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Owning to the heterogeneity of services, service failures are inevitable to happen in service encounters. Therefore, recovery efforts play important roles in mataining the relationship with customer. Recovery paradox (RP) refers to the situation in which the customer who experiences a failure followed by a superior recovery rates a service as high as or even higher than s/he would rate a service involving no failure. By contrast, Double deviation (DD) refers to the situation in which inappropriate and/or inadequate recovery results in magnification of the negative evaluation. The RP and the DD are essentially symmetrical because both of them represent a phenomenon in which the recovery contributes to customer¡¦s evaluation more heavily than the initial failure dose. Although numerous studies devotes to the question whether the RP and DD exist, very few are trying to answer the question of why they exist. Thus, the main purpose of this research is to conceptually and empirically compare the RP and the DD in order to uncover the potential asymmetry, as well as to understand why recovery influences evaluation more greatly? Because the investigated conditions are not easy to be identified in the real world, a scenario-based quasi-experimental design is chosen. The data is collected from customers actually engaged in the target services. Customers are asked to answer questions about an organization they have recently patronized and then evaluate experimentally-generated scenarios in a restaurant setting to understand whether a negative discrepancy can really magnify the customer¡¦s evaluation toward an identical following event. The result reveals that after a negative-discrepant first event, a positive-discrepant second event is evaluated more positively than non-discrepant second event, but a negative-discrepant second event is evaluated less negatively than a non-discrepant one. That is to say the result supports RP, but doesn¡¦t support DD.

¡§Recovery Paradox¡¨ (RP) means that customer who experienced a service failure and a superior service recovery were more satisfied than the customer who didn¡¦t experience a service failure. Furthermore, ¡§Double Deviation¡¨ (DD) means that customer who experienced a service failure and a inferior service recovery were more dissatisfied than the customer who didn¡¦t experience a service failure or just experience a service failure. These two phenomena imply that customers pay more attention on the recovery than on the failure and that the evaluation of recovery is boosted by the initial failure. This study aims to discuss the boundary conditions in which the RP and DD are more likely to occur. This study uses experimental design to examine the boundary conditions of RP and DD. Experiment scenarios were composed of a series of service event in a restaurant. And the experiment wants to examine whether the customer who experienced the service failure would magnify the evaluation of recovery. Moreover, the experiment also wants to examine whether there are other factors affect the occurrence of these two phenomena. The previous failure experience, the strength of service and the measurement of satisfaction were included in this study as potential boundary conditions. The result supports RP, but doesn¡¦t support DD. And the result shows that there is no significant effect between the satisfaction and the previous failure experience. Beside, the strength of service and the measurement of satisfaction have effect on recovery satisfaction.

Inaug.-diss.--Erlangen.

Folivores do not exhibit a direct relationship between group size and daily path length and are consequently believed to experience little feeding competition. However, previous studies lacked sufficient control for ecological variation and did not account for the underlying hierarchical structure inherent in closely related taxa (phylogeny). The present analysis examined daily path length and relative ranging cost in 37 primate species, including 18 folivores, while controlling for ecological variation and phylogeny. Group size effects on group spread, changes in activity budget, and infant to female ratios were similarly investigated as these have been found to indicate feeding competition in folivorous primates. Although relative ranging cost was a not a significant predictor of folivore group size, large groups traveled significantly farther per day, increased group spread per individual, and had lower infant to female ratios than small groups. Large groups spent more time feeding and less time resting than small groups; however, these trends were not significant. A strong phylogenetic signal was detected among species’ mean values for average group size (λ = 0.827). Because primate group size and behavior represent the combination of adapting to present-day environments and phylogenetic inertia, future comparative analyses of feeding competition should account for both current ecological conditions and the phylogenetic signals inherent in the taxa being compared. As suggested by the current study, folivorous primates may utilize a number of foraging strategies, other than increasing daily path length, to alleviate feeding competition. To better assess feeding competition, future research should include alternative correlates of feeding competition such as increased group spread, changes in activity budgets, and decreased female fecundity. The information gained from such research may improve our current interpretations of the ‘folivore paradox’ and redefine the competitive regime of leaf eating primates. / text

