effects of usage of interactive kiosks in this process. Diffusion of innovations theory is applied to examine characteristics of kiosk adopters and the effect of trialability on the adoption of new and unfamiliar music. Chaffee's postulates of systems theory are incorporated to examine the use of store personnel and kiosks in the information-seeking process. / The review of the literature reveals that information needs of record consumers include identification of songs heard on the radio which are not identified by the radio announcer and the need to preview records before making the purchase decision. These needs may vary according to music genres, and attempts to acquire this information may vary according to characteristics of the consumer. / A survey of 372 record store customers was conducted in 6 retail stores which contain one of the new interactive music kiosks. Respondents were asked about music preferences, use of and perception of store clerks as informative and courteous, and about attitudes toward other technologies. / The study found that kiosk users buy more CDs and make more visits to the retail store. Use of the kiosk is also related to music genre, with the new music genres showing a higher probability of kiosk use. Also, males and younger respondents are more likely to use the kiosk. However, at this early stage in the adoption process, the kiosk is used more out of curiosity than actual information needs. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-08, Section: A, page: 2921. / Major Professor: C. Edward Wotring. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

Research indicates that mistakes in site selection in public and private facilities result in less than maximum potential effectiveness. For the public library, suboptimal location can mean reduced access and reduced user patronage. This study demonstrates a methodology for construction of location modelling for public library facilities in diverse urban environments. Six metropolitan library markets are included in the study. / The location models in this study are site-specific, practical, inexpensive, and useful planning tools for library managers facing a plethora of location-related problems that require analysis. / The study utilizes population, spatial, library use and library "attractiveness" variables to: (1) estimate the dispersion of the population and size of market areas; (2) to quantify use levels at an existing facility location based on the estimated market area; (3) to forecast use levels of other locations, i.e., for purposes of siting a new facility, or for closure or re-siting; and (4) to descriptively estimate potential use levels of targeted markets of sub-groups within the population in order to develop new services or to ascertain service levels at any given or new location. / Standard marketing planning and research methods are employed. A computerized geographic information system comprised of U.S. census data facilitated the analysis. / The research conducted and reported and reviewed in this study is meant to set a precedent regarding location analysis for public library facilities. The precedent is simply stated. Location of library facilities effects use and cannot be treated in a cursory or descriptive manner. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-12, Section: A, page: 3939. / Major Professor: Mary Alice Hunt. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.

Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) is performance that supports the social and psychological environment in which job-specific tasks function (Organ, 1997). Researchers have mainly examined the variables that predict an employee's OCB (e.g., Organ and Konovsky, 1989). However, the OCB literature points out that OCBs also may have important consequences for an organization (e.g., Organ, 1988). Moreover, OCBs mainly have been investigated at the individual level of analysis; that is, studies have viewed OCBs as individually exhibited behaviors. Yet, OCBs may also be displayed at the group level (e.g., George, 1990). OCB at the group level is defined as helping behaviors shared by members of a group that help create or support the environment where core activities take place. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine hypothesized relationships between OCB at the group level and two important organizational outcomes: service quality and customer satisfaction. Additionally, it was hypothesized that a marketing variable, Customer Orientation Behavior (COB), leads organizations and service employees to create value for their customers (Narver and Slater, 1990) and at the group level, to have a positive relationship with service quality and customer satisfaction. This study also included tests of additive and multiplicative effects of OCB and COB in the prediction of customer service evaluations. Results show that at the group level OCBs may lead to better perceptions of service quality however, OCB relationships with customer satisfaction results were generally not significant. Tests of additive and multiplicative effects of OCB and COB in the prediction of customer service evaluations were not supported. Finally, a post-hoc analysis shows a probable nonlinear relationship between the variables under study / acase@tulane.edu

In organizational behavior, the most visible line of research on customer service comes from the climate for service perspective (Schneider, 1990), where research has demonstrated significant associations between employee attitudes about their jobs and organizations, and evaluations of satisfaction and service quality. A separate line of research in organizational behavior and sociology has studied customer service as a type of emotional labor (Hochschild, 1983; Rafaeli & Sutton, 1989). Using insights from both of these literatures, in this dissertation I focus on the importance of affect in the service encounter, and predict that (a) employee affective states influence the emotions they display to customers, (b) customers 'catch' the affect of employees through the process of emotional contagion (Hatfield, Cacioppo, & Rapson, 1994) and (c) customer affect influences customer judgements of satisfaction and service quality. The results were partially supportive of the hypotheses. Employee displayed emotions were positively associated with customer positive affect, and both employee emotional displays and customer positive affect were significant predictors of customer evaluations of service quality. The implications of these findings for advancing the study of service are discussed / acase@tulane.edu