While all racial/ethnic groups in the U.S. exhibited an increase in longevity during the twentieth century, inequalities in survival remain. Hispanics have the highest life expectancy at birth in the United States, non-Hispanic blacks have the lowest, and non-Hispanic whites exhibit life expectancy between the two minority groups. An overarching objective of Healthy People 2020 is to "achieve health equity, eliminate disparities, and improve the health of all groups." Yet, a similar objective based on the Healthy People 2010 campaign regarding reduction of health inequalities was clearly not met. As the population of the United States becomes increasingly diverse as a result of immigration, intermarriage, and evolving notions regarding race and ethnicity, health demographers must monitor adult survival outcomes and inequalities across racial and ethnic subpopulations. This dissertation examines current inequalities in survival among Hispanic, non-Hispanic black, and non-Hispanic white adults in the United States. Using the 1989-2006 National Health Interview Survey Linked Mortality Files and 2010 U.S. National Vital Statistics System, I contribute to the understanding of racial/ethnic survival disparities through three empirical studies: The first chapter affirms that Hispanic mortality rate and life expectancy estimates are favorable relative to blacks and whites, particularly for foreign-born Hispanics and from smoking-related causes. The second chapter shows that, in addition to their higher mean age at death, Hispanics exhibit less variability around that mean relative to non-Hispanic whites. Non-Hispanic blacks, on the other hand, have greater variability and lower life expectancy than the other two racial/ethnic groups. The lower variability among Hispanics relative to whites is largely attributable to lower incidence in cancer, suicide, and other external cause mortality, whereas the greater variability among blacks relative to whites is mainly due to greater dispersion in age at death from heart disease and the residual cause grouping. The third chapter finds that smoking initiation in childhood or adolescence contributes additional mortality risk for current heavy and light smokers relative to never smokers. Lower smoking prevalence and later initiation among foreign-born and U.S-born Hispanics account for much of their lower mortality risk relative to whites. / text

The black-white suicide paradox explored in the current study explores black women's notions of suicide. In its most basic form, a fundamental question of this project is why have black women's suicide rates remained consistently low? This project seeks to explore specific internal and external adaptations that black women have come to rely on for long term survival. A great deal of attention will be given to black women's perspectives of suicide inside and outside of the black community. This qualitative study by way of narratives provides insight into the entities that black women perceive to contribute to their virtually non-existent suicide rates. This approach is particularly appropriate for this study because black women's accounts on suicide will provide rich detailed data typically unseen in current suicide literature. In my work, I assume that black women's multifaceted oppressive conditions have compelled them to use subtle forms of resistance, i.e. coping mechanisms that act as protective barriers against suicide. This study also re-examines notions of social integration and religious beliefs in lessening chances of suicide among black women. Research findings were presented by way of four themes that emerged from the dominant narratives of twenty-two in-depth interviews. Respondents perceived family and communal obligations, faith based beliefs, a sense of long suffering, and declaration of strength to be the primary grounds for black women's low rates of suicide. Recurring themes were consistent despite the women's income or education levels. The study concludes that black women employ and perceive these strategies to be significant in coping or resisting trivial and significant stressors of life. Additionally, black women's perception of suicide as a weakness played a significant role in the way they defined themselves as well as the act. For literature on suicide, I engaged the works of Durkheim, Prudomme, Hendin, and Lester among others as a theoretical framework for this study.

A change in the atmospheric inventory of a greenhouse gas produces a radiative forcing on the atmosphere which results in climatic change. Thus to understand climate change resulting from perturbations to atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations it is necessary to quantify the radiative forcing. Here, radiative forcings are presented for large changes in atmospheric CO2, CH4, and N2O in the modern atmosphere and large changes in atmospheric CO2, CH4 and 18 other gases for the Archean atmosphere. For the modern Earth, I present new calculations of radiative forcing at very high concentrations of CO2, CH4, and N2O, relevant to extreme anthropogenic climate change and paleoclimate studies. CO2 forcing is calculated over the range 100 ppmv to 50,000 ppmv. CH4, and N2O forcings are calculated over the range 100 ppbv to 100 ppmv. The sensitivity of these calculations to spatial averaging and tropopause definition are examined. I compare our results with the ``simplified expressions'' reported by IPCC, and find significant differences at high greenhouse gas concentrations. I provide new simplified expressions which agree much better with the calculated forcings, and suggest that these expressions be used in place of the IPCC expressions. Additionally, I provide meridionally resolved forcings which may be used to force simple and intermediate complexity climate models. For the Archean Earth, I present new calculations of radiative forcing for CO2 (10^-6 - 1 bar), CH4 (500 ppbv - 10,000 ppmv) and 18 other gases (10 ppbv - 10 ppmv). I aim to provide a set of radiative forcing and overlap calculations which can be used as a standard for comparisons. Radiative forcings are calculated for atmospheres with various N2 inventories (0.5, 1, and 2 bar). The effect of overlap and atmospheric pressure on radiative forcing are examined. The CO2 radiative forcings are consistent with previous work, however, I find significantly more shortwave absorption by CH4 than previously reported which may limit warming above 100 ppmv. For the 18 other gases, I find that significant radiative forcings result from low concentrations (<1 ppmv). These forcings are compared to those given in the literature. / Graduate / 0756 / 0608 / 0725 / bbyrne@uvic.ca

Under normotensive conditions, the progressive loss of renal function in diabetes mellitus is very slow. Since hypertension accelerates many forms of renal disease, we assessed the progression of nephropathy in Streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes mellitus under renin-mediated hypertension condition. We investigated the diabetic “salt paradox” as a modifiable susceptibility factor for renal damage. Since hyperfiltration occurs in early diabetes, the reduction of glomerular filtration rate due to an increased salt intake could be mediated by increased tubuloglomerular feedback sensitivity. We compared intact-hypertensive versus diabetic-hypertensive Long-Evans rats under normal and increased salt intake, 1 and 2.5% by weight of food eaten, respectively. Weekly 24-h blood pressure records were acquired by telemetry during the six months of the experiment. Target mean blood glucose of ~ 25 mmol/L was maintained by suboptimal insulin implants. Systolic blood pressure increased after induction of hypertension but was not affected by diabetes or increased salt intake, either alone or together. Autoregulation was highly efficient in both intact and diabetic rats. Nephropathy was scored by histology in the clipped and non-clipped kidneys at the end of the protocol. The non-clipped kidney, which was exposed to hypertension, showed a linear pressure-dependent glomerular injury in both intact and diabetic rats. The best fit line describing the linear relationship between pressure load and injury was shifted toward lower blood pressure in diabetic rats. Over the time course of our experiments, injury was entirely pressure dependent in intact and diabetic rats. Diabetes mellitus increased the susceptibility of the kidney to injury, but independent of blood pressure. Increased salt intake affected neither blood pressure nor renal susceptibility to hypertensive injury. / Graduate

A change in the atmospheric inventory of a greenhouse gas produces a radiative forcing on the atmosphere which results in climatic change. Thus to understand climate change resulting from perturbations to atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations it is necessary to quantify the radiative forcing. Here, radiative forcings are presented for large changes in atmospheric CO2, CH4, and N2O in the modern atmosphere and large changes in atmospheric CO2, CH4 and 18 other gases for the Archean atmosphere. For the modern Earth, I present new calculations of radiative forcing at very high concentrations of CO2, CH4, and N2O, relevant to extreme anthropogenic climate change and paleoclimate studies. CO2 forcing is calculated over the range 100 ppmv to 50,000 ppmv. CH4, and N2O forcings are calculated over the range 100 ppbv to 100 ppmv. The sensitivity of these calculations to spatial averaging and tropopause definition are examined. I compare our results with the ``simplified expressions'' reported by IPCC, and find significant differences at high greenhouse gas concentrations. I provide new simplified expressions which agree much better with the calculated forcings, and suggest that these expressions be used in place of the IPCC expressions. Additionally, I provide meridionally resolved forcings which may be used to force simple and intermediate complexity climate models. For the Archean Earth, I present new calculations of radiative forcing for CO2 (10^-6 - 1 bar), CH4 (500 ppbv - 10,000 ppmv) and 18 other gases (10 ppbv - 10 ppmv). I aim to provide a set of radiative forcing and overlap calculations which can be used as a standard for comparisons. Radiative forcings are calculated for atmospheres with various N2 inventories (0.5, 1, and 2 bar). The effect of overlap and atmospheric pressure on radiative forcing are examined. The CO2 radiative forcings are consistent with previous work, however, I find significantly more shortwave absorption by CH4 than previously reported which may limit warming above 100 ppmv. For the 18 other gases, I find that significant radiative forcings result from low concentrations (<1 ppmv). These forcings are compared to those given in the literature. / Graduate / 0756 / 0608 / 0725 / bbyrne@uvic.ca