Arts administrators are charged with a number of responsibilities, one of which is to educate the public concerning art. In a rapidly changing, pluralistic, and information packed society, the important task of understanding how to interpret cultural symbols can be both difficult and confusing. This confusion can be observed in an emergent arena where current print advertising and appropriation art, which closely resembles advertising, came together. Much print advertising and appropriated art share similar symbols and forms. But beyond surface resemblance are these symbols and forms used in the same manner? Are meaning and intent similar or different? What are the underlying messages inherent in each respective form? What does each say about art and about contemporary society? And what is the significance of this for arts administration? / "Reading" images is dependent on a combination of direct experience and applied knowledge resulting from life experience. It has been argued that audiences of all ages can learn to look at both advertisements and appropriated art images and to examine not only the formal elements of design, but also the embedded meanings therein, and by this, to have a greater understanding of the society in which they live. / Working from the premise that art is a language in the broad sense of its being communication, the purpose of this study was to analyze and interpret appropriated art images and contemporary print advertisements to understand their symbol use, intentions, value systems, and relationships to each other and what they reflect about contemporary art and culture for possible use by arts administrators in serving their constituents. Toward this end, a literature review of appropriation and of the print advertising media was conducted. Based on this foundation a methodologically consistent critical analysis, interpretation, contextual examination and evaluation was conducted on five print advertisements and five contemporary appropriation art works which use similar visual language and techniques. It was concluded that appropriation art and print advertising have similar forms and are both instrumental, but the intent of each form is markedly different. Implications of these findings are posited for arts administrators. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-03, Section: A, page: 0693. / Major Professor: Tom Anderson. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was any relationship between marketing and utilization of library services/facilities at the fifteen two-year colleges in the University System of Georgia. Furthermore, the study identified the marketing methods part-time and full-time faculty perceived utilized by their campus libraries to make them aware of library services/facilities, their level of library satisfaction and future library needs. Marketing activities included in this study were product, place, price and promotion. / Statistics revealed that (1) part-time faculty perceive themselves marketed to less than full-time faculty; (2) part-time initially learn about the library through colleagues, librarians and department heads while full-time initially learn about the library through librarians, colleagues and library orientations; (3) both groups are updated on the library through librarians, library publications; (4) full-time faculty utilize the library more than part-time faculty; (5) factors affecting faculty utilization are personal collection and lack of time; (6) cost of services was not a factor affecting utilization; (7) reasons to utilize library are reading current journals and checking out materials; (8) no significant relationship was found between marketing and utilization; (9) high level satisfaction was found for library in both groups; (10) perceived future needs were more books followed by more journals. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-04, Section: A, page: 1166. / Major Professor: Barbara A. Mann. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

While a vast amount of research in marketing has examined how information prior to purchase helps consumers to make purchase decisions, relatively little work has considered how marketers can increase the value consumers derive from subsequent experiences using this information. This dissertation develops a construct called "experiential preparation" that describes how consumers can increase the hedonic benefit of their experiences. This dissertation defines "experiential preparation" as any mechanism that allows consumers to familiarize themselves with upcoming experiences in advance of consumption, while the "preparation effect" refers to the increase in liking for an event due to experiential preparation.In a series of ten experimental studies this dissertation demonstrates that experiential preparation increases satisfaction, particularly where the respondent is in a positive mood. It also identifies the primary mechanism through which experiential preparation works, showing that increased satisfaction is fully mediated by fluency. These effects occurred across a range of experiences and modes of preparation. In all the studies, participants viewed feature-length and short, films and read short stories. Participants who engaged in experiential preparation received previews in the form of plot summaries or actual excerpts from the films and stories. In all studies, participants reported their enjoyment for the experiences, and, in several studies additional preference measures were collected. Finally, measures were developed to test for the ways in which fluency mediates and positive moods moderate the preparation effect.This dissertation is organized in three chapters. In Chapter One, experiential preparation and the preparation effect are defined, and background literature is discussed. Chapter Two analyses the results of the ten studies thematically around various mechanisms, some of which have a significant impact on the preparation effect, and some, little impact. Chapter Three presents the studies' results in detail. / Dissertation

Obesity is now a global problem. Within the U.S., the rise in obesity has been largely driven by the increase in caloric consumption. By specifically observing the practices in the fast food industry, this dissertation examines two factors, portion sizes and bundling, to answer the question, what environmental factors in this context have promoted over consumption. With the first factor, portfolio of portion sizes, I demonstrate how extremeness aversion, the tendency for individuals to avoid the smallest and largest sizes, has gradually led consumers to choosing larger and larger portions. Historically research, as well as a consumption study included in this dissertation, demonstrates that choices of larger portions lead to greater end consumption. In regards to bundling (the common practice of offering an entrée, side item, and drink, often referred to as a "combo meal" or "value meal") this dissertation demonstrates that this practice induces people, who choose the bundled meal (on average) purchase larger quantities of side items and drinks. Though offering a combo meal induces consumers to be more price sensitive, those who choose the bundle, tend to be the least price sensitive individuals. Using Bayesian Estimation, this dissertation estimates the magnitude of these effects for each individual, controlling for any price effect on profits, choice and consumption. From the estimates, I produce a demand function for a fast food firm and run policy experiments. The policy experiments are not only used to understand which factors lead to the greatest caloric consumption, but also to evaluate possible policy actions (e.g. taxes) to reduce overall consumption. These experiments demonstrate that taxation of fast food does decrease consumption, however, at a great expense to firms and consumers. Taxes harm consumers because price increases through taxation reduce consumer surplus, and in this context, hurt the poor the most given the greater proportion of the poor consuming fast food. Thus I conclude, through policy simulations, that standards for portion sizes achieves the same or greater decrease in consumption as taxes with limited decrease in firm profits and no harm to consumers. Concluding this dissertation is an addendum on model comparison. / Dissertation